Construction Informer

BIM Risks and Rewards article very clearly outlines the legal aspects of the technology.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) is delivering a new process to construction that is forever changing the way the human world is being built.  Being able to see a 3-dimensional representation of a structure before it is built, and while it is in the design stages, has advantages that closely parallel being able to see into the human body with X-Rays and MRIs to diagnose and treat medical problems. A clear vision enables exacting design criteria and eliminates conflicts while saving money and time.

As construction, and its related fields of architecture and engineering adopt the new technology they have to do it within the framework where they have always operated until that framework catches up to the changes that are going on. So, BIM in some regards is hamstrung by the “old ways of doing business.”

I have read many papers on BIM, its advantages and disadvantages and challenges, but one recently written by Michael J. Cremonese and Chad A. Wissinger is elegantly simple yet very insightful in explaining the legal aspects. For a fluid and understandable view of BIM read this.

The iPad is showing up on construction sites and providing access to construction documents and plans as well as serving as a communications tool. (Photo from Apple Web site)

It’s beginning to look like Apple’s iPad might take the technologically-challenged construction sector by storm. Box.net and D7 recently teamed up on an $890 million public transportation extension in the San Francisco Bay Area using Box.net on iPads. According to Box.net:

Palo Alto-based Box.net, which provides a web-based solution that makes it easy to manage, collaborate and share content online, decided to put 20 iPads and Box accounts in the hands of D7 Consulting employees, whose job it was to ensure the waterproofing system being installed on the extension was in accordance with the project’s thousands of documents.

[Listen to the Podcast with Box.Net's Sean Lindow and D7 Consulting's Joe Daniels.]

Then I read the NoliWhite Group, healthcare facility developers, are deploying the iPad on its projects. Everyone on the site will have access to an iPad where they can view the plans in a virtual plan room just using the Web. Documents will also be available to those who need to use and interact with them.

With everyone involved in the construction process having access to an iPad on site, we will ultimately eliminate the need to carry hundreds of sheets of drawings and thousands of pages of specifications,” says Mike Noli, partner with The NoliWhite Group. “The increased productivity level from our craftsmen and supervisors not having to carry around these massive documents alone makes this a worthwhile initiative.

The developer claims it saved $179,000 in just printing costs. But how do the rank and file builders feel about it? NoliWhite provided some perspectives in its press release. One craftsman reportedly said:

I don’t own a computer or have an email address, but the iPad is changing the way I do my work and for the better. It just makes everything so easy and fast, and I really think that it is making me better at what I do every day.

It’s too bad the company didn’t identify the “craftsman,” since that might lend some credibility to the recommendation.

Some challenges might include how visible the screen is in bright light and since it’s not a Microsoft product users will have to get used to Mac’s email. Other MS Office products covert on the fly to the Mac equivalent and can be exported back to Office, or even PDF. Most people I have heard review the keyboard have liked it, but not all. And of course, it is not impervious to damage from nail guns. Still, I bet we’re going to see this piece of hardware proliferate rapidly on construction sites.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 17:48 — 7.7MB)

Podcast Show Notes

The continued drumbeat about cloud computing [earlier CI Post] keeps the topic at the forefront of conversations those in construction are having about how to leverage the cloud and still maintain security and functionality. One aspect of cloud computing is file storage and it’s not as simple as setting up an account with an online backup service. You have files that are constantly being modified and you need a seamless backup that takes into account the needs of users while creating multiple versions of files and making them easily available if something goes wrong.

Join me in a conversation with Andres Rodriquez, the CEO of Nasuni Corporation. Nasuni bills itself as the gateway to cloud storage. Andres offers perspectives on the security of the cloud, the bandwidth issues, why the cloud is evolving as it is and what to expect from the file storage solutions like the one his company provides.

Also, learn about the free offer from GoToMeeting. Save time and money by getting your team together on GoToMeeting. Right now, hold your meetings online for just $49 a month. Try GoToMeeting free.

In this podcast you can learn how cloud storage through an intermediary helps to simplify the task of putting your files online. For many people in construction, architecture and engineering this episode may serve as an introduction to file storage in the cloud, and it may help others visualize how the real world interacts with the virtual world of cloud computing.

Harmon Inc. glaziers prepare to install another pane on a high rise project. (Courtesy Harmon Inc.)

You never really know how things are going to connect in the world of relationships. That’s probably why social networking is finding its place in the day-to-day operations of AEC firms.

In one of his posts at the Upworld blog Collier Ward recounts how connections in the virtual world bled through to the real world and created a web of connections that advanced at least a few efforts of those who got connected. Since then, at least one other connection has set in motion an opportunity for two other people to advance their strategies. Who knows, that’s the only one I know of, but there could already be many more opportunities falling into place for many more people.

Last week I wrote here about a survey that recently came out showing the types of information construction buyers use when they are considering a purchase. One popular source of referrals is of course those people who sell other related items to them.

In this case Harmon Inc., a glass and glazing service contractor went looking for something to tame the paper tiger they were holding by the tail. Low and behold the people who do their CAD reselling for them suggested they try Bluebeam, and according to recent reports there has been no turning back. That was a real world event, but here I am telling you about it in the virtual world.

The line between the virtual world and the real world is blurring to the point where actions in either are having an impact on the other. While I don’t think this iteration of social networking on the Web is anywhere nearing the end of its evolution, I do think the connections that are happening today in the virtual world are going to inform and impact our real world lives more heavily and more radically then perhaps any other previous form of social communication. The question for the wise construction business owner is, “What’s the best way for me to blend my real world and my virtual world?”

BuyerZone releases results of poll showing the preferences of construction buyers.

If you make decisions about what to buy for your construction company then you might be interested in knowing how your peers feel about the way sellers approach them. You also might be surprised to learn how other construction buyers find their vendors. Besides telling you if you follow similar patterns as the others, this could also come in handy by offering some new ideas, or, showing you just how far out-of-the-ordinary you might be.

Perhaps you’d be surprised to find out that while 75 percent of construction buyers use word-of-mouth as the primary way to find vendors for the products and services they need, almost as many, 71 percent, heavily rely on general Internet searches. You don’t need to wonder if you are behind the times by not using social media to find vendors because most of your peers aren’t using it either. And, if you find yourself trusting the reviews of total strangers on the Internet when you are making your final buying decisions, then you are not alone. More people trust those reviews than the recommendations from colleagues.

One thing more than half of construction buyers have in common is they want to see the price on the Website. Not only that, they want all the information to be there, including specifications, MSDS and the complete product listing. You can find out all the peculiar details about how construction buyers choose products and vendors by downloading a free white paper from BuyerZone.

For those of you who are actively looking to sell to construction buyers this is most definitely an eye-opening report. Perhaps very telling was the list of things construction buyers view as their most challenging issues. Below, you can take a survey with responses covering the typical answers found in the BuyerZone survey.

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