There are some who insist there is no way for construction projects to go paperless, even as creative companies work to do just that. While contracts and other sensitive legal paperwork might persist in traditional form for the foreseeable future, there are paperless solutions today that are pushing the proverbial envelope when it comes to the collaborative necessities of construction projects.
One case in point is the 100,000 square-foot Overlook Center project in Waltham, MA, now in its final stages and being managed by William A. Berry & Son, Inc. (Berry). Berry, architects Perkins+Will, and the subcontractors on the job used Bluebeam PDF Revu to review and markup more than 42,000 pages of construction documents. The team claims it achieved a 1,557 pound reduction in the project’s carbon footprint. Berry is expecting the project will receive a LEED Innovation & Design Credit from the U.S. Green Building Council because of its paperwork reduction efforts.
Bluebeam PDF Revu is a PDF creation, markup and editing solution and I was curious about the challenges Berry might have faced in trying to pry the paper from the participants’ desperate grips. But, according to Jake Chace, LEED AP project manager for Berry, it was a snap.
Everything went well and pretty much as we planned. We were able to do submittals, RFIs, etc. It wasn’t difficult to get the subcontractors on board. Some of them were already using it, and if they weren’t, we just walked them through it, and they had no problem working from the PDF.
Chace said initial resistance was nonexistent as people were “very open to using Bluebeam.” There were also only a couple of exceptions to going paperless.
Hard samples, such as carpets, color palettes, flooring, ceilings, etc., still had to be shipped or hand delivered. Also, we did not use it for contracts.
In a press release Berry said it chose Revu due to its specialized features for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) professionals. Berry claims that unlike other redlining tools, Bluebeam PDF Revu includes industry standard markups and takeoffs, an exclusive Tool Chest for storing custom annotations, a drawing comparison feature, integrated tracking, and tablet PC compatibility. When combined, Berry claims these features enabled all project documents –submittals, RFIs, punch lists and more – to be reviewed and redlined in a light-weight, universal file format.
To ensure project-wide adoption, Berry and Bluebeam jointly trained all parties on best practices for PDF markup and editing. Chace credited communication, and the support of the CM with the overall success of the effort.
We communicated well in advance about using the software on this project. Our IT department was very involved and provided a lot of support. The communications and the support from the CM side were critical to user adaptation.
Berry created a blueprint for paperless workflows that is being replicated on all of its future projects. Berry is also in the process of putting together a training document for first-time Bluebeam PDF Revu users.
We’ve used Bluebeam in the past and walked new users through it,” said Chase. “Once it’s completed, this training tool will help document the process we used.
Others involved with the project have some enthusiastic expectations for the kinds of green advantages waiting in the wings as paperless construction projects blossom.
The paperless project has been the holy grail of the construction industry,” said Richard Lee, CEO of Bluebeam Software. “Berry has proven that it is possible to go virtually paperless and engineer an electronic workflow that can be duplicated using Bluebeam technology. By recognizing paperless workflows in the LEED standard, the USGBC can incentivize green builders to follow Berry’s lead in process sustainability, and affect real and significant change industry wide. Using Berry’s results as an example, we estimate that the USGBC would be responsible for the reduction of over 25 million tons of CO2 emissions annually.
