Related Links: Software Advice landing page for construction software A new report on the software aspirations of contractors, based on analysis of thousands of inquiries from software buyers in 2014, shows that improving the accuracy of estimating is the goal driving most software shoppers, but the desire to improve doesn't align with a willingness to pay.The desires are not surprising, considering the analysis also found that 52% of the prospective buyers currently use pen and paper to conduct estimating, takeoff, bid management and other construction processes. In 34% of the inquiries analyzed a desire to improve estimating was cited. Improving
Oculus Rift As head of Boston-based Suffolk Construction's 18-month-old national R&D group, Jason Seaburg leads a team searching for new technologies that may become standard tools on company jobsites. His excitement is infectious, says Corren Collura, chief information officer. "Colleagues really buy into it and want to partner with him," she says.Recent explorations include drones, thermal imaging cameras, Google Glass, and still and video cameras on extenders to examine hard-to-reach locations.The 12-member R&D group investigates and recommends the most promising proposals for testing during biweekly conference calls. It works to keep costs within an R&D budget set at the start
Designers and builders working on government-funded projects in the U.K. are approaching the 2016 deadline for implementing Level 2 (managed, collaborative) building information modeling on all such work.
Related Links: BIM Masonry The masonry trades risk contributing to their own obsolescence by failing to get into step with building information modeling (BIM) — the 3D modeling and information laden process for building design and construction planning that is sweeping the industry. BIM, a process for designing and building that saves time and cost, improves estimation accuracy, reduces waste and avoids conflicts in the field, is not new to the construction industry. Yet the masonry trades lag well behind most others — including concrete placement and steel —in developing tools specifically designed to improve trade-specific planning and execution through BIM.
Photo Courtesy of John Russo/ARC A worker scans back-of-house utilities at an airport terminal in Los Angeles. Image Courtesy of John Russo/ARC Captured data creates a point cloud model. Related Links: Industry Tech Advocates Make the Case for Hastened Adoption High Performance Teams Needed to Meet Construction Challenges As the construction industry expands the adoption of reality capture, more contractors are using the technology to assess accurately existing conditions, verify work during construction and provide an as-built model of finished work to building owners.Because developers and manufacturers continue to improve scanning hardware and software, contractors "are able to find a
Images Courtesy Gafcon Charting what it takes to go from data to correct decisions. For many municipalities and government agencies, construction projects programs and projects are hitting a fever pitch. Deadlines are looming and time is of the essence. All the while, these initiatives are under the increasingly watchful eye of the public, elected and appointed officials looking to make sure that those in charge stay on budget, account for every penny and still achieve the intended outcomes on time.Managing it all and meeting expectations can be daunting, which is why program managers are implementing program control software platforms at a
Enlarge Related Links: Pinchot University Yau Lee Group The idea of "intrapreneurship"—that is, nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit within big corporations— resonated with attendees of ENR's FutureTech conference, held in San Francisco on March 16-17. Gifford Pinchot III, who coined the term, said the idea is relevant to construction, particularly now as it pushes toward high-performance buildings.Intrapreneurs exhibit curiosity, often spend free time developing an idea and see the big picture, says Pinchot, author of "Intrapreneuring in Action: A Handbook for Business Innovation." He offers an online program that helps intrapreneurs build business plans and teams and coaches them as projects
Related Links: International Strategic Development Solutions NoteVault In Afghanistan's Bamyan Province, a New Zealand-funded development project is now bringing 24-hour electricity to 2,490 homes and businesses in scattered hamlets with an off-the-grid, 1.05-MW network of solar arrays, batteries, backup generators and transmission lines.The $14.2-million project includes five arrays, mostly perched on rough hillsides about 10 km apart at an elevation of 8,500 ft. It now is in the hands of the Afghan national electricity utility for a 24-month, post-construction run-in maintenance period.The developer is the Bamyan Renewable Energy Programme Partnership. Program manager is International Strategic Development Solutions, a New Zealand
Photo Courtesy of Icarus Aerial In Minutes Trevor Duke, of Icarus Aerial LLC, an early enrollee in Workmode, says he can walk up to a job trailer, explain his services and be airborne in minutes. Map products processed and delivered by Workmode can bring valuable data to contractors. Photo Courtesy of Icarus Aerial Related Links: SkyCatch signup Icarus Aerials The commercial drone industry is rising like mushrooms after a rain, following recent moves by the Federal Aviation Administration that remove uncertainty about how it is likely to regulate drone flights once the laborious federal rule-making process runs its course. Pent-up
Related Links: Sunshot Catalyst Hackathon Pitches The SunShot Catalyst Prize program is a 60-day virtual hackathon that was launched in mid-February and sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s SunShot Initiative. The program awards innovators that make a product that can reduce the soft costs associated with the solar industry, such as financing and permitting. “The work that’s being done in this hackathon is really work that’s being utilized to advance the solar industry as a whole,” says Debbie Brodt-Giles, digital assets manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She connects SunShot Catalyst participants to NREL data and tools to
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