Connecting construction

As the construction industry faces challenges from fast tracking projects to social distancing it is clear that technology is increasingly important to keep people connected. Autodesk explains why construction businesses should welcome a digital transformation.

A 2018 industry report by PlanGrid and FMI called Construction Disconnected, found 59 per cent of all construction rework across Australia and New Zealand is caused by poor data and communication.

Bad or poor data can be caused by a number of factors, but it is often inaccurate information, missing information or duplicate data that affects projects.

Construction Disconnected found the cost of rework caused by poor data and miscommunication in Australia and NZ to be $8.4 billion in 2018.

Autodesk’s Construction Cloud is a solution driven by technology to enhance collaboration and data sharing across the lifecycle of any construction project.

The Construction Cloud enables data at the fingertips of workers. There are solutions and data storage options from assembling the project to design works where it can read BIM files in 2 or 3D. There is also software to aid in tendering for projects and finally project management software for when work is underway and moves into the maintenance phase.

Adele Bernard, Head of APAC Marketing at Autodesk, said the Construction Cloud aims to reduce rework and conflict.

“The overarching challenge of all of those construction processes from design, tendering, project management and so on is the data. That is where it has been so disconnected and on construction sites you can have so many people using different systems,” she said.

“With the Autodesk Construction Cloud the data is seamlessly integrated across all the different stages of the construction lifecycle.”

This year COVID-19 has driven digital transformation for every sector across the globe and in Australia construction has been especially impacted by this.

As a result of being allowed to continue to work through the pandemic, construction companies needed fast upgrades to their health and safety site procedures as well as their ability to collaborate without being face to face.

Technology has been a huge enabler of this digital transformation and is expected to break the ice for those companies that hadn’t yet got around to the digitisation of its projects and processes.

“COVID-19 has actually fast tracked the decisions to switch to digital technology on construction sites. Some of the other areas where COVID-19 has impacted are the customers’ ability to manage cashflow, scheduling and workforce management,” Bernard said.

“With COVID-19 there is a real need for safety and also to be able to continue doing construction projects with less people having face to face contact. That is where technology and transforming processes to digital and the cloud comes into play.”

While transforming to digital can be advantageous, many businesses are unsure how to make the transformation or where to start. Bernard says transformation with Autodesk can be done in stages.

“We are advising companies on their digital transformation and where to start first. You can take tiny steps, or you can implement a full platform,” she said.

“If you want to take small steps then we have the ability to introduce software by different workflows. Instead of having to go immediately into a whole new platform you can chose a particular workflow, whether its field management, 3D take-offs or asset management, and we have the ability and the software capability to do that.”

However, before even adopting technology Bernard says its essential for each company to have a digital plan.

“I think what companies can do to be ready is to have a plan as to how to adopt technology. Because there is such a collaboration that is needed and the general conversation about how to be more collaborative by technology needs to happen,” she says.

Cloud based technology in its nature allows wide collaboration and sharing without face to face contact.

“Autodesk covers the entire construction system, all of these really important particular workflows we cover. In the cloud there is one single source of truth that companies can share and have access to from anywhere,” Bernard said.

To navigate the digital technology transformation, Autodesk offers consultancy, programs, webinars and thought leadership articles that inform users about how to get the best from the Construction Cloud technology.

Recently the company has made a number of acquisitions, including the AI-Powered Construction Software Provider, Pype. These new tools will help in the expansion of the current Construction Cloud offerings.

“There is such a huge demand across the planet for a connected construction platform and that is something Autodesk can deliver. We are continuing to evolve the Construction Cloud and add new products enhancements regularly,” Bernard says.