The Changing Landscape of Construction — Revisited
by Donna L. Cahan

In August of 2008 I wrote an article on the “Changing Landscape of Construction”. At that time I had been observing the Construction Industry for 25+ years, and noted that I had seen amazing changes. As a reminder, going back 150+ years, I made some of the following observations:

• In “the old days” a few skilled craftsmen and a few tools were all that was needed to build anything — a home, a jail, a bank, a courthouse, a church, a prison, etc. If you needed a barn, house or community building raised you could throw a “raising” and everyone would show up with their tools and hands ready to join in the fun. (Zygna has even leveraged this activity for their online game ‘Farmville’.)
• Moving past the age of expanded settlement and into the Industrial Revolution, I noted that we saw a dramatic shift — manufacture in bulk, syndicate building products thru traveling salesmen, develop more refined tools.
• I then remarked that technology moved production & construction into a fast growth pattern — the more standardized the manufacturing process the more technology was brought to bear on the process itself.
• I also noted that technology was not solely responsible for the changes in the construction process or even industry. A volatile economy, wars, new understanding of how actions impact the world and the growing desire to manage resources all played, and are still playing, a part.

Remember that construction isn’t just about products used in construction or building a building — that it is a creative process starting with an owner’s need, moving to a designer’s vision and culminating in a construction teams’ implementation.

Moving into the present, I have noted a few dominant trends that are continuing to drive rapid change — the two most dominant being “sustainable” or “green” construction and the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in all aspects of construction.

To begin with, I’ll focus on BIM. Why? Because using BIM also results in green construction - which I will address more at a later date.

For the contractor, BIM can be used to avoid installation issues. If you were able to see my attic you would have a perfect example. The drawings neglected to include connectivity between power and furnace — so the contractor had to rig wires across the beams after I moved in and discovered that the furnace did not work. If this had been a commercial construction project, occupancy approval would have been delayed while change orders were designed and approved, demolition and reconstruction completed and new inspections performed.

BIM also allows GC’s and subs to more accurately quote construction jobs. Since the models are built to scale and include building products, take-offs can be produced more quickly & accurately than ever before.

For the Architect, BIM can provide easy design reviews for themselves and the Owner. If costs are embedded in the model, they can easily show the client how changes in size or materials impact their bottom line. Other data can show changes in energy consumption based on variable positioning of the whole building. The amount of information gained is limited only by the amount of information included in the model.

For the owner, the benefits are endless. Controlled cost based on real data about your facility — from the materials used in construction to replacement and renovation projects. No more hunting for the number of bulbs you need to replace, or where the shut off valves are located. From the home owner to the Facility Manager, BIM can change the way you manage your property!

Over the next few months, I will be exploring the uses and impact of BIM for the construction industry. Advantages, work flow integration, influence on design & bid processes, etc. If you have any specific questions please send them in! You can email me directly at dcahan@rcmsgroup.com.