Technology's Assault on Construction

January 16, 2025

Will 2025 be the Year of Technology in Construction?

Throughout the last several years, the use of technology in construction has been a reoccurring theme here in both the print and livestream versions of Thoughts from the Field. I have stated on many occasions that the place for construction companies to start their journey into technology is by ditching the paper blueprints and switching to digital drawings. There are several widely used applications on the market today to enable that switch and to leverage the improved productivity of the true digital workflows that are unlocked by making the switch. I even detailed the benefits in a series of short videos using the Fieldwire by Hilti application.

Accelerating Adoption

I have also talked about adapting the capabilities of general-purpose applications and leveraging them inside of the construction industry and have given some examples of applications that have added construction specific workflows or templates to their offerings. One such application is from Progress ShareFile . At its core, this is a secure file sharing application. As we adopt more technology and bring more applications into our tech stack, the need for a good file sharing application quickly becomes evident. Emailing documents has become the norm, but the files we work with throughout the AEC industries (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) often fit into one of the following categories that make sharing from a purpose-built environment a better option:

• Large files that can exceed the limits places on many email systems
• Files that require more security than typical email attachments
• Documents that need to be accessed by many recipients (think – sending plans out to the trades for bid)
• Sharing files that would benefit from an automatic verification that they were received and viewed

In addition, every time we email documents to someone, we create a duplicate file that lives on someone else’s system, and it won’t be updated when the original is revised. I am not sure I fully appreciated all of this until I had the opportunity to partner with ShareFile. We had a great discussion on how ShareFile can be used to do things such as:

• Using the Outlook plug-in to encrypt emails, or create a secure file sharing link right in your email (so you no longer have to send a copy of the actual file)
• Send documents and contracts out for secure electronic signatures
• Create fillable forms and send requests to trades to supply information

We also discussed ShareFile’s newly created construction industry templates and workflows that can be used for sub-contractor onboarding, distribution of plans, requesting proposals, and more. You can still view the entire livestream on LinkedIn, by clicking here, or check out the highlights in the video below.

The Takeaway

ShareFile is a long-established secure file sharing platform that has previously built integrations for the legal and finance industries. Their new focus on the #construction industry should grab our attention. Dedicated Project Spaces, Secure Portals, and E-signatures can be immediately leveraged for work we do every day. With the workflows and templates, I can see an immediate use as a platform that general contractors can utilize as a virtual plan room that has the ability to send and track requests for proposals that can be securely submitted in the ShareFile platform and then moved into an onboarding workflow during procurement. This sets the platform apart from other general file sharing platforms.

It will also pay to keep an eye on other technology out there in the marketplace that has been successful in other industries as more tech companies look to capitalize on the construction industry.

What's Next?

The new year always starts with two of the industry's largest trade shows. In January it's the World of Concrete . I will be there to connect with some old colleagues and to scout out what's new. That's followed by the NAHB International Builders' Show at the end of February. If you are there, make sure to stop by booth W4159 to check out On3 Inc. and see what we have been working on.

In between those, I will be back at LinkedIn Learning to record another course on Bluebeam that will focus on its use as a digital take-off tool.

Please stay tuned for more! Subscribe to this newsletter so you don't miss anything, and forward this to everyone else you know that would benefit from these discussions.

Additional Resources

Here are some additional ways to access more tips and advice for professionals in the #aec industries (#Architecture, #Engineering, #Construction):

1. Visit The Construction Collaborative at www.cmsocial.net to find ideas, tips and tricks, video tutorials, and to help form a community of construction professionals sharing ideas and solutions.
2. Follow me on LinkedIn, then click the 🔔 at the top of my profile page to be notified about events and to join in the conversations in my posts.
3. Subscribe to Thoughts from the Field to receive this bi-weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox and on LinkedIn, so you don't miss any topics.

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