For any business in any industry, information is what keeps things running on time and on budget. The construction industry is no different.

The people working on a construction project must manage information of varying value and purpose – from technical and design specific, to commercial or project management related. Sometimes the information is collected and managed by only one or two people, or by separate entities (such as the construction company, the subcontractors and other partners).

When there is no system for effectively sharing and communicating this information, then productivity suffers. The right information in the right hands at the right time enables construction companies to complete their projects with greater efficiency.

In construction lack of information is costly

Construction project owners have long suffered from a lack of information. And the data they do receive may be inaccurate, uncoordinated, or come from untrustworthy sources. This may put a project behind schedule and prove costly for the concrete contractor and other companies involved. 

Data inaccuracy can quickly escalate from a minor annoyance into something that compromises the entire construction process. Poor information and inadequate communication between team members and other construction companies working on the same project costs the construction industry billions of dollars annually. 

Construction success depends on information management

Construction relies on the exchange of large and complex data sets. But if companies use old or traditional methods to collect this data, most of it will be lost during the different stages of the construction process. Without the possibility to centrally track or archive information, it cannot be shared in a quality manner. When information is not centralized, sharing random pieces of data will only create more inconsistency in the project. This leads to project owners, contractors, and subcontractors lacking a common understanding about the construction and the status of their project.

Contractors need to coordinate and organize information to ensure that work at a site can be done as smoothly and cost-efficiently as possible. By sharing the right information between the different parties involved in a project, the whole construction process becomes more integrated and effective.

From drawing to modeling, sharing information that matters in construction

Despite the clear benefits that 3D modeling offers, many concrete contractors are still using traditional modeling methods for their building projects. Yet it is infeasible to collect all the vital information this way. You cannot see the bigger picture or imagine the finished building using a flat drawing. 

3D models help you visualize the structure in such detail that you can plan the best places for storage, cranes, site cabins, and more. Besides saving time, preventing mistakes, and streamlining formwork and other operations on-site, the visualization provided by a 3D model shows exactly what you get. 

In a technology-driven world, construction project owners must use the tools available to them for managing building projects. 3D modeling is just such a tool, allowings concrete contractors to define, obtain, and share valuable information between the different parties working on any project.

Find out how 3D modeling helps you to close the information gap.