Most builders, contractors, and suppliers run into communication problems from time to time.
For steel fabricators Richardson Steel, they’ve seen it all in terms of errors and miscommunications on the jobsite. Now they can offer you hard-won tips from their experience on an expensive, complicated project: the Imperial Beach Library.
“It’s hard stuff to locate without modeling it,” says Lance Richardson of Richardson Steel of the design for Imperial Beach Library. “[The shape] shifted from one radius to a second radius, and then to a third radius.”
It could have been a sticky situation, but Richardson says the process couldn’t have been smoother thanks to several smart decisions along the way.
“Because of the communication and the shared use of technology, we averted those problems,” he says.
Technology and collaboration can solve your most pressing jobsite challenges, even complex ones, even if it seems like a simplistic prescription. Each of these tips can be further broken down.
Technology Bridges the Gap
Many projects today demand a level of attention to detail that can’t be ‘done’ on anything except the latest BIM technology. Steel detailer Bart Rohal estimates feeding 2d plans into a 3d program saved “hundreds of hours.”
Work Ahead
It always pays to get out of ahead of the process. Just how early? Before the ink is even dry on the contract, says Richardson. He says, “I cannot overstate how beneficial this has been to these projects once construction begins.”
They even suggest creating positions to maintain quality control over aspects of the project that may get lost once work begins.
Incorporate Codes and Standards
For Richardson Steel, the code specifications they have to meet are laid out by the American Institute of Steel Construction. Your standards may look different depending on your end of the project, but failure to consider codes at every step of the way can derail a project later.
Take a Look Back
No matter what goes wrong or right, post-project review can save you from making the same mistakes in the future. A thorough review can also identify areas ripe for cost-cutting.