My expectations from Autodesk’s Construction Cloud
December 25, 2019
Autodesk, Inc. unveiled the Autodesk Construction Cloud this year at the Connect & Construct summit. There has been much conversation in recent times about the need for the construction sector to embrace new technologies like the Cloud to improve effectiveness. Collaboration seems to be a focus for everyone. The Construction Cloud promises much in those areas. Of course, Revit has been a key part of our own business operations for years now so we keep a close eye on the innovations emerging from Autodesk. In that context, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at what could change with the Autodesk Construction Cloud.
The Construction Cloud is being spoken of as a best-in-class innovation to connect teams, workflows, and information. It’s an innovative approach to bringing together a network of professionals and firms, and ground-breaking predictive analytics to enable your business to flourish across all the phases of construction.
The construction industry is at a crucial turning point. Organizations no longer want to settle for fragmented teams and disconnected information. This is a great opportunity to break down barriers and build a foundation that supports all the members – from contractors, subcontractors, builders, designers, and owners – through all stages of construction and development, from structure to operations.
With the Autodesk Construction Cloud, a new way of working of connected construction and unmatched integration between the office and field teams could begin.
Autodesk Construction Cloud is based on the basic principle of:
· Design
· Plan
· Build
· Operate
At the center of Autodesk Construction Cloud are some proven development solutions:
· Assemble
· Building Connected
· BIM 360
· PlanGrid
The Construction Cloud incorporates three core components to help construction companies work more effectively and efficiently, collaborate with experts, and get insights that will help then plan and execute, even future projects, better.
1. Advanced Technology: The solutions we know so well. These are built for simple operations that help in aligning organizations, offices, and teams from design through to development and operations.
2. Builders Network: This is an ambitious attempt to build the industry’s biggest network of owners, builders, architects, and contractors. The platform could enable these folks to connect with the right partners for the right projects. This is exciting because it could create a kind of thriving marketplace that provides more opportunities for the people with the skills and more functional bandwidth to the people with the need.
3. Predictive Insights: This is a look into the future. Most industries have embraced Big Data and Analytics. The availability of data is not a problem with our business. Now we can leverage that data to get AI-driven analysis that provides the designers and builders with powerful insights to reduce risks by predicting effective outcomes. This can help plan projects better, optimize resource requirements, improve construction safety, and help drive more sustainable practices.
The benefit to construction companies is that they can harness the power of the latest in construction technology to connect the entire construction cycle seamlessly. This will help them to create winning strategies to bring more efficiency to projects by improving project management to control costs and increase profits.
At a more granular level, Autodesk Construction Cloud:
1. Promises to help team members collaborate from anywhere. It should enable the easy flow of data from design creation to the job site.
2. Is built with BIM 360’s CDE or common data environment. This guarantees that the entire team will collaborate on a coordinated record set.
3. Brings the construction industry a step closer to a unified solution with all our information available on the same platform so that the data is not lost.
4. Makes it easier for field teams to capture videos directly.
5. Could enhance BIM 360 modules.
Jenny Moshea, head of technology at Sellen Construction said at the launch, "Autodesk Construction Cloud brings together advanced technology—which Autodesk has always been known for—with the network of the building community—which is the core of what we do as an industry—underpinned by predictive insights. This is the next evolution, the connected tissue that brings it all together, so the construction lifecycle is no longer disjointed."
The connected tissue of the construction lifecycle -that’s a good way to look at a solution that seems to be all about creating efficiencies through connection and collaboration between teams, business entities, and the data our projects produce in such large quantities.