Boosting efficiency with unified design and build collaboration

The Challenge

XL Construction has embraced design-build construction, a process in which designers work with builders right from the early design phase of the project. They needed a way to coordinate those teams, which required a platform to bring the groups together. Traditional Building Information Modeling (BIM) software excludes most of the team from the process because of its cost and complexity. And trying to fill the gap with email, documents, and spreadsheets just wouldn’t work.

The Solution

XL Construction utilized Procore’s BIM model viewer technology to break the model out of the confines of traditional design review software, allowing the design to be shared across the entire project team as it was developed. Once everybody could see the model, the team could use Procore’s platform to seamlessly collaborate to improve the design. Procore made the kind of teamwork they needed for design-build construction possible.

The Results

• With one comprehensive platform for all stages, XL Construction manages design, preconstruction, and construction
• Procore unites teams by bridging the gap between stakeholders, enabling collaboration between design consultants and contractors early in the design phase
• Connecting design to construction on a single platform creates a seamless flow of project documentation across all phases for improved management

A Better Way to Coordinate Teams

Procore BIM empowered XL Construction’s collaboration process. Traditionally, designers wait to send models over to builders for coordination until they are almost finished. Correcting any issues the builders find can require a lot of valuable time and effort, and opportunities for creative solutions informed by the builders’ experience are lost. Trevor Johnston, Manager of Construction Technology for XL Construction, claims the biggest issue in this process is the lack of early participation from all the stakeholders.

“Another big limiting factor is technology and the tools available. Typical model viewers can be expensive when buying lots of licenses and require extensive training to learn to use,” says Johnston.

Making Models Easier to Navigate

Johnston said a “key detractor” is that not everyone is comfortable “flying around in a 3D environment.” Typical BIM technology is not easy to navigate, and people can get frustrated trying to figure out how to examine the model.

“This is where Procore has been a game-changer for us. Procore BIM is available right inside of Procore on the web and mobile platforms. There's no extra software, licenses, or special computers to run. And it's quick and easy to learn,” says Johnston.

“The real power of Procore BIM is that it uses a 2D drawing up in the corner of the screen to help you navigate [the model]. By clicking on that drawing, you can place yourself precisely where you want to be in the model. And at any time, you can click on that drawing again and go somewhere else.” Johnston says this lowers the learning curve by simplifying the skills needed to navigate a model.

Procore BIM also unites all stakeholders in the same model. As the model gets updated, everyone can see the most recent version––ensuring all parties are up to date on the latest changes and preventing potential rework caused by teams working off of old information.

One Platform from Design Management to Construction

While XL uses Autodesk for design authorship, they manage the entire project lifecycle––from design and preconstruction to construction––with Procore.

“For authoring tools, Autodesk is the largest suite out there,” says Johnston. “But then you've got pre-construction and construction management. And for us, the hands-down preferred choice is Procore.”

And what about design management? “Traditionally, there's kind of a gap there. Most companies are just using some sort of folder structure or cloud-based sharing platforms to distribute information. [But] for all the same reasons that we use Procore for construction management, it obviously makes a great choice for design management as well.” Johnston says that Procore has helped their projects become the highly collaborative design-build process that XL Construction envisioned.

Johnston often hears stakeholders say they can’t believe how great Procore works for their projects. It empowers early engagement from all stakeholders and early access to tools that help streamline communication and collaboration from the onset.

“It empowers everyone to have a voice in the conversation,” says Johnston. “And the biggest reaction is, ‘This doesn't feel like chaos anymore.’”