Construction and Engineering Management
Construction projects usually involve transient "virtual organizations" made up of members of a project team (involving several disparate disciplines) working together on the design and construction of a facility. Team members are often non-co-located, particularly at the early stages of the design process, and tend to work independently while taking decisions that affect others. The adoption of concurrent engineering principles by the construction industry is increasingly being seen as vital for reducing the problems posed by the industry's fragmentation, and enhancing its competitiveness.
An important aspect of concurrent engineering in construction is the need for an effective communications infrastructure able to transmit project information between members of the project team and across all stages in the constructed facility's lifecycle.
Telepresence enabled Contruction & Engineering Management:
- Reviewing architecture design and site-adaptation maps of geographical area surroundings -- rather than gathering a group at the construction site, an aerial view can provide a better perspective
- Keeping everyone posted concerning changes in regulatory and environmental constraints
- Coordination of multiple projects on a site -- the scalability of some of today's projects can quickly spin out of control without ongoing communication
- Gathering key personnel -- many of today's large developers are using videoconferencing to bring together everyone from the architect and site engineer to the concrete provider and interior design firm to coordinate their efforts and schedules
- Employing document readers and other technologies to project the site layout, architectural design, building specifications, and landscaping Remote site management
Videoconferencing is particularly useful in remote site construction, where it can offer opportunities for people who feel out of the loop to participate. Even malfunctions of equipment or repairs can be handled via the conference by bringing in specialists to identify the problems and oversee the repairs. As the cost of new construction continues to rise, the construction industry is likely to expand its use of video communications rapidly in the next several years.
