Category: People issues

Collaborative design management – still evolving

The development of the World-wide web during the 1990s started a technology change across architecture, engineering and construction and facilities management that continues to this day. For an often geographically-dispersed, multi-company project delivery team, the ability to send messages and associated attachments electronically was attractive, but email was not the magic bullet that design teams …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/04/collaborative-design-management-still-evolving/

BIM, augmented reality and collaboration

Costain/Network Rail AR

Reflecting my growing interest in mobile technologies and their application in the architecture, engineering and construction sectors, I have been involved with the UK-based organisation, COMIT (Construction Opportunities in Mobile IT) for some years [Disclosure: in late 2012 I joined the COMIT management board], attending events – like its BIM and mobility conferences (post) – …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/04/bim-augmented-reality-and-collaboration/

TransBit Technologies develops RoBOTic Document Control Assistants

tbits-robotic-image

Could ‘intelligent’ software programs revolutionise hitherto laborious document control processes? I was recently contacted by Ritesh Tripathi of TransBit Technologies, a software development company based in Hyderabad in India. Its lead product, CollabWrite, is a web-based enterprise content management system which he says is used extensively to capture project records and automate workflows among the multiple …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/03/transbit-technologies-develops-robotic-document-control-assistants/

Unit4 BC: future is BIM and linked data

SaaS platform Business Collaborator is a key component in Unit4’s strategy to integrate its business software with BIM, using linked data to manage asset-related processes. I attended the Unit4 user 2013 user conference at the ICC in Birmingham last week, ostensibly to join the sessions devoted to its SaaS collaboration solution Business Collaborator, but – …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/03/unit4-bc-future-is-bim-and-linked-data/

Viewpoint expanding 4Projects

Under Viewpoint ownership, UK construction SaaS collaboration vendor 4Projects is already recruiting to expand, and has strong BIM credentials to take to new markets. I was recently invited to visit the Sunderland, UK office of construction collaboration technology provider 4Projects to meet both existing contacts within the company and representatives of its parent company, Viewpoint …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/03/viewpoint-expanding-4projects/

Bricsnet to rebrand to ProjectCenter

ProjectCenter-logo

After disposing of its US FM operations, Bricsnet is focused on project collaboration and will be consolidating its growing business under the ProjectCenter brand. I was recently asked: “Whatever happened with Bricsnet?” As the question came from a former investor in the European SaaS construction collaboration pioneer,  it was a little surprising. The Bricsnet back …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/03/bricsnet-to-rebrand-to-projectcenter/

Intelen launches social energy-saving building analytics

Intelen Home Page

Athens, Greece-based company Intelen, which describes itself as “the leading start-up in building analytics and game mechanics applications for energy efficiency,” has sent me a news release regarding its participation at the forthcoming CeBIT exhibition in Hanover, Germany (5-9 March 2013). There it will be launching a building analytics product which is combined with a social engagement …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/03/intelen-launches-social-energy-saving-building-analytics/

16 reasons why nobody yet dominates the construction SaaS collaboration sector

Despite widespread adoption of SaaS-based construction collaboration platforms and wider acceptance of SaaS, no company has achieved real dominance across any major regional, national or vertical AEC market. Why? [Warning: this is a longer-than-usual post!] By revenues and (notwithstanding recent restructuring) by manpower, Aconex is the biggest player in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) based construction collaboration …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/02/16-reasons-why-nobody-yet-dominates-the-construction-saas-collaboration-sector/

Construction project management survey

Derek Singleton of Texas-based Software Advice has been in contact regarding a construction project management survey he is hosting (sponsored by Viewpoint, Procore, Prolog and PASKR), with the objective of developing a benchmark report next month (March). All industry professionals who participate will be entered into a raffle to win an iPad mini. The survey …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/02/construction-project-management-survey/

Aconex restructuring

Aconex, 2005-2012

Australian SaaS construction collaboration vendor Aconex is restructuring to reduce overheads at its Melbourne head office. Readers’ comments on previous blog posts, including one about Australian SaaS collaboration vendor Aconex and its 2012 annual results (Aconex growing revenues again), and – more recently – my reflections on the 4Projects acquisition got me looking at recent Aconex activities.* …

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Permanent link to this article: http://extranetevolution.com/2013/02/aconex-restructuring/

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