{"id":1119,"date":"2017-06-29T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2017-06-29T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/architizer.wpengine.com\/using-the-cloud\/"},"modified":"2022-05-31T06:47:56","modified_gmt":"2022-05-31T10:47:56","slug":"using-the-cloud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/architizer.com\/blog\/inspiration\/industry\/using-the-cloud\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the Cloud to Meet Alternative Project Delivery Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"

Design professionals like you are delivering projects in ways that are evolving. Just look at the projects you\u2019ve done in recent years. Most likely, you\u2019ve increased the number of projects completed using alternative project delivery requirements such as joint ventures, design-build and integrated project delivery (IPD). At the same time, firms are working on a growing number of international projects. They\u2019re also expanding and contracting project teams to suit workloads by including people in other offices. All of these trends pressure project teams to find easier ways to collaborate and share information outside the confines of a single office.<\/p>\n

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A survey of architects published by the AIA highlights how some of these trends are taking hold in the industry. Fixed-fee projects \u2014 most alternative delivery projects are fixed-fee, as are many traditional projects \u2014 account for nearly 40 percent of firm billings, with that number rising to more than 50 percent for firms with 100 or more employees. More than 30 percent of all firms execute or pursue international projects, and that number surges to 77 percent for firms with more than 50 employees. While traditional modes of delivery still account for more than 60 percent of the construction contract value of projects, alternative modes of delivery account for nearly 40 percent of contract values. Some type of design\/build contract accounts for 16 percent of construction contract values, and that number continues to rise.<\/p>\n

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Several factors have driven the shift toward these alternatives from design-bid-build delivery. The shortened project timelines and aggressive budgets so common in the economic downturn of 2009 to 2011 became commonplace after the economy improved. Alternative delivery methods proved well-suited to meet the requirements of lean budgets and condensed schedules because they improved project collaboration earlier in the design process. See how three leading architecture firms use the cloud to meet alternative project delivery requirements: download the ebook<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

The widespread use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has helped to hasten the trend, with more than 70 percent of architects reporting that they\u2019ve used some form of BIM. And in the U.S., more than 68 percent of owners recently surveyed require or encourage the use of BIM. That\u2019s in part because the use of intelligent models enables the clear communication and collaboration that is so essential to alternative modes of project delivery.<\/p>\n

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The increasingly widespread use of cloud technology looks poised to further accelerate the trend. A report from the AIA notes that cloud technology is one of the key forces likely to drive change in the practice of architecture in the future.<\/p>\n

Why does cloud technology enable alternative modes of project delivery? It has the potential to connect everyone on an extended project team to the latest project information. But not all forms of cloud-based collaboration are created equal. Some fail to deliver native support to the intelligent models so essential to the BIM process, making this type of cloud technology simply a tool for file exchange and management. Firms relying on alternative modes of project delivery are seeing more time and cost savings from technologies that provide a true hub for BIM-driven project activity.<\/p>\n

To see how architecture firms like Gensler and Corgan use the cloud to meet alternative project delivery requirements, <\/b>download the eBook<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/b>This white paper explores the role of cloud technology in alternative modes of project delivery and highlights how three leading firms are putting this technology into practice on their projects.<\/p>\n

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Defined: Leading Modes of Alternative Project Delivery<\/b><\/p>\n