May - 2021CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM8IN MYOPINIONLEVERAGING THE FULL POWER OF VDC TO ELIMINATE CHALLENGESBy Rawle Sawh, Director of Virtual Design and Construction, Gilbane Building CompanyWhat if wecould live in a world where con-structability challenges were resolved prior to construction? What if we had the capability to identify coordination issues before they became an issue in the field so that cost and schedule could be made more certain--and budget savings could be realized?When we leverage the full potential of a comprehensive Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) process, it benefits every project stakeholder. VDC helps eliminate constructability pain points and deliver project certainty with potential cost-savings. In order to enable VDC to its highest and best use, we need it to be introduced early in the planning process. Building a project virtually enables everyone who is a project stakeholder to have a seat at the table, creating transparency and facilitating collaboration and problem-solving.VDC should be leveraged early in the pre-construction phase with the design team actively engaged in order to help inform the design process through collaboration. The project owner is then also kept fully apprised and can sign off on design changes before they potentially result in further cost or schedule impacts.Additionally, VDC can facilitate the constructability process by providing greater coordination between the construction manager,the architects, and engineers. VDC can track open issues from beginning to end so that Rawle Sawh
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