Large scale construction is dominated by giant earth movers, towering steel structures and men with hard hats. The industry is about to get a tech makeover. Instead of blueprints and close-enough, seat of the pants, make-it fit attitudes, there is a new level of precision and accountability. No company knows this better than the Los Angeles-based AECOM, the fourth largest and possibly fastest growing of the big 10 construction companies in the U.S. The company recorded revenue of $18 billion in 2017. To increase its edge, help win bids and execute contracts, AECOM has committed to using building information modeling (BIM) on every project, big and small. Small is a relative term. For a company the size of AECOM, a small project is still tens of millions of dollars.
AECOM Hunt’s Innovation Center in Indianapolis supports several Midwest U.S. projects in implementing BIM. The Los Angeles-based construction firm is best known for its construction of sport stadiums.
Engineering.com toured AECOM Hunt’s Innovation Center in Indianapolis to get a feel for how the big guys do it, as far as designing colossal constructions of sport, mega stadiums, airports and “smaller” projects, such as a nearby elementary school. The center shows the company’s commitment to technology as a business advantage.
The popular image of the construction industry dominated by men in hardhats has been jolted. Instead, the tech center is staffed by youngish, super tech-savvy…