Automation in the Field: SurveyLink

Improvements in design and engineering software expand architectural possibilities, leading to increased complexity. Meanwhile, tools for physically constructing and delivering projects change slowly, outpaced by those developed by and for the design community. The result is an untenable pairing of innovative designs and conventional project delivery. We need new tools to execute ambitious and novel strategies to support project delivery successfully. Construction-centric tools offer an opportunity for increased participation in computational problem-solving and expand the diversity of expertise underlying AEC software. During the physical construction of any project, fabricated parts arrive on-site, where coordination problems surface, testing project assumptions where issues of fitment and trade (mis)coordination become apparent. At the construction site, costs are highest, while the work carries the most risk. This quantifiably riskiest time for any project is also when tradespeople have the least access to computational tools (Figure 1). Field personnel are under extreme pressure to make daily progress because of fieldwork’s high cost/risk. Collecting measurement data and making informed decisions quickly is transformative. In response, Zahner R&D, supported by Local 2 Field Superintendent expertise, built a software tool called SurveyLink, linking real-time survey data on-site to a collaborative 3D model, extending computational problem-solving to the field. Automation in the Field: SurveyLink