ConTechTrio Recap: Autodesk’s Sarah Hodges on Digitizing the Construction Site

February 22, 2017 Adrienne Bliss

There's so much happening with Autodesk in the Construction industry that it is sometimes nice to take a step back and get the big picture. Here's your chance. Autodesk’s Sarah Hodges, Director, Construction Business Line, sat down with the ConTechTrio to talk about our initiatives around digitizing the construction site, reflect on CEO Carl Bass’s departure, and discuss where the construction industry is headed and what’s on the horizon for the common data environment.

Listen to "ConTechTrio 54 - Sarah Hodges from Autodesk on Digitizing the Construction Job Site" (above), or just skim through some of the highlights below:

 

On changes she’s noticing happening right now in the construction industry:

“I've seen a very sizable shift in the market in terms of contractors really coming to the table and wanting to better understand how they can influence designs earlier, how they can be more involved in the design process and really help to eliminate some of that rework that historically has been happening.”

“I was actually out on a construction site here on the east coast a couple of months ago where AR and VR techniques were being used on a live construction site as the trades came onto the site to take a look at coordination meetings in VR and AR environments in ways that previously had never been possible. What I have really seen is, these things are happening, I think, because of a broader understanding of the value of building information modeling.”

"For me, it all comes back to this acknowledgement that information created, even at the earliest stages, has great value throughout the whole project lifecycle." 

 

On where she sees the construction industry evolving:

“It's about collaborating in ways that previously weren't possible. It's about having access to knowledge throughout the entire BIM process, both through desktop products as well as through the cloud. It's also about continuity, and continuity of the information that you're deriving through the BIM process in all disciplines and all phases of your project.”

Sarah Hodges discusses trends in the construction industry with ConTechTrio Sarah Hodges lays out Autodesk's vision for the construction industry at Autodesk University, 2016.

 

On Autodesk’s vision for a common data environment:

“When we think about our common data environment there's a number of things that are happening there, but we see BIM 360 Docs today for construction as the common data environment. Our vision is that all of these solutions fold together into one cohesive BIM 360 experience. […] Imagine a world where within that common data environment you can access information around quality, or scheduling, or your operations and maintenance information, all within this one environment. That's the vision.”

 

This isn't the first time ConTechTrio and Sarah have crossed paths!

ConTechTrio LIVE at #AU2016 Exciting BIM360 Keynote Announcement & Exclusive Interview with Sarah Hodges 

 


What trends are you noticing in the construction industry today? 

Let us know in the comments below!


 

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