CONSTRUCTION
you can do your spacing down to a 10th
of an inch.” That slashes both costs and
time. Or take scheduling software, which
allows a general contractor to juggle
the management of subcontractors. Or
drones. Otto Construction now uses a
Maverick drone to feed project managers
information they couldn’t typically see
from the ground. The drone has been
used to verify damage caused by a fire
from an adjacent building, assess the
condition of a historic roof the company
couldn’t access and snap photos that
can be used for documentation to help
future planning.
COVID-19 has accelerated some of
this tech adoption. At least in the first
few months of the pandemic, according
to the industry executives, construction
has been less affected than most other
sectors, because it was deemed an essential
service. Workers continued mixing
cement, installing sheetrock, laying
pipes. Twist says the workers found social
distancing to be challenging (how
do you stay 6 feet apart from someone
simultaneously working on a tiny roof?),
and safety precautions slowed building
progress (such as frequently sanitizing
shovels, wrenches and tractor steering
wheels), and an overall feeling of anxiety
sapped productivity. “There was a
worrisome attitude of people asking,
‘What’s going to happen? Is this thing
going to kill us all?’” says Twist.
Yet, the industry also discovered
some efficiencies. “We’re learning new
tips and tricks,” says Bardis-Miry, citing
the use of Zoom to conduct video tours
of homes for sale. This has gone so
smoothly, Bardis Homes will continue
the practice after the pandemic.
Otto Construction also has a
newfound appreciation for teamcollaboration
software. “We’ve always
had access to Microsoft Teams but never
used it,” says Otto. “Now, we love it. This
was never our first choice, but we were
kind of forced into it, and we learned how
user-friendly it is, and it has been great.”
Another silver lining of COVID-19,
says Twist, is a willingness to shift to
electronic paperwork for such things as
bids and permits. Many of TNT Industrial’s
projects are for public works (such
as Sacramento’s water treatment plants)
that required the company to submit
paper bids in person, so the company
spends hours driving to locations across
the state. COVID-19 has forced this to be
done digitally. “That’s one thing I hope
comes out of this,” says Twist. “Some of
these old-school ways of doing things
can be changed.”
And if that change doesn’t happen
today, it’s likely to happen tomorrow.
Just ask the 621 competitors of the Design
Build Competition, who will, quite
literally, be building our future.
Jeff Wilser is the author of seven books,
most recently “Becoming a Firefighter,”
from Simon & Schuster’s Masters at
Work series. On Twitter @jeffwilser.
As a division of Airco mechanical Inc, AMI Manufacturing offers prefabrication services to the construction
industry. Our 110,000 square foot production shop was designed with workflow in mind to minimize
material handling and create high efficiency production of mechanical systems. We have the ability to
produce tens of thousands of pounds of sheet metal ductwork monthly along with the most complicated
prefabricated piping systems. AMI Manufacturing has provided prefabricated products and services to
thousands of Airco Mechanical projects throughout Northern California as well as other mechanical
contractors. Our attention to detail and customer needs continue to contribute to our success.
www.aircomech.com
66 comstocksmag.com | July 2020