New technologies now a critical part of Rochester’s architecture, engineering, construction industries

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It’s an exciting time in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry when it comes to scaling up with technology. An estimated $50 billion globally was invested in AEC technology between 2020 to 2022, 85 percent higher than the previous three years, according to recent data from McKinsey & Co.

Locally, AEC firms also embrace technology as a critical tool to make their work better, more efficient, and more cost effective.

LeChase: Drones reach the next level

At LeChase Construction Service, a full-service construction management and general construction firm established in Rochester in 1944, high-resolution drones with LiDAR (light detection and ranging) are just one of the many types of technology helping the firm save time and money on jobs while maintaining accuracy.

For example, one of the firm’s drone pilots recently went to Albany to provide aerial photography and 3D models for a school district client. The job was quite large, with seven schools and over a million square feet of buildings.

The job took sixteen hours, which included driving time from Rochester to Albany and back. Without a drone, Peter Muench, LeChase’s vice president of preconstruction, estimates the same job would have taken 400 hours, a team of about five employees, and more travel expenses.

“It allows us to be accurate and save time and money in a tough economy,” Muench said. “There’s also a safety aspect with this technology. I don’t have five people on the highway; people are home with their families.”

LeChase also uses its drones for thermal scanning of buildings when need be, like at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The use of drones decreases the impact of the firm’s work on the work of those in and around the facility, Muench said, and keeps the firm’s employees out of high areas when there is a safer option.

Technology also allows LeChase employees to collaborate and communicate easily with each other and stakeholders, including contractors and clients. The firm uses the construction management system Procore, which creates a central collaboration hub for the entire project lifecycle.

“I don’t have to search through my email to find information because it’s all under my project site information,” said Muench, explaining how the platform allows him to be more efficient. “And that is an amazing thing.”

Among the tasks that can be performed in Procore: managing designs, estimates, bids, and budgets; tracking of real-time productivity; monitoring of daily logs; and capturing of construction intelligence.

Pike: Expanding on robotics

At Pike Construction Services, a fifth-generation construction company founded in Rochester in 1873, technology is “part of our culture,” according to Ed Kurowski executive vice president.

The firm has a team of eight individuals dedicated to technology and its use for improving safety, quality control, accuracy, efficiency, productivity, accountability, cost and more. This begins by acquiring data in the field via 3D laser scanners before a shovel ever hits the ground.

“Three years ago, we doubled down on bringing technology tools into the field,” Kurowski said. “Acquiring data in the field is number one and the more we can acquire the more we can eliminate unknowns.”

Once the team has a clear understanding of the existing data they create a virtual model of the construction job. That can include everything from foundation work to subcontracting information like plumbing. The goal is to have a clash-free model before construction even begins.

“Once we have a fully collaborative model we take it into the field,” said Kurowski, who notes a copy of the virtual model is ultimately given to the client when the job is complete, so they have an accurate rendering for future renovations or other needs.

Some of the many tools Pike uses in the field include 360 and thermal imaging cameras, drones, robotic total stations, HoloLens, and ground penetrating radar. They are currently testing a robotic dog which helps with construction process monitoring by collecting data and scans independently, even during traditional non-work hours.

“We’re always focused on new technology,” Kurowski said. “The robotic dog goes around and scans work in place. When our team walks in in the morning they have information they didn’t have the night before.”

Investment in construction robotics is forecast to increase from 113.1 million U.S. dollars in 2023 to 242.4 million by 2030, according to Next Move Strategy Consulting.

Passero: Technology for collaboration

When Peter Wehner, vice president and architecture department manager at Passero Associates, began working in the engineering architecture field three decades ago one of the most important tools of the trade was a tape measure.

“We don’t even use tape measures anymore, we use laser measures,” said Wehner, giving an example of just how much the industry has changed when it comes to technology. “A little handheld laser measure is just as accurate as a tape measure and can do the job with one person instead of two.”

Among the other technology tools used at Passero are 3D cameras, building scanners, drones, iPads, and modeling software.

“It’s just revolutionary being able to walk through and see everything about your project as it will be built,” said Wehner, about the modeling software the firm uses that lets it visualize everything from carpets to windows before a shovel even hits the ground. “The detail you can see now is just incredible. I remember when it first came out it was very clunky and now it may as well be a photograph, it’s so perfect.”

Passero — which was founded in Rochester in 1972 — is also looking into ways to use artificial intelligence (AI), including AI software for code reviews of building designs. Wehner is also curious about how AI could benefit architecture and engineering on an industry-wide scale.

“In our industry, there’s still not an industry data trust, which combines the architecture industry and construction, working together to integrate,” Wehner said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever get there, but I think it’s the end game.”

Caurie Putnam is a Rochester-area freelance writer.