The U.S. is entering a new era of rebuilding. Every day, we see more demand for and more investment in the construction and management of our buildings, factories, technical facilities, roads and bridges. But the people responsible for actually doing the work—construction companies, facility managers, and property management companies—are often challenged to keep pace with all this change. Not only are they being asked to rebuild our country’s physical infrastructure, they’re being asked to infuse them with new technologies, new digital services, and new levels of sustainability. They’re being challenged to bring a whole new level of intelligence and innovation into every project, every facility and every portfolio of properties. It’s a tall order.

The scale of this change is astronomical. Just look at the levels of investment being proposed by the Biden administration—hundreds of billions of dollars are being proposed in various types of infrastructure projects, from retrofitting homes and office buildings to upgrading public infrastructure, and everything in between. And while the final distribution of these funds is still being debated, one thing is certain: the U.S. government is going to invest unprecedented amounts of money in rebuilding this country.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The global construction industry is expected to reach an estimated $10.5 trillion by 2023, and it is forecast to grow at a CAGR of 4.2% from 2018 to 2023. The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry itself is a $1.3Tindustry, and it’s on the brink of a massive digital transformation. Billions more are being invested every year. And all this growth is being driven by unprecedented levels of change in our post-pandemic world.

People are now working from anywhere, not just home or the office. People need ubiquitous broadband access from any physical structure they happen to be in. A more populated world is demanding more effective use of space. And since buildings are one of the most prolific sources of carbon emissions, government regulations and consumer expectations are resulting in new levels of environmental sustainability across all construction projects and properties.

As a result, we’re seeing record levels in the adoption of new technologies—in particular, any platform that can provide up-to-date 3D visual representations of a physical site or asset. While digital twin technologies have been very popular in other industries, some of the world’s most progressive construction companies, owners and property managers are now beginning to see the incredible value that technologies like these can provide to their businesses, too. In particular, we’re seeing the rise of new technologies such as 3D digital twins, which are an accurate reflection of three-dimensional space and the spatial relationships between all the various components involved. These kinds of platforms have the potential to generate enormous benefits for the construction industry, especially when paired with secure collaboration hubs and data analytics.

Because we’re not just building a new physical infrastructure. We’re building a new normal. That means the virtual environments builders and owners are working in need to accurately reflect the physical environments they represent. People need to trust that the as-built 3D model is an accurate representation of what’s really happening at a job site, at any given moment. And that’s a lot harder than it sounds.

All this change comes at a time when the construction industry is just now beginning to recover from challenges that were only exacerbated by the pandemic. According to a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index report from Q4 2020, 83% of all contractors were experiencing project delays in 2020 due to the pandemic. Those delays were expected to get worse, with 87% of contractors reporting moderate to high levels of difficulty in finding skilled workers. As a result, 58% of contractors last year said they were putting in higher bids to increase their chances of landing subcontractors. What’s more, 71% of all contractors faced a shortage of materials.

All this means there’s even less margin for error, even less room for surprises and complications, and even more at stake for the people on the front lines of rebuilding the U.S. and our physical infrastructure. Innovations like 3D digital twin platforms can save time, money and hassle for builders and the owners they work for, but only if they can overcome some common challenges:

●       Ease of deployment vs. functionality of the solution. Many digital platforms in this industry are extremely sophisticated and complicated, meaning they take even more time and skill to set up, or they’re really easy to set up, but don’t provide the kind of functionality that corporate environments and enterprises need much functionality. Contractors and owners need both—something simple and powerful that any of their workers can set up and use.

●       Digital models vs. physical reality. Unless you have the money to spare for continual 3D re-scanning, you run the risk that your digital designs and 3Dmodels don’t actually reflect what’s going on with the actual construction site or facility. You need to make sure your 3D model is continually up to date and connected with reality, or else it loses the vast majority of its usefulness and value.

●       Security vs. open collaboration. Authentication and access permissions are a vital part of any successful 3D digital twin platforms. It’s critical for everyone to see and control everything they’re supposed to see and control, and equally critical to prevent unauthorized access. That requires an extraordinary amount of granularity in your permission controls, and crystal-clear direction on who’s supposed to have access to what.

●       Flexibility and customization. Not all contractors have the same skill sets or level of technical expertise. A solution needs to be usable by people with virtually no technical training, and still robust enough to be useful to BIM/VDC experts, as well. You need flexibility, customization, and a trusted partner who will adapt how they work based on what you need.

That’s where Cupix comes in.

Our mission is to empower contractors and owners everywhere to build smart. In a world where surprises and complications are commonplace, Cupix gives contractors and owners everywhere the secure collaboration, confidence and control they need to stay on time, on budget, and on target, no matter what, across the entire life cycle of their projects and properties.

We’re already the trusted partner of choice for delivering the industry’s most flexible and easiest-to-deploy 3D digital twin platform to builders and owners everywhere. Why? Because we make cutting-edge 3D technology as easy-as-possible to use without sacrificing quality. We offer multiple options for getting started quickly, intuitive integration with tools and workflows, and unrivaled customer service, all backed by global pioneers in 3D digital twin innovation.

And we’re not stopping there. Our vision goes way beyond 3D digital twins or smart cities. We see a world that learns how to Build Smart. We see a world in which builders and owners everywhere can visualize resources, workflows, digital services, environmental impact, risks and rewards in everything they build and manage. And it starts by revolutionizing the way builders and owners create value in their projects and properties across the entire built-world lifecycle.

So what role will you play in rebuilding the U.S.? How will you tap into the hundreds of billions of dollars flowing into the next-generation construction market? And how can transformational technologies like 3D digital twin platforms make a difference in your business?

Find out … with Cupix.

For more information about our solutions and how to get started today, click here.