BIM and Information Technology

Setting guidelines for construction PDF documents across the AEC industry

For the last year and a half, a grassroots effort has been underway to define the new Guidelines for Construction PDF Documents. Jointly created by the Construction PDF Coalition, the aim of the guidelines is to better leverage digital information being shared among designers, constructors and all project team members. This group is now reaching out to you to ask for your feedback.
Aug. 8, 2014
2 min read
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For the last year and a half, a grassroots effort has been underway to define the new Guidelines for Construction PDF Documents. Jointly created by the Construction PDF Coalition, the aim of the guidelines is to better leverage digital information being shared among designers, constructors and all project team members. This group is now reaching out to you to ask for your feedback.

Though PDFs are the de facto format for digital construction documentation, national design standards haven’t yet been defined. This coalition aims to define standards to be implemented at project onset by the project team. 

Without standardization, professionals experience major inefficiencies as inconsistent construction plans require revisions, workarounds and recreation. Overall, valuable time is being lost, despite advances in digital communication.

 

 

With standardization among digital plan sets and PDFs, team members downstream can use technologies to leverage information embedded within a PDF.  Crucial building and design information can be accessed with a click or tap, by any project member, from anywhere. Revised drawings can be updated and slip-sheeted in seconds instead of minutes.  

The benefits of standardization quickly add up to savings in project time and budget. Consensus upfront will bring significant benefits downstream. If you want to add your voice to the discussion, take this survey and give them your feedback.

If you agree with this effort, the coalition members encourage you to share this survey, stating, “Your opinion counts!”

Editor's note: This is sponsored content. The text, video, and image were provided by the sponsor company.

About the Author

Sasha Reed

As Vice President of Strategic Development at Bluebeam, Inc., Sasha Reed collaborates with leaders in the architecture, engineering and construction industry to guide Bluebeam’s technology, partnerships and long-term goals. She joined Bluebeam in 2007 and co-created the Concierge Approach, a distinctly branded process of customer engagement, product feedback and solution delivery to which much of Bluebeam’s success is attributed, and which today is replicated at every organizational level.

Sasha is known industry-wide as a “conversation facilitator,” creating platforms for exchanges necessary to digitally advance the industry, including the BD+C Magazine Digital COM Blog, which she authors and manages. She’s been a featured presenter at numerous national and international conferences, including the 2014 Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA), Federal Project Delivery Symposium and NTI Danish BIM Conference. Sasha also co-chairs the Construction PDF Coalition, a grassroots effort to provide a common industry framework from which to create and maintain construction PDF documents, serves on the City College of San Francisco BIM Industry Council, and is Advisor to the Board of Direction for the National Institute of Building Sciences BuildingSMART Alliance.

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