In construction, there’s a lot of talk about best practices, but the proof in the concept is the results those practices deliver. Belief grows when the proof is evident.
Monica Sosa
As an associate and senior project manager for Corgan, architect Monica Sosa knows that the AEC proof is in the project experience. She will be sharing her experiences along with other team members who worked on the Los Angeles Airport project, for attendees of the upcoming SPAR 3D Conference in a presentation on Integrated Project Delivery/In-Depth Project Session: Los Angeles Airport. SPAR 3D caught up with Sosa recently to talk about LAX, augmented reality, project efficiencies and more.
What will you teach folks through your presentation?
Sosa: “We want to share with people how the technology we used was so successful in the collaboration on this large project. AEC pros should see how they can implement a smart camera or smart glasses in their work, as we did.”
What will your talk cover?
Sosa: “The slide presentation will show the project and the tools we used. We will have the smart camera and the smart glasses we used there for people to try out. We will show how these tools worked, through case studies that we’ll present.”
So, people will be able to ask questions of you and other team members, such as those from Turner and LAX?
Sosa: “It’s a 45-minute presentation, followed by questions and the opportunity to try out these tools. At the last couple of conferences we presented at, a ton of people wanted to try the tools.”
What kinds of technologies are currently changing architecture and construction?
Sosa: “Definitely Augmented Reality is changing things—being able to have that overlaid construction model is powerful. You can see design changes in real time. And the smart glasses allow you to see everything, virtually, regardless of where you are.”
Why are you such a fan of smart glasses?
Sosa: “I think the Augmented Reality provided through the smart glasses is changing how things are done. Being able to make [design]changes in the meeting room or in the field is very helpful.”
Why are you passionate about this subject, which some might find a bit dry?
Sosa: “It’s kind of exciting to see what’s next and to see how technology is progressing…We can only imagine what the next 20 years will bring to the industry.”
What do you expect will be a major lesson from your presentation?
Sosa: “It will be how successful we were with using this smart technology. Hopefully, attendees will be able to take this technology back with them. The smart camera first was used in real estate, before it was used in construction.”
Are these tools you’ll be displaying affordable to most companies?
Sosa: “Yes, they are affordable. The ROI for the smart camera is fast, at just one project—an 18,000 square foot space, which can be scanned by one person in only 30 minutes.”
Were you able to attain any actionable info on the project, from using either of the tools you’ve mentioned?
Sosa: “For the smart glasses and camera, it eliminated site visits for our consultants that were not local which was a direct savings to the project. The reasoning behind that is because of the glasses, we could remote them into the project site and we can converse and they can see and draw on top of what we are viewing. For the camera, it was able to capture the condition in high quality so our consultants can view the issues at hand from their offices.”
For more on this topic, be sure to catch Monica’s presentation at SPAR3D, which will be co-located with AEC Next on May 21-23 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, CA. Click here for more details.
