Erland's New Tech Tools

When your project team is spread out over the East Coast, making sure everyone is on the same page can be like herding cats. But technology is changing that, and we found one construction team using two cloud-based resources to simplify its projects. Yesterday, Erland Construction SVP/director of operations Chuck Vaciliou (on-site in Stamford, Conn.) and his teams started using new project management software called Prolog Converge that allows everyone on his teams to access the same information in real time so they know what's happening on a job at all times. The company has its HQ in Burlington, Mass., an office in East Windsor, Conn., and works on sites distant from either location with subs who are even farther afield.

Working on the Summer House (rendering above) in Stamford led Erland to find a better way to communicate. The site for the 21-story, 224-unit, mixed-use apartment building is 200 miles from its Burlington HQ and two hours from its Connecticut office. Meanwhile, the structural engineer is based in New York and the architect in Virginia, Chuck tells us. Now via the cloud, every Erland crew member and all of the subs can access drawings, schedules, financial information, and the status of change orders the minute they're recorded. The information flow is vastly superior, making it easier to meet or beat the schedule, Chuck says.

Erland expects first occupancy next month at Phase 1 of The Chase at Overlook Ridge, a 371-apartment community in Malden being developed by Roseland Property Co. Several months ago, the builder started using Blue Beam, a glorified Adobe-style software that runs off iPad. Also cloud-based, it organizes and tracks RFIs regarding punch list items that can be instantly accessed by the entire project team. By using it for The Chase, Chuck says, they're turning over the building with a "zero punch list." Want to find out what Erland's working on in student housing? Its VP Eric Greene will also be speaking at our Student Housing Summit on Dec. 17.