The professionals at Webcor have led massive projects throughout California, including the Oracle World Headquarters, George R. Moscone Convention Center, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art expansion, and Metropolis Los Angeles.
Webcor takes sustainability seriously. In 2013, Webcor became the first California-based general contractor to have its quality management systems certified against the ISO 9001 quality standards. Their team are experts at building LEED certified structures. In fact, every one of the 14 new building structures on the $1.4b Merced 2020 project, which broke ground in October of 2016, will be LEED Gold certified.
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In order to meet the needs of a rapidly growing student body, the University of California Merced is almost doubling its footprint, adding 1.2 million GSF of new development including residential space for 1,700 beds, 3,500 parking spaces, a competition pool, wet, dry, and computation labs, a hazmat building, research server complex, three new playing fields, two bridges, a dining facility, and a transit center.
As the lead contractor on the Merced 2020 project, Webcor had their work cut out for them from the beginning. With seven engineering firms and five architectural firms involved in the design of the 14 new campus buildings across the 219-acre-site, keeping everyone apprised of the conditions throughout the entire site was a massive challenge.
With such an expansive job site being crisscrossed by hundreds of team members each day, comprehensive top-down visibility was a requirement from day one. Initially, Webcor deployed their own UAV but quickly found that this automated solution lacked the flexibility and consistency desired, left important stakeholders in the dark because of segmented or corrupted data, and tied up valuable resources.
Multivista was contracted to take the aerial documentation load off the project team. With a team of experienced UAV pilots on the ground and a full support team in the back office, Multivista captured the bi-weekly aerial documentation Webcor needed to help keep Merced 2020 on its critical path.
Webcor provided Multivista project access to nearly 150 project stakeholders throughout 30 companies. With each stakeholder able to access up-to-date aerial imagery, the project team was able to review progress, reference as-built conditions, and verify that work had been completed from anywhere.
Because of the size of the project, the build started even while some design stages were underway. To save time and avoid unnecessary drawing revisions, each design firm reviewed the project’s most recent visual documentation to determine the construction stage and verify whether changes could be made without additional delays.
Projects of the magnitude of Merced 2020 typically face cost overruns and delays, often because of information silos and a general lack of transparency between the many different parties involved. Webcor has proven that these kinds of problems can be avoided through transparency, open communication, and a comprehensive view of project progress.
Webcor leveraged Multivista’s UAV-captured aerial photography to power efficient scheduling, on-site material verification, QA/QC, site logistics, and serve as a daily reference point for the entire project. Now over 2 million labor-hours in, Merced 2020 remains on schedule and on budget two phases into the three-phase project, a feat which is virtually unheard of with an undertaking of this scale.
As with any P3 (public private partnership) project, there are stakeholders from both sides of the public/private divide who need to be kept up to date on progress. Beyond the usual oversight, the presence of 12 architecture and engineering firms, five design-build partners, plus over 100 suppliers and contractors meant that everyone would need a reliable way to stay updated from remote locations.
To date, Webcor has provided Multivista project access to nearly 150 stakeholders throughout 30 companies. All parties were able to check on-site materials and progress, creating a culture of transparency that led to greater accountability.
One of the most time-consuming aspects of a large construction project like Merced 2020 is managing the billing process. Nobody wants to pay for work that hasn’t been completed correctly, but verification requires visiting the site to regularly inspect progress.
With regularly updated aerial photography from Multivista, billing becomes a whole lot easier. When the client needs to verify work against an invoice, they can log in and check the most recent photos to see for themselves that the work has been completed. That means no time-consuming site visits, faster remittance of payment, and a smoother and more efficient project.
“For us, it’s a no-brainer to have an unbiased independent party creating a comprehensive photographic record of construction progress.”
“I would recommend this tool on every job and to every owner…”
“Thoroughly documenting the rough conditions of a finished space to show compliance allows us to give our client peace of mind and adhere to the demands of the project schedule. Multivista has been instrumental in this way by capturing the in-wall and above-ceiling in an organized fashion.”
“I would recommend Multivista to any PM, contractor or owner seeking to reduce project risks and save time and money on their construction projects.”
“I have had the pleasure of using Multivista’s services on two projects now and the experience just keeps getting better. Multivista’s photo documentation services provide me all of the as-built information and protection I need in a professional platform without tying up a member of my staff. I fully intend to use them on every project in the future.”
“Multivista’s platform is easy to use and allows us to solve issues quickly and efficiently. It provides you with the peace of mind to go through your process and get your building done. We can’t recommend Multivista enough.”
Explore how Multivista's documentation services have helped other projects achieve their goals.
