This Blog Explores: BuildUSA, and its component parts and characteristics.
.
.
So, what is BuildUSA?
BuildUSA (BUSA) was originally a technology start-up in the mid-1990s. The core ambition of BuildUSA was to develop a standardized, collaborative project management platform. Money and resources were invested. A solid platform was built and implemented internally by the Syntec Group. However, the data platform was never successfully commercialized to the larger market. This was a valuable learning experience. It provided a detailed understanding of how these environments work, what functionality is needed to operate them, and the critical role that data structure plays in allowing data sharing across an array of software applications.
Today, BuildUSA is a building Brand
The BuildUSA brand plays a variety of roles. The following analogies convey the key attributes and characteristics of the BuildUSA brand.
Analogy #1:
The evolution of BuildUSA in some ways will mirror the evolution of the healthcare hospital. In the early 20th century, there was a critical need to assemble sufficient financial and organizational resources in the areas of facilities, technologies, processes, medical services, and business administration to support the comprehensive healthcare needs of a community. At the time, no physician practice or group of practices was capable of developing a complete integrated health delivery system. The hospital and later the health system, evolved to fill this need. BuildUSA will play a similar role in creating a Collaborative Building Eco-System to unify the various parts of the building process
Analogy #2:
BuildUSA serves the same role for Optimized Building as the NFL serves for football. BuildUSA will provide the digital site for building projects in the same way the NFL provides stadiums for football games. In BuildUSA terms, this virtual site or Common Data Environment is called the BCE (Building Collaborative Environment) . Additionally, just as the NFL develops and enforces the rules and regulations for professional football games, BuildUSA develops and enforces the Standards, Templates, and Workflows that organize the flow of data within the BCE.
Analogy #3:
BuildUSA serves the same role as traffic regulations serve for transportation. Just as traffic regulations allow drivers to safely navigate public roads, the Standards, Templates, and Workflows of the BCE allow all project team members to confidently and safely participate in the project, and achieve a more efficient, higher quality project outcome.
Analogy #4:
The BuildUSA brand is to the Building industry what car manufacturer brands like GM, Toyota, Lexus, and Tesla are to the automotive industry. Like these top notch brands, BuildUSA will provide a model for the experience and quality a client will expect when entering a business relationship.
Each of these analogies describe unique brand features of BuildUSA.
In addition to these features, there are several key components of the BuildUSA brand:
- Collaboratively Integrated Partner Organizations (CIPO’s) will be a main driver of change. Strong small to mid-size firms will increasingly develop organizations that pool their skills, processes, and resources, and develop specific Standards, Templates and Workflows to execute building projects. BuildUSA-Chicago (BUSA-C) will be the first CIPO group and will initially be focused on bringing Optimized Healthcare facilities to the Midwest region.
- The “Prototype Initiative (PI)” is a business strategy with 3 foci: Research, Process, and Execution. The PI will be focused on developing a branded process to bring “High Quality,” “High Performing” buildings to the market in a “Shorter Period of Time” and at a “Lower Cost.”
- The “Optimized Order” refers to modular buildings that are developed on standardized chassis and with a sufficient variety of options to satisfy the customer’s operational and aesthetic needs.
Optimized Building is comprised of 7 core elements:
- Collaborative Data Environment (CDE)
- Modular Building, built on a chassis
- Standardized Construction Assembly Modules
- Standardized Templates, Standards, and Workflows
- CIPO building organizations:
- Selling modular buildings with defined-design options
- Scalable building sales
The mission of BuildUSA is to implement these tools and resources and develop the ability to offer
“Higher Quality, Higher Performance buildings delivered to market in shorter time periods and at lower cost.”
The goal of BuildUSA is to provide the Building industry with the Vision, Standards, Templates, and Workflows necessary for success in the digital age. BuildUSA will offer a new model for the creation, maintenance, and marketing of building projects throughout their life cycle.
The current generation of millennials and Gen X’ers bring a new digital skillset and technological competence to the Building industry. Over the next couple of decades, they will increasingly adopt the BuildUSA eco system and digital environment to help them solve many of Building’s 21st century challenges.
“Herein lies the opportunity”.