CASE STUDY

From Risk to Reward:
info@openspace.ai
openspace.ai

Nibbi Mitigates Risk and Finds
Efficiencies with OpenSpace

The challenge
In the heart of San Francisco at 4840 Mission, Nibbi Brothers General Contractors embarked on an ambitious $80
million affordable housing project. With 26% of the work being self-performed, the company sought innovative
solutions to mitigate risk. First, the team created a high-level BIM model to manage the data during the designand construction phases. Then they brought in OpenSpace.
Beyond risk mitigation, Nibbi has extended its use of OpenSpace to address inefficiencies. For a company wheretime is synonymous with money, Nibbi needed a more streamlined approach to keeping tabs on the jobsite daily
and addressing issues in real time at meetings.
Nibbi was also looking to improve its communication with owners and subcontractors. A lot of time was wasted
determining who was at fault for an issue, who was responsible for safety concerns on the site, and what andwhen work was completed.

1

The solution
OpenSpace quickly evolved to be more than a documentation tool for Nibbi. Its capabilities enabled the team
to identify and address potential problems proactively. In the context of the two post-tension decks,
OpenSpace's BIM Compare feature helped to detect discrepancies prior to the concrete pour. This discovery
ensured that all sleeves, block-outs, and steel embeds were accurately installed according to the BIM modeland eliminated the need for scanning the deck and corning, which could have cost up to $4,000 per sleeve.
When an issue related to ADA compliance arose, necessitating the repositioning of a wall after drywall
installation, OpenSpace's Split View feature supplied historical data that lessened the amount of rework
required. Finding a solution that avoided electrical and plumbing changes saved tens of thousands of dollars.
In coordination meetings, the platform's Field Notes feature was used to highlight specific areas of discussion,
which facilitated more focused conversations among team members. OpenSpace also allowed for a visual
review of work completed relative to schedules, which assisted in maintaining timelines and encouraged factbased dialogues among the project team, supervisors, and subcontractors.

QA/QC processes were also simplified, with OpenSpace playing a pivotal role in verifying that the work wascarried out per the design intent on the project. The project's intricate exterior panels, lap siding, plaster, andother exterior components, for example, were documented and reviewed for exterior waterproofing.
Moreover, the real-time insights OpenSpace offered improved Nibbi’s relationships. Whether it was instantly
verifying work for subcontractor payments using visual data or engaging in fact-based discussions about sitecleanliness and billing anomalies, OpenSpace proved pivotal in strengthening transparency and trust.

2The results
Seeing the benefits OpenSpace brought to its first project at 4840 Mission Street, Nibbi decided to make
OpenSpace a standard for all projects, with teams walking and capturing jobsites twice a week.

Travel costs

Verify work in place

Rework costs

Billing discrepancies$58,000$4,000$63,000$15,400

Saved on oneproject

Avoided per sleeve or
block-out per
concrete pour

Saved on one issue

Avoided onone project

When faced with uncertainty and challenges, it's innovations
like OpenSpace that enable us to overcome them. From timesavings to problem mitigation, it has truly revolutionized how
we operate at Nibbi.
Luis Vindel
Assistant Project Manager3

Going from first project to enterprise-wide adoption
Rollouts can be challenging, and the expansion of OpenSpace across Nibbi was no exception. Months into the newcompany policy, they found that not everyone was walking their sites twice weekly, and on some jobsites, teams
had not started to use their 360° cameras. Luis Vindel took on this challenge by sharing the benefits of OpenSpacein a company-wide meeting. When everyone understood the platform’s vital role in addressing the project’s posttension decks issue and the personal benefits OpenSpace would bring by reducing time spent traveling to theirsites and enabling them to perform inspections remotely, the team quickly got on board.

Remote access for consultants overseas
Another Nibbi project is Star View Court—a seven-story affordable housing project that will create 138 new homes
at Treasure Island Parcel C3, close to San Francisco. Nibbi has been maximizing productivity by performing BIM-toField QA/QC with the BIM Compare feature and using OpenSpace to accurately update the schedule. Remoteaccess has been a unique feature at Star View Court, as the LEED Sustainability consultant for the project is basedin Germany. She has been able to carry out inspections and monitor progress with OpenSpace, bringing an expert tothe site virtually without the six-thousand-mile journey.

About Nibbi
Nibbi Brothers General Contractors was founded in 1950
Learn
more about OpenSpace

as a small carpentry business and today is known forOpenSpace is the global leader in reality capture and AIconstructing technically complex, iconic structures in
powered analytics, enabling builders to quickly capture
the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has an annual
their entire jobsites. Visit our website for a demo.
construction volume of $420 million and focuses on
residential and commercial projects, with an emphasis onaffordable housing.

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powered analytics, enabling builders to quickly capture
their entire jobsites. Visit our website for a demo.