How U.S. Engineering Uses OpenSpaceto Mitigate Risk and Reduce Travel TimeFeatures Like BIM Compare and Field Notes Help the MEP Contractor SpotIssues Early and Manage Punch Items

Goal: Mitigate Risk Through Robust Photo
Documentation

Strategy: Use OpenSpace to Check for
Quality Issues Remotely

Chad Lucks is a Quality Control Manager for U.S.

Lucks started using OpenSpace to capture his projects,

Engineering, an MEP contractor with a footprint acrossincluding hospitals in North Dakota and Arizona, a Target inthe Rocky Mountain region and Midwest. In 2021, he wasBoulder, Colo., and public schools in Denver, with the main

looking for a more thorough way of documenting the many

objective of reducing risk. He soon began relying on thejobsites he was tasked with monitoring. Historically, all he

BIM Compare feature (which shows a side-by-side view

had to go on were notes jotted down by colleagues and cellof actual site conditions with the model) for day-to-day

phone pictures, which could be unreliable and inconsistent.

work. It helps him catch issues that might otherwise be
missed and would be expensive to correct down the road.

The limitations of spotty, manual photo documentation
were especially clear when issues arose. In a previous job,

“I switched to OpenSpace because I can be anywhere andLucks spent hours poring over boxes of old photos andreference the drawings and model we’re using in Arizona,

trying to find the right ones—akin to looking for a needle

for example, alongside what’s really happening on site,”in a haystack.

he explained.

Lucks, who is based out of U.S. Engineering’s Colorado
office, was also eager to find technology that would
reduce his commuting time. Since he’s typically working on
more than a dozen projects at any given time, having theability to drop in on jobsites remotely would help him stay
on top of developments in Arizona and North Dakota when
he can’t be there in person.

Through the detailed
documentation OpenSpace
provides, we have a true as-built.”
Chad Lucks, Quality Control Manager,
U.S. Engineering

OpenSpace automatically generates a Google Street

to the owner and facilities management team for quick

View-style video of the project, so Lucks typically plays

reference if the equipment breaks down or needs servicing.

it at half-speed to look carefully for discrepancies andissues from his office.

U.S. Engineering is also using OpenSpace Track toautomatically generate percent completes for sheet metal

Having a single source of truth helps everyone get on

installation, which facilitates monthly pay applications andthe same page. For example, he recently noticed in BIM

saves time. Lucks also thinks it benefits Superintendents

Compare that a section of piping and valves present in theby helping them understand if teams are falling behind on

model was missing in a ceiling. He created a Field Note ina project.

OpenSpace, assigned it to the VDC technician, and linked
it to Procore. From there, the team confirmed there was anerror in the as-builts, which was corrected.

10 HOURS SAVED PER WEEK

“Paper as-builts are old-school and going away,” hesaid. “Through the detailed documentation OpenSpace
provides, we have a true as-built, which is better for

THOUSANDS SAVED IN REWORK

maintenance and the owner at the end.”
OpenSpace has proved easy to learn, and more and more
Project Engineers are using it to capture sites by simply

Meanwhile, U.S. Engineering Project Manager Aaron

strapping a 360-degree camera to their hard hat andDenning is using OpenSpace Track to track sheet metal

walking.

installation on his current project. This not only helps with
documentation but can also be used to forecast how much

Our goal is to have it on every
project where we’re allowed totake photos.”

sheet metal should be brought to the project at any one

Chad Lucks, Quality Control Manager,U.S. Engineering

Finally, Lucks is using OpenSpace’s 3D Scan feature to scantime, which prevents material from being kept on-site forweeks before it’s needed.

electrical and ductwork near ceilings in order to measurethem at a later time—without having to climb a ladder or

U.S. Engineering staff are heavily using OpenSpace’s Field

use a tape measure. Since this need comes up frequently,

Notes feature, which lets them jot down a note or take a

it saves time for him.

picture from the field and have those items automaticallypinned to the plans for easy reference and seamlesscollaboration. For example, on their Denver-based

Results: Savings on Rework and Increased
Productivity

National Western Center project (where clean energy will
be sourced from wastewater), the contractor is using Field

OpenSpace is being harnessed in an increasing number ofNotes to document punch items as well as every piece ofU.S. Engineering projects, largely through positive wordequipment, including the forms, submittals, and inspectionof mouth.

reports associated with them. These will be handed over

“Our goal is to have it on every project where we’re allowed•

Time Savings and Reduced Travel Costs: In addition
to the out-of-state jobsites he’s assigned to, Lucks

to take photos,” Lucks said.

works on projects across Colorado—from Denver toColorado Springs to Boulder to Fort Collins. Visiting

OpenSpace has driven results in the following areas:

these sites might require three or four hours of•

Risk mitigation and better communication with GCs:

driving per day. With OpenSpace, he doesn’t need

U.S. Engineering can use OpenSpace to prove they’re notto go as often, saving him as much as 10 hours per

responsible for delays in the schedule. For example, a GCweek. OpenSpace also recently eliminated the needrecently provided a hard deadline for when the contractor

for designers to fly in to visit a school project—afterneeded to complete its work on a particular floor, andU.S. Engineering’s Senior Project Manager Patrick

they were able to demonstrate why this wasn’t possible

Barnett pulled up OpenSpace captures during anby proving that another contractor hadn’t completed

OAC meeting to address their questions virtually.

its work, which was blocking them from proceeding.
••

Increased Effectiveness: For out-of-state sites heSavings on rework: On the hospital project in North

doesn’t visit as often, OpenSpace helps keep Lucks

Dakota, Lucks spotted an area where pipes should haveup to speed on progress so he can contribute morebeen installed but hadn’t. Since he caught the discrepancy

effectively. “Before OpenSpace, people would bewith BIM Compare before the ceiling was closed up, U.S.

calling me without me having any context,” he said.

Engineering avoided rework costs it might have incurred“It was definitely a lot harder.”if the mistake had only been noticed months later.