Mortenson maps first
20 years of VDC history

by RICARDO KHAN, director of integrated construction | Feb 16, 2015

The last decade has been an exciting time in the AEC industry with the high adoption of BIM and Virtual Design & Construction. We are beginning to see a transformation now from “Hollywood BIM” to VDC-driven Outcomes.

On numerous occasions, we’ve been asked about Mortenson’s VDC program. Our formula is pretty simple, but even the simplest recipes can be challenging:

(Top Down Leadership + Bottom Up Innovation) x Time = Value

The constants are leadership and field-driven innovation. The only true variable that defines success is Time (in years). Leadership commits to invest in resources (people + technology). The project team integrates VDC into its operating procedures, document, knowledge share and continuous improvement. And of course, it keeps score. Performance must be measured…

From the early days of VDC to today’s VDC-driven outcomes, and with an eye on what’s next, we’ve shared here a recap of two decades of experience on our new VDC Journey website.

What are YOUR thoughts?  I’m interested…

So that has been our journey with VDC. What has yours been like? Please share your own experiences and let us know if there are opportunities to work together to drive innovation into the industry. We are always looking into what’s next, and continuously improving what we do to deliver higher value to our customers.

Based in Minneapolis, the author is Mortenson’s national director of integrated construction. He provides company-wide leadership of Virtual Design & Construction (VDC), driving efficiency and customer impact through the integration of technology into design, fabrication and installation. In this capacity, he oversees Mortenson’s Integrated Delivery Advancement Team (IDAT), made up of over 60 VDC professionals who drive and support the use of virtual tools and technologies on projects. Email: ricardo.khan@mortenson.com.