McCarthy Building Companies Receives Innovative Technology Awards

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. was recently honored with three Celebration of Engineering & Technology Innovation Awards for the innovation and technology created and employed in the design and construction process. The recognition represents the first time in the history of the CETI Awards that a single company has been honored with multiple awards in the same year.

Presented at Fiatech's annual awards gala in San Antonio, the CETI Awards recognize companies and individuals who have achieved significant success in implementing technology throughout the lifecycle of a capital project. McCarthy was recognized for process and technological innovations developed in-house and implemented on the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center replacement project.

“We have been working on some of our most exciting innovations with regard to both technology and building processes,” said Chris Pechacek, McCarthy's director of Virtual Design and Construction. “These developments will help us improve efficiency, reduce risk and achieve cost savings. It is a wonderful recognition of our team's efforts to receive three CETI Awards from Fiatech.”

McCarthy was honored for the following innovations:

Life Cycle Data Management and Information Integration Category
To ensure access to real-time project information, McCarthy implemented an IFC/COBie -based, integrated workflow that streamlines the capture and transfer of data during construction so that the information can later be used on the operations side. This system will be able to work in accordance with a hospital's facilities management system.

New Materials, Methods, Products, and Equipment Category
McCarthy was also recognized for its ability to implement change orders and as-built information thoughtfully and seamlessly. One example could be seen in the structural survey and floor flatness program. By combining a Faro Focus 3-D laser scanner with customized internal software plugins to produce and analyze 3-D point cloud data, the information gathered is able to be used to document structural performance and to identify any locations that required attention in order to achieve an enhanced quality of floor flatness. McCarthy's change management program ensures that all information is synched in real-time and laser scans can be used by the design team to perform retroactive inspections and future remodeling.

Intelligent and Automated Construction Job Site Category
Finally, McCarthy was honored for its collaboration with BIManywhere in the creation of a field application that allows a user to scan a QR code affixed to every room or area of the hospital with an iPad or laptop. This scan displays an augmented reality that overlays equipment documentation, construction plans and other project information on top of the current view.