Remaining resilient through and beyond COVID-19

Across the globe, RICS professionals are delivering resilient responses current challenges impacting our industry and wider society.

We are delighted to showcase their efforts and how they are embracing digital innovation to serve their clients and the public interest.

Tell us your experiences

Over the past year, we have been sharing stories of resilient responses, highlighting how members have made a difference by serving clients, organizations and communities despite challenges arising from COVID–19. Now we want to keep moving forward together and hear your own resilience stories. Tell us how you personally, or your organisation, have been faced with adversity in areas such as sustainability, financial issues, political landscapes, Diversity and Inclusion and how you overcame those challenges. We can all learn from the experiences of others, so share your story with us! Click here to email Resilientresponse@rics.org with your experience.

Growing the global profession with digital mentoring

When Mauritius went into lockdown in March 2020 due to Covid-19, Anil Singh Rana FRICS - Founder, Mentor and Project Manager – Constructing Professional Development (CPD) Ltd, demonstrated resilience and professionalism by deciding to invest in digital platforms and conducting webinars to help fellow professionals and RICS qualification aspirants in the industry as “Giving Back” to support the profession.

The proactive approach to digitalization enabled members and candidates across countries spanning five continents (80% in Africa and 20% in Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America) to keep up with the profession. Anil used some of his personal savings and spent more than 700 hours to help professionals via webinars (70% RICS Members and 30% in Construction). The feedback received from the participants fuelled his motivation, making it easier to reach out to professionals in African countries. Using the digital platform, Anil mentored his 100th RICS APC Candidate and the 1st in Rwanda. He has also been a counsellor to the 1st female Chartered Project Management Surveyor in Mauritius.

“I am still amazed at how easily we all can connect and engage across continents and learn for a common purpose to advance our profession,” he said.

Anil firmly believes that it is only through the combination of human ingenuity, a culture of engineering excellence, and digitalization that we can help built environment professionals emerge from this global pandemic and embrace new ways of learning to solve some of the most complex challenges. According to Anil, the COVID-19 pandemic has proved that the RICS professionals are needed by the modern construction industry to address the challenges faced by the global built environment sector.

“We need to think and adapt to new ways of working when necessary, allow scope for innovation and collaboration to advance our profession.”

Advising clients in Hong Kong to seize real estate investment opportunity during crisis

During the pandemic in early 2021, the investment market in Hong Kong was experiencing challenges with a lot of uncertainty in the real estate market outlook. Investor sentiment was at an all-time low, and the economy had come to a standstill. In such a bleak scenario, Alvin Leung MRICS, Director, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) was at the helm of a team that effectively concluded a real estate transaction for approximately HK$627million.

The property acquired by the client, as advised by JLL, straddles over eight building lots. Originally there were 57 property interests/units on the lots. The 7,500-square feet land came with a maximum plot ratio of 9 and can yield a gross floor area of approximately 67,500 square feet with a total investment sum of over HK$1.1 billion.

“Despite the challenging investment market, JLL provided the client with professional advice in investment strategy, market research, and valuation, and successfully closed the transaction in just five months,” Alvin explained. “This transaction also provided confidence to our clients regarding our professional expertise in advising clients on development sites transactions.”

The redevelopment of the mixed-use project will lead to building a landmark residential-cum-retail project. The new structure will integrate various green and sustainable features in construction that will provide an upgraded living environment to the residents.

“We have to be responsive and adaptive to the ever-changing market and provide clients with the latest market information, precise analysis, and tailored strategies. Remain agile and be prepared to grasp opportunities even in challenging times,” concluded Alvin.

Project management success with clear stakeholder mapping in Deutschland.

When the COVID pandemic began spreading across the globe, Maximilian Georg Frisch MRICS, Senior Project Manager at Turner & Townsend, was managing office fit-out projects across Asia Pacific for a client’s organization from Singapore. As soon as offices closed, Max proposed a clear and detailed return-to-site (RTS) programme, ensuring the client was positioned well for the short and mid-term workplace strategy in what was then an unknown landscape.

“One key takeaway from running projects across multiple countries goes back to the very basics of project management. Communication and information transfer are the essential areas to focus on" notes Max when reflecting on the project design.

With the pandemic continuing, more clients needed the kind of strategic planning Max had the skills for. Once back home in Munich, he took on a new client. The challenge was to develop a process to improve the infrastructure of their facilities, spanning 23 projects in 4 countries. Due to the highly privileged and confidential nature of the projects, communication between the client, project management office, local project managers and the individual stakeholders demanded the highest level of attention, meticulous planning, and precise execution.

He explained, "Establishing a clear and solid stakeholder map as well as a precise communication matrix, in liaison with the client, heavily supports the delivery of the project.”

"Working with distance measures and working from home requires a relentless focus on communication and staying in contact with all project stakeholders. We now have to adapt to today’s ‘new way of working’ and ensure that we apply this to our facilities in order for them to be able to support the nature of our work", he concluded.

Max's experience demonstrates the benefits of planning ahead and being adaptable when faced with uncertainty.

Indian valuation firm delivers project successfully despite challenges

Valuation in India, still at an evolving stage, has been impacted greatly by the ongoing pandemic. However, valuation firms like Indaslab have demonstrated business resilience by going digital and working to support clients remotely. Parag Kulkarni MRICS, Founder of the enterprise led a project that had to value financial instruments worth roughly $2.28 billion of a debt-ridden company.

The challenge was to defend the value of the project against the Security Exchange Board of India, tax authorities, statutory auditors of the companies, and more than 15 bankers. A volatile market, complex instrument structures, an uncertain future and ambiguous socio-political scenarios did nothing to help the cause.

The firm used ‘Monte Carlo Simulation Technique’ and developed thousands of scenarios simulating tens of variables to identify valuation output, despite stringent timelines and working in three shifts. Heavy use of statistical models at work, carried over 45 days, helped Parag and his team to confidently attest and perform the valuation on time.

Parag stressed, " Learning core techniques and following structured and methodical approach is a key. Data-driven conclusions can safeguard professionals from grossly wrong deductions. Crisis does not warrant you to be pessimistic and undervalue."

Parag firmly believes that the true test is to remain dispassionate to achieve a fair value.

“Historically, we have experienced unexpected times – the great depression of 1929, the dot-com bubble of 2000, the subprime crisis of 2007, or the euro crisis of 2013. Uncertainty does not detach fairness from the value. Our job, irrespective of the changing times, remains to deduce trustworthy, credible, and fair values," he concluded.

Enabling empowerment through data in Greece

Solon Molho MRICS, a valuation in businesses and intangible assets expert, first came into contact with the “anti-vaxxer” movement while vaccinating his elder daughter and promptly dismissed it. Fake news had been growing exponentially, and according to Solon, Greece had suffered from an emotive rather than evidence-based public discourse over the last few years. Then, when COVID -19 hit and the anti-vaccination movement started to ride the false news wave, he decided to take things into his own hands.

Solon started a new weekly column in a local online paper intending to use data to contribute to the discourse and debunk myths. The column integrated numbers from established sources like the European Medicines Agency (vaccines) Hellenic Statistical Authority on the impact of the pandemic on employment, The Ministry of Finance (Greece) etc., and did much to promote data in the region.

According to Solon, “The key challenge for me, was writing in Greek to make data easy to process and assimilate. I had not written much in Greek since leaving school more than 30 years ago. However, the current situation compelled me to initiate a step to address this issue. I believe data should be the backbone of all decision-making processes. It allows us to improve quality of life.”

Solon has done much to further data advocacy in his country, providing facts and figures to enable people to make effective decisions. He said, “My clients and the wider market have benefitted by reading the column and have been able to make better-informed decisions as a result. Two things are the key takeaways for me. First, people can’t be bothered to read. Second, people crave data as it empowers them to take astute decisions.”

Managing people effectively during the unprecedented crisis in India

India is currently bearing the brunt of a deadly second wave of the Coronavirus that forced the Government to impose a sudden and total lockdown in April this year. The unexpected move caught many real estate companies by surprise and impacted projects all over the country.

Ravneet Gill MRICS, Senior Vice President and Business Head (CEO’s Office) at EMAAR India, a subsidiary of EMAAR Properties, had around 1000 workers engaged at a flagship project. Once the restrictions were enforced, work and life came to a standstill. Ravneet and his team, conscious of the vulnerability and confusion amongst the labour, acted swiftly to take immediate steps to help support the well-being of the labourers in these crucial times.

It was ensured that food and necessary supplies reached all the workforce staying at the camps erected within the project site. According to Ravneet, "Monetary assistance is being provided wherever required. All precautions are being taken to ensure their health and safety including temperature check, medicines, providing PPE kits, keeping oxygen cylinders etc.”

The organization also took note of the vendors who were equally affected by the lockdown. Payment terms were revised, and extensive usage of digital payment systems was implemented to ease their burden. Paperwork was reduced to a minimum and most of the billing-related work was moved online.

Ravneet and his team have kept a clear communication line with all stakeholders and VC meetings are being done frequently. The vendors are being kept regularly updated on their issues as well as government guidelines.

"During a crisis, the communication with external and internal stakeholders should be clear and honest. Companies should provide a positive, secure and highly flexible environment to all those who are connected with them to tide over tough times. " said Ravneet.

BIM based procurement enables better project performance in Portugal

Even before the onset of COVID-19, construction, a key driver of the Portuguese economy, was not amongst its most efficient industries. According to Bruno de Carvalho Matos MRICS, the industry was already battling performance challenges derived from old habits, low-skilled labour, and lack of technology, and was inflicted further damage by the global pandemic, despite its resilience. There was a compelling need for innovation in the Portuguese construction market as data-driven solutions like Building Information Modelling (BIM), were little explored in the country.

Under such adverse circumstances, Bruno, a Civil Engineer and certified Construction Project Management Professional, initiated new procurement, contracts, and monitoring procedures for the Portuguese realty market to ensure adequate BIM application across the industry supply chain.

“Data-driven digital transformation plays a major role in overcoming major problems in construction, especially now with the pandemic, where the challenges of collaboration and to perform as planned are considerably higher,” says Bruno. He has been implementing new processes in Project Management based on data-driven methodologies, especially BIM. Bruno has supported clients and other stakeholders from the supply chain on how to set and implement the necessary BIM requirements right from the consulting stage until the project final delivery and operations phase, including management advice and business support.

According to Bruno, “Project managers can – and should – play a major role in leading the way for a sustainable and resilient built environment by unlocking the full potential of digital transformation in construction. BIM is certainly the disruptive change and the way to go in the future, provided that adequate procurement and monitoring across the supply chain, with the right work protocols, are ensured.”

Delivering critical infrastructure to communities across Latin America

Contract disputes can slow construction and infrastructure projects down, so the stakes were high when COVID–19 hit, potentially disrupting important projects managed by Cristiana Roscoiu MRICS, a Romania based contract management and alternative dispute resolution expert.

“Through our projects, we help millions of families have decent living conditions. For developed countries, we act in response to the aging of networks and population growth (the need for a greater supply of drinking water) while for the developing countries, we ensure the delivery of basic needs like wastewater management and drinking water modern systems for communities, agriculture and the cattle industry”, commented Cristiana. Involved in more than 20 projects across Latin America, Cristiana and her teams worked tirelessly to ensure communities are not impacted, managing contracts to resolve issues as efficiently as possible so that the parties do not reach disputes. This meant that at a time of unavoidable disruption from COVID-19, critical infrastructure was still able to be delivered to the communities that needed them most.

Cristiana commented “I looked for ways to test operations with innovative ideas and used new know-how in trenchless /no-dig methods and building information modelling for construction projects. With flexibility, innovative solutions, motivated teams and good communication, difficulties can be transformed into advantages.”

Equipping clients to operate safe spaces with digital facilities management solutions

As the COVID–19 outbreak took hold in India challenging existing business continuity plans, frontline service provider Knight Frank innovated quickly to develop digital solutions to support the safe management of buildings. “Being service partners to many corporates, commercial real estate landlords and the Government Infrastructure sector, we took advanced measures to ensure business continuity before, during and after lockdowns”, shared Sathish Rajendren FRICS, Chief Operating Officer & Head - Facilities & Asset Management Services, Knight Frank (India) Pvt Ltd.

Knight Frank supported its clients to reconfigure plans in line with the pandemic risk parameters issued by the Indian Government. To help curb the spread of the virus, it implemented automation within buildings, such as touchless and voice activation - access using sensor-based technologies for office premises/buildings, nanoseptic surfaces on desk-tops and mats were also put in place to create safe spaces. Alongside this, new practices for ventilation, air quality, cleaning and sanitation were adopted to support safe working environments.

Key learning - Efficient management under difficult circumstances helped build resilience through and beyond the pandemic.

“We have had to rethink the physical set up and we have also taken steps to support remote working and practices to rebuild and maintain workplace morale”, commented Sathish.

Using data to inform remote working strategy and culture

As countries went into lockdown and offices closed, Mace’s Operate business, a global workplace and FM provider, developed a Homeworking Solution that started to harness data to transform how it helps its clients manage homeworking.

What began as a service providing office furniture - and a duty of care to their clients’ home workers - soon evolved.

“As workplace and facilities managers, we quickly learnt that our new role is to manage the full workplace experience remotely. For our clients, recreating their company culture away from the office was vital for their employees’ wellbeing.” Explained Maud Santamaria, Workplace Experience Director at Mace.

A key part of the solution required office-based front of house staff to become Community Managers – providing a ‘virtual concierge’ to work as the bridge between the clients’ organisation and its employees.

Alongside a new proactive approach to supporting people to work safely and productively at home, as lockdowns ease, Mace can use data to help make the office experience safe for workers.

“We use employee engagement data to show us what employees in different companies need and want. We also use space data to understand the costs of operating a building, utilisation and occupation data through sensors. This has helped us develop hybrid models that show how we have used a workplace in the past, merged with current employee sentiment and engagement to achieve each organisation’s workplace purpose.” Santamaria continued.

“The biggest challenge was the novelty of the offer and delivering something new, with the people involved adapting to different pressures at the same time.”

Key learning: flexibility and focusing on the human side has become more important than ever

“Keeping employees engaged and connected with their company requires an understanding of their circumstances and adapting the service offer to fit their needs,” she concluded.

Construction schedule assurance tool developed in New York

As COVID-19 began to take its toll on clients’ construction programmes, Turner & Townsend New York Infrastructure team produced a new scheduling tool to help their clients make better informed decisions on its likely impacts.

The start of the pandemic highlighted significant underdevelopment, and often a lack of both quality and detail in many schedules. “At this time, more than ever, it proved essential to address this, with greater focus placed on ascertaining the validity, integrity and logic of their project schedule” explained David Green, Director at Turner & Townsend.

Their solution was to create an industry standardised schedule assurance tool to provide clear insight, highlighting areas for improvement to drive efficiencies and upskill the supply chain.

“Needless to say, COVID-19 has caused significant delays in construction projects whether this be as a result of social distancing, loss of productivity, or the wider far-reaching consequences” Green explained.

“We believe observation, assessment and analysis is crucial to truly understanding these impacts. Our tool is about putting clients in a position of confidence that will enable them to not only assess schedule impacts but also develop possible mitigations and solutions moving forward”

Automations built into the tool enabled faster reviewing times, the ability to benchmark different projects within a portfolio or sector, and track trends over time to predict future risks by using historical data.

“In our experience, when schedule management has been prioritised, there has been substantial improvements in schedule quality, which in-turn has a positive impact on the predictability of completing programs on time with no unexpected surprises,” Green added.

Key learning: a lack of granularity has been exposed

“The pandemic in many ways has helped to highlight a need to move away from an overall ‘on-time’ end-game focus to schedule outputs and a need to focus on shorter-term achievable milestones and a data driven approach.”

Bluetooth technology enables workplace distancing

As social distancing requirements remain key to business operations, the global organisation RIB Software developed a smart monitoring technology, helping organisations to track physical distancing in the workplace.

The company, an RICS Tech Affiliate Programme Partner, primarily provides construction estimating and design integration software for clients, including RICS professionals, worldwide.

“It came about following observations of the early days of interaction between employees, once workplace distancing was enacted. It was clear to me that social distancing isn’t always easy to follow, depending on the nature of our roles in the workplace,” explained Paul Laycock, Senior VP at RIB Software.

The technology, named iTWO safe, allows users to download a mobile app and connect this with a Bluetooth wristband developed by RIB Software. Once enabled, businesses can setup alerts for when distance requirements are breached to help enable safe practices.

“This technology provides users and businesses with actionable data to help inform their workflows, which can be particularly helpful on large construction worksites or in factories. While it was originally created with these industries in mind, the device has broader applications in offices and similar workspaces.” Paul continued.

Key learning: consider every possibility with workplace distancing

“For those seeking to develop workplace distancing plans, I think it’s vital to consider every possible workplace scenario before enacting your proposals,” Paul added.

“While safety should always be the highest priority, practicality and simplicity are also important considerations. I would encourage those tasked with making plans to consider every available opinion during the research process.”

Facilities Management: Leading the response to COVID-19 in Nigeria

As a facilities management specialist and entrepreneur, Adejumoke Akure MRICS has been on the frontline of the COVID-19 response in Lagos, Nigeria.

With over ten thousand confirmed COVID-19 cases, Lagos has been under lockdown. Professionals like Adejumoke have stepped in to provide the support necessary to help those infected isolate and recover from the disease.

“I worked with teams in Lagos state to set up an isolation & treatment centre, offering strategic facilities and operations management advice” she told our Modus team. “Cleaning and infection control protocols are key, and are a strategic mandate in effective healthcare-centre management” she added.

Adejumoke believes the lessons learned in the pandemic will reshape facilities management in the future. Not least, the wider adoption of integrated systems used to fight COVID-19: “the industry will need to keep adapting to artificial intelligence, the internet of things, smart living and more – as managers we have to be quick on our feet and nimble.”

Key learning: Focussing on the end user’s experience

“While these were extraordinary times, I knew that 80% of our patients would be asymptomatic, so there was a need to manage their treatment period with some sense of humanity.

“From the start we created a facility layout that featured vibrant open areas with murals where patients could sit out, play board games as well as areas for them to take tea and coffee by themselves without feeling incapacitated. These simple ideas to “do things by themselves” made it easier for the clinical team to manage their care as the patients were empowered and did not feel hopelessly dependent.”

Key learning: Don’t overlook small details in service delivery

“It’s the little things that matter to our service users – I remember helping a woman who accompanied her COVID-19 positive husband to my centre. She was scared and anxious and refused to leave until she met her husband’s care giver. Understanding her anxiety, I personally arranged for the duty nurse to establish a line of communication between the wife and the colleagues who would be looking after her husband which resulted in a traumatic situation being handled appropriately up until he was successfully discharged.”

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Adapting to serve users of co-working offices in India

As national lockdowns have forced people to work remotely from home, businesses who usually use flexible co-working offices have found themselves immediately without the facilities they rely on. India based co-working space provider AWFIS responded by adapting to continue serving clients through the disruption, by providing at-home support and keeping their spaces operational throughout the lockdown for essential services clients.

Many firms and start-ups in India rely on the use of flexible co-working spaces, with the market growing over the past five years. AWFIS, which runs India’s largest network of co-working centres over 67 locations and ten cities, stepped in to serve its firms and professionals by extending infrastructural and technology support. This included audio and video conferencing and other collaboration tools, so people can seamlessly work from home. AWFIS recently launched its new offering, ‘AWFIS@Home’ to provide adequate support for remote working. As part of this, they also helped organisations to evaluate their work from home readiness, provided smart desks, ergonomic chairs, data security, and IT troubleshooting. To enable their essential services clients to work safely during lockdown, AWFIS redesigned its workspaces to be further apart.

As countries emerge out of lockdown, AWFIS is taking steps to facilitate a smooth transition back to its offices by working with their clients to establish mutually agreed upon return to work protocols, increasing cleaning measures and implementing mechanisms for touch-free access to its centres.

AWFIS founder and CEO Amit Ramani MRICS remains confident about the outlook for co-working spaces and the firm’s ability to respond to changing market dynamics, commenting: “Cost optimization and increased flexibility will become major areas of concern for all businesses, driving even the most conventional players to shared workspaces to enable them to upsize or downsize in an agile manner. ‘Work near home’ will become a key trend and companies will adopt models to facilitate de-densification. Our large network of locations throughout India means that AWFIS will be able to help our members set up smaller offices in multiple locations across cities.”

Converting two halls in three days in Singapore

The urgency of the COVID-19 health crisis has forced organisations to mobilise quickly to convert buildings into COVID-19 care facilities to meet growing patient needs. Surbana Jurong, an Asia-based urban and infrastructure consulting firm, worked at record speed for their client, the Ministry of Health, to convert the exhibition halls of the Singapore Expo Convention Centre into a temporary community care facility to house two types of COVID-19 patients – recovering patients and patients with mild symptoms who are sent directly to the community care facility upon diagnosis.

Surbana Jurong assembled a team of 50 to work on the design, material procurement, infrastructure provision and construction supervision. Design consultants prioritised safety, while also considering the needs of patients who could be isolated for a long duration. Each patient cubicle contained a bed, a cabinet, a desk lamp, a chair and charging ports for electrical devices. Additionally, the hall was equipped with Wi-Fi. Within three days, Surbana Jurong completed the conversion of the first two halls providing the capacity for 960 patient beds.

The timeline for the conversion was unprecedented. “Initially we were challenged by the short time frame, supply chain disruptions and suspension of workplace activities,” commented Mr. Wong Heang Fine, Group CEO, Surbana Jurong. “But that was quickly overcome with the cooperation and hard work of the authorities, suppliers and contractors. By tackling issues on the ground together, we were able to set up the community care facility over a weekend. This is what I love about this profession. It’s in our DNA to solve problems and in times of crisis, find solutions in unity.”

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Building a dedicated COVID-19 hospital in China

The city of Wuhan was the first impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and people from across the profession in China worked to support the health crisis by constructing hospitals dedicated to COVID-19 patients. The construction of Leishenshan Hospital in Wuhan brought together thousands of professionals working day and night to support project design and construction, facilities management and medical equipment installation.

The hospital was delivered in ten days, providing 1,600 patient beds.

Wuhan native, Deng Xiaoqin MRICS, Head of Construction Intelligence Division at China Construction Engineering Fourth Bureau Installation Engineering Company, was one of the first professionals at the Leishenshan Hospital construction site. She oversaw the installation of fire safety facilities, water supply, electric wiring, and heating systems in 25 wards of the hospital. Deng Xiaoqin and her team worked tirelessly to successfully complete the installation work over three days.

“Participating in the construction of Leishenshan Hospital and witnessing the delivery of this grand project is an unforgettable moment of my life,” said Deng Xiaoqin. “Every day 20,000 people worked together on site at the same time. Teamwork was paramount.”

Zonghua Huang MRICS, Deputy General Manager, First Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. Under China Construction Engineering Third Bureau, rushed from Guangzhou to Wuhan to participate in the construction of the Leishenshan Hospital. As a prefabricated temporary construction project, Leishenshan Hospital was divided by ward area, medical care area, rest area, and medical technology area. An expert in Building Information Modelling, Zonghua Huang led his team over five days and nights to complete the construction and installation of the electromechanical system in the hospital’s medical technology area.

He commented, “I am proud to be a part of this infrastructure miracle by contributing my professional skills to help fight against the virus. Leishenshan Hospital admitted more than 2,000 critically ill patients and successfully discharged 1,900 people.”

Helping key workers continue to deliver

During these unprecedented times, it is crucial that key workers can safely commute to their place of work so that they can continue delivering their essential services.

Mitie’s cleaning teams are supporting Network Rail to help ensure the UK’s railways continue to operate, while prioritising passenger safety. Network Rail owns, operates, and develops Britain’s railway infrastructure – 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels, and viaducts, as well as thousands of signals, level crossings and stations, as well as managing 20 of the UK’s largest stations.

Mitie’s support during the pandemic includes providing integrated facilities management services to approximately 150 sites across the UK, including Route Operating Centre and Signalling Centres, which are designated critical infrastructure and essential to the safe operation of the UK railway network.
To keep travelers safe, Mitie has amended Stand Operating Procedures, increasing focus on sanitising touch points, such as door handles and push pads, to minimise the risk of spreading the virus.

James Gilding, Managing Director, Cleaning and Environmental Services at Mitie said:
“Our collaborative approach with Network Rail has been fundamental to ensuring a safe, swift and effective response to these unprecedented challenges. Our facilities management teams help to keep the railways operational, meaning key workers can get to work and continue to deliver important services to keep the UK running. We are immensely proud of all our frontline colleagues who are providing vital services on behalf of Network Rail.”

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Technology of the future making a difference today

The surveying profession may be over 150 years old, but small businesses like Severn Partnership are keeping it at the cutting edge of technology innovation that brings benefits during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Shropshire, UK based land surveying firm is using mobile data capture of buildings and infrastructure to create a ‘digital twin’ that means work to develop and maintain the built environment does not stop because people are not on-site.

The specialist digital measuring, modelling and mapping method uses a moving vehicle on land, sea or rail and involves less time and people than conventional methods. It also provides survey grade accuracy and a realistic visualisation of spaces so people can have the confidence to make decisions offsite.

“Our technology brings the spaces that people are building and maintaining to life virtually”, comments Managing Director Jamie Price. “This enables a wide range of essential work to be planned remotely and decisions to be made from the desk – even if those desks are now at home.”

The firm is also using the lockdown period to safely access sites that are now empty, having recently completed 3D laser scanning of a school so that development work can have a good chance of completing ahead of the Autumn term. “Because the technology means we can capture spaces above and below the ground with less people in less time, there is less risk”, said Jamie Price.

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A rapid response in China to get labour back on construction sites

The lockdown in China shut down construction sites overnight, bringing projects to a standstill with little notice. Through this challenge and uncertainty, Turner & Townsend focused on what they could control. They used their expertise in managing complex building programmes to prepare to be ‘first out the traps’ after the lockdown and keep projects moving.

Their approach meant they were able to minimise delays and restart projects immediately after the restrictions were lifted, with 80-90% of staff being back on construction sites for some projects by the end of March.
They introduced innovative ways of working to achieve this, splitting their teams into those that managed the shut down and those that prepared to get projects moving right after the recovery. They made good use of the ‘down time’ to carry out risk reviews, testing of supply chains and assessing inventories and availability of labour and materials. Some decision-making teams even shifted their work patterns to effectively work nights instead of days.

As well as keeping construction projects moving in China, Turner & Townsend also worked to avoid legal action related to the delays. Brian Shuptrine, Managing Director South East Asia, commented, “If we are to make sure that our periods of delay are short term, it’s essential to keep relationships intact. Understanding contractual positions, risks and liabilities is important, but our experience in Asia is that it hasn’t been necessary to enforce terms or resort to legal action: it has very much been a case that we are all in this together.”