Integrated Communications
-- Consulting-Specifying Engineer, 12/1/2000
As a publicly financed project by Wayne County, Mich., construction of the new Juvenile Detention Facility was subject to certain requirements, such as 30-percent involvement by minority- and women-owned businesses. While BEI Associates, Inc., Detroit, served as the lead designer, four other firms provided support as consultants in various disciplines. To help coordinate design efforts among the participating firms, team members used an electronic bulletin board to post drawings.
"The system saved time by enabling people to access information on a continuous basis versus one time per week at a meeting," says project director Donald Vroom. "But you can't rely only on the technology; you still have to communicate. As the mechanical engineer, you might change a pump and that change is reflected on the drawings. You also have to tell the electrical engineer if you changed this or moved that."
