Matt Ostanik, AIA, CSI, LEED AP

Matt Ostanik, AIA, CSI, LEED AP

Matt is a licensed architect and the president and founder of Submittal Exchange, a comprehensive online system for architects, engineers, contractors, construction managers, and facility owners to exchange, review, and archive construction submittals, requests for information (RFIs), and other construction communications electronically. He provides coverage of advances in software, cloud computing, and information portability specific to the AEC industry for Buildipedia.com.

IPD and IPC – The Perfect Marriage for Faster Projects

Thu, Jul 22, 2010

Speed matters. That is a fundamental fact of the construction business. In my years as an architect, I don’t recall ever meeting a single client who said, “It doesn’t matter when my building gets completed.” Every project has deadlines, and every deadline is important. If the owner is financing the work through a construction loan, then the faster the building is completed, the sooner they can complete the loan. If the owner is a school district or an expanding business, then there may be hard deadlines that must be met, such as the day that the new school needs to be open for students or when the business owner needs the space for additional equipment or employees.

Five Signs Your Software Solution is Not Designed for IPD

Thu, Jul 15, 2010

What does the word “Integrated” in “Integrated Project Delivery” (IPD) mean? While there is no single, authoritative definition of IPD, interpretations can be taken from the IPD report published by McGraw-Hill Construction and AIA California Council, along with looking up the definition of the word “integrated” on dictionary.com:

in•te•grat•ed [in-ti-grey-tid] adjective: combining or coordinating separate elements so as to provide a harmonious, interrelated whole.

Information Portability for Construction

Fri, Jul 02, 2010

Unlike many other industries, the construction industry is, by nature, required to be highly mobile and portable. In major commercial construction projects, hundreds or thousands of workers converge on a specific geographic location for a period of time lasting from a few months to a few years. Then, everything is packed up and relocated to a completely different location. Due to the dynamic nature of industry relationships and projects, many of the workers will actually be spreading their time across multiple job sites at any one time.

Software as a Service for Design and Construction - Building in "The Cloud"

Fri, Jun 25, 2010

What is "cloud computing" or "software as a service", and what do these terms mean for the AEC industry? While many people have heard of the term "cloud computing", or can conceptualize how working online can be considered working in "the cloud", many in the design and construction industry are still unclear about what this means for the future of our work.

Green Construction in the Cloud

Thu, Jun 17, 2010

Much focus is being given in the design and construction industry to making projects greener. As an architect myself, I feel an obligation to be conscious of the impact my work and the work of my peers has on the future of our environment. Architects, engineers, builders, and facility owners play a vital role in creating a greener future. Architecture 2030 estimates that in the US alone, buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually and consume 76% of all electricity generated by power plants.

Integrated Project Collaboration Software: The Missing Link for IPD

Mon, Jun 07, 2010

Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) is the new paradigm in design and construction. At its core, IPD means bringing all of the parties in a typical construction project—owner, architect, and builder—together as early as possible in a more robust partnership than is traditionally seen in construction. A true IPD partnership involves changing how the project team is configured, how contracts are written, how risk is shared, how decisions are made, and the tools that are used to communicate information. Today some projects are implementing IPD in its pure form, while others are making incremental steps towards it.