#57: Transforming the Built Environment: ERDC team guides DOW, USCAE on cutting-edge techniques for building, maintaining facilities

Technological advancements are dramatically changing how facilities are designed, constructed and maintained. Given the rapid pace of change, it is important for the Department of War and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to stay updated on the latest advancements and promote consistent standards across their facilities, while also seeking new innovations to improve mission execution. The Tri-Services CAD/BIM Technical Center of Expertise (TCx), which is based at the ERDC Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), promotes cutting-edge engineering and design processes for military and civil works facilities. The team advises the U.S. Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as USACE, on innovative uses of various technologies – from computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM) to virtual and augmented reality, digital twins, artificial intelligence, and more. We speak with Nathan Jones and Brandon Meinert about how the team is working to transform the built environment. Jones is chief of the Tri-Services CAD/BIM TCx, and Meinert is a research general engineer at ITL. Topics include why the center is needed (4:22), how it has evolved (5:38), the role it plays today (6:54) and how it is working with private industry (26:18). We also discuss how the center is serving as a digital advisor (30:41), the transformative potential offered by digital twins (12:02), and how the center is applying artificial intelligence (16:45). For more information about the CAD/BIM TCx, visit PowerofERDCPodcast.org/57-CAD-BIM-TCx_resources. Watch a video of this podcast at PowerofERDCPodcast.org/57-CAD-BIM-TCx_video.