Dive Brief:

• Lendlease says it is making technology a major priority for its global construction and real estate businesses, according to its 2020 annual report. It says its "digital mentor" platform called One Lendlease Interactive (OLi) and digital twins are keys to building efficiencies and implementing best practices.
• The OLi platform integrates Lendlease's traditional project management steps, from business development through delivery and asset management. Moving forward, OLi will include project collaboration, mobilization, resourcing and approval capabilities that flow with potential project changes.
• Digital twin technology, according to Lendlease, offers a "digital rehearsal" of the built world. A digital twin is a virtual model of a building that collects real-world information about the structure via sensors, drones and other wireless technology. The firm is a founding member of the Digital Twin Consortium, an international group working to promote the advancement of the global digital twin market. 

Dive Insight:

Andrew Rampton, group lead for project excellence at Lendlease, said he expects digital twins will transform the design and construction processes by enabling:

• Creation and visualization of more scenarios on optimal land use.
• Reduction of risk.
• Reduction of cost spent fixing errors in design and assembly plans.
• A faster move to market.
• Safer working environments.

Rampton said OLi will help coach Lendlease employees "through the up-to-date" information they need to make informed decisions and deliver projects the "Lendlease Way."

"OLi gets to know our people’s role and their projects and sends them what they need, when they need it," he said. "It also flags information and actions that might be useful to their task at hand."

OLi is being used on Lendlease's Lakeshore East project in Chicago and on some others in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rampton said. But, he added, don't expect it to be used in place of humans: "OLi is not designed to replace jobs but rather empower our teams to deliver projects the 'Lendlease Way' with confidence."

The various components of OLi, which is available across multiple device types, include:

• OLi Teamwork, which uses the Microsoft Teams platform for collaboration.
• Project mobilization Toolkit, part of OLi Teamwork, which provides a "structured methodology" to make sure that the team understands the project vision and goals from the start and that all the project execution processes and tools are set up correctly.
• OLi Decisions, which is the project lifecycle piece that helps guide Lendlease employees through the various project approval steps at the right time.
• OLi Digital Pipeline, which gives team members a look ahead at business opportunities so that they can plan, budget and resource effectively.
• OLi Spotlight, which is the project dashboard. Spotlight includes indices and markers to help teams gauge performance and make timely project decisions.

OLi also links users to the Lendlease Practices Knowledge Gateway, which houses the company's intellectual property and provides a connection to best practices and subject matter experts around the world. 

“In a nutshell," Rampton said, "a Lendlease construction manager can use OLi to future plan resources required, expedite the mobilization of a project, gather the necessary approvals throughout the project lifecycle and monitor their project’s performance in real time. 

"They can also connect with a sustainability expert in Sydney, read about similar affordable housing case studies from London and collaborate virtually with a project team in New York all from their mobile – bringing the best of what Lendlease has to offer right to the fingertips of our people," he said.