technology in real-time implementa- tion, provides the foundation for many of what seem initially to be far-fetched and visionary concepts that are just finding their way into public aware- ness, or are at the early stages of test- ing and development. You can learn more about CanBIM at www.canbim.com. Augmented reality – 3D imagery that jumps out of your computer screen supply chain, unlike earlier technolo- gies. Mechanical subtrades have discov- ered how BIM modeling can avert conflicts and allow efficiency and cost-savings in planning their work; while general contractors see the big picture and where changes to accom- modate site conditions can be han- dled and adapted; and of course owners have the ability to visualize and cost out their building from de- sign through to operation. But this technology requires new collaborative skills and relationships, tools, and systems, and a degree of capital investment, both for software and training. These interests are reflected in the growing BIM Council of Canada (Can- BIM), which brings the stakeholders together and advances certification and standards for the indus- try. “From the many presen- tations I have seen at our sessions and other BIM events it is my opinion, that smaller firms will show us how BIM can be integrated at a more modest scale where the metrics on ROI come back very quickly,” says CANBim president Allan Partridge, a partner at Alberta and Saskatchewan-based Group2 Architecture Interior Design Ltd. “Seeing many of the younger pre- senters over the last few years, I am also comforted knowing that the fu- ture of BIM in Canada is in good hands and that CanBIM has played a significant part in fostering the right environment.” Initial implementation costs, of course, are significant – there is a learning curve in adapting to the new technologies, and of course, there are new and challenging collaborative is- sues, as traditional barriers within dis- ciplines are challenged and tested. Yet the trade-off of being too late in the game will be a significant compet- itive disadvantage for anyone in the industry who doesn't get involved early enough. And notably, BIM, as an active 6 – February - March 2015 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report With a headset, and in some cases, specialized demonstration rooms, you can build and “walk through” the building before it is con- structed – and see how things work from a future-focused perspective. The technology has been progressing at a tremendous rate, and services are available to help prepare and manage the augmented reality process. Relatively speaking, if you've been able to implement BIM, it won't re- quire terribly significant resources to add augmented reality capacities and you can outsource many functions to businesses such as SmartRealty (smartreality.co). The cloud One consultant versed in technol- ogy said he is amazed how many con- struction companies continue to manage their resources and internal collaborative systems through email and Microsoft Word documents. There is a much better way to do things; by adapting to the cloud. Col- laboration/storage costs for out- sourced document/data management have declined so they are virtually free, such as you can find with Google Drive. There are of course security man- agement issues, but these probably are not a major concern for smaller and medium sized businesses, espe- cially for projects, documentation and information that isn't highly sensitive. The power of these resources cannot