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People & Project Spotlights

From Railroads to Rebuilds: How These 6 Megaprojects Shaped America

Explore six historic U.S. megaprojects that redefined American infrastructure, engineering and national growth

Frank Kalman
July 3, 2025

Underground Wonders: What the Paris Métro and Grand Paris Express Can Teach Builders About Infrastructure That Lasts

People & Project Spotlights
Frank Kalman

From century-old tunnels to cutting-edge megaprojects, Paris is redefining how cities build—and how infrastructure can shape urban life for generations

While millions of people stroll the boulevards of Paris each day, few stop to consider the city beneath their feet. A city built twice. Once in stone, once in steel. And the second one—engineered beneath the surface—is arguably more transformative.

We’re talking about the Paris Métro.

Launched at the turn of the 20^th century and still one of the densest rapid transit systems in the world, the Métro is more than just a way to get from Bastille to Montmartre. It’s a masterclass in civil engineering, urban planning and—surprise—design. Beautiful, intentional, cohesive design.

And now, a century after its debut, Paris is doing it again. Only bigger. Smarter. And deeper.

The Grand Paris Express, the largest transit infrastructure project in Europe, is tunneling a new kind of future for the Paris region. One driven by automation, equity, sustainability and digital workflows from day one.

If you’re an architect, engineer, transit planner or just someone who geeks out over concrete and coherence, this one’s for you.

Born for a World’s Fair, Built to Outlast Empires

The Paris Métro opened in 1900, timed with the Exposition Universelle, and it was engineered at breakneck speed under the guidance of Fulgence Bienvenüe, a civil engineer with a thing for straight lines and hard deadlines. Line 1, for instance, opened just 20 months after breaking ground.

The early construction leaned heavily on cut-and-cover methods, slicing just under street level and then rebuilding the road above. But when construction crews had to go deeper—like crossing the Seine—they didn’t blink. Crews sank massive caissons into the riverbed and excavated them from the inside. And when they hit waterlogged soil under Gare de l’Est, they straight-up froze the ground to keep it stable.

It was gritty. Experimental. And it worked.

And it wasn’t just the tunnels. The whole system was standardized from day one. Same train width. Same station dimensions. Same ceramic tiles lining the walls—white, clean, reflective. Functional beauty. That modularity meant faster builds, easier maintenance and less chaos down the line.

When Design Is the Infrastructure

Now let’s talk about the entrances. You’ve seen them—even if you’ve never been to Paris.

Those glowing green “Métropolitain” signs framed by curling iron tendrils? Those are Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau masterpieces, designed to be beautiful, mass-producible and unmistakably Parisian. Many are now protected as national treasures.

But the aesthetic went far beyond the street level. Over the years, the Métro became a canvas. Not metaphorically. Literally.

Arts et Métiers was redesigned in 1994 to resemble a Jules Verne submarine, with riveted copper walls and portholes.

Concorde is tiled wall-to-wall with the text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man—letter by letter, no spaces, like a democratic code.

Bastille station has a ceramic mural that wraps around the platform, depicting scenes from the French Revolution.

It’s civic infrastructure that also tells a story. That’s rare.

Density as a Design Choice

Here’s something wild: Paris’s Métro has 244 stations in just 105 square kilometers. That’s one station every 562 meters.

That’s not normal.

In New York or London, you might walk 10–15 minutes between stops. In Paris, it’s more like five. The system was designed not just to move people, but to blanket the city. That station density has had massive implications for walkability, land use and car dependency.

Back in 2019, the Métro moved about 1.5 billion passengers annually, or roughly 4.1 million per day. That puts it toe-to-toe with New York City’s subway and ahead of the London Underground.

It’s not a coincidence. If you build infrastructure that’s close, fast and easy to use, people will use it. What’s more, they’ll build their lives around it.

Infrastructure shapes behavior. It always has.

The Grand Paris Express: One of the Biggest Projects You’ve Never Heard Of

Fast forward to today.

Greater Paris is growing. And the old Métro didn’t extend far beyond the city center. That left the banlieues—working-class suburbs—underserved and disconnected.

Enter The Grand Paris Express.

This megaproject is adding 200 kilometers of new track, 68 new stations and four entirely new automated lines. It’s essentially doubling the size of the transit system.

It’s massive. Estimated cost: €35–40 billion. That’s $38–$43 billion in U.S. dollars.

It’s also smart.

The Grand Paris Express is BIM-based from the ground up. Every tunnel, station and mechanical system is modeled in 3D. The project is coordinated across six design-and-engineering consortia using shared digital environments.

The construction teams working on the expansion are also tunneling like maniacs. At peak, more than 20 tunnel boring machines were operating at once. That’s one of the largest fleets ever deployed in Europe.

Oh, and it’s green.

Construction crews are reusing 70% of the 47 million tons of excavated soil, rerouting much of it by barge and rail to avoid tens of thousands of truck trips. All concrete used must be low-carbon mixes, with some stations targeting net-zero energy use.

By 2030, 90% of Greater Paris will live within 2 kilometers of a Grand Paris Express station.

That’s not just transit expansion. That’s urban transformation.

Lessons for the Rest of Us

So, what can global infrastructure teams learn from a 125-year-old subway system and its futuristic sibling?

Here’s a shortlist:

Standardization = speed + clarity. Paris did it in 1900 and again in 2020. Pick your specs and stick to them.
Density isn’t just urbanism—it’s access. Close stops drive usage and walkability. More people, fewer cars.
Design is identity. Make infrastructure beautiful and people will protect it.
Digital workflows are essential. BIM didn’t just make the Grand Paris Express faster; it made it possible.

Final Thought

The Paris Métro was more than an engineering breakthrough. It was a design decision, a planning blueprint, and—over time—a cultural artifact. The Grand Paris Express is picking up that baton, with the added weight of digital coordination, climate urgency and social equity.

In both cases, the real legacy is the same: infrastructure that moves people—physically, yes, but also emotionally.

Because when you build something with intention, it lasts. When you build it beautifully, it matters.

And when you build it right?

It becomes part of the city’s soul.

Ready to build with the precision of Paris?

Try Bluebeam Free

Built for Sound: How Legendary Music Venues Are Engineered to Rock

Building, Design & Architecture
Frank Kalman

Iconic venues like Red Rocks, The Sphere and The Ryman are masterclasses in acoustic design, precision construction and sonic engineering

Before the lights come up and the bass hits your chest, there’s the build.

Not the band. Not the roadies. The real build—the one made of steel trusses, acoustic panels, cantilevered decks and 20,000 perfectly placed seats.

From Red Rocks to The Sphere, concert venues aren’t just places where people go to hear music. They are music—shaped by stone, concrete, wood and sound science. But none of it works without builders. Without crews who can pour a stage slab to within an eighth of an inch or jack a 200-ton acoustic ceiling into place without cracking the dome above.

Here’s how some of the most legendary music venues in the world were engineered to rock—and what those projects say about the precision, collaboration and craftsmanship behind the scenes.

Red Rocks Amphitheatre (Colorado, USA)

Red Rocks is one of the only concert venues on Earth shaped largely by geology. The amphitheater sits nestled between 300-foot monoliths—Ship Rock and Creation Rock—which naturally reflect and amplify sound across the bowl. The venue’s “outdoor cathedral” acoustics are the result of perfect topography, but its longevity comes from precision construction.

In 2021, the venue underwent a major structural upgrade: a new copper-clad tension-grid roof was installed above the stage, increasing rigging capacity from 36,000 to 150,000 pounds and offering new acoustic control through Douglas fir paneling beneath. Designers and crews had to match this addition to the character—and natural echo chamber—of the historic rock bowl without compromising acoustics or visuals.

*Flanked by 300-foot natural monoliths, Red Rocks amplifies sound with geology—and now supports 150,000 pounds of rigging thanks to a copper-clad roof upgrade.*

The O2 Arena (London, UK)

Ever built a full concert venue inside a giant fabric dome? That’s exactly what happened with The O2 Arena, formerly the Millennium Dome. The construction team prefabricated the acoustic roof on the ground—layering perforated aluminum, mineral wool and steel for extreme bass containment—then hydraulically jacked it into place under the tented roof.

Engineers had to leave a precise 4-meter ventilation gap between the steel structure and the fabric above while maintaining tight tolerances for sound isolation and fire safety. The result is a venue with massive scale and surprisingly intimate, controlled sound.

*To build The O2’s arena inside a fabric dome, engineers prefabricated the acoustic roof on the ground and hydraulically jacked it into place—while maintaining a 4-meter gap for airflow and safety.*

The Ryman Auditorium (Nashville, USA)

Originally built as a tabernacle in 1892, the Ryman Auditorium has acoustics so natural and resonant that artists barely need amplification. Its signature sound comes from its horseshoe-shaped balcony, hard plaster walls and 100-year-old curved pews—all of which diffuse sound organically.

When the venue was renovated in the 1990s and again in 2015, crews were instructed not to tamper with the sound. Updates to lighting, HVAC and even seating upholstery were made using materials carefully selected to preserve the venue’s warm reverb and natural brightness.

*The Ryman’s 100-year-old curved pews and horseshoe balcony create such warm, natural acoustics that sound engineers were told not to touch a thing—even during major renovations.*

The Sphere (Las Vegas, USA)

The newest member of the “engineered to rock” club is also the most high-tech. The Sphere in Las Vegas is an immersive audio-visual arena with 18,600 seats, a 16K LED interior surface and more than 167,000 beamforming speakers embedded in the walls. Every seat gets a spatially targeted audio mix.

Construction-wise, The Sphere pushed every boundary. Crews installed a vibration-isolated, haptic-enabled floor to transmit bass through your body. Overhead, a domed steel grid supports the world’s largest curved display. Every surface had to be installed with millimeter precision to avoid latency, echo or comb filtering.

*With 167,000 beamforming speakers and a haptic floor that vibrates with the bass, The Sphere delivers custom audio to every seat—thanks to construction executed with millimeter precision.*

The Physics of Good Sound

Great sound isn’t just about speakers. It’s about what you build around them. Here’s how acoustics really work, and what construction has to do with it.

Reverb vs. Echo:

Reverb = smooth tail of sound.
Echo = delayed bounce-back that muddies everything.

What controls it? Surfaces, shapes and how precisely they’re installed.

Absorption Matters:

Different materials absorb sound differently:

Concrete reflects.
Mineral wool and fabric absorb.
Wood and acoustic panels do both—if placed right.

Room Shape = Sound Shape:

Parallel walls trap “standing waves.” Curves, tiers and angles diffuse sound evenly. Bad geometry = dead spots and hotspots.

Standing Waves:

These happen when sound reflects perfectly and either cancels out or stacks. One row thumps. The next? Nothing.

Fix: bass traps, angled walls and proper AV tuning after install.

……

Global Sound Legends

Sydney Opera House (Australia)

A marvel of form and function, the Sydney Opera House suffered from poor sound in its Concert Hall for decades—until a 2022 retrofit added 18 massive “petal” reflectors over the stage. These curved fiberglass panels can be raised or lowered to optimize acoustics for different performances. Construction teams had to integrate them into Utzon’s heritage architecture without altering the hall’s iconic look.

*A 2022 retrofit added 18 giant “petal” reflectors to fix decades of poor acoustics—without altering the Opera House’s iconic architecture.*

Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, USA)

Designed by Frank Gehry and tuned by Yasuhisa Toyota, Disney Hall features vineyard-style seating, floating acoustic “sails” and a warm Douglas fir interior. During design, the team tested a 1:10 scale model filled with nitrogen to simulate real sound conditions. Even the HVAC ducts were shaped with airflow velocity and sound clarity in mind.

*Designers filled a 1:10 scale model with nitrogen to test acoustics before construction, ensuring that Disney Hall’s warm Douglas fir and floating sails sound as good as they look.*

Berlin Philharmonie (Germany)

Home to the Berlin Philharmonic, this 1963 venue pioneered the now-standard “vineyard” seating layout. Scharoun’s design placed the orchestra in the center of tiered terraces, surrounded by convex reflector clouds and sound-absorbing materials. The result: crisp diffusion and perfect sightlines in every direction.

*Built around a central orchestra pit with vineyard-style seating, Berlin Philharmonie’s innovative design uses convex reflectors and tiered terraces for flawless sound in every direction.*

What Construction Pros Can Learn

Behind every legendary performance is a construction team that made it possible. Acoustic design is just the blueprint. Execution is what makes the room sing.

Precision is non-negotiable. One misaligned acoustic panel can wreck clarity.
Materials matter. Concrete, wood, mesh and upholstery all affect reverberation and absorption rates.
Coordination is everything. Architects, MEP engineers, AV specialists and structural crews must be in constant sync.
Mockups and field-testing work. From scale models (like Disney Hall) to full sound checks (like The Sphere), testing saves rework.

Built to Be Heard

The best concert venues don’t just host music. They become part of the music.

If you’re in the business of building spaces—concert halls or skyscrapers or residential homes—you know it’s not about showing off. It’s about getting it right.

Because when you do, people don’t just hear the difference. They feel it.

Build smarter, sound better.

Try Bluebeam Free Today.

Rot, Mold and a Near-Miss: How Building Science Is Changing the Way We Build

Sustainability
Diana Kightlinger

Applying knowledge of the science behind buildings makes a profound difference in their energy efficiency, durability, comfort—and safety

In 1980, Joe Lstiburek could have killed his parents. Literally.

Back then, he was a young Canadian engineer obsessed with energy efficiency. So, when government grant programs became available to help homeowners insulate their homes and switch to gas appliances, Lstiburek convinced his parents to go all in. They sealed up their house, swapped out the oil furnace and called it progress.

But airtight houses don’t breathe. Moisture built up and appliances vented poorly. And carbon monoxide nearly took out the senior Lstibureks.

That was hard-earned wisdom for their son, a Ph.D., professional engineer, ASHRAE Fellow and principal at Building Science.com. But as he said, “Doing stupid stuff” may be the secret behind his impressive career as a building scientist. Now, decades later, Lstiburek is one of the most respected names in the field—and the lessons from that near tragedy are as relevant as ever.

What Is Building Science?

Building science studies how air, heat and water move through structures to understand “the physical behavior of the building as a system and how this impacts energy efficiency, durability, comfort and indoor air quality,” according to the Whole Building Design Guide.

But Lstiburek sums it up more succinctly: “Building science is the physics and practice of environmental separation—keeping the outside out and the inside in.” In the past century, the structural integrity of U.S. buildings has been excellent, he said. And the Chicago and Boston fires in the 1870s transformed U.S. fire codes forever, emphasizing noncombustible materials like brick and stone.

The issues left to address were water, heat and moisture, the culprits responsible for rot, corrosion and mold.

The Perfect Wall—and Why Most Buildings Don’t Have One

“Most of the damage that happens to a structure—expansion, contraction, corrosion, decay and ultraviolet radiation—are functions of temperature,” Lstiburek said.

To stop the destruction, Lstiburek points to the perfect environmental separator: a four-layer system every building should have. “The perfect wall has water, air and vapor control layers directly on the structure and a thermal control layer outside them all.”

Flip the perfect wall on its side and you achieve the perfect roof. Flip it again and you’ve got the perfect slab. But while the theory is simple, modern building materials complicate things quickly.

“Even the Dumbest of the Three Little Pigs …”

It used to be that homes were made of rocks and trees. If they got wet, they dried quickly, thanks to what Lstiburek calls the “massive energy exchange across the enclosure.” But materials have changed.

“Even the dumbest of the three little pigs didn’t build his house out of paper,” Lstiburek said. “But we’re building out of moisture-sensitive materials and totally altering the energy exchange.”

Paper-faced gypsum board has replaced plaster and OSB has replaced wood. Materials like these trap moisture instead of shedding it—and that’s where the real trouble begins.

The Five Problems Nobody Saw Coming (Until It Was Too Late)

In his article Five Things, Lstiburek lays out five construction trends since the 1980s that slowly make buildings worse:

Increased thermal resistance that reduces the drying potential of the enclosure.
Decreased permeability of the linings inside and outside of building enclosures, massively reducing breathability, combined with dense insulation between linings and windows that allow water injection.
Water and mold sensitivity of building materials causing rot and unhealthy conditions.
Lower ability of building enclosures to store and redistribute moisture, also producing rot and mold.
Complex three-dimensional airflow networks that couple the building enclosure to the breathing zone of the occupied space via the mechanical system.

The kicker: These issues unfold slowly, sometimes decades after initial construction.Lstiburek said these issues aren’t going away—structures will have more insulation, impermeable and mold- and moisture-sensitive materials and hollow areas that allow potentially toxic airflow. That takes us back to the misguided renovation of his parents’ home.

The Deadly Insulation and Furnace Replacement Programs

In the 1970s, the Canadian Home Insulation Program gave money to homeowners to insulate their attics. The Oil Substitution Program paid them to replace their oil furnaces with gas. Lstiburek encouraged his parents to sign up for both.

But the caulking and sealing to increase energy efficiency also resulted in the rotting of walls and attics—and carbon monoxide poisoning when new gas appliances weren’t adequately vented to the outside.

Lstiburek fortunately recognized the risk early enough to make extensive modifications to their home before it killed his parents. Others weren’t as lucky and suffered tragic and unnecessary deaths.

The United States as Building Science Guinea Pig

In recent decades, the time between poor choices and consequences for buildings and occupants has shrunk from more than 20 years to 5–10 years, according to Lstiburek. The result: Lawyers, insurers and regulators get involved earlier—and the AEC community increasingly faces liability issues.

“Why would we want the attorneys to teach us building science?” Lstiburek asked.

We wouldn’t. Luckily architects, engineers and contractors have more chances to learn building science than ever, especially in the U.S. Lstiburek said he believes the country is the world leader in building science, partly because we have almost every climate zone on earth. That makes the United Sates the ultimate testing ground for what works in construction—and what doesn’t.

“I don’t want other countries to make the mistakes we’ve made in North America,” Lstiburek said. “I look forward to the United States providing a leadership role and helping the rest of the world stay out of trouble.”

First, Do No Harm

Lstiburek’s message is blunt: Energy efficiency alone isn’t enough. If you don’t understand building science, you risk damaging buildings and killing or sickening the people inside them.

He’s not trying to scare you. He’s just trying to stop you from becoming the next story.

Build smarter with the right digital tools.

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Unbound 2025: Sessions You Don’t Want to Miss – Part 1

Bluebeam Tips and Tricks
Frank Kalman

Real people. Real tools. Real fixes. These sessions aren’t fluff—they’re fuel

Most conferences promise transformation and deliver … tote bags. But Unbound 2025? It’s different.

These sessions deliver what most conferences don’t. The practical stuff. The human stuff. The field-tested workflows and cultural shifts that make a difference on jobsites.

We’re talking inspection overhauls. Survey tracking that doesn’t live in someone’s inbox. Real conversations about mental health. And yes, students who are already learning Bluebeam in the classroom before they even hit the field.

Here are sessions you’ll want to lock into your Unbound 2025 calendar. They may not come with buzzwords, but they come with blueprints.

Building Up Mental Health in the Construction Industry | Lea Rummel, Electrical Estimator, Rudolph & Sletten
Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 4:00–5:00 PM | Terrace Level | Albright

Construction is good at safety—but in some cases only the kind you can put in a binder.

When it comes to mental health, the industry still carries a thick layer of silence and stigma. Lea Rummel is ready to break that.

In this important conversation, Rummel tackles construction’s mental health crisis head-on. She’ll bring data (like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s grim 2023 report showing construction with the second-highest suicide rate across industries), but more importantly, she brings experience, advocacy and actionable recommendations for companies that want to do better.

This isn’t about checking a wellness box. It’s about showing up for your people.

Enhancing Inspections Through Innovation: How Arvada Streamlined Processes with Bluebeam | Josie Suk, Manager of Development Systems & Admin Services, City of Arvada
Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 4:00–5:00 PM | Terrace Level | Fairchild

Inspection processes are often slow, fragmented and stuck in the past. Arvada, Colorado, said enough.

In this session, Josie Suk walks through how the city overhauled its inspection workflows using Bluebeam—from digitized reports to standardized annotations and centralized communication. The result: Fewer delays. Better collaboration. And a process that reflects how teams work in 2025.

If you’re still relying on clipboards, email chains or a patchwork of software tools that don’t talk to each other, this session offers a clear, tested alternative.

Tracking Survey Efforts on Large-Scale Transit Projects with Bluebeam | John Armendariz, Firmwide CAD Coordinator, Kimley-Horn
Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 4:00–5:00 PM | Terrace Level | Gunston West

Survey tracking isn’t flashy, but it’s essential.

John Armendariz from Kimley-Horn is here to show how the company turned what was once an Excel-and-email circus into a fully transparent, trackable process using Bluebeam Studio Sessions.

The session details how KH uses PDF-based roll plots, cloud markups, alerts and status updates to monitor every survey request across sprawling transit projects. You’ll see how KH manages aerial overlays, utilities and ROW data in real time, with the kind of clarity that makes old-school methods look prehistoric.

If you want a live example of digital tools saving serious time and confusion, don’t miss this.

Marking Up the Future: How Students Leverage Bluebeam for Future Success | Nathan Howard, Assistant Professor, Fort Hays State University
Thursday, Oct. 2 | 1:00–2:00 PM | Terrace Level | Gunston West

You know a tool’s made it when universities start teaching it.

Nathan Howard leads this walkthrough of how Fort Hays State University is integrating Bluebeam into its construction curriculum, giving students hands-on experience before they even set foot on a jobsite.

This session highlights how Bluebeam is helping future pros streamline workflows, manage documents and collaborate like they’re already in the industry. Expect project examples, instructor insights and a few takeaways you might even want to borrow for your own onboarding.

Because talent development starts way before Day 1.

Bluebeam Tips & Tricks for Max Efficiency at Max Speed | Troy DeGroot, Director of Bluebeam Professional Services, UChapter2
Wednesday, Oct. 1 | 2:30–3:30 PM | Concourse Level | Jefferson East

No fluff. No filler. Just a full hour of Bluebeam speed hacks.

Troy DeGroot is here with his rapid-fire, demo-heavy rundown of the best-kept secrets inside Revu. We’re talking hidden navigation tricks, automation tools, precision markup techniques—and maybe even a few features you didn’t know existed.

If you’ve ever said, “There’s gotta be a faster way,” this session will make your day.

Breaking Barriers: Unlocking the Other 85% of Bluebeam | Troy DeGroot, Director of Bluebeam Professional Services, UChapter2
Thursday, Oct. 2 | 2:30–3:30 PM | Concourse Level | Jefferson East

Most users barely scratch the surface of what Bluebeam can do. This session is about digging deeper.

Troy DeGroot shows how to unlock the remaining 85%—those underused features, integrations and best practices that turn a good workflow into a great one. From real-time collaboration to cross-platform standards, you’ll get practical, proven strategies to level up how your teams work.

Because knowing what’s possible is the first step to actually doing it.

Final Word: Why These Sessions Are the Real Difference-Makers

Innovation gets all the headlines. But execution? That’s where progress lives.

These sessions are where policy becomes practice. Where paper gets replaced. Where burnout gets acknowledged. And where the next generation is already building smarter habits than half the industry.

That’s why they matter.

Whether you’re running inspections, mentoring apprentices, managing mental health or wrangling permits, these talks don’t just help you look ahead. They help you do better now.

Register Now

Unbound 2025 runs Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C. Check out the full schedule and claim your spot at unbound.bluebeam.com.

You don’t need another conference. You need a construction reset.

Unbound’s where it starts.

Ditch the buzzwords. Build what matters.

Join us at Unbound 2025

The Paperless Jobsite Sounds Great. But Is It the Right Goal?

Technology & Innovation
Frank Kalman

Everyone loves the idea of a paperless jobsite. But if you’re chasing zero paper instead of zero confusion, you’re missing the real opportunity

Everyone loves the idea of a paperless jobsite. No clipboards. No coffee-stained drawings. Just seamless digital workflows.

But let’s be honest: we’re not there yet—and that might be a good thing.

The real opportunity isn’t eliminating paper. It’s eliminating confusion. This article explores how construction teams can focus on clarity, trust and hybrid workflows to build smarter—not just more digital—jobsites.

Why the Paperless Jobsite Is Still a Work in Progress

Construction has been chasing the dream of a paperless jobsite for more than a decade. From field tablets to cloud-based platforms, technology promises faster collaboration and cleaner documentation.

But paper hasn’t disappeared. And that’s not necessarily bad.

“Paperwork is homework—no one wants to do it,” said Brent Nieder, vice president of product at GoCanvas, a workflow automation tool for field work teams. “But if the information needs to live beyond today, then it shouldn’t live on paper.”

In other words: don’t chase paperless. Chase clarity.

What Should You Digitize—and What Can Stay on Paper?

Despite the proliferation of construction tech, paper still plays a role in fast-paced, task-based work.

“If you’ve got a circular saw and you’re ripping through two-by-fours, and you need to write down your measurements, you don’t need to log that into something,” Nieder said.

His colleague, Stephen Minus, GoCanvas’ director of professional services, added: “People use paper as a crutch. They don’t like it—they’re just used to it.”

The key is recognizing when paper creates bottlenecks: missed notes, duplicate work or miscommunication.

Quick, personal notes or sketches? Paper is fine.
Anything that affects the crew or project timelines? That belongs in your digital system.

How to Avoid Digital Tool Rollout Failure

Digital tools fail not because of bad UX, but because of bad rollout strategies.

“Sometimes the idea of something is harder than actually doing it,” Minus said. “If you don’t have someone there who they feel can support them or answer their questions, they just won’t do it.”

Build Trust, Not Just Tech

“Find the champion in the field,” Nieder said. “Let them try it. Then let them tell the story.”

Real buy-in comes from peer-to-peer proof. When workers trust the tool—and see someone like them use it successfully—they follow.

Nieder recalled spending a day with a diesel tech repairing tower equipment. He didn’t just hand over the tool. He listened, iterated and adjusted. By the end of the day, the technician was convincing his crew to try it too.

“Don’t listen to me—I’m the tech guy,” Nieder said. “Listen to him.”

Involve Field Crews Early

Field vs. office is not a battle over paper. It’s a battle over process.

Digital adoption stalls when solutions are built in a vacuum. The best-performing companies co-design workflows with their field teams from day one.

“Give [workers] something, and they’ll tell you what’s wrong with it,” Minus said. “And that’s when it gets good.”

When crews feel like co-creators, not crash-test dummies, adoption becomes earned—not forced.

Checklist: Is Your Digital Workflow Field-Ready?

Before rolling out any new tool or process, ask:

Can it be used without a how-to guide? The field doesn’t have time to troubleshoot.
Was it tested with real crews under real conditions? If not, it’s not tested.
Does it simplify—not complicate—the task? If it adds steps, it’s not an upgrade.
Can someone pick it up cold and complete the task in 60 seconds or less? You’re not building a platform. You’re solving a problem.
Is there a feedback loop? No feedback = no improvement = no adoption.

If you answered “no” to more than one, you’re not ready to launch.

Regulations Are Still a Roadblock to Going Fully Digital

Even if your team is ready to ditch paper, regulations might not be.

“There’s still enough regulation in place where a piece of paper has to be left on the jobsite,” Minus said. “Until the government really focuses on going paperless, some processes won’t be.”

Change is coming. In April 2025, the White House issued a memo directing all federal agencies to modernize permitting and adopt digital workflows by year’s end.

But systemic change takes time—and until then, paper remains part of the mix.

Hybrid Workflows Are Reality—And That’s Not a Bad Thing

In construction today, hybrid is the new normal. You’ll have a mix of analog and digital tools, and that’s OK—if the critical stuff doesn’t fall through the cracks.

“If it’s just for you, like a sketch or reminder, paper’s fine,” Minus said. “But if the information impacts documentation, billing or coordination, it needs to be digital.”

It’s not about banning paper. It’s about ensuring critical knowledge doesn’t die in a lost notebook.

Progress Isn’t Perfect—But It’s Possible

The dream of a paperless jobsite is still out of reach. But smarter, clearer and more field-friendly workflows? That’s available now.

“People can quickly acknowledge, ‘Hey, this isn’t bad—it’s just missing a couple things,’” Minus said. “The good news is, we can actually fix those things.”

Forget chasing digital perfection. Focus on making information flow faster and more reliably, whether it starts on a tablet or the back of someone’s glove.

Because construction isn’t about pretty tech stacks.

It’s about getting the damn thing built.

Make Your Workflow Clarity-First

Experience GoCanvas in Action

Modernizing Permitting: Why AEC-Specific Tools Are the Key to Moving Fast—and Getting It Right

Project Management & Efficiency
Parth Tikiwala

Federal agencies are racing to digitize permitting. Here’s how tools built for AEC workflows are cutting delays and delivering results

The April 15 White House memo wasn’t subtle: Federal agencies must digitize their permitting workflows—and the clock is ticking.

You’ve got fewer than 45 days to draft a strategy. Fewer than 90 days to start modernizing. The era of binders, stamps and buried PDF chains is officially over.

We’ve already covered the mandate and the tools. This time, we’re showing what success looks like, and how your agency can follow suit without reinventing the wheel.

Generic Tech Isn’t Cutting It Anymore

Permitting isn’t just paperwork. It’s regulatory, political and deeply collaborative. You’re juggling compliance reviews, interagency coordination and public scrutiny, all while trying to hit infrastructure deadlines.

And yet many agencies are still stuck with general-use tech: email chains, untrackable PDFs, generic DMS platforms. These tools weren’t built for permitting. They were built for office workflows that don’t involve public comment periods or NEPA deadlines.

So, if your review process feels slow, fragmented or unpredictable, it’s not your fault. It’s the software.

What AEC-Specific Tools Actually Do Better

Here’s what happens when permitting teams use tools made for their world—not just “document management” in general:

Real-Time, Multi-Stakeholder Reviews: Everyone—from city engineers to federal reviewers—can comment, mark up and approve plans in the same session. No delays, no version confusion.

Built-In Audit Trails: Every comment. Every signature. Every revision. Automatically logged, trackable and compliant.

Paperless by Default: Stop printing 500-page plan sets just to mark up one elevation. Save money, reduce waste and move faster.

Transparent by Design: Create a digital chain of custody. Open review statuses to stakeholders. Build trust without sacrificing control.

Fewer Delays, Less Rework: With centralized access and shared standards, teams spend less time hunting files and more time pushing projects forward.

And yes—tools like Bluebeam do all of this. But don’t take our word for it.

Cities Are Already Doing It—and Winning

Agencies across the U.S. at the state and local level are showing what digital permitting done right actually looks like:

Coral Springs, Florida, cut plan review times by 66%, dropping from 15 days to just five by combining Bluebeam with its existing permitting platform.
Las Vegas, Nevada, processes more than 3,500 permits a month—fully digitally—without adding headcount. The city also saves around $600,000 annually by eliminating print costs.
Merced County, California, accelerated plan reviews and reduced printing costs by adopting Bluebeam across multiple departments, streamlining workflows for everything from fire safety to code enforcement.

None of these municipalities started from scratch. They didn’t rip out core systems. They didn’t need five-year roadmaps.

They started with what they had. They added tools that worked. They got results.

You’re Not Behind. But You Can’t Wait.

The technology is here. The benefits are proven. And the deadlines are real.

The good news: You don’t need to overhaul your entire tech stack. Bluebeam plugs into your existing environment, supports secure federal workflows and has been helping public sector teams digitize permitting and plan review for years.

We’ll help you start fast, scale smart and stay compliant. You’ve got enough complexity. Your permitting software shouldn’t add to it.

Let’s Talk

Permitting is a public trust. It’s also a chance to lead.

You don’t need to figure it all out alone. Agencies across the country are already modernizing, and we’re helping them do it.

Ready to get started? Email our public sector team and let’s build what’s next—together.

5 Integrations That’ll Save Your Workflow (and Maybe Your Sanity)

Bluebeam Tips and Tricks
Steve Smith

Tired of chasing down files, updates and approvals across a dozen apps? Here’s how smart Bluebeam integrations help construction teams cut the chaos and keep projects moving

Let’s not sugarcoat it: most “seamless integrations” aren’t all that seamless. You connect two tools, pray they talk to each other and spend the next month manually copying data while wondering why you even bothered.

But every now and then, the tech delivers.

Bluebeam’s new Integrations Directory is one of those rare cases. It connects the tools you already use to get work done faster, smoother and with way less hair-pulling.

Here are five that stand out. Not because they’re shiny, but because they fix stuff that slows you down.

Procore: Turn Markups into Movement

You mark something up on Thursday. By Friday, no one knows where it went. Sound familiar?

The Bluebeam–Procore integration keeps markups and submittals synced across platforms. That means no more lost notes, mystery email chains or waiting three days to find out someone “never got the update.”

It’s simple: do the work once, and it sticks. That’s a win for field teams, project engineers, supers—anyone who’s tired of babysitting PDFs.

And here’s the kicker: you don’t even have to leave Procore. You log in, launch a Studio Session from the Submittals module, do your markup, wrap it up—and it checks right back in, with no extra clicks or detours.

There’s also a web integration that lets you pull drawings from Procore Docs into Bluebeam’s browser-based tools and burn markups directly onto the file. It’s not flashy. It’s just the kind of behind-the-scenes fix that makes chaos feel a little less chaotic.

InEight: Keep Massive Projects from Imploding

If you’re in the infrastructure game, InEight is probably already in your toolkit. This integration, which will be live in the coming weeks, keeps your project controls and markups in sync, without requiring a 12-step process or a dedicated IT wizard.

It’s especially useful for government and mega-cap builds, where missing one document can mean blowing a deadline (and your budget). Bluebeam handles the markup and review. InEight handles the heavy lifting. Together, they make sure the wheels stay on.

Here’s what makes it work: you kick off a Studio Session straight from InEight’s document system (formerly TeamBinder), collect feedback and check it right back in—clean, traceable, done.

No chasing files. No guessing who marked what. It’s a big reason companies like Kiewit (which owns InEight) and Sundt rely on it for massive, multi-phase projects. And it’s not just North America—this one’s got traction in Australia too, where infrastructure teams don’t have time for tool gymnastics.

Bottom line: If your project runs on complexity and high stakes, this integration quietly keeps it from flying off the rails.

Vectorworks: Stop Playing Design Telephone

Here’s the usual play: Architect sends a Vectorworks file. You mark it up in Bluebeam. Someone screenshots it, emails it back and … no one updates anything.

Now, markups flow straight from Bluebeam back into Vectorworks so designers can see what’s changed—in context, not in a 47-email thread.

It’s not just faster. It’s less frustrating. And it keeps design teams and field teams from quietly resenting each other.

What makes this one special is how it finally throws a bone to Mac users—who, let’s be honest, have been stuck on the sidelines for a while. With this integration, you can launch a Studio Session right from inside Vectorworks, bring in collaborators, mark it up and sync it back. No extra juggling. No weird workarounds.

And while it’s not a full-on 2D-to-3D markup roundtrip (yet), it’s a big step toward something users have been asking for: a real, working bridge between design and build. Mac folks especially have been saying, “Hey, it’s not perfect—but at least now I can actually do my job.” We’ll take that. And we’ll keep pushing.

Newforma: Find the Right File the First Time

There’s always one person digging through Microsoft Outlook trying to find “the latest set.”

Newforma’s integration with Bluebeam puts an end to that. It wraps your files, markups and documents in a clean, trackable system, with version control that … controls versions.

It’s a lifesaver for teams managing multiple stakeholders, approvals and revisions—especially if you don’t have the luxury of a full-blown project controls team.

What I love about this one is how naturally it fits into how architects and engineers actually work. Newforma turns your inbox into a project record—every email, every attachment, every “can you take a quick look at this” moment. And when it’s time to mark something up? That’s where Bluebeam steps in. Quick, clean, no drama.

Newforma was also one of the first partners to fully migrate to Bluebeam’s new integration platform—which tells you something about how forward-thinking they are. We’ve worked closely with them to make this integration tight, because the reality is, if your files aren’t findable, nothing else really matters. This one solves that without overcomplicating it.

Egnyte: File Storage That Doesn’t Stink

Cloud storage shouldn’t be this painful. Someone always locks a folder. Another loses access. Someone else renames everything “FINAL_V7_REALFINAL.pdf” and wrecks the whole system.

Egnyte syncs with Bluebeam to give you real-time file access, whether you’re in the office, on-site or working off a truck hotspot. Upload it once. Open it anywhere. No drama.

What makes this one stand out is how it works both ways. Yeah, you can pull files from Egnyte into Bluebeam. But you can also start from Egnyte. Right-click a drawing, kick off a Studio Session, loop in your team and send it back without jumping through five tools or downloading anything twice. It’s clean, fast and plays nice with whatever Frankenstein tech stack your project inherited.

For folks juggling SharePoint, Procore, ACC—or whatever the owner decided to mandate this month—Egnyte is the glue that keeps it all from unraveling. This one doesn’t try to be flashy. It just works where you work. And that’s what makes it powerful.

Wrap-Up: Less Chaos. More Clarity.

These integrations won’t fix bad coffee, weather delays or that one person who never reads the plans.

But they will cut out a lot of the repeat work, miscommunication and digital duct-taping that eats up your time. The new Integrations Directory lays it all out—what works, how to connect it and how to make your workflow a little less painful. Better yet, more integrations are on the way.

No overhaul required. Just a few smart tweaks.

Try one. Your future self (and your inbox) will thank you.

Ready to see what fits?

Explore the Integrations Directory

The Real AI Bottleneck? Copper, Concrete, Permits

Technology & Innovation
Philippe Herve

As AI scales and data centers explode, it’s not chips or code holding us back—it’s the stuff we haven’t built yet

In Brief …

AI’s booming. Data centers are scaling. But the energy to run them? Lagging. From grid delays to transformer bottlenecks, infrastructure—not algorithms—is the real threat to progress. This is a construction problem disguised as a tech story.

AI Is Hungry. The Grid Isn’t Ready.

Everyone’s obsessed with AI’s potential. But those breakthroughs don’t run on inspiration.

They run on electricity.

The International Energy Agency projects global data center electricity use could double by 2030, hitting nearly 1,000 terawatt-hours annually. That’s more than Japan uses in a year. And a huge chunk of that growth is coming from generative AI.

In the U.S., McKinsey estimates we’ll need an additional 80+ gigawatts of new capacity by 2030—more than triple today’s data center load.

Spoiler: We’re not building fast enough.

Why Can’t Energy Infrastructure Keep Up with AI?

AI isn’t some distant threat to the grid—it’s here, now, scaling fast. In Northern Virginia—the world’s data center capital—utilities are already strained. Ireland has paused new data center connections in Dublin until at least 2028. London, Frankfurt and Singapore are all facing the same crunch.

Here’s the rub: data centers can go up in 18 to 24 months. But power infrastructure takes five to 10 years, if you’re lucky. In the U.S., just getting through NEPA permitting can eat up four to six of those years.

Even if you get the green light, good luck finding the gear. Transformers—the industrial backbone of grid upgrades—are in critically short supply. IEEE Spectrum reports lead times stretching to four years, with costs up as much as 80% since 2020. And it’s not just AI that’s feeling the heat. Housing developments, EV charging stations and solar projects are all waiting on the same parts.

Are SMRs the Answer?

Small modular reactors (SMRs) offer clean, reliable baseload power in a compact package. It’s no wonder the tech giants are paying attention. Google inked a deal with Kairos Power to eventually offtake 500 MW of SMR-generated electricity. Microsoft brought on a nuclear integration lead. In Virginia, a 19-data-center campus is being designed around SMR capacity.

But these are long bets. Between permitting, public skepticism and costs, SMRs aren’t expected to deliver meaningful power until the 2030s. They’re a future fix. We need answers now.

How Smart Builders Are Staying Ahead

Site for Power, Not Just Proximity: Hyperscalers are choosing Iowa, Indiana and Texas over the usual suspects. Why? Fewer constraints, faster permits, more available capacity.

Build Their Own Supply: If the grid can’t keep up, some are going off-grid. Think on-site gas turbines, solar+battery microgrids, even plans to sell excess power back.

Order Early, Standardize Fast: Some developers are stockpiling transformers years in advance or deploying prefab substation kits to avoid delays.

Use AI to Build for AI: National Grid UK is using AI to optimize grid performance and accelerate renewables integration. U.S. data centers are also testing demand-shifting models to balance loads and reduce peak stress.

This Isn’t a Computer Problem. It’s a Construction One.

We keep hearing AI will change everything. But here’s what might slow it down:

Copper
Concrete
Permits
Process—and by that, we mean the messy, human stuff: outdated project management workflows, a shortage of skilled workers, slow adoption of digital tools and bureaucratic slog that extends far beyond the permitting office.

The race isn’t just about GPUs. It’s about whether we can get enough electrons to where they’re needed—on time. The next big breakthrough won’t arrive because someone built a smarter model.

It’ll arrive because someone finally built the substation.

Build faster.

Start your free Bluebeam trial today.