Barton Malow’s preconstruction team has worked with Michigan State University on many iconic projects, including the breathtakingly angular Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, which many deemed “unbuildable.” So the team was more than ready for its latest challenge, the $340 million MSU Engineering and Digital Innovation Center, a multidisciplinary complex that will house six distinct colleges under one roof. 

Like most technically complex construction projects, this new structure presented unique challenges. The two biggest ones included: 1) a multitude of user groups with different needs, and 2) a budget that needed significant work.

While working hard to get the Target Value Design budget under control, the Barton Malow team relied heavily on the Join collaborative project delivery platform to make real-time, data-based decisions. As one of the early adopters of the platform, Barton Malow’s Vice President of Preconstruction Elizabeth Geiser had used Join on many other projects, but it ended up taking on a critical role on the MSU project.

“Scenarios came out at an opportune time for the team,” says Director of Preconstruction Jason Pociask. “It was like, hold on, wait everybody…you’ve got to see this. I think we got the answer.”

The problem the Barton Malow team was trying to solve, of course, was how to make impactful design and budget decisions that required the input of the GC, the architect, the key trades, and the people from the six different colleges who would be using the new building. The team immediately began using Scenarios, which Geiser says was “the driver that moved the project forward.” 

Scenarios is a tool within Join that gives teams the ability to evaluate alternative design or cost options without affecting the live project data. In other words, it enables stakeholders to explore “what if” situations and make informed decisions.

“Too often, new software enters the scene with flashy promises only to become just another short-lived fad,” says IDS (architect of record) Sr. Vice President Jeffrey D. Johnson, AIA. “So, when Barton Malow proposed Join for tracking continuous estimating, we approached it cautiously making sure the tool wouldn’t disrupt the ‘real’ work. But what we discovered was quite the opposite. Join’s ability to track individual change items with precision enables focused, strategic conversations with the right stakeholders at the right time. I've found Join to be a great tool for tracking costs, documenting decisions, assigning ownership, and gaining real insight into your project's pulse—beyond just the numbers." 

Says Geiser:  “I don’t think that we would have been able to do it, honestly, without Join Scenarios,” she says. “I mean, maybe we could have, but it would have meant a lot less sleep.”  

Read how Barton Malow’s used Join Scenarios in the full case study here.