On Tuesday, San Francisco–based component building systems company Project Frog announced a collaboration with global software developer Autodesk to create a yet-unnamed cloud-based platform that connects the architectural design process with the manufacturing industry. The partnership was made possible through an Autodesk Forge Fund investment.
“The reality of the building industry today is it’s facing unprecedented demand and scarcity of skilled labor,” said Drew Buechley, Project Frog CEO, in a press release. “In this climate, prefabrication is essential to delivering new buildings quickly and economically, while still offering a high degree of customization, competitive pricing and a quick turnaround. The only way to accomplish this is to use technology to simplify the process of moving a project from design to manufacturing, and then to the jobsite.” Project Frog manufactures core and shell building kits, which have been utilized in educational and community settings.
By creating an online environment for connecting the design and engineering processes, the new system seeks to eradicate the need to manually update project information should changes be made, and it will facilitate real-time data sharing between stakeholders. Ultimately, the team hopes to improve the production of custom prefabricated buildings, according to Buechley.
“The building industry is beginning to look a lot more like manufacturing than traditional construction,” said Nicolas Mangon, vice president of Autodesk AEC business strategy and marketing, in the release. “This investment offers significant opportunity to improve productivity, resulting in decreased risk and increased profit margins for construction teams and projects.”
