Why As-Built Drawings are Essential for Successful Construction Projects?

Author : CAD Drafting Services | Published On : 03 May 2024

The management of construction projects happen to be one of the confounds approaches. Just the same being said, actual plan will also facilitate the success of the project and will allow it to last. The establishments of such kind of high quality photography with a high degree of specificity and accuracy demonstrate what was first done in a construction project and not only serve as the record of the works already completed but also are of great value when future repair, rebuilding, and expansion is required.

Today, readers of this blog will be walking them through the whole drama of as-built drawings and at the end of the day they’ll know grasp what’s what and how they can actualize them wisely.

What are As-Built Drawings?

As-built drawings or field drawings as they are sometimes labelled, essentially represent the final true-to-scale set of plans showing actual state of a project after it is complete. In contrast to design drawings, therefore, which the as-built drawings incorporate all planned changes, modifications and alterations that were carried out during the process of the construction. They offer an exact bringing to life of the finished product from all viewpoints, including architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical, as well as plumbing aspects.

The Importance of As-Built Drawings in Construction Projects

Accurate Record: Like as-built drawings, these comprehensive documents contain all the records of the construction. Such information is very precious although it is for future needs. Regular or new repair, maintenance or renovations will be easy since the records are there.

Facilitating Maintenance: Accurate-as-built drawings allow Facility Managers and Maintenance teams to identify where specific lines or cables for plumbing, electricity or ventilation are and guides on quick response is the main asset on facility management. This information is built into the process steps that guide maintenance procedures, reducing the chance of getting something accidentally broken during a repair.

Aiding Future Renovations and Expansions: When planning for future renovations or expansions, architects and engineers rely heavily on as-built drawings to understand the existing structure and its components. This information helps them design efficient and cost-effective solutions that seamlessly integrate with the current building.

Legal and Regulatory Compliance: In many cases, as-built drawings are required by local building authorities and regulatory agencies. They serve as proof that the construction project adheres to approved plans and building codes, which is essential for obtaining occupancy permits and avoiding legal issues.

How As-Built Drawings Contribute to Project Success

Improved Collaboration in Construction: As-built drawings in construction improve the collaboration between various stakeholders in a project since they all work with a common strength. These technologies aid architects, engineers, contractors and facility managers to be better appliers of their specialized areas as they are working on a single project and have full access to the same accurate data.
Increased Efficiency in Construction: It also means that if problems occur, professionals involved in construction can quickly find what is wrong and take steps towards solving it, this will help save time and effort by shortening the time needed for repairs and troubleshooting. The main idea is that the increased efficiencies and cost savings and challenges in workload minimization will contribute to less disruptions in processes.
Enhanced Safety in Construction: Accurate as-built drawings in construction help identify potential safety hazards, such as exposed electrical wiring or structural weaknesses. By addressing these issues proactively, facility managers can create a safer environment for occupants and maintenance staff. These problems can be prevented in advance, through the proactive involvement of facility managers resulting in a safer working environment for occupants and facilities staff alike.

Common Challenges in Creating and Maintaining As-Built Drawings

Inconsistent Updates:The most obvious obstacle is establishing a policy whereby the modifications made during construction are routinely and consistently carried out to the drawings that are being made. Often when you have a boss constantly trying to micro-manage, some changes or updates will be missed or forgotten.
Lack of Standardization: Construction industry commonly experiences a situation where production processes and archiving of as-built drawings are not standardized. One of the key implications of this is that there can be a disparity in terms of the amount of information that is provided and the level of correctness between the various projects and teams.
Limited Accessibility: The original plans of paper form in most cases are done on-site and may be challenging to purely share among the project participants. This can cause isolation or delay speedy decision making in relation to various management issues

Best Practices for Creating and Using As-Built Drawings

Establish a Clear Process: Develop a standard Operating procedure (Standard Operating procedure) for the creation, update, and maintenance of (records, schematics). Installation drawings. These steps will be a detailed report of responsibilities, deadlines, and the quality control systems that will make the process accurate and consistent.
Leverage Technology: Take advantage of digital tools and software applications that will help to virtually eliminate manual work associated with as-built drawings drawings creation and asset management. Building Information Modeling (BIM) and cloud-based platforms are ready to change the roles of the teams by significantly improving collaborativeness and access to information.
Regular Updates: It is crucial to have scheduled drawings updates during the entire construction process. This is related to the fact that numerous mistakes can be found in the drawings and the resulting design problems can be discovered only during the construction process and hence this regular updating work must be carried out. Appoint a team to make and watch the changes made to document them as they occur and carefully ensure that they are all updated to the drawings as soon as possible.
Training and Education: Offer special training and learning to everyone in the project team on why as-built drawings matter and what the good practices for using and preparing them are. That is, this way of work greatly contributes to the development of an environment that values for dependable and careful job performance.

The Future of As-Built Drawings in Construction Technology

With an eye into the future, engineering processes and construction technology might change the role of as-built drawings. Cutting-edge approaches, including 3D scans, drone surveillance and augmented reality have been enabling new as-built information methods that are transforming the way as-built information is captured and utilized. Moreover, these developments can be counted upon to make the final drawings of the buildings more reliable, user-friendly, and useful to the persons involved in construction projects.

Conclusion

As-built drawings are a crucial aspect of the success of any construction project, serving as a precise record of the completed work and theirs utility being the basis for the smooth maintenance, repair works, as well as expansions. Skilled professionals in construction industry can greatly benefit from drawing as-plans such as documenting processes and utilizing technology. This can result promotion of best practices and project success.

As for you wishing to make your construction project a success, one of the effective ways of achieving that is to have as-built drawings put into your everyday operation. Firstly, conduct an evaluation of your current practices and map out areas to be improved as well as digital tools that can automate the planetary survey routine