The Conduit, Q4 2020 - Flipbook - Page 14
Weston Short
Vice President of
Engineering & Innovation
What is 40 Under 40: Champions of
Construction?
40 Under 40: Champions of Construction is an annual and
global awards program that recognizes both established
and up and comers in architecture, engineering and
construction (AEC) who are making a big impact.
About Weston
Recognized as Gaylor Electric’s 2017 Champion of
Innovation, Weston provides unique industry insights and
proven project innovations to the firm’s clients. In July of
2018, Gaylor Electric was awarded a $750 million
confidential data center. With the electrical construction
value estimated at $170 million, a team of highly skilled
construction professionals was brought together to
design and manage this massive project- among those
select leaders was Weston.His problem-solving skills
significantly helped to keep the entire project on
schedule. As a strong communicator, Weston knows that
early involvement and high-level coordination from every
trade involved in the project are essential throughout the
entire construction process.
Due to COVID-19, communication barriers became
even greater, and collaboration efforts were stalled.
With no one traveling, and onsite safety precautions in
place, Weston had to be creative in how his
engineering team could communicate with onsite
electricians, field supervision, and the customers to
ensure quality project delivery. Weston relied on
Autodesk to bridge the gap by capitalizing on Revit
VR/AR capabilities to overcome these roadblocks. After
video footage was collected, Weston’s team was able
to push the content to Oculus headsets for real-time
collaboration between the jobsite, the engineering
team, and the fabrication department.
Craft professionals shared VR jobsite walks, while
fabrication and engineering professionals shared
footage from the fabrication manufacturing floor for
clearer design intent. In addition, the owners were able
to virtually walk their jobsites through the Oculus
headset, which provided them with peace of
mind during a very uncertain time.