£2m savings drive Gleeds’ rollout of OpenSpace reality capture

Initially introduced to address the challenge of having to make critical decisions using incomplete, delayed or contested site information, Visualise combines OpenSpace’s platform with Gleeds’ consultancy experience to create a searchable visual record of site conditions. This gives clients and project teams a clear, time-stamped view of site progress, supporting better decisions, stronger evidence and improved control of cost, programme and risk, Gleeds said.

Visualise is being embedded more broadly into the consultancy’s core project delivery model as part of its wider service innovation programme

Gleeds launched Visualise four years ago, starting with a 16-person pilot. Now there are more than 1,900 platform users in 10 countries. Operators have captured more than 50,000 site observations, issues and actions against live project records, improving the quality, speed and resilience of Gleeds’ advice, the consultancy said.

It is now used across a range of sectors and project types, from office fit-outs to listed building refurbishments and complex multi-site developments like the Bicentennial Schools Programme in Peru.

Sheldon Atkinson, head of Visualise at Gleeds, said: “Visualise is changing the way we support clients on projects by giving teams and stakeholders a clearer, shared view of what is happening on site. That means decisions can be made with greater confidence, issues can be resolved faster, and less time is lost trying to piece together fragmented information. It also supports more sustainable delivery by reducing unnecessary travel and helping teams collaborate effectively wherever they are.

“We’re excited to be able to expand the use of this state-of-the-art technology as part of our service innovation programme, which focuses on standardising, digitalising and continuously improving service delivery to enhance project performance and give clients greater certainty. We’re looking forward to continuing to work alongside OpenSpace to deliver substantial cost savings for our clients and significantly improve efficiency.”