On the LiveCol last seminar, Professor Kalle Kahkonen did one thing I discover notably precious in building innovation discussions: he moved away from summary guarantees and confirmed what truly occurs whenever you take a look at new collaboration know-how underneath managed but sensible circumstances.
LiveCol is a lately accomplished co-innovation challenge that developed and validated strategies and instruments for real-time, data-driven collaboration in building design. The challenge aimed to maneuver from differentiated, semi-coordinated workflows towards parallel, open, and up-to-date data administration supported by 3D instruments and built-in communication companies.
I attended the challenge’s dissemination seminar on February 2, 2026, the place representatives of the challenge consortium summarized the outcomes of the two.5-year challenge. Kalle’s presentation centered on the real-life trial.
The LiveCol consortium included Tampere College, VTT, Trimble, Senate Properties, and AFRY. After the seminar, the challenge launched its last report, which is brazenly obtainable for obtain.
A take a look at bench for real-time collaboration
The analysis workforce constructed a take a look at bench at Tampere College’s Trimble Tech Lab. They arrange 4 workstations in separate rooms, configured Tekla Buildings and Trimble Join in a improvement model of Tekla Dwell Collaboration, and invited training structural engineers to take part. The objective was to not stage a advertising and marketing demo however to watch actual designers fixing an actual activity.
The design problem was intentionally centered: mannequin the metal cover construction of a concrete workplace constructing and resolve the connection between metal and concrete.
A metal designer labored in a single room, a concrete designer in one other. They have been related through Groups for voice communication, however the core of the experiment was stay mannequin interplay. Modifications made by one designer appeared immediately within the different’s atmosphere. There have been no IFC exports, no uploads to a standard information atmosphere, and no ready for the following coordination cycle.
Fast benefits
From a technical perspective, the benefits have been instantly obvious. Actual-time synchronization eradicated file transfers and lowered coordination lag. Designers appreciated the brand new stage of visible communication; as a substitute of describing a change verbally, they may see it unfold within the mannequin. Alternate options have been simpler to discover as a result of iteration was quick.
The shared visible context made it attainable to know not solely what modified but additionally why. Contributors additionally acknowledged that this setup helps distant co-design notably nicely in giant, advanced initiatives, the place conventional coordination strategies are likely to gradual decision-making.
Steady transparency
Probably the most attention-grabbing observations weren’t purely technical. Actual-time collaboration altered the rhythm of labor. Designers are used to controlling when their work turns into seen to others. They develop partial options, refine them, after which share. In a stay atmosphere, that “buffering layer” disappears.
One participant even discovered the continual motion of parts on the display screen distracting, as a result of adjustments made by others occurred in parallel with their very own focus. This highlights an necessary shift: coordination is now not a scheduled occasion; it turns into steady.
Finest for demanding initiatives
Kalle emphasised that this know-how is especially suited to demanding design duties, the place interdependencies are excessive, and coordination failures are pricey.
The cover connection case was comparatively easy, but it surely demonstrated the precept. For extra advanced structural, MEP, or interdisciplinary challenges, the potential influence could possibly be far better. On the identical time, he was cautious to not recommend that every little thing ought to out of the blue develop into real-time.
Introducing such instruments challenges established processes, duty boundaries, and organizational habits. With out considerate structuring, disruption doesn’t robotically translate into worth.
When to follow real-time collaboration?
The seminar dialogue revealed one other necessary theme: we nonetheless lack a transparent framework for when and learn how to use real-time collaboration. Ought to it run repeatedly all through a challenge, or ought to or not it’s activated for particular classes? Is it handiest in clash-resolution workshops, detailed connection design, or Built-in Concurrent Engineering–model big-room conferences?
Jaakko Huusko referred to Norwegian VDC practices the place structured concurrent classes are organized round predefined issues. In such settings, real-time mannequin collaboration turns into a robust accelerator of problem-solving. This implies that the following step isn’t merely enhancing the software program however growing structured use-case methods.
Deeper questions
After all, the take a look at bench additionally revealed some technical limitations. These points are regular in evolving software program and can doubtless be addressed.
What issues extra is that the experiment uncovered deeper organizational questions. Actual-time collaboration compresses suggestions cycles and will increase transparency. It forces groups to rethink how tasks are outlined and what stage of visibility is snug.
Actual-time BIM isn’t just a quicker model of file-based coordination. It represents a shift within the collaboration clock price for design work. When suggestions turns into instantaneous, processes that have been designed for weekly or bi-weekly synchronization begin to really feel outdated. But contracts, compensation fashions, and inside high quality assurance procedures are nonetheless largely constructed round these slower rhythms.
The subsequent steps
The LiveCol experiment means that we’re at an inflection level. The know-how clearly works in follow. Designers see tangible advantages in communication, iteration pace, and contextual problem-solving. On the identical time, adoption requires deliberate decisions about the place it provides essentially the most worth and the way processes should adapt round it.
The aggressive query is whether or not organizations will proactively construction their workflows to harness it or wait till exterior pressures power the shift.
