By BRETT HAHNENKAMP
LYNK-IT, LLC

The benefits of using electronically hyperlinked drawings during construction have been reported as drastically reduced rework and more efficient "data-mining".  When drawings are hyperlinked, construction teams can navigate to any detail in three mouse clicks, which is much faster than navigating paper plans.  Also, when plans are linked electronically and the set is maintained throughout construction, this electronic as-built can be easily distributed to subcontractors, owners and designers so all parties know they are working off of the current drawing set. This can drastically reduce rework costs.  Laptops, tablets and mobile workstations provide access to linked drawing sets from almost anywhere.  As Dustin Hartsuiker from Swinerton Builders writes, "Hyperlinking takes an already good idea (electronic project information) and multiplies the benefits ten-fold."

WHAT ARE HYPERLINKED DRAWINGS
While many of the larger general contractors have been using this technique for years, many companies have not yet made the plunge. Hyperlinked drawings take the PDF version and connect them electronically to make them much more navigable.  For example, from the architectural plan view, imagine the details and sections that are referenced from this sheet.  Instead of seeing the page you need and flipping to it, simply click the mouse on the detail reference and it pulls up that drawing, already zoomed into that particular detail.  On a fully linked drawing set, the index of drawing and specifications is linked to the item referenced, door numbers can be linked to the door schedule, window labels linked to the window schedule, mechanical equipment linked to mechanical schedules, and so on. The possibilities are endless. The idea is to create a set of drawings that can be intuitively navigated at lightning speed.

HOW IT'S DONE
The options are to either build the links internally (i.e., have a project engineer spend the time to manually link the drawings to the extent desired) or outsource this service. If your project engineers have the time, this can be a great way to learn the drawings.  For projects that need the drawings linked quickly and there's no time to do it internally, drawings can be linked by third-party service providers who specialize in this service. General contractors report that these service providers can be especially useful on larger projects or projects where a wide variety of link types are desired (i.e., doors, windows, equipment, partitions, etc.).  

Service providers typically charge approximately $10 per drawing to fully link the drawing set and can return the linked set in a week or so. According to contractors, a project engineer can link a 300-page drawing set to the same extent in two to three weeks. However, if only the essential links are placed (i.e., callouts/references, index), then this can drastically reduce the time to only a few days. With technology changing as fast as it does, the ability of software to perform some linking automatically is rapidly increasing.  The following months and years will likely show a large change in how these results are achieved.

For any additional information, please feel free to contact Brett at Brett@lynk-it.com.