As projects become larger, more complex, and increasingly fast tracked, the way structural teams share information is becoming just as important as the engineering itself.
Traditional project delivery has long relied on drawings as the primary method of communication between engineers, detailers, and fabricators. While effective, that process often requires multiple handoffs, duplicate modeling efforts, and manual interpretation of design changes. As schedules compress, those inefficiencies become more difficult to absorb.
A model-based workflow offers a different approach.
By treating the structural model as the primary source of project information, engineering, detailing, and fabrication teams can collaborate around the same dataset rather than recreating information at each phase. This creates a more connected workflow where updates are shared earlier, questions are resolved faster, and downstream teams can begin work with greater confidence.
According to Michael Bain, P.E., Structural Engineer at Bennett & Pless, the value of this approach extends beyond technology. “It’s not that there are fewer questions. It’s that we can resolve them much faster.” When project teams work from the same model, collaboration becomes more efficient and decisions can be made earlier in the process.
One of the biggest opportunities in structural engineering today is reducing the gap between design and construction. When engineers, steel detailers, and fabricators work from connected 3D models, coordination becomes an ongoing conversation rather than a series of isolated deliverables. Instead of waiting for completed drawing packages, project partners can review evolving designs, identify potential issues sooner, and keep work moving in parallel.
As Bain explains, the conversation starts much earlier. Rather than simply issuing drawings and waiting for questions, project teams are collaborating around the model itself, allowing engineers, fabricators, and detailers to solve challenges together before they impact the schedule. This shift doesn’t eliminate coordination. Instead, it allows teams to address questions earlier in the process, reducing delays that often occur later during detailing and fabrication.
Connected workflows are about more than adopting new software. They represent a shift toward delivering information in a way that better supports the entire project team.
On a recent pharmaceutical manufacturing project, Bennett & Pless partnered with SteelFab and Southern Detailing to implement a model-based workflow using Trimble’s Tekla ecosystem. By sharing engineering models directly with downstream partners, the team reduced duplicate work, improved coordination, and accelerated the design-to-fabrication process by an estimated three to four weeks.
For owners and contractors, those efficiencies can translate into earlier procurement, faster decision-making, and improved schedule certainty on large, fast-moving projects. Bain notes that downstream teams are no longer recreating engineering intent from traditional drawings. Instead, they begin with a coordinated structural model that allows them to focus on refinement and execution rather than rebuilding information that already exists.
As manufacturing facilities, life sciences projects, and data centers continue to grow in complexity, the industry will increasingly rely on connected digital workflows that improve collaboration across every stage of delivery.
Technology alone isn’t the differentiator. Success comes from building stronger partnerships, sharing information more effectively, and creating processes that allow project teams to move faster while maintaining quality and coordination.
As Bain’s experience demonstrates, the future of structural engineering isn’t simply about creating better models. It’s about using those models to strengthen collaboration, accelerate project delivery, and help every member of the project team make better-informed decisions.