Bühring Architekten: Efficient Defect Documentation and Tracking

Efficient defect documentation and tracking

How Bühring Architekten GmbH is saving up to 80% of time during building inspections with PlanRadar

The challenge: error-prone processes during building inspections

André Bühring is the managing partner at Bühring Architekten. As such, he is responsible for company management, client acquisition and project control for particular projects.

One day, he was involved in a particularly extensive follow-up inspection. During a break, he spoke to his colleagues about the possibility of using software to streamline two tasks: the typical and very cumbersome processes for recording defects, and the subsequent tracking of snagging for these. Until then, staff had worked with Excel lists during their building inspections and follow-up inspections. They printed out A3 extracts of floor plans and stuck red dots to them to identify defects. Only a few hours after the discussion with his colleagues, André Bühring saw a PlanRadar advert on Facebook. “It was almost a little spooky,” he explained. “Our decision-making process was very short. We did research other providers, but we then based our decision on the testimonials of PlanRadar and how the tool was presented online. We decided to try it out.” 

The solution; digital defect management for documentation and tracking

PlanRadar was convincing. The team independently familiarized themselves with the intuitive and constantly evolving tool. “We then used PlanRadar immediately in the next project, as the internal feedback from employees, the building owner and the subcontractor was very positive,” André Bühring added. For projects such as multi-story car parks, where all stories look the same, it can be very difficult to localise defects, so the tickets and photos mean that defects can be precisely located. The photographic evidence makes it possible to check later whether defects have been addressed, speeding up completion of follow-up inspections. 

At Bühring Architekten, PlanRadar is currently mostly used for documenting defects identified during building inspections and for tracking when these defects are addressed. However, the software is also increasingly being used in project control and in the site coordination and monitoring phase too. 

One current project that PlanRadar is being used for is the Capgemini Design Campus, a new complex in Wolfsburg with a net construction volume of €20m. The construction management software is used by 11 people, including 3 Bühring Architekten employees, 2 people working for the building owners and 6 team members at the general contractor. They work with the PlanRadar platform to create tickets during inspections of general contractor services and interior finishes, to identify and document damage to furniture deliveries and to track the processing of tickets. Andre Bühring explained that PlanRadar is well received among project workers: “The building owners are very happy that as onlookers they can follow the status of the construction site and the defect management. The general contractors appreciate the tool because complaints can be immediately passed on to the employees or sub-contractors. They even prefer working with PlanRadar to using internal company programs.” 

Customers generally do not need any training to use the platform. The tool’s intuitive design means that they can understand it in no time and get started right away.