By ANDREW ZUKOSKI

I come from a software engineering background with roots in 3D printing and medical devices.

Alongside my co-founders, I launched Join nearly eight years ago to address a critical gap in commercial construction: maximizing project outcomes for owners.

Join is built around improving early design and pre-construction processes. Commercial projects are highly complex, involving a tangled web of constraints, from budget limitations to design feasibility and market conditions. By enabling better collaboration, it ensures that project teams can make informed decisions faster, minimizing costly delays and misunderstandings.

The Shift Toward Collaborative Project Delivery

The construction industry is undergoing a major shift. Traditional design-bid-build methods are giving way to more integrated approaches like design-build and construction manager at risk (CMAR). Industry studies confirm this trend; project teams are prioritizing collaboration more than ever before.

We’re fueling this transition by providing a centralized software platform where all key stakeholders – owners, designers and contractors – can communicate efficiently. The platform allows teams to iterate quickly, get real-time cost feedback and even start fieldwork before designs are fully finalized. This results in better outcomes and a more streamlined pre-construction process.

A Real-World Example: The $1,000 Outlet Problem

One compelling story highlights the need for better communication in construction. A general contractor working on a $100 million medical project casually estimated the cost of adding an electrical outlet at $1,000. The owner, skeptical, brought a Home Depot bag to the next meeting, showing that all the materials could be purchased for just $62.

What the owner didn’t realize was that the cost wasn’t just about materials – it included labor, inspections, compliance with medical building codes and other hidden factors. This breakdown in communication is precisely what we aim to solve. By offering transparency in cost and project data, we can prevent these misunderstandings, ensuring that stakeholders trust each other and make quicker, better-informed decisions.

Lessons Learned: Construction is About People

Buildings are ultimately about people. While software and processes matter, the success of any project depends on the relationships and trust among the owner, architect and contractor.

This insight shapes our approach to product development. Initially, we focused on automating design tools for architects. However, we soon realized that the real leverage point was the OAC (Owner-Architect-Contractor) meeting – the core decision-making hub for any project. By facilitating smoother collaboration at this stage, it significantly impacts project efficiency and outcomes.

Andrew Zukoski is co-founder and CEO of Join.