Case Study: How Elevatus Increased Community Engagement

The Project

For the people of Fort Wayne, Indiana, the former General Electric campus is iconic. With its signature exposed brick facade and towering columns, it’s more than just an architectural point of interest — it’s a treasured historical landmark that’s symbolic of the community’s evolution across multiple generations. 

Elevatus Architecture, an architectural firm local to Fort Wayne with a history in the community dating back 63 years, has been hired to lead a large group of architects and specialists to renovate and redevelop the historic GE campus, which comprises 18 buildings and spans more than 1.2 million square feet. The goal is to transform it into a thriving mixed-use district of innovation, culture and community called “Electric Works.” The massive, $400 million development which is funded via public-private partnership, and with a $35.7 million in federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC) equity is the largest investment in history by the National Trust Community Investment Corporation. 

Electric Works will be a focal point of the city, providing a gathering place for community members to live, work, interact, shop, eat, play, and access educational and healthcare services. 

The Challenge

With a focus on serving the Justice and Education markets, the firm relies on the cameras as an essential part of the construction process. “TrueLook cameras enable us to document construction projects from start to finish, increase transparency by enabling stakeholders to view projects remotely, and provide a sense of security for the crews,” said Brett Gauger, Marketing Communications Specialist at Elevatus. 

TrueLook Solution

With so many moving parts, Elevatus decided to install three fixed-position 12 megapixel TrueLook Cameras at various locations throughout the campus. One camera on the southwest end of campus points northeast to capture activities surrounding three of the largest buildings. Another peers down “Dynamo Alley,” the main drag through the middle of campus. Finally, a third camera positioned on a rooftop provides a bird’s-eye view and an immersive experience for visitors to the Elevatus website. 

TrueLook’s solar-powered options enabled select cameras to be installed in strategic locations, even though a power source was not available, to provide the public with optimal views of the campus throughout construction. They also utilized TrueLook’s website embed feature to enable anyone to see the project at any time on their website.

The Results

Project Management and Documentation

A primary use case for TrueLook Cameras on Electric Works was to streamline and improve project management. “There’s no such thing as a perfect project, and it’s important to catch mistakes early to avoid delays or unnecessary costs,” Brett Gauger said, adding that he checks the camera views multiple times per day. “With TrueLook cameras, you can check in at any time from anywhere to make sure things are progressing as planned.” 

They recalled one incident in which a potentially costly mistake was caught on camera and spotted by the firm’s technical specifications writer. “He was looking at the camera views and noticed that workers were installing exterior sheathing on a building that was a different color than what was being used on the rest of the building,” Dietz explained. “[The technical specifications writer] alerted us to the mistake right away, and we called the contractor, who was able to stop the crew and fix the mistake before any more time and materials were wasted.”

Being able to document construction and check in remotely improves accountability, where multiple designers, contractors and other stakeholders are involved. “We can check the cameras and see when crews are on-site and if work is being performed as scheduled — without having to be there in person,” he said. 

Partner Collaboration and Transparency 

In addition to increasing accountability, TrueLook Cameras have strengthened Elevatus’ ability to collaborate effectively with partners and other stakeholders spread geographically across locations. “We have partners that are from all different parts of the United States, so we use the TrueLook as a collaborative tool to keep productive conversation going,” he said. “It helps reduce travel time and expenses, and enables the project to run more efficiently.”

Secure Role-Based Access for Stakeholders 

TrueLook’s intuitive software enables them to set permission controls for accessing the cameras, so they can share views, images, video and time-lapses with the public, without worrying about disclosing any sensitive information. “For some projects, such as Electric Works, we allow the public to see everything whereas on some of our more confidential projects in the Education and Justice sectors, we leverage permission controls to enable role-based access to the cameras,” he said.