A large ranch house made out of concrete and painted orange.Top Tools for Architects Working from the Comfort of Their Homes

Since the pandemic started, many architects have decided to do their business online from the comfort of their homes. Architects must now master various online tools for easier communication and visualization. Many platforms enable you to communicate and work online, which may make it harder for you to choose which tools you want to use.

We will present some of the best tools you can use to do your job more easily and enable efficient communication with your clients.

Slack

Slack is a communication tool that is used by companies that have a large number of employees. You can create workgroup chats, schedule meetings, keep track of your employees’ work, make a newsfeed with all the crucial data about your workflow, and even organize employee training and quizzes.

This platform is a paid version, but you can get your free trial and decide whether this platform is suitable for your workspace.

Skype

Skype is one of the most popular communication tools for businesses. This tool enables you to create group chats which are perfect if you have multiple branches in your company.

Moreover, you can use this free platform to communicate with your clients worldwide if you are a freelance architect. Skype has announced a significant update that will enable you to communicate more efficiently while saving your device’s battery life.

PlanGrid

PlanGrid is a free mobile app designed by the Autodesk company. If you are already using Autodesk for your projects, this app might come in handy since you can access any of your files on the go. The best part of this app is that you can use it both online and offline – it’s not relying on an internet connection.

Moreover, you can easily create an RFI (request for information) which will enable you to quickly receive answers to your questions.

Workplace

Workplace, designed by the Meta company, has a more creative approach to communication tools. It is a social media platform used for a specific workplace. Moreover, since this platform resembles Facebook, it is easy to use, and people will quickly get a hold of it.

You can post company news, create group chats, and quickly start video calls with other people. This platform is compatible with any other platform you use for your projects.

Dropbox

Architects usually have many documents they need to store and organize in a safe space. Dropbox keeps your documents safe and secure while making them easy to share with other parties.

This platform uses the latest encryption tools, which protect your documents from possible cyber threats. Additionally, this tool can increase your productivity since you can easily use it from any device.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is another excellent paid platform for keeping your business organized. This tool lets you keep track of larger business teams, create video conferences and meetings, and create group chats with the platform users.

The best feature of this tool is that you can easily share your screen and present your projects to others, enabling you to solve problems more quickly and efficiently.

Pro-core

The Procore platform has everything from project management to financials to building information modeling. Moreover, this platform keeps the construction environment safe and secure by creating precautionary plans for your company.

You will be able to collect all the data and documents about your projects and your company in one place and keep track of your employees’ productivity and workflow. This platform should become essential for any architect.

Cisco

Cisco is a tool that can help you create a healthy and clean online work environment. This platform helps you organize your workspace and make your desktop less overwhelming. Architects usually have this problem since they use many tools every day, but with the help of Cisco, you can create a healthier work environment.

Moreover, you can also have full-stack observability of your employees’ workspace, enabling you to help them organize their work environment and work more efficiently.

Everhour

Everhour is created to help you keep track of your work hours, as well as the work hours of your employees. You can also see how many breaks you or your employees had during the day, which will enable you to track the productivity of your workplace.

Moreover, you can easily plan your work days and organize and distribute tasks within your workplace. It can also be beneficial for creating invoices for clients since you also have to include work-related expenses.

Zoom

Zoom is the number one platform when it comes to online video conferencing. This platform has many tools at your disposal that can make video chatting and meetings easy and efficient. Although this platform requires a subscription to use all the features it offers, there is a free version that you can use. However, the sessions on the free version can only last 45 minutes.

NordPass

Architects and architectural firms use many different platforms and accounts for their projects. It may sometimes get hard to remember all the passwords of all those different accounts, but NordPass is here to help. This tool will keep all your passwords in one place, far from the eyes of cyber-criminals.

You can also create and store strong passwords with the help of this platform, which will provide you with more safety and security.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a visual tool that can help you easily present your projects to other parties. You can also create courses and lessons for your employees on a specific topic. This tool can be useful for meetings and conferences since you can quickly and clearly present your ideas in an organized manner.

There are many features this platform has to offer that will enable you to present your plans and projects without any difficulties.

Conclusion

In the architectural industry, people need to use a variety of tools that will make their architecture journey easier. One part of this journey is communication with the clients and communication between the company members.

You can create a safe and productive online work environment with the abovementioned tools. Keeping yourself and others motivated is vital, and these tools can help you reach that goal.