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Nestled along the western rim of the Las Vegas Valley, Howard Hughes' 22,500-acre master-planned community, Summerlin, is a testament to visionary development. For three decades, it has consistently ranked among the nation's top-selling master-planned communities. As it enters its 31st year of development, Summerlin continues to set the standard for upscale living in Southern Nevada.
Among the nine top national home builders within the community, Toll Brothers offers four neighborhoods, each embodying the essence of luxury and comfort. To accelerate progress and maximize efficiency during land development, Toll Brothers’ Las Vegas division utilizes TraceAir.
Maximizing Efficiency with Remote Progress Tracking
As a Land Development Manager, Payton Sim juggles oversight of all four Toll Brother’s neighborhoods within Summerlin, in addition to other projects spanning from Nevada to Utah. With TraceAir, Sim and his team gain comprehensive insights into each project's status accessible from anywhere.
"If I could visit each site in person every day, I would, but unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way," he shared. "TraceAir allows me to address any issues remotely and keep projects moving from anywhere. When I am on-site, I can make good use of my time because I already have a good understanding of what's going on." This streamlined approach empowers Sim and the Las Vegas division to efficiently oversee multiple projects and ensure success.
Managing Dirt Movement
Rugged terrain with Summerlin poses a significant challenge for land development, especially when it comes to managing cut and fill operations. This is where TraceAir’s innovative cut/fill balance tools and stockpile tracking features come into play, revolutionizing how Toll Brothers manages dirt movement within their Summerlin neighborhoods.
Traditionally, tracking and managing dirt movement involved manual surveys and calculations, which were time-consuming and prone to errors. With TraceAir, however, this process has been streamlined and optimized. Just one click activates the "Cut/Fill Balance" tool, which shows a heat map of the project. Areas in red need to be cut, areas in blue need to be filled, and areas in white meet design grade.
From there, any area can be easily selected to view cut/fill quantities. With accuracy up to 3 centimeters, TraceAir enables users to confidently make informed decisions about earthwork operations. “With TraceAir, I’m able to easily track all of our earthworks. This allows me to make sure we stay on schedule, verify bills from contractors, and optimize our project's efficiency. It’s a great tool for keeping everyone accountable and on track,” shared Sim.
Reducing Risk and Avoiding Rework
The stakes are high in land development. Unexpected challenges, whether in regulatory compliance, environmental factors, or logistical hurdles, can quickly derail timelines and eat away at profit margins. Precise project management is critical for avoiding setbacks and maximizing profits. Toll Brothers recognizes the value of TraceAir’s advanced technology in proactively avoiding problems.
“TraceAir is a great tool for making sure everything is aligning properly and going as planned,” explained Sim. “We can upload all of our project plans and then zoom into to make sure everything looks correct. This level of precision allows us to catch potential issues early on, reducing the risk of costly rework down the line. We also like having all of our historical scans within TraceAir to refer back to.”
With TraceAir, Toll Brothers can identify and address discrepancies or deviations from the project plan before they escalate. This proactive approach not only helps ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, but also minimizes the need for expensive revisions or modifications, ultimately accelerating project timelines and increasing profit margins.
Elevating Collaboration and Strengthening Teams
At the core of TraceAir’s mission to empower land developers, data is easily accessible to anyone, regardless of technical skill level. With all project data centralized and available in real-time, team members can easily share insights, updates, and feedback. This level of transparency strengthens teams and fosters a culture of teamwork, ensuring everyone is aligned.
“I use TraceAir in meetings and to provide updates to my team. Providing them with aerial photos, panoramic 360s, and markups is significantly more effective than just telling them an update or looking at project plans. It enables all of us to make smarter, faster decisions,” added Sim.
Working with TraceAir has been an absolute pleasure for our team. Not only is the platform incredibly intuitive and easy to use, but the support we receive from their team is unparalleled. It's refreshing to partner with a company that shares our commitment to excellence and consistently goes above and beyond to ensure our success."
– Payton Sim, Land Development Manager, Toll Brothers
Learn why Toll Brothers loves TraceAir
Ranked among the top 10 homebuilders on BUILDER magazine's prestigious top 100 list, Toll Brothers consistently demonstrates its commitment to excellence in the homebuilding sector. TraceAir serves as a powerful ally in helping them achieve their goals, accelerate projects, and empower their teams.
To learn more about why top homebuilders love TraceAir, and how your projects could benefit, schedule a demo today.