PCL Construction captures every phase of 10,500-seat Augusta Arena Construction with DroneDeploy

Augusta’s new $250 million civic arena will replace the original arena and deliver $1.6 billion in regional impact when it opens in 2027.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — DroneDeploy, the robotics and AI platform used on over 3 million sites, today announced that PCL Construction, one of the largest contracting organizations in North America, is using its platform to maintain a single, continuous record of construction at the New Augusta Arena, a $250 million, 10,500-seat civic arena rising in downtown Augusta, Georgia, that will replace the original arena. That record spans every phase of the project from demolition of the old arena through topping out. The most current data is readily accessible across the ownership, design and construction management teams, as well as field crews so each group works from the same visual evidence of what is built.

Owned by the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority, when the arena opens in 2027 it will host an estimated 100 events per year and serve as home ice for the Augusta Lynx minor league hockey team. Funded by a half-cent special-purpose local-option sales tax approved by Richmond County voters in 2023, the arena is projected to generate $1.6 billion in regional economic impact and create 600 permanent jobs.

PCL began capturing photos and videos of the site before ground was broken. A fixed jobsite timelapse camera and recurring aerial drone flights have produced a continuous visual record covering the demolition of the old arena, site excavations, pouring of the concrete foundations and the erection of the steel skeleton. Project engineers use 360-degree cameras to walk the structure as it grows, keeping a current “boots on the ground” record accessible to the project team and the owner. Drones and 360-degree cameras inspect every elevated deck before concrete is poured, building a complete pre-pour dataset for the project. As mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in begins, the team continues to capture the interior construction using DroneDeploy Ground for progress documentation.

“Field crews on Augusta are flying every 7-10 days, walking the structure with 360 photo captures at least once per week and putting a drone over every elevated deck before the pour,” said Andre Tousignant, Senior Manager, Integrated Construction Technology, for PCL’s Florida Buildings division. “Our general superintendent and lead superintendent are some of the most tech-savvy people I work with, and when they see value in a tool they push the team to use it. This recognition of value from our senior field leadership is critical to drive adoption and consistent implementation on a project this size.”

The New Augusta Arena joins an active sports and entertainment construction portfolio that PCL is delivering across North America. PCL has performed off-season renovations at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles every year since 2014 and built BMO Stadium for the Los Angeles Football Club. In Toronto, PCL is delivering a multi-phased renovation of Scotiabank Arena for the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors and upgrades to BMO Field for the Toronto Football Club and Toronto Argonauts, alongside a multi-phased renovation of Rogers Centre for the Toronto Blue Jays.

“Civic projects of this size rarely get a continuous visual record,” said Matt Daly, Chief Marketing Officer at DroneDeploy. “PCL has made this the standard across more than a thousand of their active projects. At Augusta, the owner gets a clear view of every phase of construction. The taxpayers funding the build gain confidence that potential issues are identified early, helping keep the project on track and minimizing costly rework.”

The New Augusta Arena project showcases an enterprise relationship that now reaches across more than 1,000 active PCL projects on the DroneDeploy platform. Under a multi-year agreement signed in 2024, PCL standardized aerial and ground reality capture across the platform. PCL teams have logged more than 3 million 360 degree walks, 10,000 drone flights and 45 million images across 2,000 projects, with more than 2,000 monthly active users spanning the firm’s buildings, civil, industrial and solar divisions. At Horizons 2025, DroneDeploy’s annual conference, PCL received the inaugural Reality Capture Program of the Year (Americas) award.

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About PCL Construction:

PCL Construction is one of the most respected and accomplished global construction leaders, comprising independent companies operating throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia. With an annual construction volume of $9.9 billion USD, PCL builds projects that shape communities and strengthen infrastructure. The company’s 100% employee ownership model fuels a culture of commitment for clients in the buildings, civil infrastructure, heavy industrial and solar markets. With a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers, PCL’s leadership teams consistently drive innovation and set new benchmarks for excellence, bringing unparalleled skill to every project. Watch us build at PCL.com.

About DroneDeploy:

DroneDeploy powers field teams with robotics and AI. Used on over 3 million sites in 180 countries, DroneDeploy is the only platform that combines drones, robots, 360 cameras and AI agents to capture and organize site conditions into a single, time-stamped record that teams can trust in the field and office. From construction and energy to infrastructure and agriculture, the world’s largest companies use DroneDeploy to document work in place, verify quantities, resolve disputes faster and keep projects on time, on budget and safe.

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David Sadeghi
DroneDeploy
pr@dronedeploy.com
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