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

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

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, UNITED STATES, August 18, 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 James Brown Arena and deliver an estimated $1.6 billion in regional economic impact.

That record spans every phase of the project from demolition of the old arena through topping out, and is shared in real time across the owner, design team and field crews so each group works from the same visual evidence of what is built.

Designed by Perkins & Will and owned by the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority, the 10-story arena stretches the length of three football fields and will connect to the existing Bell Auditorium through a new Great Hall. When it opens in 2027 it will seat 10,500, host an estimated 100 events per year and serve as home ice for Augusta Pro Hockey. 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. Construction is currently tracking on schedule and on budget, with steel going vertical and topping out projected for summer 2026.

PCL began capturing the site before ground was broken. Repeatable video flights running every three to four weeks have produced a continuous visual record covering the demolition of the old arena, the dig, foundations and the rising steel skeleton. Field crews use 360-degree cameras to walk the structure as it grows, keeping a current interior record accessible to the project team and the owner. Drones inspect every elevated deck before the pour, building a complete pre-pour dataset for the project. As mechanical, electrical and plumbing rough-in begins later this summer, the team plans to extend interior capture using DroneDeploy Ground for ceiling and floor documentation.

“Field crews on Augusta are flying every one to one-and-a-half weeks, walking the structure with 360s and putting a drone over every elevated deck before the pour,” said Andre Tousignant, Integrated Construction Technology Manager for PCL’s Florida Buildings Group. “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. That is how you get capture to stick 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 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 significant projects for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, including a multi-phased renovation of Scotiabank Arena and upgrades to BMO Field, 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 standardized continuous capture from the air, ground, interior and exterior 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 get a project delivered on time, on budget and with issues caught before they become 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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Written By: EIN Presswire