Digital Construction Technology

The trend of Digital technology in the construction industry is growing globally. The construction companies are shifting toward digitization using advanced and newest construction technologies for professional and efficient delivery. Digital technology is changing the actual construction work like introducing latest machinery for buildings that can be easily fitted together on-site and 3-D printer designs to construct complex structural components out of concrete e.g. architectural features and curved panels etc. digital technology have introduced the building components as well as ways to put them together.

The international construction companies are being transformed by digital innovation. The advanced construction techniques are time savvy, cost effective and easily used by international construction companies. The robotic system is the latest innovation in construction industry. Short for Semi-Automated Mason (SAM) is a bricklaying robot that handles tasks of applying mortar, picking up bricks, and laying them.

Change is a constant in all aspects of construction and technology and managing change is critical for successful projects delivery and for better organizations. The team of project builders and contractors having relevant digital skills and capabilities is essential for digitally savvy organization. Here are some emerging digital technologies that are future of construction industry.

5-D BIM (Building Information Modeling) is the next generation 5-D technology having marvelous potential in construction sector. 5-D BIM help contractors and project owners to manage 3D designing, reduce critical cost and scheduling information. The project risks and costly problems can be identified and overcome on time When BIM is properly implemented.

Cloud-based Digital Collaboration platform is essential to manage multifaceted and complex project data. Aconex is a user-friendly platform to share project data from the office or on the go. It digitizes workflows and allows project teams to manage everything from contract administration to document reviews quickly and efficiently. 

The Internet-of-Things (IoT) allow assets and equipment to talk to one another through wireless technology. The data can be gathered from machinery and equipment and then transmitted back to a collaboration platform With IoT. IoT technology is growing rapidly; improve project efficiency, risk management, timelines and helps project teams to monitor productivity, safety, quality control and inventory.

Obviously digital transformation will take time to implement. The full potential of digitization can be achieved when the organizations will be able to manage change, new project delivery structures, increasing project complexity and risk, and stricter regulation and compliance. The digital construction technology is inevitable for improved productivity, efficiency and for successful project outcomes.

Top Latest Trends in Construction Industry

The advanced building technologies, construction trends, innovative construction methods and better decision-making systems are making transition and development in construction industry very rapidly. Now the contractors are using up-to-dated and latest construction techniques and tools to save time and cost and give rise to construction industry. Here are some latest and advanced construction trends and techniques causing drastic, innovative and revolutionary changes in construction.

Prefab/offsite Construction Methods

Most of the construction companies are getting benefit from Offsite and modular construction method with cost savings, reduced construction time and less waste. The use of prefab methods is growing very rapidly in all sectors of economy especially in healthcare and construction sector. The traditional building process is transforming into offsite construction methods. This construction method and strategy would be more efficient and profitable if you invest a certain amount of volume for this. 

Building Information Modeling (BIM) Construction Technology

Building information modeling construction technology has become the necessity for contractors. It is the growing and tangible profitable construction technology for the largest firms as well as for small firms. According to contractors BIM provide more accurate, more consistent, and time saving project document generation and develop coordination and collaboration among the different parties of project.

Green building in residential and commercial sectors

Green building construction trend in residential and commercial sectors is growing in response to consumers’ demand and due to friendly and environmentally attractive structures, life-cycle cost savings, and high quality results. In the coming years green building construction would be most preferable for all sectors along with residential and commercial sectors.

Laser scanning technology

Laser scanning is an emerging construction technology along with Building information modeling (BIM) dominating construction technology. 3-D laser scanners create a digital reproduction of the positions and dimensions and turn that information into a point cloud image. It is a best tool for accurate measurement and putting millions of data points into a building information model to get information about conditions.

Energy-saving and smart building systems

Construction firms, builders, architects and designers are analyzing and introducing energy-efficiency building systems into the early design and construction process. The owners can get most value from their project with the use of Life Cycle Cost Analyses and Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) reports. Smart building technique which is connected with remote access and data monitoring system is an emerging construction technology to deliver significant energy savings to owners.

Robotic Automation

Robots and automated technology are emerging in construction sector to handle repetitive manual labor tasks. Construction robots are used in the handling and manipulation of heavy blocks, bricks and concrete block laying. Robot system perform task with more efficiency and accuracy as compare to human labor. The use of robots in traditional manufacturing areas, such as the manufacture of consumer goods and automobile manufacture is rapidly increasing as compare to nontraditional areas. The I-beams or insulation robotic system is advanced and popular in the manufacture of construction goods.

3D Printing in construction

3D Printing is an advanced emerging technology in construction industry. A 3D printer is a machine connected with a computer interface to process 3D designs. The extruder filled with a hot, liquid material prints the 3D design layer by layer. The construction firms print houses using giant 3D printers with cement and glass materials. The benefits of using 3D printing in construction include the use of recyclable materials, reduction of waste and reduction of health and safety risks.

Mobile Technology and information on jobsites

Mobiles and tablets are commonly used by construction team to file reports, share information and improve the reliability of reports and documentation on jobsites. The custom applications on mobile devices made it easy for the project team to answers the questions instantly instead of delaying the project with trips to jobsite trailers for plan evaluations.

Innovation in Construction Industry

Innovation is an essential element to improve the business growth and to increase productivity. Construction companies are using latest construction technologies to work more efficiently and safely. The construction companies are putting their efforts to construct attractive and unique construction designs using new material, energy, different design approaches, and amazing construction technologies. The advancement in big data and digital technology are the major elements of innovation in construction industry. There are a variety of apps, gadgets and technologies causing improvement and innovation in construction industry.

Apps are as follows:

• Tool Tracking
• Wearable Smart Sensors
• Tablets and Wi-Fi
• Drones
• Mobile Apps 

Tool Tracking: The construction companies have to bear lots of hand tools and power tools cost. Now the construction companies are outfitting their hand and power tools and machinery with barcodes to track their equipment and to reduce cost of construction.

Wearable Smart Sensors: Wearable smart sensors are the latest technology in construction field. These wearable sensors are used to track the condition of workers on the job site and fix these smart sensors in worker’s wristwatches, boots, hard hats, and other safety gear such as rooftop harnesses.

Tablets and Wi-Fi: Now construction companies are using mobile phones, tablets and Wi-Fi connection on their jobsite instead of carrying around jobsite paperwork and rolls of blueprints. A massive amount of data can be stored in tablets and Wi-Fi is helpful to download and share documents .

Drones:Construction companies are hiring drone pilots to survey heavily congested construction sites and remote locations. This is the latest technology to monitor worker’s jobsite activities and to survey the progress and improvement in construction activities in the workplace.

Mobile Apps: There are numerous mobile apps and gadgets related to construction market. The construction related applications include CAD apps that help to make blueprint changes in the moment, calculating apps that help construction managers in calculating supplies, including roofing materials, concrete volumes, and hardware amounts etc.

The techniques used in construction companies other than above mentioned apps include Self Healing Concrete, Photovoltaic Glazing, 3D Modeling, Asset Mapping, Thermal bridging, Predictive software, Modular construction, Smart Highways, Solar Roads, Tiny House Movement, BIM Everywhere, and Visualization etc.

Technologies and skills that can change the construction industry

Construction is the process of moving and assembling equipment and materials into a completed, operational facility. Newest skills and techniques are used in production of a standardized product, the demands on the material supply functions of buying, receiving, expediting, warehousing, and delivery. But the basic construction process of building piece by piece, stick by stick, has not changed. Today the technologies and skills used in construction and manufacturing sector has changed. The change in following major areas affects the construction industry significantly. 

• Construction equipment and methods
• Construction related designs
• Automation and expert systems
• Construction management

Construction equipment and methods

Construction equipment is used in moving and assembling materials. Now it is easy to move larger pieces of building material with greater accuracy and reliability due to improvements in construction equipment and methods. The construction work is performed more efficiently due to the use of conveyors, cranes, and earth movers etc. There are dramatic improvements in specific machinery, such as laser-guided excavation equipment, laser-based survey equipment, and new tunneling equipment etc.

The labor cost is reducing due to increased use of automatic machinery which enhances productivity and quality work. The use of advanced materials: honeycomb foams and structures for greater strength; polyester fiber to improve durability in the refitting of water pipes and sewage; fiberglass fabric for rapid repair work; and specialized materials for arid, radioactive, arctic, and  undersea make the construction work much easier and reliable.

Construction related designs

Computer aided design (CAD) are used to design the construction process. The benefits of using computerized designs includes reduced interference, better feedback to the design cycle, constructability enhancements, reduce job hours, construction simplicity, and improved communication between the suppliers and designers to make sure  that the required element  is accessible at the construction site. CAD systems are widely used in heavy industrial and commercial construction but prove cost-effective in residential work. Major CAD trends are as following:

• The trend toward engineering workstations for the automated design process
• The trend toward lower-cost, more powerful workstations to stabilize per unit cost
• Three-dimensional computer models with standardize and sophisticated design symbols and aids.

Automation and expert systems

The use of computerized expert systems is a growing trend for construction applications. The expert systems include systems to verify weld performance qualifications and systems to diagnose vibration problems in rotating machinery. The use of expert systems will be the most important application of artificial intelligence techniques for construction. The expert systems introduced the self-directed robots that will be used in construction industry very commonly.

These advanced-application robots will apply sprayed insulation to structural steel members, complete concrete and spray paint buildings, and even install structural steel. Laser range-finding and geodetic positioning construction technique is used to automate storage areas on the job site, to pinpoint exact locations, and to set guide tracks for remotely operated vehicles. The most prominent technique used in construction sector as well as in all industries is development and application of robotic systems.

Construction management

The construction management process controls the procurement, design, and construction process. It is the process of planning, scheduling, and cost control and provide the framework for new technological developments to work efficiently into a construction project. Effective management is essential part of construction as well as for other projects and is responsible for long term success. The construction sector is observing lot of dramatic changes in methods of management and work performance.

In the future, there would be strong relationship between construction and design. The use of automated job site machinery would be common in all industries due to the development in skills and techniques. The computerized analysis of procurement options will make it easy to trade off among scheduling, procurement, and constructability. The future of construction industry is bright due to advancement in skills, techniques and automated equipments used in construction sector.