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.
