As the world is changing very fast so are the technologies. Technology is impacting every industry these days whether it’s production, manufacturing, healthcare, or construction. In this article, you will learn about emerging technologies in the construction industry.
From the development of digital twins to robots, super materials, green buildings, automation, pollution-eating chimneys, even artificial intelligence an incredible array of development is helping to alter this sector that shapes how every human on this planet will be able to live a sustainable life. Check out some of the futuristic trends that are emerging in the construction industry.
Construction companies want to remain competitive to integrate new approaches into their industry and workflows companies are finding new ways. These cutting-edge technologies in construction are drastically changing how the industry operates and the performance of projects in the future. Below we have researched some emerging technologies in the construction industry.
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Some Emerging Technologies in the construction industry:
Let us discuss some emerging technologies in the construction industry.
Building Information Technology (BIM):
BIM is very similar to CAD, It is software for 3D design to digitally model what will be built. This software is having vast capabilities, it also creates different layers of metadata and renders them within a collaborative workflow.
About 30-35 percent of builders are using BIM/CAD software. The use of BIM provides space for better collaborations because each person and expertise area can add their piece to the same model instead of breaking out onto multiple versions of a 2D paper drawing. BIM also helps with problem-solving in the design and planning stages of the project, by automating clash detection and providing a more complete picture of the project.
Cloud and Mobile Technology:
Mobile technology is not just for the game anymore. In normal construction, apps are becoming norms. The increased probability of tablets and smartphones allows for great communication and the ability to work from anywhere.
Mobile Technology can help to save time and keep the project moving forward faster by real-time monitoring, updates, and making information available between the job site and office. Now companies can easily access the revision to plan or can report a problem to the construction manager on-site or off-site.
Drones and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs):
UAVs also known as drones are set to become increasingly common on projects throughout 2020. From Undertaking inspections to ensure that operations are kept out of any harm to surveying vast areas of land in just a few minutes, the continued rise of UAVs will considerably improve safety and productivity in construction. It is said to be the most widely used emerging technology.
Drones can conduct site surveys more quickly and accurately than the team on the ground and are very less expensive compared to aerial imaging. High-resolution cameras and the data collected can create interactive 3D or topographical maps and models and take volume measurements. One another benefit of Drone is that it can reach the places which are hard such as dams, bridges, and tall buildings, and to do it safely. You can also use them to monitor progress on a job site and see how people are working. Nowadays many construction sites are heavily dependent on drones. For instance, surveyors can survey entire sites in just a few minutes, whereas it takes weeks or months to do the same work in the past. Thus drones save companies a lot of money and time.
3D Printing:
To change material sourcing 3D printing as a construction technology has the potential. For prefabrication, materials for the project can be printed and then transported to the job site and can be ready to use immediately. This allows companies to get material faster. According to U.K Green building Council, 15% of the construction material delivered to sites ends up in landfills, and one study suggests that 25% to 40% of solid waste streams are building-related waste.
With 3D printing, it will even be possible to print material right on-site, which can reduce waste and can further save transport and storage costs.
Artificial Intelligence:
It is one of the best emerging trends in the construction industry. With the use of robotics for a task like a bricklaying and autonomous equipment that can complete and operate tasks without the need for human interaction
AI can benefit the construction project through increased safety, improving workflows, and getting the job done faster and better.
Robotics:
In a number of areas, robots are beginning to enter the construction industry.
From autonomous rovers that can increase work efficiency and detail of site inspection to the mechanical arms that automate highly repetitive tasks like tying rebar and bricklaying, as these robots grow even more accurate and precise, they can become commanding force in the construction industry.
Eventually, we may witness robots being able to do things like bricklaying and tie bars, we may even see them completely take over man–operated construction projects in the future.
Advanced Materials:
With developing awareness of the impact that construction has on our environment, technological advancement is bringing lots of new material innovations to the fore. The recycling of hard disposal of waste material has seen a significant increase, particularly in relation to plastics. Recent developments have seen the incorporation of waste plastic into roadways and are used as a material for 3D printing new building structures. At one of the projects in Atlanta, CO2 was injected into the mixed concrete used in the building structure.CO2 becomes trapped inside the concrete as it cures while chemical reactions within the mix form limestone nanoparticles, which increase the overall compressive strength of the final material.
Another area to watch is kinetic paving in which the energy is harvested by the footsteps of pedestrians to generate electricity and Smog-eating buildings coated in photocatalytic titanium dioxide that reacts with light to neutralize pollutants in the air of some of the world’s most populous and congested cities. Staying with one of the construction’s most popular materials self-healing concrete is mixed with calcite-precipitating bacteria. These bacteria germinate when water enters the cracks in decaying concrete, thus filling the emerging air gaps.
Moreover, the data arising can be utilized to assess trends and to inform the design of future buildings, infrastructure projects, and even large-scale city-wide master plans.
Staying with one of the construction’s most popular materials self-healing concrete is mixed with calcite-precipitating bacteria. These bacteria germinate when water enters the cracks in decaying concrete, thus filling the emerging air gaps.
Advance Uses of GPS:
GPS tracking solutions aren’t anything new in the field of construction, they’re currently being utilized in more creative and resourceful ways.
Surveying has been dramatically improved because surveying teams no longer need to use traditional and old surveying equipment.
Project Construction managers are also using GPS in fleet management. Today, each of their vehicles is having a device that is trackable via both computers and smartphones. This lets everyone know where vehicles always are.
It got easier to find lost or stolen equipment because management can now make maps that give the exact location of any of these items.
Timber Construction:
Sustainability and environmental benefits will increase in timber buildings. It is as robust as other materials, but we are constrained as far as the height we can go. Timber buildings are sustainable; they have excellent benefits to our feelings of well-being. In fact, it contributes to our health and happiness. Being inside a timber building makes people work better in the average workday. They become more collaborative, communicate more, and are in a better mood.
Smart Building:
I think we will see a rise in “smarts within a building” next year. Smarter buildings equate to better lighting control, better energy efficiency, and proper air-conditioning control. We might start using some higher-performance glazing so as not to introduce so much solar load inside the building.
Blockchain Technology:
Blockchain Technology can transform the construction industry to the next level. The data recorded in Blockchain is stored in a way that nobody can steal or modify. In this way, construction data can be stored in Blockchain in a secure manner. The data is accessible from any part of the world without modification of original data.
Smart contracts in Blockchain technology can be used in the construction industry for making different protocols for different projects. In this way, Blockchain can transform the construction industry.