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CONSTRUCTION DIRECTORY
UK Connect
The question for organisations is no longer if they are going to digitalise their workspace, but when and how are they going to keep up and adapt with ever evolving technologies.
In this article UK Connect takes a look at ten crucial construction technology trends that are impacting the industry in 2020.
What is construction technology?
Construction technology is a collective term for types of technology that have a specific use within the construction industry. Examples of this includes smart machinery, automated robots, virtual reality, 5G and IoT. All of which are created and adapted to aid the industry in improving working conditions, boost efficiency, improve health and safety and many other benefits.
The 10 types of construction technology impacting the industry:
• Big Data
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Robotics & Drones
• 5G and Wi-Fi6
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)
• 3D Printing
• Mobile and Cloud Technologies
• Blockchain
Big Data
A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Today the giants of the digital industry deal in data, the oil of the digital era.
There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but that pace is only accelerating as construction technology advances. Over the last two years alone a mind-blowing 90 percent of data in the world was generated!
What is big data and where is the data coming from?
Big data is a term used to describe extremely large data sets that may be used to uncover hidden trends, patterns in behaviour, unknown correlations to make more informed business decisions and serve as the basis for artificial intelligence and automation systems. It is this big data that helps evolve advancements in construction technology.
This data is being gathered from Internet searches and services, mobile phones, digital photographs, social media and many other forms of digital communication tools – such as text message, Skype and emails.
How big data is being used in construction:
• Historical big data can be analysed to pick out patterns and probabilities of construction risks to steer new projects towards success and away from pitfalls.
• Big data from weather, traffic, and community and business activity can be analysed to determine optimal phasing of construction activities.
• Sensor input from machines used on sites to show active and idle time can be processed to draw conclusions about the best mix of buying and leasing such equipment, and how to use fuel most efficiently to lower costs and ecological impact.
• Geolocation of equipment also allows logistics to be improved, spare parts to be made available when needed, and downtime to be avoided.
• Energy conservation in shopping centres, office blocks and other buildings can be tracked to ensure it conforms to design goals. Traffic stress information and levels of flexing in bridges can be recorded to detect any out of bounds events.
• This data can also be fed back into building information modelling (BIM) systems to schedule maintenance activities as required.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is intelligence shown by a machine in order to mimic human behaviour and machine learning (ML) is a field of AI, where statistical techniques are used to give a computer the ability to learn from data without being explicitly programmed. Both are fast becoming integral pieces of technology in the construction industry.
Imagine a world whereby you could use computer systems to programme robots, machines, or to automatically calculate and design house building. This technology is already available and being used today, it continues to help advance construction technology with the industry able to benefit from increased efficiencies in cost and speed.
Here are some examples of how AI and ML are benefiting the construction industry today:
• Predictive design, taking into consideration many factors such as weather, location, and creating digital building twins to increase the lifetime of a building.
• Better design of buildings – Machine learning can be used to explore different variations of a solution and create design alternatives, taking into consideration the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and ensuring the routes for MEP systems do not clash with the building architecture.
• Using AI driven automation to take over highly repetitive tasks could significantly improve productivity and increase safety, whilst addressing the industry's shortfall of labour.
• Better financial planning and project management – using historical data, AI is able to predict any cost overruns, realistic timelines and can also help staff access information and training material faster to reduce on-boarding times.
• Increased productivity – AI can be used to power machinery in order to perform repetitive tasks such as pouring concrete, brick laying or welding, freeing up human workers for the construction itself.
• Increased safety – Construction workers are killed on the job five times more often than other labourers. With the use of AI, sites can be monitored for safety hazards, using photos and recognition technology to tell if a worker is wearing the correct PPE or by using geo-location to identify danger areas and alerting workers.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an already integral piece of construction technology and massively transforming its way of working.
IoT is made up of smart devices and sensors that all share data with each other and can be controlled from a central platform. The implications of this is huge as it means that a new smarter, more efficient and safer way of working is now very possible.
What does this mean for construction?
• Smart machinery can be used to perform repetitive tasks and can also be smart enough to maintain itself, for example a cement mixer that runs low on cement, with the use of a sensor, it can order itself more, boosting efficiency and productivity
• Footfall can be tracked on site and applications used to induct and check in and out workers – reducing paper heavy tasks and saving huge amounts of time
• Increased safety – by using geo-location, danger areas can be identified within a construction site and with the use of smart technology can alert any workers if they enter the area.
• With the use of smart technology, it can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of a development. By having sensors in vehicles to switch off the engines when idle, or by measuring wastage and using that data for better planning to inform the layout of a development to reduce travel across sites.
Robotics & Drones
The construction industry is one of the least automated industries that features manual-intensive labour as a primary source of productivity, and it is surprising that robots have yet to play a significant role.
A key obstacle to this is the construction worksite itself because robots require a controlled environment and tasks that are repetitive and non-variable.
In this article UK Connect takes a look at ten crucial construction technology trends that are impacting the industry in 2020.
What is construction technology?
Construction technology is a collective term for types of technology that have a specific use within the construction industry. Examples of this includes smart machinery, automated robots, virtual reality, 5G and IoT. All of which are created and adapted to aid the industry in improving working conditions, boost efficiency, improve health and safety and many other benefits.
The 10 types of construction technology impacting the industry:
• Big Data
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML)
• The Internet of Things (IoT)
• Robotics & Drones
• 5G and Wi-Fi6
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)
• Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)
• 3D Printing
• Mobile and Cloud Technologies
• Blockchain
Big Data
A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Today the giants of the digital industry deal in data, the oil of the digital era.
There are 2.5 quintillion bytes of data created each day at our current pace, but that pace is only accelerating as construction technology advances. Over the last two years alone a mind-blowing 90 percent of data in the world was generated!
What is big data and where is the data coming from?
Big data is a term used to describe extremely large data sets that may be used to uncover hidden trends, patterns in behaviour, unknown correlations to make more informed business decisions and serve as the basis for artificial intelligence and automation systems. It is this big data that helps evolve advancements in construction technology.
This data is being gathered from Internet searches and services, mobile phones, digital photographs, social media and many other forms of digital communication tools – such as text message, Skype and emails.
How big data is being used in construction:
• Historical big data can be analysed to pick out patterns and probabilities of construction risks to steer new projects towards success and away from pitfalls.
• Big data from weather, traffic, and community and business activity can be analysed to determine optimal phasing of construction activities.
• Sensor input from machines used on sites to show active and idle time can be processed to draw conclusions about the best mix of buying and leasing such equipment, and how to use fuel most efficiently to lower costs and ecological impact.
• Geolocation of equipment also allows logistics to be improved, spare parts to be made available when needed, and downtime to be avoided.
• Energy conservation in shopping centres, office blocks and other buildings can be tracked to ensure it conforms to design goals. Traffic stress information and levels of flexing in bridges can be recorded to detect any out of bounds events.
• This data can also be fed back into building information modelling (BIM) systems to schedule maintenance activities as required.
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is intelligence shown by a machine in order to mimic human behaviour and machine learning (ML) is a field of AI, where statistical techniques are used to give a computer the ability to learn from data without being explicitly programmed. Both are fast becoming integral pieces of technology in the construction industry.
Imagine a world whereby you could use computer systems to programme robots, machines, or to automatically calculate and design house building. This technology is already available and being used today, it continues to help advance construction technology with the industry able to benefit from increased efficiencies in cost and speed.
Here are some examples of how AI and ML are benefiting the construction industry today:
• Predictive design, taking into consideration many factors such as weather, location, and creating digital building twins to increase the lifetime of a building.
• Better design of buildings – Machine learning can be used to explore different variations of a solution and create design alternatives, taking into consideration the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and ensuring the routes for MEP systems do not clash with the building architecture.
• Using AI driven automation to take over highly repetitive tasks could significantly improve productivity and increase safety, whilst addressing the industry's shortfall of labour.
• Better financial planning and project management – using historical data, AI is able to predict any cost overruns, realistic timelines and can also help staff access information and training material faster to reduce on-boarding times.
• Increased productivity – AI can be used to power machinery in order to perform repetitive tasks such as pouring concrete, brick laying or welding, freeing up human workers for the construction itself.
• Increased safety – Construction workers are killed on the job five times more often than other labourers. With the use of AI, sites can be monitored for safety hazards, using photos and recognition technology to tell if a worker is wearing the correct PPE or by using geo-location to identify danger areas and alerting workers.
The Internet of Things (IoT)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is an already integral piece of construction technology and massively transforming its way of working.
IoT is made up of smart devices and sensors that all share data with each other and can be controlled from a central platform. The implications of this is huge as it means that a new smarter, more efficient and safer way of working is now very possible.
What does this mean for construction?
• Smart machinery can be used to perform repetitive tasks and can also be smart enough to maintain itself, for example a cement mixer that runs low on cement, with the use of a sensor, it can order itself more, boosting efficiency and productivity
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• Footfall can be tracked on site and applications used to induct and check in and out workers – reducing paper heavy tasks and saving huge amounts of time
• Increased safety – by using geo-location, danger areas can be identified within a construction site and with the use of smart technology can alert any workers if they enter the area.
• With the use of smart technology, it can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of a development. By having sensors in vehicles to switch off the engines when idle, or by measuring wastage and using that data for better planning to inform the layout of a development to reduce travel across sites.
Robotics & Drones
The construction industry is one of the least automated industries that features manual-intensive labour as a primary source of productivity, and it is surprising that robots have yet to play a significant role.
A key obstacle to this is the construction worksite itself because robots require a controlled environment and tasks that are repetitive and non-variable.
