Technology is impacting the construction industry like never before.
From cloud-based collaboration and the development of digital twins
to robots, super-materials,
wearable tech, pollution-eating buildings and even artificial intelligence
an incredible array of developments are helping to improve a sector
that shapes how every human being on Earth is able to live their lives.
These are the nine construction technology trends to keep your eyes on in 2019.
Rapidly moving from science fiction to reality – robots are beginning to enter construction
in a number of areas.
From autonomous rovers that can increase the
efficiency and detail of site inspections
to mechanical arms that automate highly repetitive
tasks like brick-laying and tying rebar,
the robotic revolution looks set to gather significant pace in 2019.
While the credibility of robots on live construction sites has long been questioned,
the last 12 months saw a number of real-world trials deliver their results
and the unveiling of some astonishing developments.
Now taken seriously, the debate has moved on to how best to integrate robots,
the impact they will have on existing job roles
and the new skills that will be required as processes become automated.
Building on this progress, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is also beginning to have
an impact on construction.
From the major leaps taken in concepts like predictive design at the project planning
stage, to the rise of intelligent buildings that learn how best to operate themselves
and serve their users over time, the construction sector will likely find itself at the core
of the wider AI debate taking place across our societies in the year ahead.
Though fraught with challenges and inherently disruptive, the rise of automation could give
construction the efficiency, productivity and safety breakthroughs it has sought for decades.
Originally developed for military use and for patient mobility and rehabilitation,
exoskeletons are now beginning to appear on construction sites.
Helping to protect workers from manual handling injuries and the risk of hand-arm vibration,
these mechanical suits that “augment” with human operatives can also deliver considerable
gains in productivity.
Already being rapidly adopted across manufacturing, live trials on construction sites in the past
year have yielded results that look set to drive the development and uptake of exoskeletons
in our sector during 2019.
Connected job sites use cloud technology to make information about almost every aspect
of their operation available to all the relevant parties, regardless of whether those parties
are on-site or elsewhere.
From putting design information streamed from a single point of truth into the palms of
operatives, to information by geolocation, remote site monitoring, personnel location
tracking, live mark-ups and the seamless transfer of as-built information
connected job sites improve communication, productivity
and safety for everyone involved in a project.
With the intuitive technology supporting these sites advancing and now more widely available
than ever before, connected job sites are only expected to become more commonplace in 2019.
Meanwhile, developments continue to be made in connecting people and consolidating systems
through digital mapping engines that contain and visualize construction data.
New technology like Bluebeam “Atlas” – set to be available in 2019 – is leveraging
geospatial mapping to rethink mobile information access.
Mapping design and construction data
onto a real-world job site,
Atlas uses geo-location to present project information from multiple
systems relevant to your physical location,
making traditional folder structures obsolete
and streamlining any access-critical process
like snagging, inspections and more.
While autonomous vehicles continue to make headlines in the consumer space,
their adoption in the construction sector looks set to take notable strides forward in 2019.
As with the field of robotics, the automation of construction plant – particularly in
relation to highly repetitive tasks – could greatly improve productivity, whilst creating
a safer work environment and helping to address the industry’s shortfall in labour.
At their Electric Site in Sweden, Volvo Construction Equipment trialled electric autonomous vehicles
in conjunction with electric human-operated excavators to deliver a 40% improvement in
efficiency as compared to a traditional set-up.
Other concept vehicles under development by the manufacturer include semi-autonomous electric
excavators that can learn the careful movements required to achieve grading or highly accurate levelling.
The combined use of autonomous technology and electric power enables work to take place
around the clock without the need for breaks or the disruptive noise levels that traditionally
prevent such working.
Meanwhile, Volvo's Trucks business has made progress in developing a concept fleet of
fully autonomous electric vehicles that can help combat pollution, noise and congestion
in our cities by reducing emissions, planning optimum routes and responding to real-time traffic situations.
With growing awareness of the impact that construction has on our environment,
technological advances are bringing numerous new material innovations to the fore.
The recycling of hard-to-dispose-of waste products has seen a significant increase,
particularly in relation to plastics.
Recent developments have seen the incorporation of waste plastic into roadways and even its
use as a material for 3D printing new building components or structures.
CO2 is another by-product being re-purposed in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint
of the industry.
At this project in Atlanta, CO2 was injected into the concrete mix used in the building’s structure.
This carbon dioxide becomes trapped inside the concrete as it cures while chemical
reactions within the mix form limestone nanoparticles, that increase the overall compressive strength
of the final material.
Staying with one of 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, filling the emerging air gaps.
Other areas to watch include the continued rise of "kinetic paving" that harvests energy
from the footsteps of pedestrians to generate electricity,
“4D-printed structures” that have the ability to re-shape or self-assemble over
time by virtue of how different elements of their composition respond in differing conditions
and “smog-eating buildings” coated in photocatalytic titanium dioxide that reacts
with light to neutralise pollutants in the air of some of the world’s most congested cities.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) – also known as “drones” – are set to become increasingly
common on construction projects throughout 2019.
From undertaking inspections ensuring that operatives are kept out of harm’s way,
to surveying vast areas of land in just a few minutes, the continued rise of UAVs will considerably
improve safety and productivity in construction.
In a similar vein to robotics and the rise of automation, debate in this field has matured
from one around feasibility to consider the steps needed for a successful implementation
– with safety, approvals, privacy, the need for suitable legislation and the urgent demand
for specialist skill sets all on the agenda.
While virtual reality (or VR) has traditionally enabled project teams and stakeholders to
step inside their proposed schemes before construction works commence – the technology
is finding countless new applications across the industry as 2019 dawns.
From enabling walkthroughs of complex site logistics plans in advance, to supporting
health and safety awareness training –
VR use has matured in construction and made a
largely successful transition from its early days of novelty into a number of practical uses.
In hardware developments, HP’s Virtual Reality Backpack PC allows VR users to enjoy a more
realistic “untethered” experience, adding to authenticity and improving outcomes.
Meanwhile, developments continue to be made in augmented reality (or AR).
The technology provides a digital overlay of our real-world view, offering a range of
data to site personnel – from design information, to statistics on productivity and health and
safety warnings.
The use of 3D printing technology is advancing rapidly in the construction sector at all scales.
Accurate digital design information allows 3D printing to be used for everything from
rapid prototyping, component manufacture and scale modelling, to the full-scale printing
of house and bridge components.
With a number of prototype structures completing in the past year,
countless larger trials proving successful
and ambitious plans to 3D print entire housing districts in development,
2019 looks set to be the year that 3D printing moves from the fringes of construction to
become a credible structural solution.
The construction industry shapes our world, affects how almost every person on earth is
able to live their lives and enables the majority of other businesses and service sectors to operate.
In that context, ensuring that the built environment is operating as effectively as possible is
of critical importance to the sustainability and successful development of the human race.
By harnessing the data from the digitally enabled built assets we are now creating,
our homes, offices and in turn cities can all be operated in a smarter, more efficient,
useful and environmentally friendly way.
Furthermore, the data arising can be used to assess trends and to inform the design
of future buildings, infrastructure projects and even large-scale city-wide master-plans.
With the effective development of our urban environments on the agenda of countless governments
and authorities around the world, we expect to see the importance of this area increase
significantly in 2019.
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