Pioneering startups and tech savvy entrepreneurs are disrupting the construction industry like
never before.
But the stand-out figure in this exciting revolution is undoubtedly Elon Musk.
Widely regarded as one of the most ambitious and successful entrepreneurs of recent times,
Musk is the man behind Tesla, SpaceX and a whole host of other companies that are driving
rapid change within the construction industry.
Here, we look at three ways he is disrupting our sector.
First up is Musk’s impact on transport infrastructure in the form of hyperloop - a new high-speed
mode of travel that’s billed as the fastest way to cross the surface of the earth.
The hyperloop concept sees pods containing passengers and cargo loaded onto transporters
that travel at airline speed in pressurised tubes using electric propulsion and magnetic
levitation.
Many people dismissed the concept as infeasible and a media stunt when Musk first proposed
it in 2012.
Despite this, he made hyperloop open source and encouraged student groups and start-up
companies to take his idea and develop it further.
Since then, an entirely new industry has been born with numerous companies being established
to independently develop specific hyperloop technologies.
Proving that it isn't just a fantasy, larger companies, like Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
(HTT) and Virgin Hyperloop One, have modified Musk’s original concept and are now in a
serious race to become the first to deploy an operational hyperloop system that could
revolutionise the way we travel.
As part of Musk’s ongoing vision to move the world away from a “mine and burn”
economy and towards a “solar” economy, he assisted his cousins Peter and Lyndon Rive,
in establishing SolarCity in 2006.
By 2011 it had become one of the leading installers of solar panels and electric vehicle chargers
in the United States.
After recognising the symbiotic relationship between the SolarCity and Tesla, Musk merged
the two companies in 2016, expanding SolarCity to not only provide a means of energy production,
but one of energy storage as well.
By combining the solar panel systems with his Tesla Powerwall, Musk was able to offer
a practical means to store excess energy produced on sunny days, so that it would kick in at
times when the sun did not shine.
This weaned millions homes off their reliance on traditional power grids as the fallback
for solar power during the night and on cloudy days.
Musk also announced in 2016 that SolarCity would introduce the “Tesla Solar Roof”
- a system where roof tiles act as photovoltaic (PV) panels, thus ensuring that the ability for
a household to generate solar power is integral to its design, not just bolted-on later.
Production is already underway in Tesla's Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, New York and the
first commercial installations are expected in 2018.
With numerous established misconceptions about construction industry across society, many
of the brightest young people are pushed into what are perceived to as “higher-flying”
careers by their parents, guardians and teachers.
The result is a lack of strong young talent coming into our sector; a sector that uses
cutting-edge technology everyday, that enables you to travel the world and which delivers
a built environment that almost every human being on earth interacts with.
Elon Musk is one of the key figures challenging those misconceptions.
In December 2016, while stuck in traffic in Los Angeles -
Musk tweeted that he would build a tunnel to address the cities traffic congestion.
Within two months he had purchased a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and begun excavating
a test tunnel at his SpaceX headquarters under a new venture; The Boring Company.
Similarly, in response to ongoing power failures in South Australia, brought on by storms and
heatwaves, Musk stated that he would solve the states’ energy needs by building the
world's largest battery farm in less than 100 days. If he couldn’t achieve his goal
- he promised to do it for free. Musk went on to deliver with a month to spare.
The speed at which many of Musk’s ideas move from concepts to real world applications
affecting millions of people is rapidly demonstrating the power of construction to our wider society.
If you enjoyed this video and would like to
get more from the definitive video channel for construction,
subscribe to The B1M.