Toronto Zenith – The Role of Technology in Construction in 2020 and Beyond

Technological innovations have always driven the growth of the construction industry. From the invention of the hammer and the shovel to the nail gun and the hydraulic excavator, as technology improves, the construction industry thrives.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, the only thing powering your drill was you. Construction benefits from new technologies more than most industries. With each innovation, construction gets better, safer, stronger, and more efficient. 

If innovations like power tools, heavy equipment, and CAD have driven construction forward like a steam engine, the technological revolution has been a bullet. And what’s on the horizon isn’t a train at all, it’s a rocket ship.

What seemed like science fiction only twenty years ago is now commonplace, and new technologies are being developed at a breakneck pace. Connected equipment and tools, telematics, autonomous heavy equipment, drones, robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, and even 3D printed buildings are already being used on job sites around the world.

Streamlining Productivity

Even with all these new technologies revolutionizing how we build, research from McKinsey & Company reveals that “construction productivity has remained flat for decades. The traditional method of design-bid-build makes construction disjointed and siloed. Every construction site is different, presenting its own unique set of challenges and risks.” Which makes it difficult to streamline and increase productivity as other industries have.

But there are technologies available now that can change all that. Software and mobile solutions are now available that can help manage every aspect of a construction project. Preconstruction, scheduling, project management, back office management, you name it, there’s a software solution to help manage it.

AI and machine learning have a place in the construction world as well. Leveraging data allows construction firms to make better decisions, increase productivity, improve safety, and reduce risks. 

“With artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning systems, firms can turn the mountains of data they have collected over the years on projects to predict future outcomes on projects and gain a competitive advantage when estimating and bidding on construction projects.” – ConstructConnect, How Technology is Reshaping the Construction Industry

Construction management software is getting easier to integrate on the job site. Many solutions even bundle things like scheduling, project management, and timekeeping. All this makes adoption a much easier process.

Robotics

Drones, also sometimes called UAV’s are already becoming popular on job sites. They’re useful for gathering survey data and can increase safety, accuracy, and efficiency. As the tech continues to improve, drones can even be ordered bespoke to each site or company’s needs. 

Robots that do simple repetitive tasks like bricklaying or tying rebar are also already in use. Their ability to work continuously and complete tasks faster than humans ensure this trend continues to grow into 2020 and beyond. 

Autonomous heavy equipment is another technology that will become more and more popular as the tech advances. They use similar technology to that of self-driving cars. But, instead of delivering your pizza order, these machines perform excavation, grading, and site work.

All of these technologies are still human-powered. They require human interaction and human operators. 

Building Information Modeling

Building information modeling or BIM is another trend that will continue to grow into the next decade and beyond. BIM represents buildings, roads, and utilities through computer-generated images.

BIM allows engineers to use models to visualize how building materials will hold up over time. This allows them to more accurately predict material needs and reduce wasted time, labor, and materials. 

A construction project designed with BIM helps subcontractors identify areas for energy improvement and usage throughout the building. This helps the planners optimize energy levels to reduce long term costs of running the building. – eSub.com, 10 Construction Industry Trends to Look For in 2020

BIM tech is both economically and environmentally beneficial. It not only minimizes wasted resources, but it is also an important transitional tool to help construction firms move towards sustainable construction methods. And BMI has a significant ROI in the long-term.

Looking Ahead

As the construction industry continues to evolve, these and other new technologies will play a crucial role in its development. Firms that want to flourish need to stay up to date on and implement new technologies in order to stay competitive.