Construction  

Technology is revolutionizing the way professionals in the construction industry complete and manage projects. Additionally, it is having a noticeable impact on the planning and building processes. Contractors and companies willing to embrace this new technology will have the edge in bidding wars thanks to reduced costs and time to complete projects.

Here are four examples of technologies changing the construction industry.

Prefabrication of Materials and Designs

Prefabrication of materials and designs is an affordable technology and technique, and it requires very little maintenance. The advantage to using a prefabrication like Prefab Technology Pty Ltd is spending less time on the building site. It is a more economical way to build whole buildings like houses and their extensions.

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3D Printing

3D printing is a miracle for the construction industry. It can potentially reduce the time it takes to create complex and simple building forms. It is also being used by prefabrication firms to create and install components like plumbing and mechanical equipment. It can even be used to carry out drywall detailing. The tech is advancing, and it will eventually be able to build entire homes. Although there are flaws, according to the Mirror, the very first home was printed in China in 45 days.

Software for Faster Energy Modeling

Energy modeling has always consumed a lot of time, but new software tools in ways to allow full analysis during the conceptual design stage. It replaces models that take weeks to design and run like airflow and daylighting models. With new energy modeling software tools, construction designers can run an analysis in hours on performance data, and they can alter their designs far more quickly if needed.

Drones

Drones have become important technological tools in the construction industry. When they are equipped with advanced software and hi-res cameras, they cut down on the time it takes to survey and the hassle. Also, subcontractors are able to make better informed decisions concerning design and architectural elements of a structure using the drone's aerial analysis.

These four examples help to demonstrate how technology is changing construction. They are changing the way construction is done from design all the way to actual completion. There are many other forms of technology contributing to construction revolution too. With all of the breakthroughs, contractors will be able to finish projects faster, and at the same time, the projects will be of better quality. Finally, they save on the cost for the construction firms and the people hiring them. This technology, among others, is a win-win for all parties involved.

By  Lizzie Weakley

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About the Author: Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. She went to college at The Ohio State University where she studied communications. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and long walks in the park with her 3-year-old husky Snowball. If you are looking at getting a STEM related education, Lizzie suggests that you consider an electrical engineering master’s degree from the University of Ohio.

 Disruptive Technologies  

A research group at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia,  based in Barcelona set on a goal of re-imagining 3D printing techniques so as to overcome existing limitations of using the technology for constructing buildings.

Researchers from  the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, Spain have taken a 3D printing/additive manufacturing approach to architecture and have developed scale prototypes demonstrating their concept.

"Within the construction industry we haven't seen any disruptive technologies being introduced for almost a century," states the narrator of the team's film (below).  "We believe that robotics and additive manufacturing will play a key role in the construction industry of the future."

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Their most recent and innovative project entitled Minibuilders, uses small scale robots printing large scale structures.  This is different than other approaches used to 3D print buildings, that use machines that are as big or bigger than the structures being produced.

Minibuilders uses a family of small-scale construction robots which are mobile and capable of constructing objects far larger than the robot itself. Moreover, each of the robots developed performs a separate task, linked to the different phases of construction, finally working together as a family towards the implementation of a single building structure.

"We believe that robotics and additive manufacturing will play a key role in the construction industry of the future."

The researchers have also implemented a 1:1 scale prototype, printed by the three robots, and displayed at the Design Museum of Barcelona.



Minibuilders is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia, http://www.iaac.net developed during Open Thesis Fabrication in 2013 by:
Researchers: Shihui Jin, Stuart Maggs, Dori Sadan and Cristina Nan
Faculty: Saša Jokić and Petr Novikov
Sponsored by: SD Ventures

SOURCE  Minibuilders

By 33rd Square

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