7 Technology Trends That Will Impact the Future of Construction
The future is faster than you think and there’s one big prize at the end that will transform one of the world’s largest industries: construction.
Increasingly, construction companies are getting better at implementing technology programs and start-ups are stepping up to tackle the industry’s many challenges.
As all things digital continue to accelerate, which trends matter most to construction?
Having spent the first half of my career working on some of the world’s largest construction projects and the latter half working in technology with some of the world’s largest enterprises, it’s clear that the industry itself has come a long way.
This is a list of the seven construction technology trends that have the most momentum this year and that (as wider trends go) are considered to have the most room for growth. Underlying all of them is their ability to fundamentally change construction by either transforming entire processes or turning the way we do things in construction on their head.
Each has the ability to alter the construction world in its own right, but the combined power of them all will be truly awesome.
Making sense of a complex and confusing construction technology landscape can be difficult. Hopefully this research helps.
Depending on the nature of your operations and where your business sits in the construction value chain, some of these trends will be more relevant than others.
Construction companies can begin to plan healthy technology programs by taking into account the shifting technology landscape and by setting the table for future transformation. That involves continuously testing the maturity of your business processes and understanding your company’s unique field needs through the field change agents that will guide adoption.
Unifying them all is mobile computing, improved internet connectivity of jobsites, exceptionally faster computation, and an increased appetite for new technology in a historically paper-based industry. The implication of these trends on construction will be profound and will reinvent companies and entire industry sectors.
Will your organization take advantage of these trends to accelerate innovation and future-proof your business?
#1. Reality capture
Reality capture has already taken off with the ubiquity of enabling technologies like drones, photogrammetry, laser scanning, and 360-degree cameras. While initially a QA/QC use case for clients, reality capture is becoming increasingly integral for progress monitoring and the gathering of information that comprises a construction site’s digital twin.
#2. Augmented reality
Building Information Modeling (BIM) sits behind many of the applications on this list since it’s the model that comprises a digital replica of the project’s design. Accessing BIM with data in the field is now within reach through augmented reality. Augmented reality also promises to one day eliminate the costly office-to-field divide via features like remote-expert and hands free computing & connectivity.
#3. Computer vision
Much of a construction site is visual (think hi-vis vests and colorful signage) yet most of these visual cues are lost in the daily commotion. Computer vision promises to be a critical process control tool that helps construction companies implement lean construction practices, like minimizing rework and monitoring flow, that otherwise takes on-site resources.
#4. Internet of Things
Specialized sensors have always had a place in construction for applications like equipment management and supply chain visibility. But the modern prevalence of inexpensive hardware, improved jobsite connectivity, and AI-powered platforms promises to accelerate the transformational impact of the eventual Smart Jobsite.
#5. Generative design
Value engineering is a core principle in successful construction projects. And while processes like parametric design exist for tasks like site layout, they’re still mostly trial and error. When well-tuned genetic algorithms start to optimize project designs around cost & schedule constraints, the construction industry will never be the same.
#6. Robotics
Construction robotics is having a moment. While the construction industry has historically had a high degree of mechanization, it’s struggled to advance beyond its heavy machinery past and into the automated future. Enter the recent start-ups who are addressing the construction jobsite’s (many) technical challenges and delivering directed value with robots.
#7. Digital project management
A number of technology trends are swirling around that promise to transform not only our daily lives but also impact the way that our daily environment gets built — none of them are more widely adopted and more visible than the wide umbrella known as digital project management. These tools improve collaboration across the project lifecycle and between big IPOs and industry standardization, it’s a trend that’s here to stay.
Nate Fuller is Managing Director of Placer Construction Solutions, advising leadership teams to transform their organizations in ways that improve performance and agility at the field level.
He provides construction companies with a field assessment that delivers transformative information about their field operations and is proven to accelerate innovation & technology adoption for Top ENR contractors.
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