We’ve seen marvels of construction like the pyramids of Giza or the Aztec temples of ancient Central America, and we can’t help but wonder how they possibly could have erected giant structures without the help of cranes and machines. During those times, the answer may have been extreme and copious amounts of human labor.
In the modern era, we exhaust all possible methods to lessen human involvement to nearly zero, for reasons ranging from safety to the reduction of human error. Different ages in history have seen technological leaps in engineering and architecture, and today is no different.
What are the advances you should expect in 2020 in the Beehive State?
Automated Machinery Provides Better Safety
From the invention of the wheel to the pulley, to the crane: each has given us the ability to build better and higher structures. Today, believe it or not, robots are making quite a big impact in the construction industry. Most of the machinery we use is manned by an operator, but fully automated machines are taking over some of the more menial and tedious jobs like brick and road laying.
Companies have seen improved build quality and faster building times with the help of robots. Robots are also replacing demolition human crews. This way, it’s a lot safer and cheaper to do several jobs. High-risk jobs like window cleaning and building maintenance are also not far from being fully automated.
Another idea worthy of development is the exoskeleton. Although still having a human operator, it would greatly increase the load-carrying capacity of a single person, therefore increasing productivity and lessening the risk of injury. The exoskeleton could be a good compromise for advancement and preventing laborers from losing too much of their jobs.
Better Building Blocks Means Higher Efficiency
One of the most innovative developments of recent times is 3D printing, with varying applications in fields like medicine, electronics, and unsurprisingly, construction. Being fully automated, the benefits of this technology include round-the-clock availability, reduced waste products, and reduced material cost. Its applications are practically limitless. For example, an entire house can be 3D printed in just a single day.
Hand-in-hand with 3D printing comes prefabricated and modular construction. Literal building blocks are made off-site, ready to use, and are transported and assembled on-site in a matter of hours. This promising concept will make construction jobs to finish faster and quieter, and the standardized components would mean a big help for many charity housing projects. It would make concrete repair of Utah roads a piece of cake.
Advanced Software For Advanced Planning
With recent developments shifting its focus away from manual labor, construction professionals can put more of their attention on the planning and designing stage. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is becoming a standard requirement for most companies as the building becomes more complicated. BIM uses advanced 3D models to effectively design a building from scratch, and it’s helping engineers and architects visualize the construction process before it even begins.
Along with BIM comes the use of Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR). This helps construction workers work on designs and correct errors in real-time. It also helps by allowing them to overview the entire project from one location. This technology could also be beneficial for clients. They could glimpse a snapshot of the finished product and preemptively make revisions.
Technological advances continue to make people’s lives more convenient, especially in the construction industry. Learning about these modern technologies allows us to appreciate the infrastructures around us.
