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The worldwide pandemic of 2020 pushed many industries, including construction, to rethink how they conducted business. With many workers working from home, and others with reduced forces due to social distancing, we all had to rethink how construction was done.
The good news is that out of this struggle, many new technologies were advanced out of necessity. Before the pandemic, virtual meetings and inspections were only conducted by those who were ahead of the curve. Now everyone experiences them every day, including children.
We hope that construction will continue to advance in technology adoption. It has been one of the slowest industries to adopt tech in the past. As is often said, “necessity is the mother of invention.”
Here are four trends in construction technology that have arisen out of the pandemic. Most were around prior to COVID-19 and have been accelerated due to travel restrictions and stay home orders.
Collaborating with design and construction professionals is the best way to produce quality project designs. In the past, designers worked independently on their designs, and then the plans were integrated, and the contractor was expected to find clashes and discrepancies. These days, with cloud data storage and software improvements, project teams can easily collaborate on documents or design features in real time.
This real-time collaboration improves the quality of the design because design professionals are meeting sooner and are discussing potential problems before they reach the contractor. They are taking advantage of the opportunity to solve problems before they get to the construction site, where fixes are more expensive. The ability to work together online save time and money for both project owners and design teams alike.
Wearable technology is a fast-growing facet of construction tech. Smart watches and phones that monitor biological symptoms have been around for a little while, but they’ve grown in popularity during the pandemic. The ability to track employees and sense when they are near other workers has been instrumental in contact tracing efforts.
In the future, companies will be able to push training modules or task instructions to workers based on their location on the jobsite. A worker could enter a room and receive a text message with instructions on what to do in that area. This will reduce time spent giving instructions and tracking task completion.
The ability to track employees also provides an opportunity for improved time and cost accuracy. Companies can determine exactly when an employee arrives on the jobsite and when they leave, reducing the opportunity for time stealing.
Everyone has had the opportunity to participate in virtual meetings in the past year, even students and children. The ability to meet with team members face-to-face without having to travel has been a lifesaver for many project teams during the past year. It has saved companies travel costs and time, allowing them to improve their efficiency.
Building inspections have also been transformed in the past year. Instead of doing on-site inspections, inspectors rely on video and photos from the jobsite. This has revolutionized how inspections are being provided and has saved cities and other jurisdictions time and money.
Many contractors have jumped on the BIM and VR train. When these tools are combined with other technology, such as virtual meetings and online collaboration, they have the power to change how projects are designed in construction. They allow design teams to recognize problems before construction begins, saving everyone time and money.
These virtual tools also allow project owners to visualize their projects even when design is still progressing. Owners can walk through virtual buildings and see how finishes and building features will look in real life. Their feedback allows design teams to make real time adjustments as the design progresses.
The pandemic has created a boom for construction technology. Teams have been forced to learn how to do things virtually and with smaller crews. While many of the technologies listed above were available before the pandemic, their use has been accelerated because of its effects. Companies that continue to adopt new technologies will be ahead of their competitors when it comes time for the next challenge.
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