The construction industry has an important role in the development and contribution to the country’s economy. It creates employment opportunities, investment opportunities, modern civilization, revolution, income generation, and develops other related sectors.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry is still experiencing progressive change and transformation. Restrictions and regulations are still in place.
To date (2022), the pandemic has changed the way every industry works, including the construction industry. We see numerous challenges such as high costs of construction materials, shortage of labour, and scarcity of components/materials, to name a few.
The future of the construction industry lies in the industry’s ability to adapt to new technology. Modern technology has helped improve construction equipment, making the process more efficient.
All of these give rise to income, innovations, economic growth, and change in employee roles. As the industry embraces technological innovations, certain new trends are emerging. In this article, we list four trends that will help the construction industry stay on track.
With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of technological innovations have emerged to improve efficiency in the construction industry. Here we will highlight two of them:
Robots are devised to aid efficiency and accuracy in the construction industry. Machines like robots have taken over the manual operation in the industry.
In a case where a geotextile industry is looking for a new and improved way to make its products, robotics is an excellent choice. Robots help complete projects at high speed, which in turn, reduces the cost of production.
Using drones in the construction industry is rapidly becoming one of the fastest-growing innovations, with usage rising by 239% year over year. Construction drone technology offers far more uses than just aerial photography for real estate and commercial efforts.
Today’s drones are used for rapidly mapping large areas over long distances, producing valuable aerial heat maps and thermal images.
The advancing drone software provides real-time, actionable data that can be used for rapid decision-making, further streamlining the entire construction process.
In addition, drones can be used in scaling the land for prefabricated vertical drain installation, for enhanced security at construction sites, and to perform other tasks better than humans.
Over the past few years, there has been a high demand for labour. The increase in demand can be traced to the rapid growth of the geotextile market.
Despite robots’ best efforts, we will need more educated and well-trained workers to manage and interpret the data produced by new technology. Fortunately, women are stepping in to fill more competitive roles.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women occupy only 10.9% of construction industry jobs, and industry hiring trends show a 94% growth in female-owned construction firms from 2007 to 2018.
Technological innovations such as robots will enhance productivity and efficiency; however, the importance of human labour cannot be overemphasized. In the coming years, new roles will be assigned and workers will have to adjust.
Building Information Modeling is a process that helps users create a digital representation of buildings.
BIM has increased the efficiency of the construction industry as it allows building owners to know what the project will look like and help them to make informed decisions in the process of construction.
Autodesk describes it as “an intelligent 3D model-based process to help professionals manage buildings and infrastructure.”
With the internet, users can access different technologies to improve construction methods. IoT affords construction companies to access different software to make geotextile installation and prefabricated vertical drain installation easy.
Moreover, there are several construction software that can mitigate the challenges faced by construction companies. They are:
The software listed above are efficient, fast, and highly valuable for any construction firm. Workers must take time to look at the features that fit their needs for any type of project. This software is also used in geosynthetics.
Furthermore, besides software, access to the internet helps construction firms to monitor on-site activities and connect construction machinery, equipment, and structures to a central channel. This will enhance accountability and performance.
NB: IoT requires regular maintenance and repair to ensure smooth operation.
With this development, we can conclude that the future of construction is going to be distinguished by improved construction technology and innovations. This development will increase efficiency, provide more labour, reduce damage, and save costs.
In addition, it will lead to the development of advanced materials like geotextiles and structures. It will also help in sustaining energy and even lead to economic growth.
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