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Brief of diving:
- The coalition for Smart Construction, a combined entity between Virginia Tech and Hitt Contracting that seeks to help the construction industry advance to new technologies, has announced the First recipients of seed grants from the initiative In a statement of August 25.
- The group selected five initial projects for seed grants, ranging from $ 30,000 to $ 75,000, for a total of $ 280,000, according to the statement.
- The coalition aims at projects that include advanced materials and manufacturing; Construction operations; energy; Sustainability and digital and human interfaces.
Divide vision:
Projects with selected construction applications for aid include:
- An installation of prototype of first building was focused on the construction of massive wood, which aims to improve the efficiency of construction and improve the development of the workforce.
- An exploration of a cradle approach to Cradle for the design and construction of buildings through prefabricated concrete elements to reduce the massive accumulation of construction and demolition waste.
- An effort to use artificial intelligence to track the quality of the printed concrete and to use surface waves to keep track of the printed concrete configuration times.
- The development and test of a customizable modular construction system, based on a adjustable set of parameters, using sheets of oriented chain board, cut into parts by computer control mills.
- The development and validation of a process and technology for an industrialized construction system that optimizes digital manufacturing, automation and human work.
“This opportunity is for researchers and members of the industry to work together to bring the construction industry to the next level,” said Brett Hitt, Hitt Contracting, in the statement. “With the teachers and the contributions of the industry, we were able to identify specific areas of growth where we want to see progress. Our hope is that this funding will begin projects that address the concerns in these areas, bringing us to the future of construction.”
The projects, chosen in January, are currently underway, according to the statement. Researchers will present their findings in a research showcase to highlight opportunities to expand their initial work and create new collaborations.
The collaboration of the coalition with Hitt extends to the use of the next space in the new headquarters of the builder. The initiative rented 40,000 square feet of the ground floor space in the building, which Hitt hopes that it will establish a recognized nationally recognized construction innovation center.
Andrew McCoy, an associate director of research and innovation at Myers-Lawson School of Construction in Virginia Tech, said that there were areas, such as national defense, that the initiative would like to strengthen its funding possibilities in the future.
“The industry has been slowly to change and, therefore, one of the ways to do it -it is to bring together different groups that are really invested in this change, and then we work together to make it a reality,” McCoy told Construction Dive.
On the perspective of federal financing cuts and how the coalition could affect, McCoy said he was excited about the new funding opportunities that the group could pursue, especially in the private sector.
“We are trying to create an atmosphere where we can bring the industry and work with them so that they solve their needs and contributes many different voices around the table,” he said.
