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Construction has a reputation as a Luddite industry, but there are companies challenging that image with ground-breaking technical innovations.
For some of them, their efforts have been recognized in a list of innovators by the business publication Fast Company, which grouped the winners by the category of their work.
Here are the eight construction-adjacent companies that earned recognition as one of the “World’s Most Innovative Companies of 2024.”
Learning in interaction
Applied AI
Contractors are aware of two constant truths in the industry: that workers are hard to come by and that training those who arrive on the job takes time.
Austin, Texas-based job education company Interplay Learning hopes to help builders retain and train their workers in workplace processes. It uses 3D training simulations and virtual reality to educate workers on the necessary skills they need in their respective trades through its product, SkillMill, according to its website.
What sets the company apart, according to Fast Company, is a AI-based assistant called SAMwhich allows builders to receive instant answers to questions they may have while using the product.
ZGF
Architecture
ZGF, an architecture firm based in Portland, Oregon, caught Fast Company’s attention with its focus on solid wood projects.
How? He built his own massive lumber supply chain.
The architect received praise for his work at Portland International Airport and its use of solid wood in the project. However, Fast Company noted that ZGF was also careful in its selection and targeted suppliers within 300 miles, heavily favoring local and indigenous operations.
Arcadius
Architecture
In the wake of disasters such as Collapse of Fern Hollow Bridge, infrastructure security is the priority of many AEC professionals. Fast Company recognized Amsterdam-based contractor Arcadis for its work developing an AI-based safety application for bridges.
Arcadis partnered with infrastructure assessment firm Niricson develop Bridge Healthan inspection service that uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics to check bridges for defects and other problems that could lead to failures and catastrophes.
The program, which uses drones, is able to discern data that is invisible to the human eye, writes Fast Company.
transfer
education
Virtual reality skills training platform Transfr earned recognition from Fast Company for its efforts to train healthcare professionals amid shortages, but the program also has broad applications for the construction industry.
The New York City-based company’s training offerings serve a wide range of professions, from government workers to healthcare professionals to skilled workers, and uses VR technology to train job seekers in the ways of their new professions.
For builders, Transfr partners with employers and provides simulations that meet industry standards, according to the company’s website.
Holcim
Manufacturing
Cement manufacturing giant Holcim made its mark on the Fast Company list for its efforts to create a more sustainable cement and concrete product for the construction industry.
Fast Company noted the Swiss firm’s continued efforts to lobby governments for green legislation, along with a unique plant producing Europe’s first low-carbon calcined clay-based cement.
The industry pioneer also turned its research center in Lyon, France, into an incubator for initiatives focused on companies working to reduce emissions in the construction industry.
Neck
Manufacturing
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor earned recognition from Fast Company for its efforts to mitigate emissions at its plants and sites across the United States.
In 2023, it made several moves to reduce its carbon footprint. These include a switch to battery-electric trucks for deliveries, the commissioning of the first LEED v4-certified steel mill, and the deployment of carbon capture and storage technology at a Louisiana plant.
TV
robotics
Palo Alto, Calif.-based robotics firm Teleo made waves on the Fast Company list for its technology that turns ordinary heavy machinery into autonomous robots.
Fast Company ordered Teleo’s retrofit kit, which can be installed on existing machinery. The technology also allows an operator run multiple devices simultaneouslywith training lasting from a few hours to several days.
Dusty robotics
robotics
Dusty Robotics, a construction robotics company based in Mountain View, Calif., earned its spot on Fast Company’s list of innovators for its FieldPrinter, a patented technology that does the arduous task of designing a workplace and hand it over to a robot.
Its FieldPrinter automates the process of imposing digital floor plans on physical works by printing them on the ground using a combination of hardware, software and services. The process is faster than hand-made designs, writes Fast Company.
In total, Dusty has printed more than 70 million square feet of building design on more than 1,000 projects, according to the company.
Editor’s Note: Construction Dive’s parent company Industry Dive was recognized as one of Fast Company’s winners in the media category.
