And horner
Construction is to build to meet time needs. However, despite the fact that we live in one of the most transformative moments in human history, the construction industry is a delay in its evolution. He is struggling to keep up with the rhythm of change around him.
During the last half century, most sectors, such as the tastes of agriculture, manufacture, wholesale, retail, automotive, to name a few, have significantly increased productivity. They have used a quick technological breakthrough to produce more today, at a better quality, in a shorter time and a lower cost than before.
The construction industry is making this trend; In many ways, it is directed in the opposite direction. We are currently offering projects in a higher time, with a higher cost and, possibly, a lower quality than we achieved even a century ago.
Be ready to lose what you have … so you could get
This does not apply in all areas of the built environment, for example, there have been indisputable advances in energy efficiency, but in general, the sector has not experienced instead of increasing productivity as in other sectors in recent decades.
The Empire State Building, the home of the Main ENR office, was built long before the calendar in just 13 months and had a considerable budget with a cost of $ 660 million in current money. While the iconic Seattle Space needle was called the 400 -day wonder, it was completely completed in just 13 months.
As we look at these milestone construction projects, the question is raised: Could we deliver these projects today within these metrics? The predominant vision in the industry is that we probably couldn’t.
These impressive structures were built in an age when ambition, craft and collaboration on simplification, risk aversion and background thinking were prioritized.
An explanation for the relative stagnation of the sector is that we have captured the regulations, often for a good reason such as health, safety and safety, but without any corresponding innovation. A challenge against this would emphasize, however, that other industries also had to comply with the increase in bureaucracy and regulations, and have still improved efficiency through innovation.
The delays, the increase in costs and the decrease in productivity make the industry lose sight of the innovation that once defined it. The assembly pressures, from urbanization and shortage of labor to climate change and accessibility, place us at a junction.
To advance as an industry, we must adopt new technologies to solve problems, shape cities and rediscover the type of progress that our most iconic structures built.
The thin line between progression and regression
Our historical buildings are inspirational stories of innovation and human challenge. However, new construction requirements have changed priorities and focus on other factors such as the legislation, regulations and supervision that make up the industry. One of the main contributors to this stagnation is the regulatory changes without the corresponding innovation.
These regulations have made health and safety a priority of the avant -garde. However, they have also added new challenges that the construction industry has not adapted properly to fulfill. It does not refuse that these regulations are extremely valuable, but with them there is an increase in documentation and documentation; Administrative procedures and additional compliance; Added costs; and bottlenecks due to the delays of the regulatory agencies.
Although other industries have adapted and innovated to comply with new regulations, construction has not done so. This is evident in the performance of the main projects worldwide, which usually exceed budgets and schedules. The FATED HS2 project in the United Kingdom is a poignant example, with its cost and duplicating calendar and its ambition and impact they decrease rapidly.
If we look back 150 years, our ancestors provided huge projects such as viaducts, channels and railways at a rate and scale that we could barely understand today.
However, this does not mean that this is a uniform image worldwide. Although this stagnation can exist as US and Europe, if we look at parts of the world like the Middle East, projects such as Neom have impressive levels of innovation. Here, SIDARA companies are helping customers to deliver some of the most ambitious plans ever witnessed in the built environment. With this testimony, it is fair to say that it can be done more to think differently in other parts of the world.
The future we should build
The time for transformative change is now. Technological advances such as artificial intelligence, digital twins and automation present an opportunity for innovation within the construction industry.
The combination of advanced computer, AI and affordable robotics can catalyze the change in the construction industry, improving efficiency, reducing costs and improving safety. AI and advanced computer can speed up the procedures, documentation and compliance verifies that the increased regulations are introduced.
Advanced tools allow real -time tracking at workplaces, streamline processes and reduce delays. Robotics can help the security checks and inspections, reducing bottlenecks caused by thin and lying compliance agencies.
Other sectors, such as manufacturing and retail, have already successfully integrated these technologies to improve efficiency in similar ways, such as how warehouses use various types of robotics to streamline delivery systems. The construction industry has the opportunity to adopt similar processes to improve productivity.
Beyond technological advances, the future of construction is also in operations and maintaining structures. Technology such as digital twins, robotic constructions inspections and the control of the AI of structural systems will play a crucial role. Reports and drawings will evolve into digital models and code, feeding directly to the construction process. In the long term, technology releases construction workers and supervisors to prioritize quality control, innovation and improve safety and, in turn, improve budgets and project deadlines.
Regulations are a part needed to protect construction workers, but it is time for the industry to adapt in a way that allows them to integrate fully and effectively instead of in a way that adds the additional stress of being above the budget and delaying. These are technological advances such as the IA and the advanced computer science that will be how the industry finally evolves.
Time can no longer stand
The future of construction lies in its ability to adapt and innovate, ensuring that it is still a life and productive sector. It is easy to say that the plate of the construction industry is simply due to regulations, legislation, supervision or procedures. However, right now, it is the lack of evolution and adaptation that contributes to delays and costs and moving the industry from the human innovation and creativity stories that previously defined the sector.
As a field, we are at a junction and the reality is the only way to go is to adopt technological advances. The construction is more than buildings; It is how we configure cities, support economies and plan the future, but without embracing technology, it will continue to regress in a sector defined by slow processes, obsolete systems and limited productivity.
Dan Horner is the General Director of Sidarra in the United Kingdom, a global collaborative of specialized companies that design for the people and the planet.
