Digital Technology in construction has all prospects to help improve quality, expedite delivery, minimise losses, keep people safe, and increase the bottom line.
Is the COVID 19 crisis accelerating some of the modernisation trends that the construction industry has been seeing in recent years?
Digital recovery for the construction sector
Construction is a major industrial sector for economies around the world. As the world puts itself on path to recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this sector, which represents 13 percent of the global GDP and employs about 7.5 percent of the global workforce, will have an important role to play. In the process, it could do well to shed some legacies.
Kick-starting economies
According to the International Labor Organisation (ILO) the construction sector may hold the key to kick-starting economies ravaged by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. ILO observes that investing in infrastructure can be among the first set of measures to kick-start economies because governments can directly stimulate demand and job creation, compensating for the lack of private sector and household spending. As observed from past crises, although households and private sector businesses may be reluctant to invest while the economic future is uncertain, governments can increase investments in infrastructure projects, particularly maintenance schemes because these usually involve simpler and quicker approval processes. It absorbs workers from other sectors relatively easily, and projects can target regions and towns where the post-COVID recession is hitting hardest. The right infrastructure projects can support not just employment and business activity, they can also provide the foundations for inclusive and sustainable development, if they include environmental objectives and improve access to basic services for the poor.
Emergence of a new normal
Even with its prominent stake in the economy and society, the construction sector’s performance had typically been lagging compared to other industrial sectors. Low levels of digitalization, stagnant productivity, low profitability, fragmented ecosystem, very low digital adoption, massive waste contribution, low efficiency and high fault rates, have characterized the sector. It is widely considered as an industry that hasn’t been innovating at the rate and scale it could, in a long time.
Like with many sectors, construction has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 crisis: construction sites have shut down, or the open sites have faced disrupted supply chains and operational restrictions. Yet as the sector strives to keep the business going while upholding safe work measures against the COVID concerns, the pandemic also has forced the industry to fast track technologies that will help in this. With COVID-19 radically changed the dynamics of the world, forcing most people to change most of their normal routines, both privately and at work. Remote working became standard for millions of people, changed the attitude towards digital tools.
In its book Digital by Default: Construction after COVID-19, LetsBuild analyses the digital trends in the construction sector in the wake of COVID pandemic. It observes that digital seems to have become the New Normal in construction – and this within a period of a few weeks with unprecedented adoption of digital technologies. Not only because it’s a necessity to communicate to continue working remotely. But most importantly, because it is good business. Complicated decisions on investments in new technologies that usually take months or even years to mature within construction have been expedited in days during the COVID-19 crisis. It cites instances of how overnight, these technologies have become an integrated part of the industry, building up new routines and ways of working in a digital framework. It observes that COVID 19 crisis will now accelerate some of the modernisation trends that the construction industry has been seeing in recent years.
The geospatial leverage
At this point of time, the industry requires a drastic change in the way projects are handled. Geospatial technologies offer the capability to significantly reduce risks and enhance bankability of infrastructure projects and improve their viability and asset lifecycle. Geospatial data analytics generated by billions of devices around the world can provide additional insight engineers and architectures helping the construction industry cut costs and improve efficiency. When architects and engineers use real-time planning, it becomes easier to draw up accurate estimates as they are incorporate the latest information into their estimates rather than out-of-date data. From the planning stage down to operations and construction, geospatial element that can be used in infrastructure design, allowing for more efficient workflows and consistent data. Thus, the construction industry uses resources more efficiently due to accurate estimates.
Similarly, drones can conduct site surveys more quickly and accurately than a crew on the ground. Their high resolution cameras and the data collected can create interactive 3D or topographical maps and models, and take volume measurements.
Alongside, integrating modern technologies like BIM, IoT, AI, Cloud, AR/VR with geospatial emerges as a critical element to converge in building a more integrated system for modelling and executing construction projects. Adopting emerging and converging technologies infused with location intelligence will enable the industry in efficiently managing the volume of work that lies ahead. Digital Technology in construction has all prospects to help improve quality, expedite delivery, minimise losses, keep people safe, and increase the bottom line.
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