5 Ways Construction Will Change In the Next 25 years

Construction companies and the specific day to day work as well as ever-changing technology has vastly evolved over the past 20 years. It was not that long ago that companies were focusing on how they could designate and teach their employees how to use email addresses to easily communicate with one another. Moving forward to society today, technology is a driving force behind the development of all construction equipment, architect designs, engineering, and communications that go into the construction industry as a whole. With how mind blowing current construction practices are, the next 25 years and what it encompasses is beyond comprehension.

New solutions to the construction industry will quickly develop and involve improving overall processes, creating automation in machine mechanisms, and changing the entire working concept. It is no secret that as technology improves, construction practices will follow suit to apply the concepts in order to make project completion more productive and efficient. Furthermore, a multitude of factors outside of technology will influence the construction industry such as societal standards, economic advantage, and environmental savory. There are many drastic changes that are predicted to happen within the next two to three decades in commercial construction.

Automated Machine Guidance

The construction process is heavily dictated by production time. Automated machine guidance is one of the latest technologies available to companies who not only wish to speed up production but also lower the costs associated with it through utilizing computer systems. These robotic machines are linked with global positioning systems (GPS) in order to read specific information in relation to projects such as site longitude and latitude, depth, height, and other important semantics to track the progress of the construction project. These types of automated robotics will be heavily relied on in future predictions as it provides quality assurance, and real-time accurate information.

Advanced Imaging

Still new in its development, advanced imaging has become somewhat of a spectacle. Many have seen printed 3-Dimensional images or engaged in an IMAX movie that creates an in-person experience while wearing the specified glasses. Furthermore, holographic images are now more than just a futuristic idea seen on television. Construction companies are now making their move in employing the use of this technology in order to display potential projects in a manner that is portable, make to size specifications, and non-fragile. Twenty-five years from now, the bulky models that are currently used to show a scaled size of buildings will be outdated. Architects, contractors, and other important entities will be able to visualize projects and collaborate easily.

Green Building

Globally, there has been a push to create building materials that are more efficient. Federal authoritative bodies have jumped on the bandwagon and created regulations to ensure that companies are moving toward more eco-friendly options. The development of low-impact structures are an additional design feature that will come together within the next two decades. A few innovative materials that are currently being tested include construction material made of carbon dioxide, glass that is a tough as metal, and piezoelectricity. The latter is quite intriguing, involving material that generates its own energy through vibrations. This could be used to power a variety of things such as traffic lights, cell phones, subway systems, and eventually homes.

Drone Technology

A common term, even for today, many are familiar with the idea of drone but do not understand the impact they could create for various fields and industries. With the ability to produce accurate and reliable information, architects and engineers alike can obtain a different perspective, ultimately creating ease and fluidity for project designs. Additionally, researchers are looking into ways that drones can create structures independently. Rope bridges have already been added to this list of accomplishment and a team from the University of Pennsylvania is in the process of building drones that have the capability to put together any structure. This technology has limitless possibilities for the construction industry.

Financial Prosperity

With the major advances in technology, it spells economic prosperity for the future of construction companies. Predictions state that with an increases in artificial intelligence, eco-friendly materials, quicker production rates, and other factors, the overall cost of materials will decrease along with the cost of labor as less manpower will be required to complete the same tasks. Although this is great news for construction heads and government officials, many workers who entered into the high-demand field may find themselves out of a job. Upfront costs for newer advances will be high, but the return of investment is said to be astronomical.

 

Overall, the construction industry has been one field that has relied on ancient techniques. Although still efficient in the age-old practices, rapid advancements are making way. Two to three decades from now, these “ideas” will amount to more than we could have ever imagined and revolutionize project creation and completion.

 

Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Federal Steel Supply, Inc., a leading supplier of carbon, alloy and stainless steel in pipe, tube, fittings and flanges.