Drone

The Role of Drones in Construction Sites

Drone

When you think of drones, what comes to mind? They certainly look like toy model airplanes or helicopters that would make any kid happy (at least any kid who grew up before having an iPad permanently entrusted in his or her hands).

Today, they have facilitated expediency in many industries: From newscasters using them to show weather changes in slow motion, to wedding photographers taking aerial shots, to farmers overseeing their crops.

Turns out these nifty little gadgets are also useful in construction. In addition to looking cool flying over your site, they provide the following benefits:

  1. They save you money: Instead of having someone survey a site, gather data, and draw out maps, a drone can do all of that for you, at a fraction of the time, for a lot less money than it would cost to pay someone to do it.
  1. Monitor progress: There are few things that are more satisfying to a business owner or project manager than to see timely progress on a project. It’s also impressive to watch a construction project develop from the ground up; and a drone will let you do that at any speed you’d prefer.
  2. Keep clients updated: The same way your own company can track how much of the work has already been completed, you can use the same footage to send weekly (or whichever time frame you prefer) to your clients. Keeping them posted with video will be a lot more valuable than explaining it in boring esoteric construction jargon.
  1. Keep your workers safe: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that having a bird’s eye view of a work site will allow you to see possible dangers that you might have otherwise missed up close. Keep your workers safe and happy, protect yourself from potential legal liability, and reduce worker’s compensation claims, all rolled into one!

The construction industry has always reflected a society’s progress, from the most rudimentary buildings at the turn of last century to the extraordinary, experience based designs we get to visit today. Drones are just one drop in the bucket of technological advances within the field. With every passing day, it keeps getting more impressive. Stay tuned.

Building at Night

How Intelligent Buildings Will Make Your Life Easier

Building at Night

How dependent have you become on your smart phone? Would you be able to drive anywhere without its GPS? Could you get through an entire day without texting, checking social media, being able to read emails as soon as you receive them, or taking pictures of your work, your finished product (whatever it is you were working on all day?)

What about Amazon Echo or Google Home? It has become extraordinarily easy to ask thin air what the weather is going to be like tomorrow, or to play our favorite music, as long as we preface it with Alexa, or Siri, or whichever smart electronic you have at home as your virtual assistant.

And now, you get to read about smart buildings. By 2021, the smart building industry will reach $24.73 billion in projected revenue; so it would be nice to get a piece of that pie as a construction company. As an end user, read below to see how you will benefit as well.

The Internet of Things (IoT)

Smart buildings are possible thanks to a hybrid between the construction industry, the IT (Information Technologies) industry, and the Internet of Things.

This type of construction provides you with a long list of benefits straight out of The Jetsons:

It keeps you comfortable: Smart buildings regulate air circulation, temperature, and lighting. You won’t even have to get up from your couch or desk if you’re too hot or cold. You won’t have to keep tabs on all lights that are on in unoccupied spaces. The building will do this for you.

It keeps you safe: Smart buildings are prime for integrating fire safety and heightened security. If a smoke detector goes off, or a lock is broken into, you will be alerted; as well as the appropriate emergency personnel.

It saves you money: Since your house or office would know when the building is occupied, once there are no people inside, IoT would adjust air conditioner, heating units, and lights accordingly. This type of monitoring is cost effective, as energy consumption will decrease when nobody’s home. It is also as beneficial to the environment as to your pocket. It’s a win-win situation. It’s also a trend that’s being adopted worldwide so it’s imperative to immerse ourselves in it in order to remain competitive.

We may be becoming spoiled by our smart gadgets, but we are also becoming more efficient. The future is now.

The Impact of 3-D Printing in Construction

3D Printed Home

Remember when 3-D meant wearing funny looking plastic glasses to watch a movie and either (a) become immersed in that fantasy world, or (b) come out with a migraine and needing a nap?

Today, 3-D means so much more. Hospitals are using it to create organs for transplants, and the auto industry is using it to construct auto parts. The trend has also greatly impacted construction. Companies in China and the Netherlands have constructed homes within a 24-hour period, utilizing 3D printing. And we’re not talking about tiny houses or trailers here. These are real life, regular sized homes. What’s more, the houses were built on-site, with recycled materials, at a significant fraction of usual construction costs: $5,000.00. Yes, you read that right. You can build a house for five grand.

What does this mean for the construction industry?

Before panic sets in, let’s look at it objectively. Did films come to an end thanks to the ubiquitous use of the Internet? Blockbuster may have had to shut its doors; yet Netflix and Hulu have made a killing streaming movies on demand. What’s the difference between one company’s demise and the other two that are still thriving? Evolving with the times and adapting to technology.

With some 3D printing, the large-scale printers print the materials, but workers are still needed to put together the homes; while with others, the entire project can be done by the printer. There are a lot of benefits for both the end user and the builder: a significant reduction in construction costs, less harm done to the environment, and the ability of completing expansive projects in less time. In addition, this means that the recent workers shortage won’t have a long-term effect within the field; which is more than what could be said about those funny looking glasses.