Digital Technology: How it May Benefit Your Construction Business

By:  Todd Brand

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Construction professionals are constantly in search of new solutions to common construction problems, such as cost overruns and project delays. The latest trend to solve these problems is the rapid rise of digital technology.

Digital technology refers to the use of computer-based programs, such as applications, algorithms and robotics to identify and solve problems. The advent of digital technology in the construction industry has caused an evolutionary shift in the way information is collected, analyzed, and applied to maximize efficiency, reduce costs, and flag potential safety issues.

This article will discuss three of the fastest growing and widely utilized digital technology advancements that may benefit your construction business.

Building Information Modeling

Building information modeling (BIM) aims to improve productivity and efficiency in the construction process. Representing a shift from 2D drawings to 3D models, BIM allows the project team (e.g., contractors, architects, engineers, etc.) to link their specific attribute data into a shared database known as the common data environment. BIM uses this data to generate graphical and non-graphical outputs that are used to increase, among other things, project coordination, efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

From a comprehensive perspective, one important benefit BIM has on a project team is the use of its cloud-based application. In traditional construction projects, design changes run the risk of causing confusion among the project team. BIM is capable of updating changes or markups in real time, allowing team members to stay on the same page. BIM also saves design changes in its database, ensuring that proper documentation is preserved throughout the project; and because cloud-based computer software can be viewed onsite or offsite, BIM can improve communication and coordination among members of the project team.

To better investigate the numerous benefits of BIM, it is important to break down the BIM process and to understand what type of outputs are created by collaborating and combining each project member’s attribute data into the BIM software.

The BIM process begins by utilizing the architect’s drawings and specifications to generate a 3D graphical model of the project. The 3D model allows contractors to bring the project to life and help the project team gain an understanding of how the project should appear in a real-world environment.  BIM participants can virtually “walk through” the 3D model during the design phase – allowing participants to examine details that would otherwise be unknown until after project is well underway. BIM participants are afforded an opportunity to discern and correct inefficiencies or other issues prior to the construction phase, which may save participants time and money.

Next, construction team members will input non-graphical information into the common data environment. The non-graphical outputs is what makes BIM truly special and explains why it has become such a common tool in construction management. Currently, BIM separates the non-graphical information into the following four categories: Scheduling, Costs, Sustainability and Facilities Management.

Scheduling – 4D

Although the scheduling process is still performed manually, visual validation can prove to be invaluable. BIM enables project managers the ability to sync construction schedules to the common data environment, giving the software the information it needs to generate new 3D models that illustrate how the structure, and the surrounding area, will appear during each event on the construction schedule.

These 3D models provide contractors with the ability to greatly reduce construction delays by identifying and correcting scheduling conflicts and design clashes that may be undetectable in a traditional 1D construction schedule.

Costs – 5D

Linking cost related information to the common data environment generates cost estimates significantly faster and more accurately than traditional approaches. The speed at which the program analyzes new information and recalculates the outputs alone is a significant labor and cost saver. Contractors can create multiple permutations and provide owners with graphical and non-graphical reports based on differing designs and material inputs.

Cost information can also be used to allocate labor and material resources. Cost managers, for instance, can use BIM to track component quantities and the costs associated with differing component groups by applying their per unit prices.

Sustainability – 6D

BIM sustainability refers to environmental and energy analysis completed during the design phase of a construction project. By integrating energy-related data into the design process, BIM can optimize the structure’s energy performance by making changes that impact energy consumption such as orientation, materials, and mechanical systems.

Projects completed using traditional construction practices must wait until the project is complete to perform any energy analysis; and any issues that are found after the fact may be costly to change.

Facilities Management – 7D

The “as-built” model is replete with all relevant component information such as cut sheet specifications, warranty information, and maintenance manuals. This information can be synchronized with the facility management system to provide replacement costs, expected life data, and estimated running and maintenance costs to the facilities manager.

With BIM, facility managers are also able to create pre-planned maintenance events such as replacement deadlines and spending profiles, letting managers know when repairs have become uneconomical or inefficient.

Drone Technology

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more commonly referred to as drone technology, can provide aerial imaging of the project site and its surrounding areas. Similar to BIM, drone technology has become an indispensable part of the virtual design and construction process to maximize efficiency and increase productivity.

Rather than performing site surveys by foot, cranes or planes, contractors have begun to use drones to collect this information. Analysis of drone collection data can be used to accurately measure distances, areas and volumes to greatly decrease costs and the time associated with the surveying process. What used to take days or weeks can now be done in a matter of hours. In fact, contractors who use drones can now spend more time analyzing the data they collect rather than trying to figure out how to acquire such data.

Using drones to conduct site surveys has opened the door to a host of other uses such as thermal imaging, site logistics, safety assessment, and even business marketing.

Drones are also used to help spot inefficiencies and track construction progress. During construction, drones can track volumes of earthwork moved, quantities of materials on site and monitor vehicle movements. Drones capture real-time information that can be used by project managers to keep track of multiple projects at one time and provide project owners with aerial photography updates during the project’s life cycle.

Monitoring a large construction site with on-ground personal can be a real challenge that is often performed unsuccessfully. Drones can alleviate many safety risks by identifying dangerous conditions, hazardous materials, and insecure structures. Drones can even be pre-programmed with specific flight patterns to provide project managers with daily oversight of the project’s site conditions.

Offsite Construction

Offsite construction, also known as modular or prefabricated construction, refers to the planning, design, fabrication and assembly of building elements at a location other than their final installed destination. Contractors using prefabricated components aim to solve their construction problems by taking advantage of the benefits offsite construction offers, including, lowering labor and material costs, and decreasing environmental waste and unnecessary reworks.

Contractors can take advantage of offsite construction’s factory-like model, which leverages its increased efficiency to pass along significant costs savings to its customers. By using modular construction components, particularly on projects with repetitive designs, such as apartments, hotels, hospital and schools, contractors may be able to reduce their costs.

Offsite construction may also reduce environmental waste caused by traditional construction practices. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 135 millions tons of construction related debris fill our landfills every year. Offsite construction has the potential to reduce this waste by manufacturing its products in controlled conditions. The prefabrication process inherently leads to far fewer errors and a higher degree of quality workmanship due to its automated and precision manufacturing process. Prefabricated components can also be reused and repurposed. Due to its modular nature, offsite construction can be deconstructed in much the same way it was assembled and many parts can be recycled into other projects. Contractors utilizing offsite construction receive the added benefit of reduced costs while taking steps to reduce the amount of construction debris that gets delivered to the dump every year.

Conclusion

The benefits of digital technology seem endless and the construction industry has clearly just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible.  Contractors are encouraged to look closely at the available technological tools and consider the benefits that such innovative tools may have on their project-specific efficiency goals and long-term business objectives.