July 13

How Smart Construction Might Transform the Way We Build Post-COVID

The pandemic has taken a toll on many things, but COVID-19 has also reshaped the way people live. Apartment living has become undesirable due to increased risk of catching the disease. Along with that, rental properties aren’t allowing people to move in because they’re afraid of the moratorium on evictions.

If you now live in an apartment, you might not be able to find a new one or pay your bills. With the uncertainty surrounding apartment living, more people are turning to building their own homes. They’ve saved up their economic stimulus money, have continued working or collecting unemployment, and are focused on smart construction options.


What is Smart Construction?

Smart construction is becoming the normal way to do things throughout the industry and focuses on a data-enhanced operational model. Companies now use data and predictive analytics to help them improve their project outcomes, streamline operations, and create safer worksites.


Why Companies Want Smart Construction

Artificial intelligence and IoT networking are driving efficiency in a way that was never noticed before. Since so many people were worried about contracting COVID, they had to find safer ways to work. This often meant people working from home, including engineers and project managers. Therefore, special tools had to be used to ensure that they got the full picture of the project.


A Digital Future

Everyone recognized the benefits of going digital, and companies were at the heart of it. They allowed employees to work at home, and the process trickled down to construction workers. While they must be onsite to build the new structure, they could stage it in ways that did not require people to work closely together.

This happened because of strong organizational software, and a focus on scheduling. Along with that, smart construction makes things safer. When you have fewer workplace accidents, it boosts ROI. That means owners of construction companies can hire more people, pay less, and stick to budgets more easily.


The Specific Challenges Builders Face

Right now, the world still isn’t operating at full capacity. Therefore, productivity is lower, so projects take longer to finish. With that, there’s a labor shortage. No one wants to work because they’re fearful of the virus and enjoy government benefits, such as unemployment and stimulus money. There are also tighter controls on immigration, which cuts into the available labor force.

With that, high-quality housing is still in demand, especially in large cities. It’s crucial to offer spacious and better accommodations to prevent overcrowding and reduce the risk of new infection waves.

The question is how to achieve the goal of building without having enough people for the job. Prefabricated housing is one option. You have the components already produced and ready, and then one or two people can assemble them. They’re fast and cheap to build.

Smart construction plays a part here because digital technology is at the forefront. You need robotics and artificial intelligence to streamline the production and design processes.

With smarter design and planning processes, standard components can be mass-produced in factories, which boosts efficiency and productivity while lowering costs.

Fewer employees are needed in these facilities, which means there’s less risk of infection. Plus, when a project is run with less people, more money is being saved.


The Future

While smart construction has been around for a while, it’s never been used to such an extent. There are a few bugs to work out, and there’s still a question of sustainability and continuance when the world goes back to normal.

Traditional techniques are sure to play a role here because you always need people to do the heavy lifting. Still, prefab construction and other smart construction methods can help with affordability and other issues. Technology has helped to continue living and doing business through the COVID crisis. Now, it’s crucial to continue to realize the potential of smart construction and how it can be used to tackle design problems, inefficiency, and environmental challenges to improve everyone’s life in the future.


Tags

construction technology, COVID-19, digital construction, green construction


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