How industry pressure points drive tech innovation

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Construction firms looking to improve productivity should align technology investments with business objectives and seek buy-in from end users, according to panelists of an FMI webinar.Read more.

This crazy concrete ceiling could revolutionize how we build

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Swiss engineers have developed a construction technique that could change how buildings are designed and built. It’s called a “Smart Slab:” A mixture of concrete, rebar, and carbon fiber that form a super-light, super-strong slab ceiling. It’s an entirely new way of building structural elements, and even at less than an inch thick and less than half the weight of a conventional concrete slab, its creators at the Digital Building Technologies group at ETH Zürich claim it can support more weight–surpassing Swiss building code standards. Read more.

Global Hub releases new P3 management tool

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The Global Infrastructure Hub has unveiled a public-private partnership (P3) management tool intended to address what the Hub has identified as a significant gap in the process — post-close management. Read more.

Contractors expect more change in next 5 years than past 50

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The construction industry has made a huge leap in the technology arena, with the market offering up only one or two apps in 2011 compared to today’s more than 2,100, according to Skanska USA’s Stacy Scopano, vice president of innovation. Read more.

Why construction inadvertently became the last frontier for tech disruption

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One might assume that digital disruption has infiltrated all the industries today. But it turns out that construction has some serious catching up to do.

There is no shortage of business to be had. The construction industry, in fact, ranks as one of the fastest growing sectors globally. Statistics Canada reports investment in non-residential building construction totalled $14.1 billion the first quarter of 2018, up 3.1 per cent from the previous quarter. This was the fourth consecutive quarterly rise, leading to a 9.0 per cent year-over-year increase in construction investment. U.S. data shows similar growth rates.

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Digitizing the construction industry requires a view from the field

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Construction is booming, and with growing population and increasing urbanization requiring new homes and offices to be built, industry momentum shows no signs of slowing down. Despite increasingly sophisticated structures, construction remains one of the least digitized industries. Read more.