I N S P I R AT I O N S E R I E S :

THE FUTURE OF
CONSTRUCTION

1. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

CONTENTS

1.O 6.O
ROBOTS BLOCKCHAIN
PAGE 5 PAGE 12

2.O 7.O
DRONES CONSTRUCTION
PAGE 7 BIOTECHNOLOGY
PAGE 13

3.O 8.O
3D/4D PRINTING AR/VR: A COMPETITIVE
PAGE 9
DIFFERENTIATOR
PAGE 15

4.O 9.O
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODULAR CONSTRUCTION/
PAGE 10 PREFABRICATED BUILDING
PAGE 17

5.O 10.O
SMART CITIES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
PAGE 11 PAGE 19

2. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

 INTRODUCTION
Although technological trends
have been disrupting many
sectors over the last few years, the
construction industry has been slow
to adapt. Traditionally conservative,
construction has tried to implement
incremental change by wringing the
maximum benefit from tried and true
techniques. But increased competition,
demand for shorter construction times,
and startling advances in tech are
pushing construction companies to
change. Now, more construction sites
are implementing digital systems
and automation to increase their
productivity and meet the needs of
clients.

While 3D printing offers a solution to

growing housing demands, robots and
drones are taking care of dangerous
tasks and proving to be a cheap
and efficient alternative to human
labour. New, AI-based platforms are
providing paperless organisation for
architectural designs and ideas. By
using a decentralised database such
as Blockchain, the entire construction
process becomes more transparent
and the risk of fraud is minimised.
And more architects are ‘going green’
with their sustainable designs.

This is the future of construction.

3. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

1.O

ROBOTS
“I think this will become a game-changer in construction, I believe so. I think
that in the next five to ten years we are going to see mobile robots on the con-
struction site, but they’re not going to replace humans. They’ll actually collab-
orate with humans, so the best of each kind of skills come together.’’
- M atth ia s Ko h le r, S wi s s Fe d e r a l In s t i t u t e o f Te ch n o lo g y, Zu r ich

A few decades ago, when robots entered and revolutionised To prove that their robot is a
the automotive industry, they proved to be reliable, efficient, step beyond a simple engi-
and cost effective. Now, a new generation of robots is step- neering design, Giftthaler
ping into other industries, including construction. An engi- and his team used it to build
neer from Switzerland, Markus Giftthaler, created a robot a few structures at an exper-
capable of bricklaying. Known as In Situ Fabricator1, his imental construction site
robot is designed to work semi-autonomously in a complex Click for video located in Switzerland. One
building environment, and it’s considered to be world first of those structures is a 6.5 metre long wall made from 1,600
machine capable of building ‘non-standard designs.’ The bricks. The In Situ Fabricator1 managed to build this wall
robot is dust- and waterproof and can fit through a normal autonomously, using the information gathered from its sen-
doorway. The In Situ Fabricator1 is also connected to the sors. “To fully exploit the design-related potentials of using
internet, enabling architects to monitor its work. Built-in such a robot for fabrication, it’s essential to make use not
cameras allow the robot to easily navigate the building site. only of the manipulation skills of this robot, but to also use

4. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

the possibility to feed back its sensing data into the design Google is also planning to use robots for the construction
environment,’’ explained Giftthaler. Thanks to its sensors, of their new headquarters in California. Known as ‘crabots,’
the In Situ Fabricator1 gathers data from the construction these robots will work on building the internal structures.
site and combines it with the architect’s design to realise Crabots consist of groups of small and easy to manage
the building plan in brick and mortar. machines that will move across the site to provide help with
lifting and moving construction materials and furniture.
The team behind the design admits that their robot is far
from perfect and still needs a few modifications. Although Indeed, construction companies that implement auto-
the robot proved to be functional, it’s too heavy to enter mation into their work will become more competitive.
standard buildings. The robotic arm can pick up objects For example, FANUC Robotics is working on developing a
weighing 40 kilograms, but Giftthaler’s team is hoping to robotic system to increase their efficiency in the produc-
improve its strength, making it capable of handling objects tion of construction materials. When it comes to tasks like
weighing up to 60 kilograms. That’s why they’re working cutting, packaging, and stacking materials, their robots are
on an improved version, the In Situ Fabricator2, which will faster than human workers and their performance is more
more than fill the shoes of its predecessor. accurate.

5. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

 2.O

DRONES
“Our vision is basically a drone on every construction site. And we think
that’s a feasible vision.”
- Tr ist a n Ra n d a ll, a s t r a t e g i c p ro j e c t s e xe c u t i ve at Au t o d e sk

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as multiple industries, and construction is no exception. In fact,
drones, have been around for quite some time. Their conven- Goldman Sachs predicts that construction will be the largest
ience, low cost, and high flexibility are finding them a place in sector for drone implementation in the next few years.

Level of professional drone usage

Data courtesy of a survey conducted by DronesDirect.

Trades (e.g. construction/plumbing) 11,5%

Manufacturing 9,9%

Information & communications 9,1%

Creative & photographic 8,8%

Transportation 7,7%

Professional services (e.g. law) 6,6%

Marketiing 5,1%

Education 4,7%

Retail 4%

Healthcare 3,3%

Source: www.heliguy.com

6. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

The $8.5 trillion global construction industry often lacks A leading manufacturer of construction equipment,
efficiency. According to the UK’s Green Building Council, Komatsu, is planning to automate the construction site,
almost 15 percent of the materials delivered to the construc- using drones to scan the terrain and send captured images
tion site end up being wasted, causing significant financial to computers which will then create 3D maps. Using these
loss. But with the right tool on the site, these losses can be maps, Komatsu’s autonomous bulldozers will navigate
eliminated or reduced to a minimum. For a construction through the site and carry out the construction design with-
company, it’s important to know how much material they out the need for human intervention.
need on-site, but the enormous amounts of material deliv-
ered to the site can be hard to track. Using drones, construc- Drone technology proved particularly helpful in building
tion workers can monitor their site as well as assess how a downtown stadium in California. Every day during the
much material is stored. Based on the aerial images cap- construction process, several drones were sent over the
tured, they can make good estimations for their material stadium to collect video footage. The footage was then con-
orders, minimising the risk of waste. verted into a 3D image of the stadium and stored in software
where it was compared to the initial architectural design.
Besides economic benefits, drones perform a more valu-
able function: saving lives. The Occupational Safety and Drones are useful in the post-construction stages as well.
Health Administration (OSHA) reports that almost 90 peo- For instance, drones equipped with thermal sensors can see
ple were killed on different construction sites each week heat. They can fly over the building and detect ‘cold and hot
in 2015. These frightening statistics motivated a construc- spots’, areas where insufficient insulation has been placed
tion company, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, to emphasise or areas that might need HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air
their employees’ safety by implementing drones in their conditioning) modifications.
daily work. Rogers-O’Brien no longer sends their employ-
ees to high rooftops to conduct roof inspections. Now, using What makes the future of construction drones even brighter
drone mapping, they can easily get aerial photographs of a is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) act, known
potentially dangerous site without having anyone set foot as Part 107. The new act, issued in August 2016, no longer
on it. Blake Potts, who works as a construction specialist requires a drone pilot to obtain a traditional pilot’s license.
at Rogers-O’Brien Construction, said that drones are not Instead, he will only need to pass the 60-question know­
only saving lives, but also reducing the time spent on the ledge test to get a certificate to fly a drone.
inspections.

7. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

3.O

3D/4D PRINTING
‘’I understand that 3D printing could be the way to affordably achieve beauty
in architecture and construction.’’
- E nric o Din i, CEO o f D -S h a p e

3D printing, sometimes referred as additive manufacturing, 3D printing “has a potential to reduce the time needed to
has been around for quite some time. But only with recent create complex elements of buildings from weeks to hours.’’
innovations in the field, we tend to believe the age of 3D Their prototype “will achieve a level of quality and efficiency
printing is yet to come, offering limitless applications to which has never been seen before in construction.’’
various industries.
Concrete isn’t the only material going through the 3D print-
The UN estimates that by 2030, almost three billion people ing transformation. A design startup, Emerging Objects, has
will be in need of some sort of accommodation. A possible come up with the idea to create 3D printed bricks commonly
solution to such growing housing demands is 3D printing, known as Cool Bricks. What makes them special is that they
which is faster and cheaper than the conventional con- can be filled with water to bring down the temperature in
struction process. warmer months. Each brick has a three-dimensional empty
space that acts as brick pore, absorbing vapour from the air
A group of 3D printing enthusiasts from the School of Civil and turning it into water.
and Building Engineering at Loughborough University have
been working on this technology for a decade. They chose to And the hype around 3D printing is substantive. For
work with concrete because it provides excellent mechani- instance, Dubai plans to build the world’s first 3D printed
cal performance and durability, while being relatively easy skyscraper as part of their ambitious goal to make 25 per-
for a 3D printing nozzle to extrude. After developing a con- cent of all buildings 3D printed by 2030. In 2016, this city fin-
crete based 3D printer, they combined it with a robotic arm ished its first 3D printed office building, and they plan to use
which proved to be a great success, as it allowed them to the same 3D technology for other structures such as bridges
print ten times faster. In partnership with the construction and street furniture. Europe is also stepping up its game,
company Skanska, the material supplier Tarmac, and the hosting more than 60 percent of all 3D based construction
robotic company ABB, they’re developing an industry pro- activities, and it has the potential to become a leader in 3D
totype. The director of innovation at Skanska, Rob Francis, based construction.
is optimistic about their project, and strongly believes that

8. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

3.O

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
“Currently, the use of AI on jobsites is limited. But it is growing, particularly in
applications involving machine vision for surveying and analysing materials
and structures, or for robotics applications such as automated bricklaying or
autonomous vehicles.”
- Dan Ka ra , re s e a rc h d i re c t o r o f A B I R e s e a rc h

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming construction as benefit from combining AI with a BIM. This provides work-
well, affecting everything from autonomous equipment to ers with access to information in all construction stages,
BIM (Building Information Modelling). from its birth in design to the finished building. But add-
ing AI to these models gives it a “conversational interface.”
Using GPS, radar, and drones to navigate, autonomous equip- Combining AI with gathered data, designers can interpret
ment is capable of detecting its surroundings and oper- a BIM more quickly and efficiently. By making judgements
ating without human intervention. In 2013, construction and drawing conclusions, AI helps them answer questions
giant, Komatsu launched intelligent bulldozers as part of such as, “What are the benefits of this construction site?” or
its Smart Construction project. Smart Construction enables “What material is most suitable for this building?”
workers to get precise 3D maps of their site, and help them
simulate further construction plans and activities. And this Construction sites are often full of potential dangers for
is just the beginning, as Komatsu is spending between 15 workers. To minimise these risks, the founders of GreenOwl
and 20 percent of its research budget on AI technology. In developed indus.ai, an AI solution to provide increased
partnership with the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the safety and productivity. Their platform serves as a “Project
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Komatsu is hoping Manager’s second pair of eyes,’’ by providing help in security
to completely automate its construction machinery with AI. issues. The technology analyses data gathered from cam-
eras installed on the site, enabling workers real-time insight
AI is also helpful in eliminating excessive paperwork. For into potential dangers. The platform is already used by the
instance, PlanGrid is a platform where architects and other Public-Private-Partnership Crosslinx Transit Solutions con-
construction staff can share their designs and ideas online. sortium as a tool to measure construction performance and
Using a PlanGrid app, they can have instant access to their manage risks.
work from different devices. The construction industry can

9. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

5.O

SMART CITIES
“With all this complexity, attention is turning to how smart communications
technologies and data analytics can be used to help shape, define and vali-
date Smart City roadmaps.”
- S cot t S ta lla rd , vic e p re s i d e n t o f B l a c k & Ve at ch’s p o we r b u sin e ss

Every city dreams about becoming smart, but this ambitious specialist, Bo Rodda, created a proposal for the Imagine
goal is easier dreamt than done. Technical Code describes a Project - an urban design proposal to transform Chicago’s
smart city as “an innovative city that uses information and unused land into a neighbourhood with “a commitment to
communication technology and other means to improve modern infrastructure, smart communities, and technolog-
quality of life.’’ There are three types of smart cities: exist- ical innovation.” Their goal is to build the first smart city in
ing cities with some forms of smart infrastructure known as the US, featuring all the latest technology — a “smart grid,
Brownfields (such as Kuala Lumpur), newly built cities called district heating and cooling, Array of Things, high speed
Greenfields (such as Iskandar Malaysia in Johor), and Smart Wi-Fi, robotics, auto-transportation and much more.” It will
Plans that contain intelligent elements (such as the imple- consist of 4,000 residential units, from large apartments to
mentation of smart traffic lights in Cyberjaya, Malaysia). single family homes, along with areas for sport, music, and
art. McDermott claims the Imagine Project will create 4,600
Although New York, Chicago, and many other metropolitan jobs in construction alone, and more in other areas after it’s
areas are deploying smart city systems, they’re still in the completed.
early stages of smart city transformation. Most of these cit-
ies are built on infrastructure and systems that have existed Although a smart city provides immense opportunities for
for centuries, and to get those systems compatible with its residents, there’s concern that such incredible reliance
smart city technologies requires a lot of time and money. on technology might negatively affect society, increasing
That’s why building a completely new city is actually the inequality and widening the gap between those who have
best solution. access to technology and those who don’t. An expert on
smart cities, John Bachmann, suggests that problems like
But because that’s not usually an option, existing cities need this can be solved by integrating low-tech and high-tech
to explore ways to upgrade. For instance, ten years ago, solutions to create a people-centric urban environment. “In
Chicago bought land with the intention to build an Olympic Vizag (India), only 30 percent of the population is online…
Village for the 2016 Summer Games. However, after the initial you could have bus tracking information displayed at bus
plan failed, the city was left with acres of undeveloped land. stops and kiosks so people without smartphones can access
The developer, Paul McDermott, and an energy efficiency it,’’ he says.

10. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

6.O

BLOCKCHAIN
The past decade has witnessed rapidly evolving technology disrupting the
construction industry. And as building components become more sophisti-
cated and smart, there’s an increasing need for greater security and trans-
parency. Blockchain is proving that it can fill this role, providing a completely
secure digital ledger for “sensors, owners and operators.”

In, essence, Blockchain records every single transaction For instance, after an electrician has to installed electri-
that is shared on a peer-to-peer network, making it per- cal devices in a building, he requests an inspection of the
manent and unalterable. A chain of transactions grouped work. If the person responsible for inspecting the work
together in blocks are synchronised and cannot be altered verifies it, the electrician gets paid. Construction projects
once they are added to the chain; in this way, Blockchain typically involve numerous parties, and this usually means
makes the information it records publicly verifiable and multiple contracts. A Blockchain can provide clarity on
virtually unhackable. And like any other sector, all parties the conditions for payment and whether they’ve been
involved in a construction project should be fully informed met or not, and this erases any reason for costly disputes.
about the payment terms, confidentiality, and other intrica- Increasingly, construction companies have realised the
cies outlined in the contract. To avoid disputes, Blockchain benefits of Blockchain technology and are turning to smart
technology can be used in tandem with so-called smart con- contracts and platforms such as Ethereum. Developed by
tracts. These contain instructions or conditions embedded the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation,
in a transaction, managed through the if - then principle. Ethereum is a decentralised platform that runs smart con-
When a condition is met, it triggers an automatic response. tracts - applications that exclude “downtime, censorship,
By and large, the Blockchain could help companies avoid fraud or third party interference.” These apps run on a cus-
payment disputes by enabling the design of contracts that tom-built Blockchain, enabling developers to create mar-
force the parties to fulfil every instance listed in the con- kets, funds, or store registries of debts or prerequisites.
tract before being paid, helping the company retain control
over the payment process. And the increased security and cost savings for the finan-
cial, legal, and technology sectors are more than obvious.

11. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

7.O

CONSTRUCTION BIOTECHNOLOGY
The building materials currently in use require more or less continuous
maintenance. They are also often expensive to produce and ship, and most
are not environmentally friendly. As a result, more companies are willing to
invest in testing to solve these issues.

Biological materials like skin, bone, or bark offer significant “We have invented bioconcrete - that’s concrete that heals
advantages over non-living materials in terms of durability itself using bacteria,” says professor Henk Jonkers of the
and their ability to self-repair. And though it sounds like Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Jonkers
science fiction, we’re already starting to explore the possi- managed to make self-healing concretes that use bacte-
bilities of live materials.. ria to re-mineralise cracks through a process known as
biomineralisation, where bacteria cause mineral crystals to
Using a biological approach to reduce energy consumption form by changing the chemical composition of their envi-
and waste has spurred tremendous commercial interest, ronment. This way, bacteria combine the calcium found in
and many researchers are experimenting with infusing liv- their immediate environment with carbon from CO2 in the
ing organisms such as bacteria into dead components like air. The magnificence of biomineralisation is that - unlike
concrete. normal cements and concretes that produce a lot of carbon
dioxide - this process actually removes carbon from the air.

12. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Bioinspired innovation’s forecasted impact on GDP in 2030

Building construction; cement & concrete

Chemical manufacturing
Power generation, distribution & storage
Electronics, data centers
Transportation
Telecommunication,software
Oil & gas
Mining
Plastic products
Trade
Waste management
Food manufacturing
Financial sevices
Agriculture
Warehouse & disitribution
Textiles & apparel
$0 $10 $20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70
Source: FBEI Billions of Dollars

With the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program, the triggering the process of biomineralisation and the produc-
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) tion of new binding materials including polymers. Though
goal is to create a whole new class of construction materi- still in their early stages, the Living Architecture (LIAR)
als. As ELM’s Program Manager, Justin Gallivan, explains, project’s prototypical bricks, based on Microbial Fuel Cell
“The vision of the ELM program is to grow materials on (MFC) technology originally developed at the University of
demand where they are needed.” He adds that “instead of West England, could be used to produce clean energy.
shipping finished materials, we can ship precursors and
rapidly grow them on site using local resources,” empha- These bricks will be able to extract resources from sunlight,
sising that “since the materials will be alive, they will be waste water, and air, and fitted together, they will create
able to respond to changes in their environment and heal ‘bioreactor walls’ that could be incorporated into any facil-
themselves in response to damage.” ity. Each brick will contain a microbial fuel cell filled with
programmable synthetic microorganisms developed at
Seeking to develop methods and tools for engineered liv- UWE Bristol. Robotically activated, each cell chamber will
ing construction materials, DARPA has opened a Broad contain selected microorganisms with the ability to clean
Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting research propos- water or generate electricity.
als. “Living materials,” the announcement states, “repre-
sent a new opportunity to leverage engineered biology to Rachel Armstrong, the project coordinator from Newcastle
solve existing problems associated with the construction University, is enthusiastic about the bricks’ current capa-
and maintenance of built environments, and to create new bilities. The ultimate goal is to build entire structures that
capabilities to craft smart infrastructure that dynamically can produce their own energy. Armstrong says they are
responds to its surroundings.” Darpa’s ELM plans to use all challenging the use of what she called “dead metabolisms”
the best features of the existing technologies and create or fossil fuels. “Biotechnology has given us new possibili-
hybrid materials composed of non-living components as a ties. We are shifting from dead metabolisms to new metab-
matrix, providing structure and support, and living organ- olisms, or microorganisms, that are much older than we
isms as the bulk of the material. are. This new model could eliminate the harmful byprod-
ucts associated with deriving energy from dead metabo-
Through the emerging discipline of synthetic biology, sci- lisms, such as greenhouse gases that are trapping so much
entists have already demonstrated that it’s possible to iden- heat on Earth, entire ecosystems are undergoing rapid new
tify genes in bacteria that respond to pressure. Through changes that could eventually make life on parts of the
genetic engineering, it’s possible to repurpose these genes, planet downright unliveable.”

13. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

8.O

AR/VR: A COMPETITIVE
DIFFERENTIATOR
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will soon revolutionise
architecture, engineering, and construction. It’s expected that the global
construction market will hit $10.3 trillion in 2020, and with this much
investment in large projects, mistakes are excruciatingly costly. Most can
be avoided with a helping hand from new tech. VR and AR eradicate guess-
work from project design and construction. Architects and construction
companies can now provide their clients homes and buildings that are just
how they’ve envisioned them.

And then then there’s mixed reality (MR). Mixing aspects of One benefit of VR is that it can provide different Levels
VR and AR, MR takes virtual objects and overlays them onto of Detail (LOD). In the eary design stage, an architect can
the real world. Two people (say, an architect and a structural get a sense of “spatial relationships and massing.” Kim
engineer based in another country) can be networked into a Baumann Larsen, an architect and the VR advisor for The
virtual world where they can interact together with a virtual Future Group, points at the benefits of this aspect of VR tech
building on a real site. in architecture. “This will allow architects and clients alike

14. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

to truly understand the spatial qualities of the project. This an object using laser lights, and map it meticulously within
spatial understanding should make clients more confident a matter of minutes. Any mistakes are immediately appar-
in the design and reduce time spent on meetings and the ent, prompting early - and less expensive - problem solving.
use of lateral design revisions.”
Paracosm is taking SLAM a step further by automating the
When it comes to AR in construction, one of the most impor- scanning with robots and drones. After scanning, Paracosm
tant advances is Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping automatically aligns the coordinate system of the collected
(SLAM). SLAM systems use sensor data to map the space data to the project’s BIM model, and runs comparisons pro-
around it in real time, make projections in terms of comple- viding analytics and insights into the project.
tion, and assess cost. SLAM lets users walk through a project
site holding a lidar sensor, which measures the distance to

VR / AR and machine learning

Virtualitics, a data analytics company for virtual and aug- worthless if we cannot extract actionable knowledge from
mented reality, launched a new tool that combines pow- it. Visualisation can reveal the knowledge hidden in data,
erful data visualisation and machine learning to provide but traditional 2D and 3D data visualisations are inadequate
“insights and discover actionable knowledge hidden in big for large and complex data sets. Our solution is to visualise
and complex data.” Michael Amori, the CEO of Virtualitics, as many as 10 dimensions in VR/AR all via a Shared Virtual
points at the new ways in which companies can gain a com- Office, which allows even untrained users to spot patterns
petitive edge, stating that their goal is to visualise data in a in data that can give companies a competitive edge.”
VR/AR environment via a Shared Virtual Office. “Big data is

15. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

9.O

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION/
PREFABRICATED BUILDING
Modular construction, sometimes referred to as off-site construction or
prefabricated construction, is poised to reshape the construction industry
because it’s cost-effective, time saving, and high quality. 461 Dean, a 32-storey
residential tower in New York, and the 142-room AC Hotel in Oklahoma City
are projects that prove that modular building is (more) efficient and cost
effective.

Modular constrution

Design, Site prep &

foundation Site install Overall time
engineering,
& saving of
permitting and Manufacturing finish 25% - 50%
approval process

Site-built constrution

Design, Site prep &

engineering, civil
Site construction
permitting and engineering,
approval foundation

Source: www.atcosl.com/en-ca/About-Us/PublishingImages/modular_time.jpg

16. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Modular buildings are built to meet existing building stand- For instance, walls built from recycled plastic bottles joined
ards, and because they’re built in controlled environments, with sensor monitoring systems ensure optimal power
employees are safer and quality control is high. Moreover, consumption. The design demonstrates that sustainable
because production is precise and predictable, accurate architecture can be compatible with a modern lifestyle.
estimates for completion are possible, and because the
modules are delivered just in time for installation, waste is
reduced. And combining modular construction techniques
with sustainable materials brings construction to new
levels.

For instance, a prefabricated home offered by Arup

Associates, built in only two weeks, is made from com-
pletely sustainable and reusable material. The Circular
Economy Building marries refined prefab construction
techniques with sustainable materials. David Cheshire, the
Sustainability Director at AECOM and the author of Building
Revolutions, explains: “Designing for a circular economy
isn’t about building less, it is about building differently and
with more thought to the future. This approach would make
the construction industry less dependent on precious raw
materials. Despite the barriers to a circular economy, there
are pockets of innovative and practical methods coming to
the fore. Wider adoption of these principles provides the
built environment sector with an opportunity to drive the
circular economy and leave a truly lasting legacy for future
generations.”

Photo. Jordan Adkins/Shutterstock.com

17. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

10.O

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Today, sustainable design and green architecture are just as important as the
right industrial mixer. Leading construction companies across the world are
embracing one of the hottest building trends: green construction.

The McGraw-Hill construction group estimated that tainable softwood with natural bio-waste liquid and heat,
American non-residential green building in 2005 had making a strong, durable material with non-toxic and
reached a value of about $3 billion. By 2015, the estimated eco-friendly characteristics. And this is not the only eco-
project value had skyrocketed to between $120 billion and friendly material used in contemporary construction. Most
$145 billion. These figures are a clear indicator that many of the conventional insulation materials are synthetic and
are willing to invest in the research and implementation of contain additives and chemicals that make them extremely
sustainable materials. toxic. This is the main reason why architects and engineers
tend to use a green alternative – natural insulation such as
For instance, Kebony technology is an eco-friendly and wool, hemp, and cellulose.
patented process that enhances the properties of sus-

18. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

 Source. smart-glass.co.uk

And high-tech materials are welcome, too. Smart glass, of the building. Also, there’s a low-emittance window, cov-
for instance, is a newly developed material that can really ered with metallic oxide that blocks the sun’s rays during
change an eco-friendly building. Named electrochromic the summer, preventing the heat from entering the build-
glass, the smart panes use less electricity to charge the ions ing, while during the colder months, it preserves the heat
and control the amount of light that is reflected from their inside, leading to lower heating costs. Although the costs of
surface. And the intelligence lies in the fact that during the the initial investment in sustainable materials can be sig-
sun’s peak, the glass panes turn darker, while at night they nificant, companies and consumers can benefit from this
becomes transparent, reducing the energy consumption choice in the long run.

CONCLUSION
The construction industry is ripe for change. With tech innovations married to sustainable material to create eco-friendly
constructions, transition from traditional to modern building has never been easier. 3D printing and automation will take
care of growing housing demands, while robots and drones will be seen working alongside humans. And when it comes to
security, Blockchain technology will ensure fraud-proof business dealings.

19. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Inspiration sessions from
trendwatcher & futurist

RICHARD VAN
HOOIJDONK

Are you ready for a mind-blowing journey

into the future of your industry?

In our inspiration sessions we will show you

how the current technological developments
are set to change everything you thought
you knew about life and business. Book a
session and let’s explore that future together.

For more information, visit:

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20. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

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