Construction is an ever-changing environment with technologies that underpin the industry continuously evolving at what certainly seems like an accelerating rate.
Methods of construction have been impacted by the drive to meet sustainability targets, better quality control and combat the acute skills shortage. This has led to an increased use of prefabrication and modular techniques that is likely to continue in 2024. Robotic construction and 3D printing both as off-site and on-site input will probably experience growth in the coming year.
The integration of smart technology into the built environment is becoming more prevalent with a focus on the development of ‘Smart Cities’ that integrate advanced technologies to improve the lives of its inhabitants. Data-driven solutions, The Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are central to Smart Cities and their use will increase as more and more Smart Cities continue to be developed, becoming the norm.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is now integral to most projects of any scale. As the access to tools that facilitate the use of BIM are now more widespread and understanding increases we may well see it become more extensively used by SMEs in 2024 and beyond.
We have already seen Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) impacting our lives. Its use for design visualization that immerses the user and training will filter through to SMEs as the technology becomes more accessible and cost-effective.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) use and sophistication is growing at a phenomenal rate. Generative design is already supporting the work of consultants to rapidly arrive at innovative and efficient solutions for the design of the built environment. It is also being used for project productivity, safety monitoring, planning and to control automated and robotic construction production techniques.
I would think 2024 will see wider use of technology across the industry including those outlined above and the combined use of many of them unlocking the greatest value. AI (including BIM) being used in all design, planning, monitoring, control, costing and procurement processes and the integration of BIM Models with AR and VR, drone, robotic and automated production techniques.
We all need to embrace the use of these developments and ensure they are used to our advantage to avoid being left behind. Many traditional processes will be enhanced or replaced by technology solutions, but this will alleviate many of the challenges our industry has always faced.
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