New Trends in the Construction Industry
As we are over halfway through 2020, let's take a look at the new trends that are emerging in the construction industry.
Staying on top of the construction industry trends helps keep you from falling behind and enables you to prepare for the future.
Some trends continue year after year and revolutionize the industry, while others fade away as quickly as they came in.
With the continuing growth and evolution of the construction industry, it's essential to stay up-to-date on the latest trends.
In the article below, we've compiled a list of the top trends seen so far in 2020 that are set to be critical advancements in the construction industry moving forward.
Table of Contents
- Increased Safety Equipment
- Virtual and Augmented Reality
- Offsite and Prefabrication Methods
- Construction Management Software
- Drones
- Contact STEVENS For Your Construction Needs
Increased Safety Equipment
One construction industry trend that will continue throughout 2020 is the improving standards and use of better safety equipment products.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe, companies were already starting to put a new emphasis on safety.
Safety trends in construction are utilizing technological advancements that you are experiencing in your personal life, such as fitness trackers and wearable technology.
Now, there are work boots that connect to Wi-Fi to send GPS coordinates to their supervisors, alerting them if workers have fallen or are too tired.
This technology will take time to be more commonplace, but other advancements like moisture-wicking fabric and cooling vests are readily available to help keep workers safe.
To learn more about the civil construction industry, check out our article, What Is Civil Construction?
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and Augmented reality is already making a significant impact on many industries worldwide, and the construction industry is no exception.
Buildings keep becoming more complicated, and these new technologies will help architects and construction teams improve on their designs and detect design errors.
Architects and design teams have significantly improved building designs through interactive design and gesture interfacing.
Expect to see this technology's influence on the industry expand even further for the rest of 2020.
AR, and VR, are utilized in the construction industry to aid:
- 3D modeling of buildings and structures.
- Helping improve and innovate BIM visualization.
- Providing a permanent record of the building allows clients to explore designs before construction.
- Helping "see-through walls" for maintenance workers and service engineers.
Offsite and Prefabrication Methods
With material prices in flux and the labor market continuing to tighten, off-site and pre-construction practices make sense for some construction firms.
Offsite and prefabrication can help construction companies look to cut overall costs, improve productivity, and shorten their construction timelines.
The controlled factory environment eliminates a lot of the hazards that are common on traditional construction sites.
STEVENS has partnered with Nucor Building Systems because of its production of environmentally friendly, American-made, high-quality steel made from 90% recycled steel (and is 100% recyclable).
Construction Management Software
The construction industry has been slow to jump into technology, but construction management software is here to stay.
Construction project management software is becoming more advanced, and it's easy to integrate on the job site.
Many project management solutions are bundling scheduling, project management, and timekeeping to serve construction companies better.
As these project management solutions get more advanced, they will continue to be a rising trend throughout 2020 and beyond.
Drones
Drone use in the construction industry continues to be one of the fastest-growing trends we've seen.
The use of drones in construction has risen by 239 percent year over year.
Drone technology offers far more uses than just aerial photography for real estate and commercial efforts.
Drones can be used to rapidly map large areas over long distances, providing companies with valuable aerial heat maps and thermal images.
The advancing drone software provides real-time, actionable data that can be used for rapid decision-making.
Drones can streamline the entire construction process.
Personal safety and equipment loss continues to be the most significant areas of liability in construction, but drones can be used to reach heights and do jobs in place of human workers to prevent injury.
Also, between $300 million and $1 billion in construction equipment is stolen each year.
Drones can be used as on-site security tools to reduce labor costs, minimize the risk of theft, keep equipment safe, and keep projects on schedule.
Contact STEVENS For Your Construction Needs
It's an exciting time to be in the construction industry.
With all of these new trends, the future of the construction industry is very bright.
Backed by over 75 years of quality, commitment, and experience, STEVENS strives to be the preferred industrial engineer and constructor of choice.
We work hard to provide the best possible service to our customers.
To learn how STEVENS can help with your construction project, click on the button below to see what they can do for you.
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