Industry News
A Year in Review: The Democratization of Data Insights and the Labor Divide By Nathan Patton
The old adage that necessity is the mother of invention is never more applicable than in the construction space…particularly this past year. The challenges engineers and contractors face are many and complex. The persistent labor shortage is just one high profile example. About 94 percent of firms with openings for hourly craft workers reported difficulty filling those positions, according to a recent AGC and Arcoro workforce survey. That is an increase from the 85 percent of firms that reported difficulty in the association’s 2023 survey. At the same time, the global population is expanding rapidly, creating a growing demand for new buildings, roads and other infrastructure. While investment is there for many sectors, particularly infrastructure, the cost of materials continues to rise. These hurdles, along with economic ups and downs and the ever- growing importance of sustainability, has necessitated that industry professionals rethink conventional practices with help from technology. From small and mid-size firms to the largest global enterprises, this has been a year of data gathering, management, and most importantly, insights. The Reality of Refurbishment In the last year, there’s been a marked increase in the number of retrofit and refurbishment projects, particularly in urban areas. Rather than demolishing and rebuilding, owners, both public and private, see value in repurposing existing structures, a move driven by both environmental and economic considerations. One of the most high profile is the One Wall Street project in the Financial District of New York City, reportedly the largest office- to-residential conversion project in New York City’s history. The project team is transforming the 90-year-old, 564-foot-tall Art Deco skyscraper from its commercial roots into luxury residences. It’s one of many such projects, many of them sparked in part by federal, state and local incentive programs. For instance, programs such as HUD’s Community Development Block Grant includes funds to support the acquisition, rehabilitation, and conversion of commercial properties to residential uses and mixed-use development. However, for engineers and contractors, refurbishment projects present unique challenges. These projects often lack accurate detail about the existing structures. Without proper plans, engineers and detailers have to make assumptions, which leads to disconnects and issues down the line—a major cause of rework, cost overruns and scheduling delays.
These challenges have led to the increased adoption of reality capture technologies like laser scanning and point clouds. Reality capture allows contractors to accurately map and design around the existing infrastructure, identifying features like HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems that need to be integrated into the new design. This year, we saw a growing array of purpose-built reality capture solutions that simplify technology adoption, by focusing on improved data sharing and accessibility via the cloud. The Augmented Reality Adjunct Along with reality capture, augmented reality (AR) solutions have become more widely adopted in the construction industry this last year. AR allows field workers to view design models overlaid on the real-world environment, helping to validate that the design fits the existing conditions. A notable advancement has been the improvement of LiDAR sensors in mobile devices that empower the capture of point cloud data directly from smartphones and tablets. That data can then be integrated with AR visualization. Ease of use and data accessibility/visibility are two reasons why field crews have adopted AR technology this year. Firms like Hensel Phelps are leveraging more connected AR on projects such as the Denver International Airport for a range of activities including facilitating owner walks. AI and Automation AI is the trendy tool of 2024, and the advancements this year have been impressive. AI algorithms are now available to support estimating, contract reviews, construction management, and building information modeling (BIM). This year, we saw growing applications of AI to improve jobsite safety as well as optimize workflows, reduce costs and improve quality. Just one example of new capabilities this year is Trimble Business Center’s automated pavement condition reporting from mobile mapping data, rapid stockpile volume calculations using drone data, and tailored deep learning segmentation for AI-powered classification. Advancements in automated segmentation and classification of point cloud data, as well as more intuitive data visualization are examples of AI-driven innovations.
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WINTER 2024 csengineermag.com
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