Author: Constructech Editors
“Sooner or later, everything old is new again,” Stephen King wrote. What we are seeing today is that many aspects of modern life, considered “new,” are really just the old being updated. In some cases, the old is far better than the new and is replacing today’s version. Research has opened up unexpected ways to make the new like the old when the old has proven to be better. Material science, for example, has found the process that made Roman-era concrete so durable that, 2,000 years on, it still can support the structures that it did when new. And research into…
Let’s talk AI (artificial intelligence) and all the news with ChatGPT that is getting the lion’s share of attention. An AI application—GPT stands for generative pre-trained transformer—that interacts with people in a conversational way using a dialogue format that makes it possible for it to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests. ChatGPT uses an NLP (natural language processing) model created by OpenAI and has made a large impression in many fields because of its ease-of-use and ability to write about seemingly any topic. The ChatGPT language model was trained using billions of words and…
Structural steel was first used heavily in buildings about 1885 when the Home Insurance Building in Chicago used it for a framework combined with the more common reinforced concrete. Why so recently? Cost and availability were some factors. Wrought iron had been used frequently for decorations and non-structural applications; cast iron, although strong was brittle, and steel was expensive to make, limiting its use to personal items and tools. Then, in 1855, the Bessemer Method made the production of steel more efficient and with good tensile strength. This was followed in 1879 by the method of removing phosphorous from steel—increasing its…
The causes are natural and man-made, the results are all too often catastrophic. Wildfires are a phenomenon that effects millions of acres and thousands of people every year, not just in California, but throughout the country. Property is directly attacked by wildfires, causing evacuations and loss; health is attacked by smoke as well as the fire itself. People and animals are lost, and homes are destroyed. And with the changes in climate conditions, wildfire “season” is no longer a valid term: the destruction from wildfires is a year around concern. The people who live in rural areas and subjected to…
Going green is a mantra that many individuals are using to point out their conservation bona fides. Every bit helps but the larger the “bit,” the better it helps. While governments at every level make promises—see COP26, The Paris Accords—it falls on the people to make those promises reality. And the local initiatives, both individual and government, are the starting points for actual success. Cities come in a wide variety of sizes, with aging or recently rebuilt infrastructure, with green or concrete gray as the major color, with plans for the future or an eye on the past. In an…
We are currently in the perfect storm and the Constructech Top Products are trying to address the challenges. We have a labor shortage that has intensified in the past few years, along with a supply-chain crisis that collapsed under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Add to this material shortages and a looming economic crisis, and it has created this perfect storm for the construction industry. The solution has to come in the form of digital transformation and the IoT (Internet of Things), which will enable construction companies to do more with less. We know digital transformation is set to…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Laura Black Editor-At-Largelblack@specialtypub.com Columbia, S.C. — Jan. 17, 2023 — We have a labor shortage that has intensified in the past few years, along with a supply-chain crisis that collapsed under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic. Add to this material shortages and a looming economic crisis, and it has created this perfect storm for the construction industry. This is where technology enters the equation, as digital transformation is set to surge. The challenge becomes wading through all the hype and to avoid shiny technology syndrome, which is the tendency to follow a tech trend without first…
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