Author: Constructech Editors
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has taught many lessons to many people. In the construction and architecture fields, a new focus on healthier buildings and environments is a positive from all the COVID negatives. No longer limited to healthcare facilities, the concepts of a healthy indoor environment and strong disease prevention are moving into homes and commercial properties, on the drawing board and under construction. While HVAC and air purification lead the charge for healthier buildings, a more robust structure with fewer entry points for viruses and other illness producing particles is also being investigated. At CES 2022, Piana Technology, a…
Construction has always been a job for people; workers who pour the concrete, walk the beams, dive the cranes, and put up the walls. People who hammer the nails, place the wires, and plumb the plumbing. Or not. Manufactured housing is an example of people being more in the supervisory side of construction and machines, including robotics, do the actual building of the roofs and walls, interior and exterior. In some cases, this philosophy is carried all the way to the jobsite. OFFSITEK, a Charlotte-based integrated construction company, is using robots, steel, and creative partnerships with local municipalities to give first-time…
Money makes the world go around, some say. Relationships make the world go around say others. Combine the two and you can get dizzy going around and around. In technology, though, the combination of funding and partnerships does, indeed, make things happen. Construction, being a niche market, often draws less interest from general software companies, leaving the field to the specialists. Once a product has been proven, however, general investors will come aboard, and like-minded technology companies will sign on as partners or integrators. Take StructionSite, as an example. The company is a provider of intelligent project tracking software for…
In London and many other cities, an apartment is called a flat. In Wyoming Mich., some new condos might be known that way, as well, for the development they are in is the Reserve Flats. In fact, folks are moving in to their “flats” in the Flats while other buildings are still under construction. The Granger Group recently welcomed their first tenants to a new multifamily development called Reserve Flats, a 138-unit community being built by Grand Rapids-based contractor Orion Construction. Reserve Flats features 26 condo-style apartments ranging from three-units to eight-units per building. Spread over 22 acres, the project…
One of the first articles of wearing apparel a new construction worker buys is a pair of well-fitting, often steel toed work shoes, this is also one of the best ways to ensure safety on the jobsite. Without good shoes, a worker could end up injured on the job by slipping or having material drop on the feet. Work shoes are more, much more, than footwear; they are survival gear for the feet. Several well-known shoe companies make work shoes for harsh environments like construction. Even better, companies that are well-known in the construction field also offer specialized work shoes.…
Autonomous vehicles require the ability to react to conditions as fast and as accurately as a human in the same situation. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are being explored to make this happen, but each requires extensive computer power, immediately available. As with many new technologies, there are issues beyond the adoption by OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers). One is regulation and the current status regarding autonomous vehicles can be summed up in one word: confusing. With few policies at the state and federal level regarding automated vehicles, the AASHTO (American Assn. of State Highway and Transportation Officials) wants to see a…
For decades, automobile manufacturers have touted the benefits of multiple models on a single “platform.” Technology vendors similarly talk about their “platform” instead of their individual programs or apps. The underlying kernel can be used to layer a variety of applications on top to perform a number of different functions while assuring integration among those applications. In the construction technology field, Topcon Positioning Group is a good example of using its platform across a number of functions. Its MC-Max machine-control solution, based on the MC-X machine-control platform, and backed by Sitelink3D — the company’s real-time, cloud-based data management ecosystem —is a…
In the effort to find easy ways consumers can have an impact on the environment, the carpenter’s motto, “Measure twice, cut once,” has taken hold. Measuring the benefits of individual changes can point up their value with solid numbers. Naturally, companies are eager to help. And that doesn’t just mean hardware companies; technology companies focused on the soft side of the industry are showing interest in collaboration with the firms that are demonstrating ways to avoid the elements that contribute to climate change, mainly carbon emissions. For example, Acuity Brands has a goal to avoid 100 million metric tons of carbon emissions as a result of…
With buildings, the concept of “recycling” usually means “tear it down and put something new on the lot.” However, demolition creates more than 90% of the waste generated by new building construction, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The debris might be recycled but there are other choices. For example, some see a future in turning dormant office buildings and similar structures into apartments through “adaptive reuse.” One such company is LA-based architecture firm Omgivning, which specializes in adaptive reuse. Omgivning has been working on adaptive reuse projects in LA and is currently involved in plans to turn the shuttered Boyle Heights Sears Building…
As attention gets paid to the climate crisis looming over our future, construction is among the industries often pointed to as having severe problems. Within the construction field, concrete is a major target for limiting or eliminating CO2 emissions. From research facilities to field operations, work is being done, partnerships are being developed, and new methods and products are resulting. For example, CarbonBuilt and Master Builders Solutions are collaborating on the development of admixtures for use with CarbonBuilt’s low-cost, low carbon technology platform. Master Builders Solutions comprehensive portfolio encompasses concrete admixtures, cement additives, chemical solutions for underground construction, waterproofing systems, concrete repair,…