An overview of the  Technology Trends and Ideas in Construction and Real Estate Industries

Our world has been rapidly digitalized and revolutionized in all sectors and fields. There is no question that construction business is one of such sectors. It has been dynamically changing and these changes derive from growing clients’ expectations who want high quality services for reasonable prices, who value individuality and eco-friendliness. One important technology development is in the form of GIS and one can progress faster in his/her career by securing GIS online certificate.

Technological achievements such as Internet of Things (IoT), Project Bidding Software, HD Surveying etc. can significantly enhance efficiency in construction industry. New inventions can greatly contribute to the development of this business providing new employment opportunities for techies and experts who could apply digital tools and create modern designs.

As reported by McKinsey & Company there are five construction tendencies that can be presently observed. Construction companies around the world widely use the following applications and concepts:

• HD Surveying and Geolocation
  

• It is the newest technology enabling us to receive high-definition photos, to perform 3-D laser scanning and use GIS for collecting, storing, and analyzing location data. Cable locating services are also helpful in understanding the foundation of the area before making plans to build.5-D Building Information Modeling (BIM)
  

It is one of the up-to-date approaches to planning, constructing and maintenance of facilities. The five-dimensional visualization of any project will enable us to receive detailed information on costs associated with it as well as to detect risks at an early stage and improve the decision-making process.

• Digital Collaboration and Mobility
  

Once it took hours and days to exchange data. Nowadays, thanks to modern gadgets any information received from the field or office locations is instantly available and construction workers as well as their counterparts can communicate in real-time.

• Future-proof Design and Construction
  

This concept is aimed at maximizing whole-life value of a facility under unpredictable, ongoing climate changes or demographic changes. Alex Fopiano suggests that buildings of the future should be planned and built to reduce energy consumption..

• IoT and Advanced Analytics
  

These platforms and applications can help developers to optimize planning, construction process and maintenance of a facility.

So, talking about the near future, what technologies can become trendy? Let’s review some of them. Firstly, let’s focus on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. Both of these innovative technologies have been quickly gaining popularity in construction. They are being constantly developed and optimized and their cost reduced. VR and AR become more accessible for engineers and contractors who applying them can implement their creative projects. AR, though, is steadily getting ahead in the construction industry, as it can also display some important information about facilities and equipment, as well as warnings or risks if any.

Another technology worth being considered is Building Information Modeling (BIM). This technology has a number of advantages. It provides complex interaction of all parties involved at all stages of life of a facility. BIM can assist in tackling problems related to quality control, delays and overspending. Killa Design is one of the pioneers in applying BIM and who gave the world such an extraordinary building as the Museum of the Future in Dubai.

It´s not a revelation that nowadays we try to automatize as many processes as we can and save humans from doing hard and dangerous work. And that’s where robots can help us out completing their tasks precisely and accurately. Various types of robots could be used for different tasks such as lifting heavy objects, laying bricks etc. So, more extensive adoption of robotics in construction can be expected.

Construction has always been time consuming and costly. To change that, such techniques as Prefabrication and Modularization were developed. They are aimed at reducing costs, waste and execution period, improving quality and standardization. As an example we can give two most impressive projects such as Dubai Mall and Dubai Opera where such techniques were applied. Besides, these methods are eco-friendly as extra materials can be easily recycled.

The next technology to consider is Drone technology which is widely used in many areas as well as in construction business. Drones are basically used for surveying and inspection of construction sites. However, there are many other tasks drones could cope with. It is expected that the commercial development of drones will reach about $10.9 billion by 2025.

And finally, something that looks like magic – self-healing concrete. It imitates healing of body wounds. It could be an excellent solution for structural deterioration and building cracks. And according to experts around 5 billion metric tons a year will be used by 2030.

And the last but not the least to be mentioned is Cloud Computing and Mobile technology. They have already been applied by many industries. Cloud solutions can not only facilitate storing data but also can make them accessible with minimal effort and keep them secure.