Construction is an industry that suffered a lot due to the covid-19 pandemic. There was a time last year when all construction work was on hold. Even when it began again, there were many restrictions. From social distancing to supply chain break and disruption in cash flow. These scenarios affected the technological changes coming in the construction industry. Yet, the industry continues to flourish. New trends you can witness in the construction industry this year. Let’s check out the hot trends that, despite the pandemic, are becoming a rage.
- Safety
One of the biggest trends for 2021 is being safe. With regards to the ongoing pandemic, trying to be safe is of utmost importance. Thus, every construction agency out there has to maintain social distancing. Also, the cleanliness of equipment at the Jobsite and at the warehouse is essential. This will look like this:
- Smaller crews
- Working in shifts to ensure the worksite is not overcrowded
- Masks and sanitizer
- No passing of tools or other construction gear
- Using protective equipment specific to individuals.
- Use of efficient technology
The developers & builders alike will now grab on to the trend of efficient technology in 2021. The use of construction technology to ease work is one of the biggest trends to rise in 2021. Here are few technologies that are becoming important in 2021:
- Smart Contracts: It is a sweet technology. It allows every organization part of a project to use a shared system for doing business. It allows them to rack, buy, or pay for all services involved. Using one system instead of a separate one allows for faster closeouts. Also, it enhances security. It automates the supply chain improving the work.
- Drones: The use of drones in construction is increasing with every passing day. There are multiple uses of drones other than taking aerial photographs.
It allows the mapping of large areas, thermal imaging, and more. Also, drones can replace a few manual jobs, which puts human life in jeopardy.
- 3-D Printing
3-D printing reduces the work of a Jobsite worker by a lot. With this technology, manufacturing of custom pieces at affordable prices. Globally, the commercial use of this technology is in use, and it will continue to grow.
- Mobile application
Mobile access is another growing trend in the construction industry. It allows for things like real-time access to the Jobsite, measurement, and accountability. Due to COVID, working with each other without being close is becoming essential. Mobile applications like AirMeasure and Infotycoon are becoming popular. There is one more app. It allows public approval meetings to happen in a virtual setting ensuring public projects aren’t on hold. The virtual meeting app was an initiative by AECOM.
- Offline construction
Offline construction is the work-from-home version of the construction industry. In this, designing, manufacturing, and fabricating of all building elements happens in factories.
With traditional construction practices, if you do all this at the Jobsite, the price increases. It happens due to weather and other unforeseen circumstances that increase costs. Along with this, it increases waste too, which leads to pollution.
Offline construction reduces all this and increases sustainability and quality of work. There are many more aspects of offline construction to uncover.
- Living materials
A weird but interesting trend in construction is living materials. It is all about biological compounds that grow themselves. It is still in the developing stage as of now, but in a year, you will see some exceptional product out of it.
These biological materials will use fungi and bacteria, making them portable, strong, and light.
Let’s talk about one such living material concept- Self mending concrete.
It is concrete with bacteria. These bacteria help all the materials to combine and form a new structural material. It grows in pores of a crack or fissure or concrete, helping them become stronger or making repairs.
All of these trends sound hard to comprehend, but they are the reality or will be the reality of the construction business in a year or so. Do not ignore them if you want to succeed as a developer or builder.
