The building industry needs to keep pace with all the ‘developments’ around the globe (pun intended?). Whether it’s java prices, climate adaptation, sustainable living, or technological Advancements like AR/VR or the Metaverse, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)…they’re earning new ‘ground-breaking’ innovations in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry.

1. Multi-disciplinary Collaboration with BIM

The AEC industry ofttimes involves so many disciplines in a single project that it’s hard to keep a record. Civil Engineers, Architects, MEP Consultants, HVAC Consultants, Contractors, Subcontractors, Clients…finding efficient systems that assist in the collaboration of those disciplines becomes a project by itself.

By adopting the latest technology, from the market is eradicating this challenge. With the use of advanced building construction technology for example Building Information Modelling (BIM), cloud collaboration across various disciplines and updates in real-time on the various changes and improvements within the design is currently possible. From conception to completion, and further towards the operations stage, everything concerning the project can be saved in are a collaborative virtual model using BIM.

2. Extending our Realities- AR and VR

Another emerging trend in Civil Engineering and construction will be induced using Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR). AR is basically about viewing an inventive world through a lens. The application of AR enables planning and plotting sites even before breaking ground (are the real deal this time). VR is about creating and accessing the virtual world through immersive technology.

Otherwise this could happen: You develop expose style of your project using BIM software, and you show it in your clients using VR! Now they can walk round the entire project and view everything on their own before construction even begins!

3. Using Advanced Materials

With constant innovation in technology and construction techniques, along with the evident climatic change and climatic change around the globe, it is only natural that new materials are increasingly being developed. A number of these have already turned widely adopted throughout the construction industry.

The most effective emerging trends in Civil Engineering is the recycling of materials which can be tough to dispose of to be used as construction materials. Plastics are increasingly being included in roadways and 3D printed projects. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) which is obtained being a by-product of varied industrial processes has been injected into concrete during ‘curing’, mixing with chemicals and forming nanoparticles of limestone imparting with it an excellent compressive strength.

Self-healing concrete is yet another results of innovation in civil engineering and construction. It gets its ‘self-healing’ properties from calcite-precipitating bacteria, which germinate whenever water enters the cracks in decaying concrete to ‘fill the gaps.’

That is certainly not even the gist from it. From kinetic paving, that generates electricity from footsteps, 4D-printed structures which are able to reshaping or self-assembling with time, to smog-eating buildings which can be coated in photo-catalytic titanium dioxide that neutralises air pollutants by reacting with light…other great tales, and so on.

4. The Fab. Prefab. (and 3D-Printing)

It is not only the off-site work that is experiencing changes and new means of doing things. New technology and techniques are earning their method to the development site also.

The scope of prefabrication has expanded tremendously within the last decade. Especially with time saved by making use of BIM throughout the conception and detailing phase of an project, various stakeholders ideate over the material alternatives and scope of prefabrication within the project.

Another interesting trend in civil engineering will be the latest construction technology of 3D Printing. With innovations in techniques and materials, 3D Printed structures are enroute to becoming among the cheapest and quickest methods of construction.

5. Machine Interventions – Lowering the ‘workload’

Using machines like robots and exoskeletons is another emerging trend in civil engineering. Not only do they resolve mundane tasks with ease, in addition they help increase safety and autonomy on-site during construction.

Exoskeletons are ‘suits’ worn by construction workers on site, to help and/or grow their mobility and workability. Using exoskeletons prevents injuries brought on by manually handling things and from hand-arm vibration.

Comparatively, Robots completely eliminate the demand for involvement of workers in certain tasks. Robots are helpful in automating highly repetitive tasks like brick-laying and tying rebar.

6. Building Sustainably

Along with the utilization of sustainable materials and adopting better construction methods on-site, the recent trends in civil engineering are concentrating on sustainable buildings.

The use of smart materials embedded in buildings operated by intelligent electric grids is developing a system of construction that is leading the way to earning more energy-efficient housing. The application of innovative ideas like double-skin facades, PV panels etc. can also be adding to this. Efficient spatial planning can also be in focus. In fact, considerations to build sustainability are a fundamental piece of the Building Information Modelling system.

7. Smart Designs

The surveys and inquiries are increasingly being carried out using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or Drones, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine learning during construction are helping to improve productivity, safety and quality of construction.

The web of products (IoT) is another innovation in civil engineering combining a network of structures like smart housing societies that function through detection sensors and energy-efficient methodologies while calculating and analysing their performance for even further improvement in the future. The info Ecosystem created through such systems helps inside a better demographic and technical analytics of many neighbourhoods.

In today’s day and age, with innovation and technology driving everything and changing in a rapid pace, it becomes crucial to take care of the latest construction technology and its implication for your industry. The tutorial curriculum is frequently outdated or lacks enough experience of such new technology in civil engineering as well as other relevant fields.

As these trends yield instant results and economic benefits for all stakeholders, employees having a familiarity with such technologies frequently get to find out better career options and faster career growth. Are you aware that employees in BIM roles earn approximately 40% higher salaries?

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