Like every other industry, the construction and home building industry is leveraging the advancement of technology. This has led to the influx of innovations that has birthed the numerous trends driving the industry. This article looks at some of the top technical innovations of 2021 in the home building and construction industry.

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

AI and ML have become integral technologies within the construction industry. These technologies have led to innovations that allow machines and programmed robots to calculate house building and designs automatically. 

Some of the ways these technologies have benefitted the construction industry are:

• Predictive designs.

• Improved building designs.

• Automating repetitive tasks.

• Improved project management and financial planning.

• Increased safety and productivity.

2. Building Information Modeling (BIM)

The design and planning is a collaborative work requiring inputs from different quarters like builders, engineers, architects, and clients. With inputs from various quarters, visualizing real-time change is difficult using the traditional methods and may confuse. 

This problem is solved with advanced BIM tools, which provide a central database that enables the singularity of the building model by different parties. This tool identifies clashes at the start of the project and improves the overall efficiency of the workflow.

3. Augmented Reality (AR)

While VR has emerged as a major technological trend in past years, some experts believe it’s becoming obsolete quickly because of the improved benefits and use of Augmented Reality. 

Augmented Reality, a technology that allows people to view the world from a camera lens, opens up new construction industry opportunities. Although it is costly, it revolutionizes the design and building process for many companies currently using it. This technology is still a growing trend in the industry and is one for the present and the future. 

4. Robotics and drones

The manual-intensive labor nature of the home building and construction industry is probably why it isn’t as automated as many other industries. However, it’s still surprising that robots don’t play a significant role yet. Perhaps, the nature of the construction worksite is the biggest obstacle to this since robots need non-variable, repetitive tasks and a controlled environment. 

However, the more technologies are used in construction sites, the smarter they become. This increases the possibility of using robots and drones on sites. 

5. 3D Construction Printing

Additive construction of 3D construction printing is an efficient and sustainable construction method. Construction printers may be used to print prefabricated building components or entire buildings. 3D printing works in hand with BIM and uses advanced construction materials to print the design one layer at a time. The methods used in 3D printing are additive welding, power bonding, and extrusion. According to best essay writing service UK, this type of construction doesn’t require many labor resources and produces less waste than traditional brick construction.

6. Self-regenerating concrete

Experts in the construction industry predict the rise of self-healing concrete and its usage for roads, homes, and buildings. Concrete remains the most produced and used material in this industry, and it is projected that by 2030 we’ll be using a yearly average of 5 billion metric tons. This is partly because of the urban boom India and China are currently experiencing. 

7. Cloud technology

The construction industry has never been digitized, especially compared to others. It’s still under-digitized in comparison, but there’s a lot of technological inputs. The creation of technologies that can deal with the workflow, challenging environment, and complications of this industry, such as cloud technology, continues to help the construction industry evolve. 

Along with mobile technology, this technology allows real-time data sharing from construction sites to various parties involved in a construction project. 

8. Construction project management

This is a rising trend in the construction industry, and it achieves cost-effectiveness, quality, and timeliness through cloud-based software. There are defined project management principles for different phases of construction. The project manager tracks the actual and expected outcomes for all tasks and gains more insights about bottlenecks. 

9. Advanced GPS use

GPS has existed for a long, but it’s now being used ingeniously and creatively in the construction industry. For instance, project managers use GPS to manage a fleet. Every vehicle bow has a trackable device through smartphones and computers. This gives the vehicle's precise location, especially when transporting materials in large volumes or for infrastructure works like dams, ports, and roads. Stolen equipment is also easier to find. 

10. Green Buildings

Many of the emerging trends in the construction industry are based on sustainability. However, identifying sustainable processes or materials for construction projects is currently expensive and time-consuming. Green building is a growing sustainability trend in construction. It adopts eco-friendly measures from the start of the building plan to the close of the project and decommissioning. These buildings optimize resource utilization and energy. They also ensure reduced waste is produced during construction and ensure that the building has a net-zero carbon emission. 

Conclusion 

The construction industry has grown in recent years with the introduction of technology. This has led to the rise of several innovations and trends in the industry. This article reviews some of the technical innovations seen in the home building and construction industry in 2021.

cover image © pexels