I N S P I R AT I O N S E R I E S :

THE FUTURE OF
CONSTRUCTION

1. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

CONTENTS

1.O 6.O
ROBOTS BLOCKCHAIN
PAGE 5 PAGE 12

2.O 7.O
DRONES CONSTRUCTION
PAGE 7 BIOTECHNOLOGY
PAGE 13

3.O 8.O
3D/4D PRINTING AR/VR: A COMPETITIVE
PAGE 9
DIFFERENTIATOR
PAGE 15

4.O 9.O
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MODULAR CONSTRUCTION/
PAGE 10 PREFABRICATED BUILDING
PAGE 17

5.O 10.O
SMART CITIES SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
PAGE 11 PAGE 19

2. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

 INTRODUCTION
Although technological trends
have been disrupting many
sectors over the last few years, the
construction industry has been slow
to adapt. Traditionally conservative,
construction has tried to implement
incremental change by wringing the
maximum benefit from tried and true
techniques. But increased competition,
demand for shorter construction times,
and startling advances in tech are
pushing construction companies to
change. Now, more construction sites
are implementing digital systems
and automation to increase their
productivity and meet the needs of
clients.

While 3D printing offers a solution to

growing housing demands, robots and
drones are taking care of dangerous
tasks and proving to be a cheap
and efficient alternative to human
labour. New, AI-based platforms are
providing paperless organisation for
architectural designs and ideas. By
using a decentralised database such
as Blockchain, the entire construction
process becomes more transparent
and the risk of fraud is minimised.
And more architects are ‘going green’
with their sustainable designs.

This is the future of construction.

3. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

1.O

ROBOTS
“I think this will become a game-changer in construction, I believe so. I think
that in the next five to ten years we are going to see mobile robots on the con-
struction site, but they’re not going to replace humans. They’ll actually collab-
orate with humans, so the best of each kind of skills come together.’’
- M atth ia s Ko h le r, S wi s s Fe d e r a l In s t i t u t e o f Te ch n o lo g y, Zu r ich

A few decades ago, when robots entered and revolutionised To prove that their robot is a
the automotive industry, they proved to be reliable, efficient, step beyond a simple engi-
and cost effective. Now, a new generation of robots is step- neering design, Giftthaler
ping into other industries, including construction. An engi- and his team used it to build
neer from Switzerland, Markus Giftthaler, created a robot a few structures at an exper-
capable of bricklaying. Known as In Situ Fabricator1, his imental construction site
robot is designed to work semi-autonomously in a complex Click for video located in Switzerland. One
building environment, and it’s considered to be world first of those structures is a 6.5 metre long wall made from 1,600
machine capable of building ‘non-standard designs.’ The bricks. The In Situ Fabricator1 managed to build this wall
robot is dust- and waterproof and can fit through a normal autonomously, using the information gathered from its sen-
doorway. The In Situ Fabricator1 is also connected to the sors. “To fully exploit the design-related potentials of using
internet, enabling architects to monitor its work. Built-in such a robot for fabrication, it’s essential to make use not
cameras allow the robot to easily navigate the building site. only of the manipulation skills of this robot, but to also use

4. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

the possibility to feed back its sensing data into the design
environment,’’ explained Giftthaler. Thanks to its sensors,
the In Situ Fabricator1 gathers data from the construction
site and combines it with the architect’s design to realise
the building plan in brick and mortar.
The team behind the design admits that their robot is far
from perfect and still needs a few modifications. Although
the robot proved to be functional, it’s too heavy to enter
standard buildings. The robotic arm can pick up objects
weighing 40 kilograms, but Giftthaler’s team is hoping to
improve its strength, making it capable of handling objects
weighing up to 60 kilograms. That’s why they’re working
on an improved version, the In Situ Fabricator2, which will
more than fill the shoes of its predecessor.
5.
Google is also planning to use robots for the construction
of their new headquarters in California. Known as ‘crabots,’
these robots will work on building the internal structures.
Crabots consist of groups of small and easy to manage
machines that will move across the site to provide help with
lifting and moving construction materials and furniture.
Indeed, construction companies that implement auto-
mation into their work will become more competitive.
For example, FANUC Robotics is working on developing a
robotic system to increase their efficiency in the produc-
tion of construction materials. When it comes to tasks like
cutting, packaging, and stacking materials, their robots are
faster than human workers and their performance is more
accurate.
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
 2.O

DRONES
“Our vision is basically a drone on every construction site. And we think
that’s a feasible vision.”
- Tr ist a n Ra n d a ll, a s t r a t e g i c p ro j e c t s e xe c u t i ve at Au t o d e sk

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), commonly referred to as multiple industries, and construction is no exception. In fact,
drones, have been around for quite some time. Their conven- Goldman Sachs predicts that construction will be the largest
ience, low cost, and high flexibility are finding them a place in sector for drone implementation in the next few years.

Level of professional drone usage

Data courtesy of a survey conducted by DronesDirect.

Trades (e.g. construction/plumbing) 11,5%

Manufacturing 9,9%

Information & communications 9,1%

Creative & photographic 8,8%

Transportation 7,7%

Professional services (e.g. law) 6,6%

Marketiing 5,1%

Education 4,7%

Retail 4%

Healthcare 3,3%

Source: www.heliguy.com

6. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

The $8.5 trillion global construction industry often lacks
efficiency. According to the UK’s Green Building Council,
almost 15 percent of the materials delivered to the construc-
tion site end up being wasted, causing significant financial
loss. But with the right tool on the site, these losses can be
eliminated or reduced to a minimum. For a construction
company, it’s important to know how much material they
need on-site, but the enormous amounts of material deliv-
ered to the site can be hard to track. Using drones, construc-
tion workers can monitor their site as well as assess how
much material is stored. Based on the aerial images cap-
tured, they can make good estimations for their material
orders, minimising the risk of waste.
Besides economic benefits, drones perform a more valu-
able function: saving lives. The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) reports that almost 90 peo-
ple were killed on different construction sites each week
in 2015. These frightening statistics motivated a construc-
tion company, Rogers-O’Brien Construction, to emphasise
their employees’ safety by implementing drones in their
daily work. Rogers-O’Brien no longer sends their employ-
ees to high rooftops to conduct roof inspections. Now, using
drone mapping, they can easily get aerial photographs of a
potentially dangerous site without having anyone set foot
on it. Blake Potts, who works as a construction specialist
at Rogers-O’Brien Construction, said that drones are not
only saving lives, but also reducing the time spent on the
inspections.
7.
A leading manufacturer of construction equipment,
Komatsu, is planning to automate the construction site,
using drones to scan the terrain and send captured images
to computers which will then create 3D maps. Using these
maps, Komatsu’s autonomous bulldozers will navigate
through the site and carry out the construction design with-
out the need for human intervention.
Drone technology proved particularly helpful in building
a downtown stadium in California. Every day during the
construction process, several drones were sent over the
stadium to collect video footage. The footage was then con-
verted into a 3D image of the stadium and stored in software
where it was compared to the initial architectural design.
Drones are useful in the post-construction stages as well.
For instance, drones equipped with thermal sensors can see
heat. They can fly over the building and detect ‘cold and hot
spots’, areas where insufficient insulation has been placed
or areas that might need HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air
conditioning) modifications.
What makes the future of construction drones even brighter
is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) act, known
as Part 107. The new act, issued in August 2016, no longer
requires a drone pilot to obtain a traditional pilot’s license.
Instead, he will only need to pass the 60-question know­
ledge test to get a certificate to fly a drone.
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
3.O
3D/4D PRINTING
‘’I understand that 3D printing could be the way to affordably achieve beauty
in architecture and construction.’’
- E nric o Din i, CEO o f D -S h a p e
3D printing, sometimes referred as additive manufacturing,
has been around for quite some time. But only with recent
innovations in the field, we tend to believe the age of 3D
printing is yet to come, offering limitless applications to
various industries.
The UN estimates that by 2030, almost three billion people
will be in need of some sort of accommodation. A possible
solution to such growing housing demands is 3D printing,
which is faster and cheaper than the conventional con-
struction process.
A group of 3D printing enthusiasts from the School of Civil
and Building Engineering at Loughborough University have
been working on this technology for a decade. They chose to
work with concrete because it provides excellent mechani-
cal performance and durability, while being relatively easy
for a 3D printing nozzle to extrude. After developing a con-
crete based 3D printer, they combined it with a robotic arm
which proved to be a great success, as it allowed them to
print ten times faster. In partnership with the construction
company Skanska, the material supplier Tarmac, and the
robotic company ABB, they’re developing an industry pro-
totype. The director of innovation at Skanska, Rob Francis,
is optimistic about their project, and strongly believes that
8.
3D printing “has a potential to reduce the time needed to
create complex elements of buildings from weeks to hours.’’
Their prototype “will achieve a level of quality and efficiency
which has never been seen before in construction.’’
Concrete isn’t the only material going through the 3D print-
ing transformation. A design startup, Emerging Objects, has
come up with the idea to create 3D printed bricks commonly
known as Cool Bricks. What makes them special is that they
can be filled with water to bring down the temperature in
warmer months. Each brick has a three-dimensional empty
space that acts as brick pore, absorbing vapour from the air
and turning it into water.
And the hype around 3D printing is substantive. For
instance, Dubai plans to build the world’s first 3D printed
skyscraper as part of their ambitious goal to make 25 per-
cent of all buildings 3D printed by 2030. In 2016, this city fin-
ished its first 3D printed office building, and they plan to use
the same 3D technology for other structures such as bridges
and street furniture. Europe is also stepping up its game,
hosting more than 60 percent of all 3D based construction
activities, and it has the potential to become a leader in 3D
based construction.
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
3.O
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
“Currently, the use of AI on jobsites is limited. But it is growing, particularly in
applications involving machine vision for surveying and analysing materials
and structures, or for robotics applications such as automated bricklaying or
autonomous vehicles.”
- Dan Ka ra , re s e a rc h d i re c t o r o f A B I R e s e a rc h
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming construction as
well, affecting everything from autonomous equipment to
BIM (Building Information Modelling).
Using GPS, radar, and drones to navigate, autonomous equip-
ment is capable of detecting its surroundings and oper-
ating without human intervention. In 2013, construction
giant, Komatsu launched intelligent bulldozers as part of
its Smart Construction project. Smart Construction enables
workers to get precise 3D maps of their site, and help them
simulate further construction plans and activities. And this
is just the beginning, as Komatsu is spending between 15
and 20 percent of its research budget on AI technology. In
partnership with the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Komatsu is hoping
to completely automate its construction machinery with AI.
AI is also helpful in eliminating excessive paperwork. For
instance, PlanGrid is a platform where architects and other
construction staff can share their designs and ideas online.
Using a PlanGrid app, they can have instant access to their
work from different devices. The construction industry can
9.
benefit from combining AI with a BIM. This provides work-
ers with access to information in all construction stages,
from its birth in design to the finished building. But add-
ing AI to these models gives it a “conversational interface.”
Combining AI with gathered data, designers can interpret
a BIM more quickly and efficiently. By making judgements
and drawing conclusions, AI helps them answer questions
such as, “What are the benefits of this construction site?” or
“What material is most suitable for this building?”
Construction sites are often full of potential dangers for
workers. To minimise these risks, the founders of GreenOwl
developed indus.ai, an AI solution to provide increased
safety and productivity. Their platform serves as a “Project
Manager’s second pair of eyes,’’ by providing help in security
issues. The technology analyses data gathered from cam-
eras installed on the site, enabling workers real-time insight
into potential dangers. The platform is already used by the
Public-Private-Partnership Crosslinx Transit Solutions con-
sortium as a tool to measure construction performance and
manage risks.
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
5.O
SMART CITIES
“With all this complexity, attention is turning to how smart communications
technologies and data analytics can be used to help shape, define and vali-
date Smart City roadmaps.”
- S cot t S ta lla rd , vic e p re s i d e n t o f B l a c k & Ve at ch’s p o we r b u sin e ss
Every city dreams about becoming smart, but this ambitious
goal is easier dreamt than done. Technical Code describes a
smart city as “an innovative city that uses information and
communication technology and other means to improve
quality of life.’’ There are three types of smart cities: exist-
ing cities with some forms of smart infrastructure known as
Brownfields (such as Kuala Lumpur), newly built cities called
Greenfields (such as Iskandar Malaysia in Johor), and Smart
Plans that contain intelligent elements (such as the imple-
mentation of smart traffic lights in Cyberjaya, Malaysia).
Although New York, Chicago, and many other metropolitan
areas are deploying smart city systems, they’re still in the
early stages of smart city transformation. Most of these cit-
ies are built on infrastructure and systems that have existed
for centuries, and to get those systems compatible with
smart city technologies requires a lot of time and money.
That’s why building a completely new city is actually the
best solution.
But because that’s not usually an option, existing cities need
to explore ways to upgrade. For instance, ten years ago,
Chicago bought land with the intention to build an Olympic
Village for the 2016 Summer Games. However, after the initial
plan failed, the city was left with acres of undeveloped land.
The developer, Paul McDermott, and an energy efficiency
10.
specialist, Bo Rodda, created a proposal for the Imagine
Project - an urban design proposal to transform Chicago’s
unused land into a neighbourhood with “a commitment to
modern infrastructure, smart communities, and technolog-
ical innovation.” Their goal is to build the first smart city in
the US, featuring all the latest technology — a “smart grid,
district heating and cooling, Array of Things, high speed
Wi-Fi, robotics, auto-transportation and much more.” It will
consist of 4,000 residential units, from large apartments to
single family homes, along with areas for sport, music, and
art. McDermott claims the Imagine Project will create 4,600
jobs in construction alone, and more in other areas after it’s
completed.
Although a smart city provides immense opportunities for
its residents, there’s concern that such incredible reliance
on technology might negatively affect society, increasing
inequality and widening the gap between those who have
access to technology and those who don’t. An expert on
smart cities, John Bachmann, suggests that problems like
this can be solved by integrating low-tech and high-tech
solutions to create a people-centric urban environment. “In
Vizag (India), only 30 percent of the population is online…
you could have bus tracking information displayed at bus
stops and kiosks so people without smartphones can access
it,’’ he says.
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
6.O

BLOCKCHAIN
The past decade has witnessed rapidly evolving technology disrupting the
construction industry. And as building components become more sophisti-
cated and smart, there’s an increasing need for greater security and trans-
parency. Blockchain is proving that it can fill this role, providing a completely
secure digital ledger for “sensors, owners and operators.”

In, essence, Blockchain records every single transaction
that is shared on a peer-to-peer network, making it per-
manent and unalterable. A chain of transactions grouped
together in blocks are synchronised and cannot be altered
once they are added to the chain; in this way, Blockchain
makes the information it records publicly verifiable and
virtually unhackable. And like any other sector, all parties
involved in a construction project should be fully informed
about the payment terms, confidentiality, and other intrica-
cies outlined in the contract. To avoid disputes, Blockchain
technology can be used in tandem with so-called smart con-
tracts. These contain instructions or conditions embedded
in a transaction, managed through the if - then principle.
When a condition is met, it triggers an automatic response.
By and large, the Blockchain could help companies avoid
payment disputes by enabling the design of contracts that
force the parties to fulfil every instance listed in the con-
tract before being paid, helping the company retain control
over the payment process.
For instance, after an electrician has to installed electri-
cal devices in a building, he requests an inspection of the
work. If the person responsible for inspecting the work
verifies it, the electrician gets paid. Construction projects
typically involve numerous parties, and this usually means
multiple contracts. A Blockchain can provide clarity on
the conditions for payment and whether they’ve been
met or not, and this erases any reason for costly disputes.
Increasingly, construction companies have realised the
benefits of Blockchain technology and are turning to smart
contracts and platforms such as Ethereum. Developed by
the Ethereum Foundation, a Swiss non-profit organisation,
Ethereum is a decentralised platform that runs smart con-
tracts - applications that exclude “downtime, censorship,
fraud or third party interference.” These apps run on a cus-
tom-built Blockchain, enabling developers to create mar-
kets, funds, or store registries of debts or prerequisites.
And the increased security and cost savings for the finan-
cial, legal, and technology sectors are more than obvious.

11. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

7.O

CONSTRUCTION BIOTECHNOLOGY
The building materials currently in use require more or less continuous
maintenance. They are also often expensive to produce and ship, and most
are not environmentally friendly. As a result, more companies are willing to
invest in testing to solve these issues.

Biological materials like skin, bone, or bark offer significant
advantages over non-living materials in terms of durability
and their ability to self-repair. And though it sounds like
science fiction, we’re already starting to explore the possi-
bilities of live materials..
Using a biological approach to reduce energy consumption
and waste has spurred tremendous commercial interest,
and many researchers are experimenting with infusing liv-
ing organisms such as bacteria into dead components like
concrete.
“We have invented bioconcrete - that’s concrete that heals
itself using bacteria,” says professor Henk Jonkers of the
Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. Jonkers
managed to make self-healing concretes that use bacte-
ria to re-mineralise cracks through a process known as
biomineralisation, where bacteria cause mineral crystals to
form by changing the chemical composition of their envi-
ronment. This way, bacteria combine the calcium found in
their immediate environment with carbon from CO2 in the
air. The magnificence of biomineralisation is that - unlike
normal cements and concretes that produce a lot of carbon
dioxide - this process actually removes carbon from the air.

12. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Bioinspired innovation’s forecasted impact on GDP in 2030
Building construction; cement & concrete
Chemical manufacturing
Power generation, distribution & storage
Electronics, data centers
Transportation
Telecommunication,software
Oil & gas
Mining
Plastic products
Trade
Waste management
Food manufacturing
Financial sevices
Agriculture
Warehouse & disitribution
Textiles & apparel
$0 $10
Source: FBEI
With the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program, the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA)
goal is to create a whole new class of construction materi-
als. As ELM’s Program Manager, Justin Gallivan, explains,
“The vision of the ELM program is to grow materials on
demand where they are needed.” He adds that “instead of
shipping finished materials, we can ship precursors and
rapidly grow them on site using local resources,” empha-
sising that “since the materials will be alive, they will be
able to respond to changes in their environment and heal
themselves in response to damage.”
Seeking to develop methods and tools for engineered liv-
ing construction materials, DARPA has opened a Broad
Agency Announcement (BAA) soliciting research propos-
als. “Living materials,” the announcement states, “repre-
sent a new opportunity to leverage engineered biology to
solve existing problems associated with the construction
and maintenance of built environments, and to create new
capabilities to craft smart infrastructure that dynamically
responds to its surroundings.” Darpa’s ELM plans to use all
the best features of the existing technologies and create
hybrid materials composed of non-living components as a
matrix, providing structure and support, and living organ-
isms as the bulk of the material.
Through the emerging discipline of synthetic biology, sci-
entists have already demonstrated that it’s possible to iden-
tify genes in bacteria that respond to pressure. Through
genetic engineering, it’s possible to repurpose these genes,
13.
$20 $30 $40 $50 $60 $70
Billions of Dollars
triggering the process of biomineralisation and the produc-
tion of new binding materials including polymers. Though
still in their early stages, the Living Architecture (LIAR)
project’s prototypical bricks, based on Microbial Fuel Cell
(MFC) technology originally developed at the University of
West England, could be used to produce clean energy.
These bricks will be able to extract resources from sunlight,
waste water, and air, and fitted together, they will create
‘bioreactor walls’ that could be incorporated into any facil-
ity. Each brick will contain a microbial fuel cell filled with
programmable synthetic microorganisms developed at
UWE Bristol. Robotically activated, each cell chamber will
contain selected microorganisms with the ability to clean
water or generate electricity.
Rachel Armstrong, the project coordinator from Newcastle
University, is enthusiastic about the bricks’ current capa-
bilities. The ultimate goal is to build entire structures that
can produce their own energy. Armstrong says they are
challenging the use of what she called “dead metabolisms”
or fossil fuels. “Biotechnology has given us new possibili-
ties. We are shifting from dead metabolisms to new metab-
olisms, or microorganisms, that are much older than we
are. This new model could eliminate the harmful byprod-
ucts associated with deriving energy from dead metabo-
lisms, such as greenhouse gases that are trapping so much
heat on Earth, entire ecosystems are undergoing rapid new
changes that could eventually make life on parts of the
planet downright unliveable.”
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
8.O

AR/VR: A COMPETITIVE
DIFFERENTIATOR
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) will soon revolutionise
architecture, engineering, and construction. It’s expected that the global
construction market will hit $10.3 trillion in 2020, and with this much
investment in large projects, mistakes are excruciatingly costly. Most can
be avoided with a helping hand from new tech. VR and AR eradicate guess-
work from project design and construction. Architects and construction
companies can now provide their clients homes and buildings that are just
how they’ve envisioned them.

And then then there’s mixed reality (MR). Mixing aspects of
VR and AR, MR takes virtual objects and overlays them onto
the real world. Two people (say, an architect and a structural
engineer based in another country) can be networked into a
virtual world where they can interact together with a virtual
building on a real site.
One benefit of VR is that it can provide different Levels
of Detail (LOD). In the eary design stage, an architect can
get a sense of “spatial relationships and massing.” Kim
Baumann Larsen, an architect and the VR advisor for The
Future Group, points at the benefits of this aspect of VR tech
in architecture. “This will allow architects and clients alike

14. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

to truly understand the spatial qualities of the project. This
spatial understanding should make clients more confident
in the design and reduce time spent on meetings and the
use of lateral design revisions.”
When it comes to AR in construction, one of the most impor-
tant advances is Simultaneous Localisation And Mapping
(SLAM). SLAM systems use sensor data to map the space
around it in real time, make projections in terms of comple-
tion, and assess cost. SLAM lets users walk through a project
site holding a lidar sensor, which measures the distance to
VR / AR and machine learning
Virtualitics, a data analytics company for virtual and aug-
mented reality, launched a new tool that combines pow-
erful data visualisation and machine learning to provide
“insights and discover actionable knowledge hidden in big
and complex data.” Michael Amori, the CEO of Virtualitics,
points at the new ways in which companies can gain a com-
petitive edge, stating that their goal is to visualise data in a
VR/AR environment via a Shared Virtual Office. “Big data is
15.
an object using laser lights, and map it meticulously within
a matter of minutes. Any mistakes are immediately appar-
ent, prompting early - and less expensive - problem solving.
Paracosm is taking SLAM a step further by automating the
scanning with robots and drones. After scanning, Paracosm
automatically aligns the coordinate system of the collected
data to the project’s BIM model, and runs comparisons pro-
viding analytics and insights into the project.
worthless if we cannot extract actionable knowledge from
it. Visualisation can reveal the knowledge hidden in data,
but traditional 2D and 3D data visualisations are inadequate
for large and complex data sets. Our solution is to visualise
as many as 10 dimensions in VR/AR all via a Shared Virtual
Office, which allows even untrained users to spot patterns
in data that can give companies a competitive edge.”
THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION
9.O

MODULAR CONSTRUCTION/
PREFABRICATED BUILDING
Modular construction, sometimes referred to as off-site construction or
prefabricated construction, is poised to reshape the construction industry
because it’s cost-effective, time saving, and high quality. 461 Dean, a 32-storey
residential tower in New York, and the 142-room AC Hotel in Oklahoma City
are projects that prove that modular building is (more) efficient and cost
effective.

Modular constrution

Design, Site prep &

foundation Site install Overall time
engineering,
& saving of
permitting and Manufacturing finish 25% - 50%
approval process

Site-built constrution

Design, Site prep &

engineering, civil
Site construction
permitting and engineering,
approval foundation

Source: www.atcosl.com/en-ca/About-Us/PublishingImages/modular_time.jpg

16. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Modular buildings are built to meet existing building stand- For instance, walls built from recycled plastic bottles joined
ards, and because they’re built in controlled environments, with sensor monitoring systems ensure optimal power
employees are safer and quality control is high. Moreover, consumption. The design demonstrates that sustainable
because production is precise and predictable, accurate architecture can be compatible with a modern lifestyle.
estimates for completion are possible, and because the
modules are delivered just in time for installation, waste is
reduced. And combining modular construction techniques
with sustainable materials brings construction to new
levels.

For instance, a prefabricated home offered by Arup

Associates, built in only two weeks, is made from com-
pletely sustainable and reusable material. The Circular
Economy Building marries refined prefab construction
techniques with sustainable materials. David Cheshire, the
Sustainability Director at AECOM and the author of Building
Revolutions, explains: “Designing for a circular economy
isn’t about building less, it is about building differently and
with more thought to the future. This approach would make
the construction industry less dependent on precious raw
materials. Despite the barriers to a circular economy, there
are pockets of innovative and practical methods coming to
the fore. Wider adoption of these principles provides the
built environment sector with an opportunity to drive the
circular economy and leave a truly lasting legacy for future
generations.”

Photo. Jordan Adkins/Shutterstock.com

17. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

10.O

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Today, sustainable design and green architecture are just as important as the
right industrial mixer. Leading construction companies across the world are
embracing one of the hottest building trends: green construction.

The McGraw-Hill construction group estimated that
American non-residential green building in 2005 had
reached a value of about $3 billion. By 2015, the estimated
project value had skyrocketed to between $120 billion and
$145 billion. These figures are a clear indicator that many
are willing to invest in the research and implementation of
sustainable materials.
For instance, Kebony technology is an eco-friendly and
patented process that enhances the properties of sus-
tainable softwood with natural bio-waste liquid and heat,
making a strong, durable material with non-toxic and
eco-friendly characteristics. And this is not the only eco-
friendly material used in contemporary construction. Most
of the conventional insulation materials are synthetic and
contain additives and chemicals that make them extremely
toxic. This is the main reason why architects and engineers
tend to use a green alternative – natural insulation such as
wool, hemp, and cellulose.

18. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

 Source. smart-glass.co.uk

And high-tech materials are welcome, too. Smart glass,
for instance, is a newly developed material that can really
change an eco-friendly building. Named electrochromic
glass, the smart panes use less electricity to charge the ions
and control the amount of light that is reflected from their
surface. And the intelligence lies in the fact that during the
sun’s peak, the glass panes turn darker, while at night they
becomes transparent, reducing the energy consumption
of the building. Also, there’s a low-emittance window, cov-
ered with metallic oxide that blocks the sun’s rays during
the summer, preventing the heat from entering the build-
ing, while during the colder months, it preserves the heat
inside, leading to lower heating costs. Although the costs of
the initial investment in sustainable materials can be sig-
nificant, companies and consumers can benefit from this
choice in the long run.

CONCLUSION
The construction industry is ripe for change. With tech innovations married to sustainable material to create eco-friendly
constructions, transition from traditional to modern building has never been easier. 3D printing and automation will take
care of growing housing demands, while robots and drones will be seen working alongside humans. And when it comes to
security, Blockchain technology will ensure fraud-proof business dealings.

19. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Inspiration sessions from
trendwatcher & futurist

RICHARD VAN
HOOIJDONK

Are you ready for a mind-blowing journey

into the future of your industry?

In our inspiration sessions we will show you

how the current technological developments
are set to change everything you thought
you knew about life and business. Book a
session and let’s explore that future together.

For more information, visit:

richardvanhooijdonk.com

20. THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION

Visit richardvanhooijdonk.com for more
in-depth articles, videos and bookings.
This whitepaper is also available in Dutch. Visit our website.

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© 2018 Richard van Hooijdonk

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