AECCafe Voice Industry Predictions for 2022 – Part 3

For 2022, it looks like construction trends are improving, with expectations high for increased infrastructure spending. Trimble is looking forward to increased collaboration capabilities, BIM models and digital twins amassing enormous quantities of data to provide a more streamlined construction experience, and what it takes to attract the next generation of workers.

Pete Large, Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure Sector at Trimble

And of course, sustainability and environmental concerns for the construction industry are an urgent focus for all aspects of the industry moving forward.

Connected Construction Streamlines Workflows in 2022

For many AEC professionals, 2020 was a year of investment in agile, automation, and connected technology to drive remote collaboration, and in 2021 this adoption accelerated. As we head into 2022, the future looks bright for the construction industry, with project pipelines full and the promise for infrastructure spending to infuse the industry with confidence and optimism.

However, as large sections of the global economy face ongoing workforce and materials shortages, we can expect that our industry’s biggest challenge is going to be completing a lot more work with fewer resources. While in one sense this is a good problem to have, it also has the potential to create big hurdles and new challenges that will require creative new solutions.

Fortunately, technology solutions adopted over the past few years can help address these challenges and lead to more efficient and sustainable best practices. Let’s look at some of the key trends we expect to see in 2022:

Breaking Down Silos to Embrace Collaboration

Opportunities to improve how teams work together across the project lifecycle are still largely untapped. Even with the best will to collaborate for project success, efficiency, predictable outcomes and project success are often elusive due to lost opportunities in the handoffs between the key stakeholders of the asset owner or client, the design engineers, the contractors, and other stakeholders. To address the inefficiencies of disconnected data, lack of information transparency and lost opportunities in the workflow, point solutions and technologies are being integrated to form broader platforms that solve bigger problems. By enabling co-located data and data sharing in an open ecosystem, connected construction will give everyone access to the same information for alignment throughout a project’s lifecycle.

Enhancing BIM Capabilities

Digital twins offer a crucial, analytic edge to BIM activity. Amassing data from several sources and integrating that information into a 3D model will give construction teams accurate visibility and insight into every component. With the aid of digital twin capabilities, BIM models are evolving to become “living,” automatically updated representations of the physical assets they represent. The rich information and insights they provide drive efficiency across project phases and improve collaboration, centralizing information delivery, optimizing physical assets, and more.

Attracting the Next Generation of Workers

The need for more skilled labor has been evident for many years, long before the pandemic caused workers to leave the industrial sector. At the same time, baby boomers, which make up a large portion of the workforce, are retiring, leaving a shortage of 430,000 construction workers, according to a current tally by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With baby boomers retiring and new workers replacing them comes an opportunity to attract a different type of worker who not only can easily comprehend and advance the increasingly technical nature of today’s industrial work, but will expect and demand it. This often involves connecting hardware with software and optimizing the data to enhance the productivity of today’s job sites.

While many candidates have the aptitude for technology roles, they often aren’t aware of the industry’s shift toward technology, nor do they have the specific skills required to hit the ground running on day one. Luckily, academia and various industry players are seeking to change that by offering innovative programs that expose students to the technical roles available and the specialized skills needed to succeed on the job today. Moreover, exposure to the advanced technologies being used in construction today can help attract new talent into our industry.

A Focus on Sustainability

The urgency for action on sustainability and the need to address global challenges will continue to intensify. It’s no secret the construction industry contributes significantly to carbon emissions and waste. Creating buildings that are environmentally friendly to own and operate and reducing material and resource waste during the construction process can have a substantial positive impact on reducing global carbon emissions and business bottom lines — a double win.

The answer to increasing sustainability and lowering the construction industry’s carbon emissions lies in connected construction. The onus is on all project stakeholders to improve collaboration and data management and there are ample opportunities to eliminate waste, boost productivity, and truly enable a connected team across the entire construction lifecycle. Architects, engineers, and designers are using software and analytics technology to create eco-friendly models, while extended reality, 3D modeling and simulation are helping stakeholders visualize designs as completed projects to reduce change orders and material waste throughout a project. Machine control systems are improving the accuracy and efficiency of heavy earthmoving equipment, thereby enabling jobs to be completed in less time, using less fuel.

As we navigate the new normal in 2022 and beyond, we can feel confident that business will be plentiful, and the challenges AEC professionals face can be offset by technology. Greater connectivity, shared data environments, new ways of acquiring technology and innovative programs that help draw people to construction jobs will help everyone make the most of the opportunities ahead.

• Pete Large, Senior Vice President, Civil Infrastructure Sector at Trimble

Tags: 3D, AEC, BIM, building, building design, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, covid-19, infrastructure, Trimble

Categories: 2D, 3D, AEC, AECCafe, architecture, building information modeling, collaboration, construction, construction project management, engineering, infrastructure, project management, sustainable design, Trimble

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 10th, 2022 at 4:38 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.