By Luc Wing, Architecture Solution Specialist, Microdesk

Automation, AI, Sustainability and Information Play Vital Roles for AEC in 2023

Luc Wing

As we enter 2023, the architecture, engineering, construction, and manufacturing (AEC+MFG) industries are undergoing significant changes as they adopt new technologies and practices to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and meet the increasing demand for sustainable buildings and products. The three key trends driving these changes are automation and artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability, and the realization of the “I” in Building Information Modeling (BIM).

Companies are looking for ways to optimize processes, eliminate manual and labor-intensive tasks, improve data precision, and increase control over the project delivery lifecycle. Automation and AI are growing best practices in AEC to help meet those objectives. The adoption of automation technologies can bring benefits ranging from cost savings and improved quality to greater accuracy and increased competitiveness in the global market. Development of automation tools that are usable and “out-of-the-box” create advantages over software that requires specialized knowledge to create and utilize them. With easily understood automation tools, everyday users will have simplified access to software applications and other technologies that allow them to take advantage of the automation’s capabilities. Ultimately, automation technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way buildings, products, and systems are designed, built, and maintained, bringing significant benefits to businesses and consumers alike.

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BY David Mitchell, Founder & CEO, XYZ Reality

David Mitchell

2022 was a tough year for construction, rising energy and material costs alongside labor shortages have thrown the industry into turmoil. This challenging period has prompted a refreshed focus on efficiency and productivity. In an industry with traditionally low-profit margins, now faced with recession and the ongoing climate crisis, leading contractors are turning their eyes to advanced technology as a savior in 2023.

We have seen a growth in the adoption of cutting-edge construction technology, such as Augmented Reality (AR), in recent years to revamp building methods. Importantly, continuously evolving BIM techniques and digital twin technology are improving the capabilities of AR and vice versa in a maturing digital ecosystem, upgrading conventional monitoring methods. We anticipate this is a key trend that will continue and grow in the year to come.

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By Todd Johnstone, CEO, Allbridge

Todd Johnstone

New Survey: The Top PropTech Considerations to Integrate into Hotel Construction and Renovation

The US hospitality industry is making a slow but steady comeback from the pandemic, but it’s having to meet the new expectations of today’s clientele. As guests return, they do so with expectations that hotels have changed. The bar has been set higher–particularly when it comes to the technology available to them when and where they stay. In response, the AEC industry is working with hoteliers to integrate PropTech into new hotel builds and renovations.

It is critical to understand how travelers’ demands are driving changes in hospitality infrastructure. The following conclusions are drawn from a survey of decision-makers in the hospitality industry to better understand priorities that sit at the intersection of PropTech and customer satisfaction.

1. Convenience and Smart Tech are Top Priorities

Respondents signaled that tech amenities were among their highest priorities–particularly due to the rise in contactless technology necessitated by the pandemic, and the increasing integration of smart devices in our daily lives.

Guests expect convenience technologies to be present throughout their travel experiences. For example, guests expect ease of movement–aided by mobile keys, keyless entry, or concierge kiosks. They also expect access to seamless WiFi connectivity throughout hotel properties. Not only do these types of technologies help save guests’ time and increase their satisfaction, but they can also add a layer of security to properties.

Integrating contactless connection points throughout a hotel not only streamlines guests’ experiences on-site but also increases peace of mind for COVID-weary travelers and employees alike. Driven by the ubiquity of home smart devices and homesharing platforms, like Airbnb and VRBO, hoteliers are finding that guests are seeking the comforts of home during their stays. Providing in-room smart devices or home assistants can further help guests move comfortably through their daily activities.

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By Ro Bhatia, CEO, PlanHub

Ro Bhatia

2023: The Year Technology Takes Over Construction

Across all industries and sectors, 2022 brought some of the most complicated challenges businesses have had to face. As we head into 2023, several of those same challenges and complications still need to be resolved and will continue into the new year. One industry that will continue to face prolonged difficulties into and throughout 2023 is the construction industry. While it was able to weather the economic pandemic slowdown, it is not immune to the issues of labor demand, volatile pricing, and inflation. Thankfully, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel, and the construction industry can build the road to it, given the right tools and technology.

Lack of Skilled Labor

The story of labor shortages in the construction industry is not new. It is a tale as old as the hammer and nail. According to a survey completed by PlanHub, both general contractors and subcontractors responded that their top concern in 2023 will be the difficulty in finding skilled workers to hire. These labor complications don’t just end there. Labor shortages can create a wave of adverse ripple effects, including delays in accepted projects, price increases on future or ongoing projects, or, even worse, contractors or subcontractors having to turn down projects because they lack the workforce to see them through.

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By Jad Jarroush, Founder and CTO, Datumate

Towards a full AI & ML cloud-based platform for construction data analytics in infrastructure construction projects

Dr. Jad Jarroush

The current status of the construction industry

It’s 2023 and even though there has been some major progress in this arena, the construction industry is still plagued with major complexities. These include labor shortages, changing timelines, multiple teams and plans, delays, cost overruns, uncertain project planning and management, lack of professional experts and engineers and more. With the adoption of digital tools and automation, contractors and project owners are slowly finding ways to overcome these challenges. But as promising as these new technologies are, will they make as big an impact as expected on engineering and construction and what’s standing in the way of their adoption?

The challenges of adoption and implementation

There are multiple challenges on the way to adopting and successfully implementing digital construction tools. The first is the basic need to break the habit of using manual methods such as pen and paper and the initial daily disruptive impact that comes with changing existing business processes. This is often exacerbated by the lack of communication around these processes and their long-term benefits, as well as a lack of confidence in the accuracy of the data. Organization complexity also plays a role in making adoption and implementation challenging and often fragmented, and this can also lead to ownership issues. Another factor that often affects adoption is the lack of skill challenges required for new technologies, especially as the average age of professionals is increasing all the time. Finally, and probably the most obvious of these challenges, is a lack of budget for digital adoption.

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By Shanthi Rajan, CEO, Linarc

2023 is poised to be a dynamic year for the construction industry. Given numerous large-scale economic factors there are many ways the construction industry is expected to change in the coming year.

While no one has a crystal ball, some projections can be made with reasonable confidence. Here are ours.

Less spending on office buildings.

With much of the workforce working from home and office space vacancies skyrocketing, the demand for more office space is low. Existing resources provide plenty of space for current and future needs. Downtowns across the nation are sparsely populated and are but a shadow of what they were before the shutdown. Employees have grown accustomed to working from home and employers have relinquished their offices to save costs. The need to start new office space projects is relatively low in many areas and that’s expected to continue throughout 2023.

Per a recent SFGate article, “Today San Francisco has what is perhaps the most deserted major downtown in America.” It has a 24% office vacancy rate. Various sources including Statista cite the national average at 16.3% in Oct 2022, with pre-pandemic levels at 8.6%.

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By David Ward, CEO, Safe Site Check In

David Ward

The combination of digital transformation, the Infrastructure Bill, and the potential of a recession will impact the industry in the following three ways next year:

1. Development projects will continue yet profitability will remain flat due to rising prices, labor shortages and supply chain challenges.
2. Infrastructures will continue to improve – this is long overdue – as a result of recent legislation. This will create more opportunities in AEC but only for general contractors (GCs) that can successfully navigate labor and pricing challenges. In turn, strategic GCs will invest in technologies including virtual design and construction, digital jobsite management tools and BIM to address these issues.
3. Despite 95% of construction workers reporting higher productivity by using digital technologies on jobsites, these tools will be under greater scrutiny next year. They’ll only be adopted if they deliver immediate payback or if they’re required by the project owner, local regulations or insurers. In fact, don’t be surprised to see insurers start requiring digital tools on jobsites in order to create more efficient records on workers and projects and align premiums based on the data.”

By Burcin Kaplanoglu, VP Innovation, Oracle Industry Labs Oracle Vertical Industries

Burcin Kaplanoglu

As the engineering and construction industry continues to confront disruptions stemming from COVID-19, shifting project types, increased competition, and a retiring labor force, we are starting to see how the way we work has changed forever.

In the construction industry, the primary use cases for new technologies during the pandemic were remote worksite monitoring to bolster worker safety and progress reporting, supply chain management, and enhanced sustainability for green construction projects.

Here is how I see those technologies continuing to transform the industry, as well as others to come in 2023:

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By Amy Bunszel, Executive VP Architecture, Engineering and Construction Design Solutions

Amy Bunszel

Leading the way to the future of design

Author and media theorist Steven Johnson says, “If you look at history, innovation doesn’t come just from giving people incentives; it comes from creating environments where their ideas can connect.”  When I look toward the future of the industries that design and make the world around us, I’m inspired by the opportunity for collaboration and idea exploration that will shape a brighter tomorrow.

By the middle of the 21st century, we will live, play, and do business in buildings designed to nourish the environment rather than take from it. Our infrastructure networks will be resilient and sustainable, and they will extend to exciting unknown places from the metaverse to the universe. We’ll buy products designed with zero waste that are assembled in smart factories. And Autodesk technology will enable this future, every step of the way.< We’re celebrating the last few decades of Autodesk innovation by envisioning what the future holds. Autodesk already boasts a track record of transforming the industries we serve. But what lies ahead has me even more excited.  >I asked my peers across the organization to share their vision for how design will evolve in years to come. I spoke with Raji Arasu, executive vice president and chief technology officer; Jeff Kinder, executive vice president, design and manufacturing; and Diana Colella, senior vice president, Entertainment & Media Solutions. As I expected, they are dreaming big, and so are their teams.

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