Here are my latest picks on construction innovation news.<\/p>\n
ORBA Convention: Construction firms must embrace a culture of innovation to keep up<\/h2>\n
Gregg Shoppman, principal at FMI Corp., and\u00a0Bridgit co-founder Lauren Hasegawa, spoke at the recent Ontario Road Builders\u2019 Association (ORBA) 88th Annual Convention in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Shoppman pointed out that, on a macro level, the construction industry has not changed much over the last 50 years<\/strong>, relying on the same methods to complete jobs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not making change for change sake, but I\u2019m sure our businesses have to evolve,\u201d he said. He also said that we\u2019re confusing technology and innovation and that\u2019s a dangerous thing.<\/p>\n According to Hasegawa, some companies have already started to use other existing technology to improve the way they work. Drones or UAVs<\/strong> (Unmanned Aierial Vehicle) have made their way on to construction sites recently, mainly used to capture aerial images for progress photography. Hasegawa also says 4D modeling<\/strong> will become more prominent, which would be used to determine which part of a project is behind schedule, on time or ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n Source: Daily Commercial News<\/a>, February 25, 2015<\/p>\n A Laing O\u2019Rourke consortium has been awarded a \u00a322m grant to further advance offsite manufacturing techniques and training.<\/p>\n Business secretary Vince Cable visited Delancey\u2019s Elephant Road site, where Laing O\u2019Rourke is main contractor, alongside chairman Ray O\u2019Rourke to see how the contractor is using advance manufacturing and BIM. Construction News interviewed them afterwards.<\/p>\n Ray O\u2019Rourke agreed. \u201cWe will then be an attractive industry to engage with for a lot of young people, who today are probably not minded to come to our industry \u2013 both male and female. There is a huge opportunity for change. In the 2025 strategy we\u2019re being asked to improve productivity by 50 per cent.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n To the reporter\u2019s question on how much O\u2019Rourke is going to share their learning, Ray O\u2019Rourke responded, \u201d We are completely open<\/strong>; we are not at all guarded about what we\u2019re doing. We don\u2019t think it\u2019s particularly special; we think it\u2019s the way it should be. What keeps our competitive juices going is that we\u2019ll have to move to the next iteration to stay ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: Construction News<\/a>, March 4, 2015<\/p>\n The Construction Skills and Innovation Centre is the result of a \u00a31.5million investment from EDF Energy and offers a new civil engineering curriculum including training in excavation, ground works, concrete pouring, formwork and steel .<\/p>\n Source:\u00a0This is The West Country<\/a>, March 6, 2015<\/p>\n \u201cThe 4-by-2.3 meter panel is made from flax fabric and bio-derived resin. Intended primarily for commercial offices, the glazing unit features a parametrically-derived faceted design, and comes prefabricated ready for installation. The panel is also designed to be easy to disassemble, making it simple to recycle at the end of its life.\u201d<\/p>\n Source: ArchDaily<\/a>, March 4, 2015<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"inno3\"](\"https:\/\/aec-business.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/inno3.jpg\")
<\/a>Before co-founding Bridgit, Hasegawa worked on-site, which made her realize all of the inefficiencies that needed to be addressed. \u201cI was used to using my phone, I was used to using my computer for everything else in my life, but as soon as I got to work I wasn\u2019t doing that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\nUK: A \u00a322m Grant to Further Advance Offsite Manufacturing Techniques and Training<\/h2>\n
<\/a>In the interview, Vincent Cable pointed out that the UK is building\u00a0half the number of houses they\u00a0should be. \u201cTraditionally we have thought this is mainly a planning issue, but actually this revolution happening in industry could halve the [time taken to build houses] and cut costs by up to a third through two things. Firstly, through BIM technology<\/strong>, which is being developed rapidly in the UK and becoming a requirement for central government procurement next year, but [Laing O\u2019Rourke] are pioneering and developing it. Second is through offsite manufacturing<\/strong> \u2013 turning [construction] into a manufacturing process, a different kind of business model altogether.\u201d<\/p>\nUK: Construction Skills and Innovation Centre Opens at Bridgwater College<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Energy Minister Matt Hancock officially opened the Construction Skills and Innovation Centre which replicates a real life construction site<\/strong>, with industry-standard plant, machinery and equipment.\u00a0A new centre at Bridgwater College has been described as a \u2018one stop shop\u2019 to boost jobs in the area.<\/p>\nJEC Innovation Award to Arup\u2019s and GXN Innovation\u2019s Biocomposite Facade<\/h2>\n
<\/a>\u201cArup and GXN Innovation have been awarded with the JEC Innovation Award 2015 in the construction category for their development of the world\u2019s first self-supporting biocomposite facade panel. Developed as part of the \u20ac7.7 million EU-funded BioBuild program, the design reduces the embodied energy of facade systems by 50% compared to traditional systems with no extra cost in construction<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n