We’ve come a long way as a species since the days when we inhabited the caves built for us by nature. Now we’re the builders, and in the last 40 years alone, we’ve come up with technological innovations that have revolutionised construction in the most spectacular ways.

1. innovations that have
revolutionised construction10
We’ve come a long way as a species since the days when we inhabited the caves built for us by nature. Now
we’re the builders, and in the last 40 years alone, we’ve come up with technological innovations that have
revolutionised construction in the most spectacular ways.

2. 1
Mechanisations
OK, so we’re starting off slightly further back than 40 years,
but the radical impact of mechanisation on construction
cannot be underestimated. The advent of hydraulic and
pneumatic devices in the mid to late-19th century led to
the earth-moving equipment and other apparatus now
commonplace in the industry, massively reducing the time
and labour substantial projects required.
By the early-20th century, the impact of mechanisation
increased with the development of equipment capable of
more complex functions, such as cherry pickers, concrete
mixers, cranes and power tools. This period also saw the
emergence of the internal-combustion engine, which saw
hand shovels, wheelbarrows and working animals replaced
by the likes of forklifts, tractors and bulldozers.

3. 2
CAD
In Europe in the Middle Ages, architects, draughtsmen, master
stonemasons and builders created some of the world’s
most magnificent buildings using methods of design and
construction that were astonishing for their time.
For several centuries, these methods remained largely
unchanged. In the latter part of the 20th century, however,
computer-aided design (CAD) emerged, changing construction
irrevocably - for the first time, clashes during the design phase
were rendered visible.
Previously, issues such as separate systems, electrical
conduits and high-voltage alternating current ducting for
example, competing for the same physical space bedevilled
architects and builders, with their two-dimensional plans and
section drawings.

4. 3
BIM
While CAD has assisted designers enormously, Building Information
Management (BIM) has proven stunningly versatile, allowing architects,
engineers, contractors and subcontractors to collaborate on the fine details
of design and construction by using the same database and computer model.
As mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) professionals will be aware,
BIM involves all project stakeholders working collaboratively on a detailed 3D
model that includes all the functional systems of a building, such as heating,
ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and electrical installations, as well as
the aesthetics of walls, windows and roofs.
Because it’s a collaborative process from beginning to end, it allows all parties
working on a project to visualise and analyse design decisions, and pinpoint
interferences and other errors, before work begins on site.
For MEP contractors, working collaboratively saves innumerable resources,
as construction doesn’t begin until every party has submitted their designs,
ensuring clashes are detected and rectified quickly, easily and ahead of ground
being broken on site.

5. 4
Off-site fabrication
Assembling large complex components piece by piece on-site, exposed
to the elements, can be difficult. The rise of off-site fabrication has
hugely increased the efficiency of this process.
For example, a massive heat exchanger fabricated in a vendor’s shop,
will not only arrive on site ready to be plugged in, but also benefit
from better management of parts and material inventories, as well as
improved efficiency and productivity. Return on investment increases,
waste and inefficiency falls.
Huge savings in schedule time are gained when components like heat
exchangers, pump units, compressors and instrument panels are
fabricated in-shop rather than on-site, arriving at the latter ready to be
linked up.
For MEP contractors, working collaboratively saves innumerable
resources, as construction doesn’t begin until every party has submitted
their designs, ensuring clashes are detected and rectified quickly, easily
and ahead of ground being broken on site.

6. 5
Modular construction
It’s not only components like those mentioned above
that can now be fabricated off-site - whole buildings can
be too, thanks to the rise of modular construction.
Modules are made with the same materials and designed
to the same standards as buildings constructed on-
site, but they produce far less environmental disruption.
Components arrive on-site as and when they’re needed.
Since 70 per cent of building today is done in the form
of components, it takes us into the realm of ‘just in
time’ manufacturing and delivery, which slashes on-site
schedules and reduces transit and waste.

7. 6
Mobile devices
Mobile technology has transformed the construction industry
in several ways. For MEP contractors, one of the biggest is the
improvement in project management. Using smartphones and
tablets, all parties involved can work together using the same
consolidated information sources, ensuring no one is left out of
the loop, no matter where they are.
Mobile devices have also enabled real-time analytics in
construction. Foremen can now keep track of performance,
conditions and costs during the day using reporting tools, rather
than having to create a report at the end of it. Project managers
can use mobile business intelligence to predict required
corrections, allowing them to act straightaway to keep things on
schedule and within budget. And reporting apps mean all parties
can access analytic insights, whether on site or in the office.

8. 7
RTS
The traditional way of laying out building services on a site involves a team
using building drawings and a tape measure, spirit level and theodolite - a
precision instrument for measuring angles - to identify attachment points for
the likes of cable trays and pipework.
However, this method doesn’t work well with more sophisticated buildings,
is time-consuming and arduous, and has a huge margin for error, which can
lead to serious consequences, such as clashes with other building services
and pre-fabricated systems that don’t fit, leading to time, money and
materials being wasted.
Enter Robotic Total Stations (RTS) - an electronic theodolite integrated with
an electronic distance measurement that can be remote controlled from
distance. Using a tablet equipped with the relevant software, the layout
can be completed by a single person, with RTS ensuring greater efficiency,
improved accuracy, fewer mistakes and less paperwork, as well as reduced
labour costs.

9. 8
Self-repairing concrete
To say that concrete is ubiquitous in construction is an understatement,
but it brings significant problems with it. Principally, it’s prone to cracking,
usually because of exposure to chemicals and water. That’s bad news,
because cracks grow, and when they grow they allow the ingress of more
water, which starts to corrode reinforced steel inside the concrete. However,
a solution is in the pipeline.
OK, so it’s a prospective revolution at this stage, but it’s coming - self-
healing concrete with bacteria and microcapsules in the mix. When water
infiltrates, these ingenious extra ingredients germinate and produce
limestone, plugging the gap before corrosion of steel reinforcements has a
chance to take place.

10. 9
PPE
While personal protective equipment (PPE) is far less
technologically advanced than the other entries in this list, there is
no doubting it has contributed to revolutionising the construction
industry over the last 40 years in terms of health and safety.
Regulations placing a duty on employers in the UK to ensure
employees exposed to health and safety risks are provided with
appropriate PPE were introduced in 1992 under the Health and
Safety at Work etc. Act, which commenced in 1974.
A performance review of the latter act in 2008 found that,
between 1974 and 2007, the number of fatal injuries to employees
in the UK fell by 73 per cent, while reported non-fatal injuries fell
by 70 per cent, while the number of fatalities in the construction
industry fell to a record low in 2005-06.
Now that’s what you call a velvet revolution.

11. 1
The internet
This list would be incomplete without paying homage to the telecommunications
network that has revolutionised construction. Those European architects of the Middle
Ages mentioned earlier could never have countenanced the extent to which the internet
has transformed how we design, build and monitor construction projects.
From construction management software to remote-controlled, laser-based survey
equipment like RTS, and 3D laser scanners to cloud-based collaboration tools that
allow engineering contractors and architects to communicate and exchange ideas
before construction begins, the digital age has changed construction inestimably.
There are some jaw-dropping technologies in development that promise to further
revolutionise the construction sector. These range from kinetic flooring that generates
electricity by harnessing the energy from footfall to cement capable of absorbing and
irradiating light energy to bricks capable of absorbing pollution by filtering the air,
dropping contaminating particles into a removable hopper at the base of the wall.
So, watch this space - the next revolution will be blogged.