Published on: Apr 02, 2017

The construction industry is on the threshold of some exciting new developments that promises to change it for good. The traditional brick and mortar buildings will become redundant in future as they make way for buildings that will be built ten to twenty times faster at much lower cost and offer more durability. These advancements and innovations also focus on harnessing environment-friendly material and techniques that will reduce the carbon footprint of a particular structure. Overall, construction techniques will see more automation and sustainable processes that will not compromise on aesthetics either.

3D printing - the most disruptive new technology

In its present state of development, which is early days anyway, 3D printing enables creation of objects, ranging from a 5 sq cm memento to a 5 storey high building in a time-span ranging from a few seconds to a few hours respectively. It was unthinkable just 5 years ago to imagine constructing a 5 storey building in just a few hours and yet it was already done in the fastest time of 24 hours in China where they built as many as 10 houses in that time. What does the future hold for the construction industry that employs so many people?

Near real feel of the structure to be built, with virtual reality

The construction industry has already been exposed to some basic and simple forms of the technology a few years back. These were used to make digital blueprints, try out design options and plan renovations in existing houses. However, the technology now has progressed further ahead promising more precise imaging and increased detailing. So, if you want to see and ‘feel’ your new house, you will need the interactive, digital mockups of the structure made possible by virtual reality to experience this amazing technological advancement.

From smart phones to smart buildings

Smart technology helps users streamline a number of activities and priorities on hourly, daily weekly or monthly basis. It works on the basis of advanced automation and connectivity and helps users make optimum use of the precious time in their daily lives. Similarly, in smart buildings there are individual devices that can communicate with each other and update the user on things like daily schedules, maintenance needs, and other priorities. The concept is now being used increasingly by building and construction companies. 

Green buildings and use of renewable energy

Use of renewable energy in homes and offices and in many cases even supermarkets and factories has increased substantially with advanced solar roofing products and hybrid power systems. Use of these products reduces the impact of energy use on the environment as they are renewable unlike conventional energy sources like coal, oil and gas. The other advantage is that there is no cost of the source of energy as sunlight and wind along with consumer waste both organic and inorganic, are actually free. The costing actually begins from processing of these resources rather than the resources themselves. Increasing availability and acceptance of products and systems to harness renewable energy has also lowered the cost enough to make them cheaper than conventional energy sources.