Innovation in the Construction Industry by Using Information and Automation to Increase Productivity

Innovation in the Construction Industry by Using Information and Automation to Increase Productivity

Dr. Borja Garcia de Soto

Senior Research Associate and Lecturer
Infrastructure Management Group
ETH Zurich

Abstract

One of the main arguments against the use of automation in the construction industry is founded on the premise that every construction project is unique and plagued with uncertainties. That uniqueness idea, coupled with the reluctance towards adopting new technology, has had a direct impact in the construction productivity.

During this presentation, we will look at three main areas (management, information models, and processes) to fill the gap between the traditional and future construction approaches, while ensuring an effective transition and successful transformation. In particular, we will discuss how hybrid models that combine traditional and artificial intelligence techniques can provide better estimates during the early phases of a project, hence providing better information to decision-makers. We will also see how to fully exploit information models to generate optimized schedules that can be integrated into visualization software to create interactive 4D models. With regards to construction processes, we will see how the use of automation will impact the way we build and interact with other stakeholders during the different phases of a project. The main purpose of this research is to ensure an effective application of new technologies and innovative uses of information models and methods by focusing on the three areas mentioned above, with the ultimate goal of improving the productivity in the construction industry.