Technological advancements alongside the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have affected so many industries, and the construction industry is not left out.
There have been changes and adjustments in how construction companies carry out their operations.
With the budding of new technologies, it is important to keep abreast of important developments. Some of the top construction trends in 2022 include:
Workplace safety
Safety on construction sites has always been a priority, and workers are ordered to put on their safety gear before entering a construction site. The COVID-19 pandemic has also increased the need for safety on the site.
There are new rules and guidelines to ensure safe working conditions. Cleanliness and hygiene have also become very important in many construction sites.
However, innovations have introduced the use of robots and other automated machinery to carry out dangerous jobs and change the role of humans on the construction site.
Technological assets
Construction companies’ possession of technological assets will set the pace for a new era in construction. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a surge in the use of efficiency-enhancing technology in construction sites. Some examples include:
The use of smart contracts to make signing contracts easier as opposed to traveling around the world just to get contracts signed
An augmented reality that employs 3D videos and other smart tools to visualize and create future projects.
Construction drones make it easier to oversee construction sites.
Building Information Model to aid the management of utilities and infrastructures; examples are autodesk, Archicad, Revit, and many others.
Increased labor demand
Everyone wants quality labor in their construction site, which has made the industry more competitive and costly.
Despite the use of machinery, robots, and other automated technology to get work done around the site, human labor is still essential to manage and oversee the operations of the technology. Therefore, the demand for educated labor will continually be on the rise.
Economic growth
It's only the second year of recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world economy hard.
To repair and grow the economy, construction companies are doing their part by putting in more investments in digitization and embracing technological advantages to build infrastructures and grow the economy.
Price increase
Due to technological advancements and innovations in the construction industries, the cost of construction materials has increased significantly, ultimately increasing the overall construction cost.
Introducing products like self-healing concrete, transparent aluminum, invisible solar cells, 3D graphene, and light-generating concrete, among many other innovations, are quite expensive to obtain.
However, they help users save money in the long run.
Digitization and automation
Digitization is already a big part of the construction industry, and it will be even more in 2022. The construction industry is embracing the concept of automation and digitization, which aims to increase efficiency and quality of work both in offices and construction sites.
We have seen the enforcement of digitization in various aspects of the industry, such as data entry, easier and more effective man's or communication, and more automated management systems.