Bringing you this week's must-reads for construction and industrial trades workers.
This year is poised to be significant for the construction industry and the technology that empowers its workforce.
Data capture and measurement hold much promise this year thanks to $550 billion in funding allocated to infrastructure projects as part of President Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The bill also includes $100 million to construction technology over the next five years.
Data enhances our understanding of a project’s success. Construction crews’ job site knowledge is rich with insights, and technology can convert these insights into process benchmarks to improve overall performance, validate workers’ skills and plan future projects...
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“My career was really bolstered and supported by the women that I’ve met along the way,”Ellyn A. Lester, assistant dean of construction and architectural technologies at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, told a group of students and staff, all women, at an event celebrating Women’s History month.
Speaking about her experience in what historically was considered a “man’s job,” Lester stressed the importance of finding a mentor.
Within the context of mentoring, Lester explained that males who have someone to serve as their mentor are 23 percent more likely to get their next promotion, whereas for females, it’s only 19 percent...
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3D printing of concrete structures including homes has made a dent in the news, but less so when it comes to penetrating the market for new homes or commercial structures.
Yesterday, Phoenix-based Diamond Age announced $50 million in venture capital funding for its integrated building automation building system that addresses building code issues by basing its technology on the existing code for stack masonry construction. The company’s tech augments 3D concrete printing with robotic features that cut wall openings, level cut concrete surfaces, install electrical and mechanicals and other labor-intensive steps in the home building process...
Mother nature is working overtime these days. Wildfires, tornados, hurricanes, storms and cold temperatures were among 20 weather and climate disasters in the U.S. last year that cost $1 billion or more. Extreme weather impacts every aspect of our lives.
And the construction industry is no exception. In fact, it is one of the most vulnerable to adverse weather because of the frequency of outdoor work and the industry’s heavy reliance on labor.
Each year, weather delays 45% of construction projects worldwide, costing billions of dollars in additional expense and lost revenue, research shows...
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On the other side of nearly any urban window is an incessant pest. Whirring and humming at all hours of the day, the background noise of city life is hard to avoid. From honking cars to garbage trucks to the ambient hum of traffic moving in all directions, the din leads many people to keep their windows shut.
Sound Eclipse is a new prototype device that aims to give city dwellers a chance to fight back against the noise and reopen their windows. Designed by Moscow-based industrial design firm Kristil&Shamina, it’s a noise-canceling orb that’s meant to hang elegantly in a window, with the smooth black curves of a high-end stereo...
