Features

Artificial intelligence in the construction industry

Technology has been with us since the very dawn of humankind. The wheel was invented
more than 4,000 years ago, and the Egyptians are thought to have revolutionised
transportation while building the pyramids.

In the 21st century, the pace of technological advance is quicker than ever. Artificial
intelligence (AI) is playing an ever-increasing role in global economies, creating nothing less
than a new industrial revolution. The construction sector is not immune from this disruptive
change, bringing it both challenges and opportunities.

Here, too, technological advance is actually nothing new. Building materials have been lifted
with ropes and pulleys for hundreds of years. Excavators replaced raw muscle and shovels
for many purposes over a century ago.

But AI is of a different order. What, though, exactly is it? It is generally defined as being the
ability of computer systems to perform tasks normally requiring intelligent human
intervention. That is a very wide definition which extends far beyond robots.

It could, for instance, include the current trend towards off-site modular construction, which –
as long as the project is not too bespoke – can bring economies of scale in design and
manufacture, reduce labour costs, facilitate time savings, reduce wastage and improve
quality.

More than 80 per cent of the Leadenhall Building in London, completed in 2014, was
prefabricated in this way and then finished onsite. It is something we are sure to see a lot
more of, subject of course to sufficient land being available for module fabrication.

3D printing has now developed to the point where it can actually be used to construct entire
buildings – for instance, a five-storey property was recently fabricated with this technology in
Suzhou, China. As its use is growing in the Middle East and the USA, it may not be long
before properties comprising dozens of storeys are produced in this way.

However, both modular construction and 3D printing require the design to have been
completed to a much more finalised state than can be accommodated using the more
traditional, site-based approach.

Drones also have massive potential within the sector, helping site and construction
managers to monitor activities, view restricted areas such as tunnels and assist with real-
time design response and the surveying of sites and buildings. They have the advantage of
being able to provide data immediately for use in tasks such as updating safety records or
ordering materials.

The use of intelligent sensors is another area where AI is likely to have a profound effect. All
buildings are impacted by physical stress, and these devices can provide real-time
information, helping to predict future structural issues and influencing design and engineering
going forward. Planned maintenance, too, can be scheduled in when necessary, avoiding the
cost and inconvenience of unexpected disruption.

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In the UK, the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction has developed an
extremely small wireless device – the UtterBerry sensor - which is capable of providing
remote monitoring of extremely inaccessible structures.

Modern technologies are also impacting on the sector away from construction sites.
Business information modelling (BIM), for instance, allows designs to be completed earlier,
subject to competent inter-design discipline regimes. The real benefit of BIM, if done
properly, is to the owner-occupier (which may not always be the developer) who can use the
model for accurate, cheaper and less disruptive facilities maintenance.

E-measurement and e-costing, too, can save time and staff costs, as long as they have buy-
in across the supply chain. It’s imperative, though, that the data generated is carefully
checked by a skilled eye, as bad information fed into any IT system will simply lead to poor
data being produced at the other end.

As we go forward, the uses of AI could turn out to be virtually limitless. But is it a threat to the
construction sector as well as an opportunity? Certainly, it could lead to fewer jobs on site as
modular construction or 3D printing becomes more commonplace, but there is a general
trend anyway towards fewer people wanting to enter manual trades.

What it will mean is better safety and working conditions, with shorter periods on site, less
waste and, critically, a fall in the number of accidents. Though there will be fewer jobs on
site, they will be performed by higher-skilled people who will be better protected.

Already, workers are using wearable sensors to alert site managers to a problem – if a crane
operative high above the ground, for instance, suffers a seizure, colleagues will be able to
respond instantly and the devices could even be programmed to notify the emergency room
at a nearby hospital.

This transition to transformative ways of working will not be without challenge. One of the
biggest issues at present is persuading clients and regulators, both of whom can be
suspicious of change with a tendency to default to familiar tried-and-tested processes, that
they should accept AI as the ‘new normal’.

The message has to be clear – proper use of AI in construction is not about cutting corners
but about efficiency, cost saving, waste reduction and, most importantly, better safety,
working conditions and, ultimately, buildings of better value.

Without doubt, technology will drive the future of the global construction sector. The
opportunities it will provide will be immense and it is certain that, in 50 years’ time, the
industry will look very different to the one we see today. We are truly in for an exciting future
in construction.

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