The construction industry goes as far back as human existence itself. I can almost imagine the first “developer” putting a few skins, branches, and some leaves as a roof over a crude lean-to and asking the folks wanting to get in out of the cold for some fruits and perhaps an arrowhead or two for the privilege of owning their own home!

The evolution of homo-sapiens brought in the industrial age. That progress led to the establishment of many industries – agriculture and construction were, almost certainly, the first ones to be discovered to cover the basic needs of food and shelter for survival. So, the industry has probably been around well before the term ‘industry’ was coined.

We have come a long way from building huts to constructing massive structures like the Burj Khalifa. And this was made possible only with technological advancements. Since completing my architecture over 25 years ago, I have been fascinated to witness the evolution of the industry.

So, here are the top 5 changes that, I believe, have transformed the construction industry in the time that I have been a witness and active participant:

1.     Plan & Design

Imagine keeping manual records of every detail of the plan from its inception to the handing-over phase. And then going through reams of paper when the time comes to fix a leak or, heaven forbid, if a fire breaks out. The thought is frightening in today’s digital world, but we used to do this all the time. Studios used to be a messy affair with sheets and huge rolls of papers containing designs and plans. Duplication and inaccuracy of data both created havoc for the construction crew as well as the facilities manager. The maintenance work got hit due to the difficulty of accessing the right information at the right time.

Owing to this, digitization in the construction industry was very well received. CAD first hit the market only to be overtaken by BIM. The former aided architects and engineers whereas the latter offer an integrated platform not only for ACE but the entire fraternity on the construction site. The centralized source of information made it easily accessible to any stakeholder. Even as BIM adoption grows, today many developed nations mandate the use of BIM for large projects and many construction companies have their own BIM efforts underway.

2.     Tools, Technology, and Equipment

The construction industry is dependent upon its ecosystem. The success of any construction project requires efficiency from the downstream partners and contractors. The excavation of a site, moving and assembling larger pieces or materials, faster procurement, and delivery of the material; all contribute to the success of the project.

Traditionally, there were too many gaps in communication and lags that resulted in the loss of productive hours. Much of this was due to a lack of streamlined orders and procurement, resulting in poorly timed deliveries. One of the leading causes of the lag in the procurement of material was the thumb rule estimation of quantities. With the help of technology, it has become easier to derive precise quantities of the material required and determine the right time to order them.

Evolving technology has also provided us with better earthing machines, concrete mixers, cranes, and conveyors that are efficient enough to do the heavy lifting posed by the demands of modern-era construction. Using pre-fabricated structures or structural elements, that are fabricated offsite, has become viable because of the improvement in the transport of on-site handling equipment (more on that later).

3.     Construction Materials 

The evolution of the construction industry didn’t happen only in connection with how the work is done. With the help of technology, we discovered and created materials that supported the plain steel and concrete structures and provided them with more strength, grace, and durability.

An array of innovative new materials is making an impact in specific areas of construction today. For e.g. honeycomb structures and forms are used for providing greater strength, polyester fiber offers durability for refitting sewers and water pipelines. Today, construction work is being undertaken at demanding locations like Arctic areas, undersea, and at radioactive sites to name a few of these extraordinary locations. The specialized materials aid the cause of out-of-the-box thinking in the construction industry.

4.     Construction Methods

Gone are the days when everything was made at the construction site itself. Off-site assembly and fabrication is an established trend now. Assembling of structural elements offsite has an edge over the on-site assembly. It saves time – the most significant asset in any construction project.

Large-scale public infrastructure works are being benefitted the most with such off-site assembling of elements. Consider the Nagpur Metro project. The project zoomed ahead because of just such a synergy between offsite manufacture and on-site assembly. The pillars for the over-bridge are being constructed on-site, whereas the spans and bridges are made off-site. They are then transported to the location and placed on the pillars through machinery. This has accelerated the construction without causing problems for the public using roads.

5.     Expert Systems and Artificial Intelligence 

Artificial Intelligence is gradually making its way into our daily lives. Many industries have implemented and benefitted from AI. And the construction world is taking notice. The use of computerized expert systems to aid construction work is gaining momentum. Some systems help in diagnosing the effect of wind and vibration problems in structures and in verifying welding performance qualifications. AI use-cases are still scarce on the ground. But as sensor and IoT technology become more common and the amount of data available to the construction company becomes strategically important, AI is bound to go mainstream very soon.

Change is inevitable. Technology has crept into every aspect of construction. And it is letting us make what we previously thought to be impossible, possible. I wonder what the next 10 years will bring.

For a country that recently celebrated its 47th National Day – UAE boasts of several architectural marvels that have built its image as the hottest real estate destination in the world. The real estate sector is one of the key contributors to the UAE’s economy besides tourism. UAE is an exquisite amalgamation of heritage and modern construction. The infrastructural revolution in the UAE was the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who wanted to bring the world’s attention to his country. He did it and how!

Looking at the number of iconic buildings in the UAE, there’s a lot one can learn from some of the world’s most significant construction projects. Here are some magnificent structures in the UAE that we can all learn from.

1. Burj Khalifa

It would be unjust to begin with any other building than the Burj Khalifa – the tallest structure ever to be built on the earth! The Burj Khalifa stands at a staggering height of 828m and is located in the city of Dubai. The structure was built over 6 years from January 2004 to January 2010 when it was first opened to visitors. The exterior of the structure was completed in October 2009. The structure created 15 world records, some of which are unlikely to be broken soon.

Overview of the structure:

• The structure is spread over an area of 2,80,000 sqm
• 165 floors above grade level and 3 floors basement area.
• 2,50,000 cubic meter of concrete was used
• 39,000 tonnes of steel rebars were used
• 22 million working hours were invested in the construction of the structure

The biggest challenge while attempting to build the tallest building in the world was to understand and control the dynamics of wind effect while designing the massive structure. In inspiring fashion, the design team integrated wind engineering principles to mitigate the impact of wind as the structure rose higher. The team planned on diminishing the width and shape of the structure as it spiraled higher into the sky, thereby cutting down the wind dynamic effects, movement and acceleration.

The desert lily inspired the design of Burj Khalifa. The Y-shaped base was designed to provide stability to the building while keeping in mind the direction of wind and source of light. The lower floors up to 108 are used for residential and hotel space since it provides a 360-degree view of the surroundings with ample natural light.

2. Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal

Abu Dhabi – the capital of UAE, is expected to have an inflow of over 20 million passengers in the next two years. The Abu Dhabi Midfield Terminal is one of the largest infrastructure works going on in the city today. The terminal is located between the two existing runways at the Abu Dhabi International Airport and that’s why it is named as Midfield Terminal. The new terminal is a part of Abu Dhabi’s 2030 project of reshaping and positioning the city as a tourist hub. In a significant move, the authorities mandated the use of BIM while issuing the tender for the Midfield Terminal. The project has immensely benefitted with the use of integrated BIM services. The terminal is designed in an ‘X’ shape, which is believed to reduce the passenger walking time and maximizing aircraft parking space.

The key features of the project:

• The MTF has 7,42,000 sqm of floor space
• The terminal can handle 8,500 passengers every hour
• It s expected to serve 84 million passengers per year
• The designers claim that minimum connecting time for international passengers will be 45 minutes from gate to gate
• The MTF houses the world’s largest indoor arch – 180m long and 52m high
• The terminal will have 65 gates out of which 8 gates are equipped to host A380 aircraft
• The terminal capitalizes on natural light making it an energy-efficient structure

3. Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah is one of the three archipelagoes under Dubai’s Palm Islands project. It is the largest man-made artificial archipelago in the world. In many ways, Dubai and UAE were put on the global real estate map in 2007 when the final breakwater stone was laid. The project was unique and perceived to be unthinkable due to the construction challenges posed by the location of the islands. It was an ambitious project that worked for Dubai and the UAE. The construction of Palm Jumeirah began in 2001 and the first phase of the project was completed in just six years. Palm Jumeirah opened its gate to the world in 2007. Nakheel, the developer, said that the material used to build the Palm was enough to create a 2m high and 0.5m wide wall that would run around the world three times! Now, imagine the challenges of constructing such a site. The lesson from the project was that even as ambition rose, skills, technique, and technology can help achieve even those rarified heights.

Key features of the project:

• Use of more than 1 billion cubic meters of sand – the most used in any construction project in the world.
• 7 million tonnes of rocks were used.
• The Crescent is a large rock breakwater created to protect the islands. The breakwater is lined with around seven million tons of rocks which were individually placed by a crane after being approved by a diver based on GPS coordinates.
• The design of the crescent was modified after the completion of land reclamation. The closed crescent resulted in obstructed water circulation which caused stagnant water between the fronds. The crescent was modified to have two openings to allow the water to circulate between the fronds.

4. Dubai Frame

In February 2018, Dubai added another feather to its cap with the Dubai frame. It is the largest photo frame in the world. The frame stands between the old and the new city. Tourists can enjoy a 360-degree view of both the parts of the cities from the frame. The structure comprises 50 stories and is built of glass, steel, and aluminum. The ground level consists of a museum with 3D exhibits of Dubai’s history along with a future gallery that provides a sneak-peak of the city in 2050 making it a perfect amalgamation of the past, the present, and the future. The structure offers a uniquely Dubai inspiration on how to bring together the innovative and the historical in a perfectly functional manner.

Key features of the structure:

• The frame is 150m high with a 93m long sky deck.
• The 116 sqm switchable smart-glass panels on the floor of the bridge turn transparent from translucent as visitors walk by.
• 2,900 sqm of laminated glass was used.
• It took 4 giant hydraulic jacks and two days to raise the central bridge.
• 9,900 cubic meter of concrete was used in the construction along with 2,000 tonnes of steel.
• Expected to have 200 visitors per hour.

5. The Capital Gate

The Capital Gate, also called the leaning tower of Abu Dhabi, holds the Guinness World Record for “The World’s Furthest Leaning Man Made Tower.” The tower is an architectural marvel with an eighteen degrees lean westwards. The design was inspired by the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. The Capital Gate leans four times more than its design inspiration in a stunning lesson on how to learn from the past and then push the envelope far far beyond that.

Key features of the structure:

The building sits on 490 piles drilled 30m under the ground to accommodate the gravitational, seismic, and wind forces due to the lean.

• The tower is built upon dense mesh and reinforced steel
• The tower is 160m high and has 35 stories.
• The tower houses Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi
• The free form internal atrium dynamic glass roof allows natural light deep inside the tower
• Advanced diagrid technology was used to construct the intricate design
• The reinforced basement of the tower was built with 6,000 cubic meters of concrete
• 21,500 tonnes of steel was used for constructing the tower

The UAE is home to some mesmerizing architectural structures. Even upcoming infrastructural projects look set to ensure that the UAE stays on the global real estate map as the country with the most iconic structures. There’s much for the construction sector to learn from these iconic structures, their scale, ambition, and technology. The lessons look set to continue.

Facilities management is a multidisciplinary profession that deals with the functionality, safety, efficiency, and management of a building or premise. Clearly, the effective and efficient management of a facility is dependent upon the integration of information, process, data, people, and technology. The facilities management discipline aims to provide a good quality of life to the people inhabiting the facility as well as increased productivity of the core businesses that inhabit it.

Managing a facility like a hospital, shopping centre, residential, and commercial building is no mean task. The facility managers need to always be on their toes to ensure the continued smooth running and the safety of the inhabitants on the building at any given point in time. This requires collating massive amounts of data and personnel coordination, along with creating situations for the seamless flow of accurate information. In such a challenging role, the topmost challenges faced by facility managers are:

· Integrating data

· Accessibility to data

· Keeping records

· Controlling costs

· Coordinating with the teams

· Managing aging equipment and buildings

· Anticipating disruption

· Taking timely action

BIM and Facilities Management

Effective management of the facility starts with gathering the most comprehensive, current, and complete data about the structure as it stands when people occupy it. A missing piece of information can prove fatal for the facility manager during an emergency. A massive amount of data is created during the construction phase, not all of it in synch. Every individual contractor involved during the construction phase uses different tools and models to generate and manage the data relevant to them. The use of various software and technology leads to incompatibility and confusion. This has driven the need for a centralised platform to share, exchange, and control data.

BIM technology helps in reducing the inconsistencies in the base data of the building as it is created. And the value can continue as the data builds up as the building operations carry on. BIM incorporates all the changes and modifications made over time in a facility’s design, thereby providing the facility managers access to information that is up-to-date and complete.

Apart from the centralization of data and information, BIM plays a crucial role in addressing other challenges faced by facilities management too. Let’s look into them:

1. Digitisation of data

The BIM information is recorded and stored in a digital format, which makes it easier to keep track of the records. The digitization of data helps in preventing any loss of information, unlike traditional record-keeping. Any input of data is stored forever in the digital files. It’s available to find when needed. As a facilities manager, access to every bit of information is vital, and data in digital format is a great help.

2. Accessibility of data

The integration of data at a centralised platform in BIM is its biggest asset. Facility managers can access information at a click from anywhere. The information can be accessed fast and easily. This helps in mitigating miscommunication and avoiding any errors due to loss or unavailability of useful information during the operational phase of the building on an ongoing basis. This can help improve the efficiency and effectiveness of facilities management.

3. Collating data in existing structures

Of course, BIM can also be useful in the task of assembling data for an existing structure. The available data can be captured in the BIM software through integrations with laser scanning and by generating a 3D model of the existing structure. This can provide access to comprehensive building data that can be used to optimize the operational efficiency of an existing structure.

4. Seamless flow of information

The BIM software makes information from each team and operational element available at a centralised platform. This can be accessed by facility managers, their team members, maintenance contractors, and equipment vendors, as needed. The centralised data allows the facilities management teams to coordinate and communicate efficiently with each other and align their efforts during an emergency. Their efforts are better aligned since they would all be working on the basis of the same version of the truth as far as the building information goes.

5. Cost-effectiveness and savings

The costs of running and managing a facility can run amuck without accurate information and data. Having the most accurate present picture of elements like the plumbing, utilities, security systems, and other elements can help drive efficient responses to problems. BIM can give the most current and comprehensive information that can help facilities management teams respond better to issues like water leaks, short-circuits, fire and other unforeseen events. The work can be better directed and reduce rework and wasted efforts in fixes.

It’s clear that BIM is useful not only while facilities are being constructed but can help maintain existing structures as well. Accessibility to facilities data is most vital for facilities management, and BIM provides just that.

In recent years, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become a familiar platform not only for the management of a project’s different from-design-to-construction phases but also for the management of the building itself and its assets throughout the entirety of the building’s lifecycle. In fact, not only private companies endorse the use of BIM but a few governments have started mandating its use, as well.

Most definitely with its usefulness in the construction industry, BIM is here to stay. However as its use expands and grows within the sector, BIM is continually evolving, making it intimidating to adopt for some construction professionals and companies. Additionally, there are so many unfounded myths out there that a lot of construction businesses have been missing out on the benefits of BIM. Today, we will discuss the five common myths about BIM and elaborate why they simply are not true. So listen up!

1. BIM is just a marketing hype for 3D modeling

There is a lot of misconception that BIM is just a marketing hype for 3D modeling. Although 3D modeling is an integral part of BIM, it is not its only component. BIM is an over-encompassing 3D-based process that allows collaborative work between engineers, architects, contractors, and building owners. For many construction organisations, BIM is already a standardised process of how they do work and business. With BIM technology and tools, designers and construction teams can communicate about design and construction and can coordinate data and information across different levels. The implementation of BIM as a lifecycle process allows the use of models to extract actual locations and measurements. This new workflow allows the field team to have more efficient processes with accurate models and less rework. “BIM is integral to everything we do on our projects. It’s a lot less expensive dealing with issues such as clashes in the virtual world than in the real world,” Sandra Wilkin of Bradford Construction said in a 2014 BIM panel discussion.

2. BIM is for big firms and big projects

This is another false sentiment. BIM is not only for complicated and time-consuming projects. Regardless of size, construction projects essentially deal with the same problems. There is value in working with BIM even on small projects, whether privately initiated or government facilitated. No matter the size, BIM is useful in calculating design costs, and in saving time on estimating and budgeting. BIM allows project members to make changes and update documents and plans automatically.

3. BIM is expensive and time-consuming

There is actually little data published on the actual cost of BIM in a construction project. So far, there is no public data available comparing relevant costs of BIM implementation versus their monetised benefits. There is also no evidence supporting the concept that BIM takes more time. Obviously, BIM will require some monetary and time investment when you first adopt it and the scale of investment will vary on factors. Studies, however, show that there is a 20-25% potential efficiency savings from working in a BIM environment. BIM’s efficiency gains rely on finding accurate data faster in one single data source and hence, being able to make accurate data-driven decisions. Realising those efficiencies reduces the overall risks and results in saving you lots of money.

4. BIM implementation requires a new staff team

This simply is not true. You can actually train an existing team or round up your existing staff into a team to implement BIM. BIM implementation doesn’t have to be so difficult. With BIM advancements, even your onboarding can be streamlined workflows that share needed information between your office and the field. Newer technology makes it easier to integrate your BIM model in the field and collect real-world data in real-time. As a matter of fact, the most successful companies in implementing BIM are those who trained their existing project managers, engineers, and teams to integrate BIM into their existing processes.

5. BIM transition results in productivity losses that cannot be regained

It is a common assumption that implementing a BIM solution results in irrecoverable productivity losses during the transition period. Old data suggest an average 25-50% productivity loss during the initial transition and training. However, these initial productivity losses are easily dismissed by productivity and efficiency gains. For Lott + Barber Architects, their productivity gains outweighed their initial productivity loss. Similar Revit users in 2004 experienced productivity gains of more than 50% and close to 20% experienced productivity gains greater than 100% in the long run. Clearly, you not only regain your productivity losses but you also add productivity gains once your BIM solution is in place.

Final word

BIM is a very useful process and tool that will benefit designers, engineers, architects, contractors, and building owners. It allows a complete view of your entire project information while it communicates accurate data to all your relevant stakeholders. Hopefully, this brief article has cleared up the common BIM myths that cause unnecessary and false anxiety in the construction industry. May we help shed light on those moving to or are in the middle of their transition to BIM. We urge you to get started with your BIM transition today; it’s not as complicated as everyone leads you to think!

About the author: Anastasios Koutsogiannis is Content Marketing Manager at LetsBuild.