How cutting-edge technology has revolutionized construction
India stands tall among the fastest growing construction markets in the world. Our nation is ranked alongside China, the United States, the United Kingdom and Indonesia in the top five global construction markets. The Indian construction industry is expected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2025, International Data reports.
At the same time, construction work is becoming more complex than ever in India and elsewhere around the world. While project owners and developers are increasingly prioritizing sustainability and demanding faster project completion, construction companies themselves are finding their margins constrained by competition as well as rising input costs.
Fortunately, the latest developments in construction technology have not only kept pace with the needs of the industry, but in turn have allowed construction companies to improve their profit margins by unlocking significant efficiencies in the use of manpower, materials and fuel.
In 2021, India saw the completion of its first 3D printed house, showcasing the technology’s potential to revolutionize construction. Indeed, over recent years evolving technology has become a transformative force within the construction industry, reshaping all phases of the construction project life cycle – from planning to execution, and ultimately to occupancy and maintenance of the completed structure.
Until a few years ago, the use of technology in construction was largely limited to the planning and design phases. Once computer-generated models were printed on paper, all downstream processes including actual construction relied almost entirely on manual judgments and decision-making – which was often slow and prone to errors or mistakes.
However, today’s innovative technologies such as digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented or mixed reality, artificial intelligence and machine learning, cloud-hosted collaboration tools, drones and robots, and advanced data analytics are finding applications in all phases of a project. life cycle. Together, these technologies help construction professionals make better decisions faster by relying on data, resulting in increased operational efficiency, reduced costs, improved site safety standards and more timely project delivery.
Government initiatives are driving the transformation
The Union government has recognized the transformative benefits of using modern technologies as well as the potential to generate new business models in construction. In fact, the government is actively promoting an enabling environment for increased technology adoption, which includes financing or stimulating new digitalization initiatives as well as setting regulatory standards to drive digital transformation in the industry.
Even in the area of infrastructure construction, it is noteworthy that many metro rail projects across cities have made use of the latest technology. The government’s Smart Cities Mission project has integrated and embraced modern technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors for smart infrastructure, and energy-efficient building materials.
Moreover, the technology sub-mission PMAY-U (Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban) clearly identifies 54 cutting-edge global technologies. We believe that mentioning global technologies is a strategic move that will help lead the industry towards eventually experimenting, incubating and building world-class competencies in many of these technologies. In the long term, this will help Indian construction companies become more competitive on the global stage, besides opening up new growth opportunities, both domestic and international.
As part of Prime Minister Modi’s new plan to redevelop 508 Amrit Bharat stations,
Rabali Station in Navi Mumbai, a pioneering and distinctive masterpiece of architectural prowess has been elaborated through the use of Tekla Structures 3D BIM technology by Techflow Architects. This advanced technology has facilitated accurate and uncomplicated modeling and detailing of the complex configuration of Rabali Railway Station in Navi Mumbai. The station is a combination of structural steel and acrylic panels, seamlessly connected by custom-made connectors. This assembly technique, using panel fabrication, creates an enclosure that is as eye-catching as it is structurally sound. It brilliantly uses natural daylight as the primary lighting source, seamlessly integrating the environment into its design.
Business case for using technology
Judicious use of modern construction techniques has already helped in completing some of the most challenging construction projects in India and around the world on time, or sometimes even ahead of schedule, along with significant savings in time, manpower and use of materials.
While there are infrastructural wonders around the world such as the Museum of the Future and Burj Khalifa, in India, several mega projects such as the Statue of Unity and Chenab Bridge are examples of this. More details about Statue of Unity, that It was considered structurally challenging when the project team was relying on traditional 2D design and documentation methods. However, with the adoption of advanced Building Information Modeling (BIM), the architecturally popular project was not only made possible, but was completed a full two months ahead of schedule, along with a 25 percent increase in efficiency.
Players in the progressive industry are also using modern construction techniques such as pre-engineering and prefabrication, where building components are manufactured in factories located far from the actual site, and then simply assembled on site. This saves a lot of time and money, and improves the overall quality of construction projects. We have seen these benefits in Bhuvaneshwar tremendous BDA affordable housing projectWhich includes the construction of 1,320 individual apartments distributed over 33 buildings. Inventaa Industries, the project winner, was able to provide an additional 10 percent carpet area after the project was completed, without exceeding its original budget.
Indeed, many of the high-profile infrastructure projects that are in the news today, such as the Chenab Railway Bridge or the Mangalwar Peth station in Pune Metro, exemplify the profound impact that advanced technology has in reducing costs, boosting productivity, and improving efficiency. Since the start of the Chenab project, Tekla Structures has played an integral role, significantly enhancing the progress of the project. The program was instrumental in designing all the structures, temporary cables and associated anchor towers through Building Information Modeling (BIM). On-site activities have benefited from BIM for tasks such as sequence planning, engineering and quality control, while shop drawings are seamlessly extracted from the model. The contractor and designer collaborate closely and use these models, and an outside inspector also used them during the review process.
Reinventing the construction industry
The lessons today’s construction companies need to learn are stark. Adopting modern technologies can profoundly impact their business efficiency and unleash unprecedented productivity, which directly translates into better profit margins. Furthermore, many of these technologies have already been proven to enhance workplace safety, with drones, robots, and IoT sensors being used to monitor hazardous areas and worker conditions.
At the same time, there are clear and present risks facing construction companies that do not have immediate plans to adopt and integrate these technologies. Not only do they risk losing their overall competitiveness versus their more advanced industry peers, but delays in integrating these technologies will also hinder their ability to meet evolving customer requirements and deliver projects effectively.
The Tekla Experience provides a hands-on, hands-on experience for users to directly interact with its features and capabilities, fostering a deeper understanding of how Tekla meets specific project requirements. This trial phase serves as an evaluation period, allowing users to gauge how well the software fits their workflow and needs before committing to a purchase. It enables informed decisions to be made, which may lead to improved project workflow and outcomes.
Therefore, in order to survive and thrive in the ever-changing macroeconomic landscape, construction companies would do well to create a strategic technology adoption plan that aligns with their core business objectives and strategy to drive long-term growth and success.
