The year 2020 is looking promising for the construction industry. A diverse range of construction technologies, like prefabrication and sustainable materials, are expected to develop considerably over the next three years. Below we explore innovations and trends that are reimagining conventional procedures within the construction industry.
Recent predictions by CSIRO paint a picture of what the year 2020 may look like. The report Farsight for Construction imagines a scenario ‘where software has become just as important as hardware.’
For example, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies have already made drastic improvements to construction processes and efficiency. By 2020, there are predicted to be 200 billion connected devices. Use of building estimating software is also on the rise, making the budgeting and managerial side of construction easier than ever before.
Modular Construction is expected to expand in Australia over the next decade. CSIRO reported that “the sector is expected to grow at 5% per annum out to 2023, compared to a growth rate of 2.3% for the industry as a whole.” Changing housing preferences, affordability concerns, and decreasing household sizes are all driving the desirability of prefabricated solutions to infrastructure in Australia.
Off-site prefabrication systems are already being produced at an unprecedented rate in China and Japan, where landscape pressures and overpopulation have necessitated faster solutions to infrastructure. A Chinese company in 2015 claimed to be the fastest building company in the world, after constructing a 57 story skyscraper in just 19 working days. Furthermore, customisation and individuality is only becoming more important with each generation. It is possible that by 2020, we may see the emergence of mass customisation in infrastructure. Accelerated development of rapid off-site prefabricated systems throughout the 2020s is likely due to emerging Asian economies and companies, in partnerships with established modular construction firms.
Predictions suggest that 75% of existing jobs may become automated in coming decades. A rise of robotics in the construction industry would see many Australian jobs become redundant, however, it will create completely new ones. The new roles will be operational, using and maintaining advanced technology such as exo suits, heavy duty drones, and remote controlled machinery.
The push towards automation comes from an aging workforce and worsening environmental impacts on builders, causing a shortage in Australian labour. Australia, particularly Queensland, is embracing and experimenting with robotics and automation to make a safer, efficient, and less labour intensive sites. Strong innovation capability, international collaboration and investment are all promising factors in the construction industry for the years ahead.
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