Shaping the Future of Construction Essay PDF

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Professor Rebecca Lorenz
A detailed essay response (to the WEF "Shaping the Future of Construction" 2016 report) that describes the way in which new modular construction building methods are re-shaping and modernizing the way in which construction projects are being built. ...

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Stefani Sanchez Modern Construction Technologies - ARCH 476 Professor Rebecca Lorenz Spring 2018 Shaping the Future of Construction

For centuries, the way in which we build our structures has always been aligned with need and the resources at hand. Over time, our needs have changed and so have the resources at our disposal. New inventions and technological revolutions have completely reshaped the manner in which we go about building just about anything. Industries like automotive, ships, and planes are being built faster and safer than ever, and we are still looking for ways to improve. The oldest industry known to man, however, is also the one that has stagnated the most. The Architecture Engineering Construction (AEC) field may be one of the fastest growing, but the obstacles in its path are leading to a future without innovation. According to the book Refabricating Architecture by Stephen Kieran and James Timberlake, one of the main reasons of stagnation in the AEC industry is due to the isolated relationship between the “designer” and “maker.” At one point synonymous with each other, the transformation of architecture from a commodity to both an art and commodity has drawn a very thick line between the two professions. In order for the AEC industry to thrive, we need to stop avoiding research and experimentation, and implement strategies that have seen a great deal of success in other industries. We need to start regarding architecture as modules, smaller pieces of a bigger puzzle and not just a big, expensive job process. Not only will it greatly minimize the errors that are often made in the construction process by doing so, but it will also opens new doors to new trends that are waiting to be adopted. Architecture is one (or might very be the only one) art form in which the artist does not directly work in his or her medium. Therefore, the responsibility of bringing a project to fruition lies on the engineering and construction field almost entirely. And while architecture is an ever changing, young and modernist profession, the conservative engineering and construction industry needs to play catch-up. In the article Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology by the World Economic Forum, one of the many internal challenges that the AEC faces is “shortage of young talent and people

development...relative to companies in other industries, construction companies engage less often and less effectively in internal people-development initiatives.” (14). This issue combines two seemingly minor ones into a bigger, more threatening problem. Because of the traditional and conservative nature of the AEC, a huge generational gap has been created between future and present employees. More and more millennials are entering the workforce everyday, and with the current technological transformation of our world, the construction industry seems like a dated and unappealing path to go through. The AEC’s reluctance to adapt new modern technologies into its practiced has directly impacted its current and potential work pool. The National Homebuilders Association estimates there was about 200,000 unfilled construction jobs in 2016, an eighty-one percent increase from 2014. This lack of workforce often leads to desperation, and employers start to greatly reduce their standards and mass employ unskilled workers, leading to more mistakes and delays on projects. The obstacles facing the AEC are many, however, the engineering and construction field is an inherently difficult business to structure, as it is the oldest and hardest to crack. Some of the practices in the AEC are as old as time and implementing new technologies and practices may seem like a risk not worth taking, but the modern technologies benefits greatly outweigh the consequences. All the proof needed is in almost every single other major production.

Works Cited Kieran, Stephen, and James Timberlake. Refabricating Architecture: How Manufacturing Methodologies Are Poised to Transform Building Construction. McGraw-Hill, 2004. REUTERS. “A Construction Worker Shortage Is Weighing on a Hot U.S. Housing Market.” Fortune, 6 Sept. 2016, fortune.com/2016/09/06/housing-construction-workershortage/. Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology. World Economic Forum, 2016, Shaping the Future of Construction: A Breakthrough in Mindset and Technology....