The Construction Technology Handbook

2020·4.84 MB·english

by  Seaton

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The Construction Technology
Handbook
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The Construction Technology
Handbook
HUGH SEATON
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Copyright©2021byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Seaton,Hugh(Techentrepreneur),author.|JohnWiley&Sons,Ltd.,
publisher.
Title:Theconstructiontechnologyhandbook/HughSeaton.
Description:Hoboken,NewJersey:Wiley,[2021]|Includesbibliographical
referencesandindex.
Identifiers:LCCN2020038949(print)|LCCN2020038950(ebook)|ISBN
9781119719953(cloth)|ISBN9781119719908(adobepdf)|ISBN
9781119719977(epub)
Subjects:LCSH:Building—Dataprocessing.|Construction
industry—Technologicalinnovations.|Informationtechnology.
Classification:LCCTH437.S432021(print)|LCCTH437(ebook)|DDC
624.028/5—dc23
LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020038949
LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2020038950
CoverDesign:Wiley
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10987654321
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This book is dedicated to my mother, Bonnie Verses.
Thank you for being there.
And to all the men and women in construction,
the greatest industry in the world.
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Contents
Foreword ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xiii
CHAPTER1 Introduction 1
CHAPTER2 Software 25
(cid:2) CHAPTER3 Software Networks 49 (cid:2)
CHAPTER4 Construction Software 69
CHAPTER5 Industrialized Construction 93
CHAPTER6 Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence 101
CHAPTER7 Applying Artificial Intelligence 123
CHAPTER8 Future Tools 141
CHAPTER9 Innovation and Technology Adoption 161
CHAPTER10 The Digital Construction Mindset 187
Bibliography 191
AbouttheAuthor 193
Index 195
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Foreword
“We must keep up or be left behind…”
When Hugh and I first met a few years ago, I almost immediately
mentioned this phrase. Hugh, being an advocate of virtual reality
(VR)/artificial intelligence (AI) and all things technology, wanted to
deepdiveintoourworldofconstructionandseewhatwasthere.We
begandiscussingwayswecouldintegrateVRandAIintoourcurrent
training workflow. Hugh was very enthusiastic about furthering the
development of training in the trades.
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First, Hugh wanted to know our thought process on construction
technology and where our motivation was. We wanted to start from
the beginning, interested in the way it was done in the early days
when mobile devices and 3D-generated models were not the main-
stay. We decided that we needed to have some conversations with
those who spent a great deal of time in the field.
We pulled some of our tenured members into these conversa-
tions. Our brothers and sisters who have spent the last 40 years in
thetrades,onthevergeofretirement.Weaskedthemaboutthemod-
ernjobsiteandhowitwasdifferentfrom“waybackwhen.”Weasked
what their opinions on technology were then and if their opinions
aredifferenttoday.Wehadconversationsaboutproductivityandeffi-
ciency. We were curious as to how technology could be an impact
on the momentum of a jobsite.
Wespentagreatdealoftimebreakingdowntheseconversations,
attempting to tie it all together. Looking for the breaking point, the
moment when technology took over and became commonplace. We
wanted to put our fingers on the exact date. What we kept circling
back to was frustration. Let me explain.
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x Foreword
“So, how do you feel about your company’s VDC department?”
“What’saVDCdepartment?”
“Not a big deal, how about BIM…at what point do you feel BIM
took over on the jobsite?
“What’sBIM?”
“Great question. Let me ask you about iPads. Would you rather
have paper drawings or an iPad in the field?”
“Paperdrawings, noquestionsasked.”
Thinkingthatwewouldhavetheanswersputinthepalmsofour
hands,wewerequicklyawokentothefactthattechnologyhadcome
on so quickly most of those in the field didn’t have an opportunity
to fully grasp it. A whirlwind of change came, and they were swept
up with it. They were frustrated. They wanted to go back to how it
was done in the past. Nobody spent the necessary time with them
explaining the benefits of these new tools.
They were not given the proper training, they had no idea what
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that they would be able to keep up. Most importantly, their feedback
was never a conversation point. We never really asked them – the
true professionals who spent the last 40 years in the field – how to
properlyintegratethesenewtechnologies.Wefailedtoaskthemhow
they would strategically integrate a new tool into the daily workflow.
We sat back, expressionless, realizing we were going about it the
wrong way for a long time.
Thisbookisintendedforanyonewholivesonthemodernjobsite.
Whether you are new to the construction industry or have years of
experience behind you, this book will break down technology in an
easy-to-read format. It will give you the resources you need to have
conversations on the jobsite about technology.
This book will empower you to innovate and change the way
things are done. In order to succeed we must all have a voice and
we must all pitch in.
If we donotkeepup, we will be leftbehind.
–Mike Zivanovic
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Preface
Thisbookwaswrittentobridgeagapbetweenthetechnologyworld
and the construction industry. It provides a collection of definitions,
explanations,anddiscussionsabouteverythingfromwhattechnology
is, to how it works, to how to innovate.
Technologyisjustanothersetoftools,andthesearesupposedto
beeasiertousethanoldertools.Somearenot,butmostaretryingto
become easy, fast, and useful. By understanding the terms and some
of the concepts, you will find new technologies easier to try out and
master.
(cid:2) Most of all, I want to dispel the myth that somehow technology (cid:2)
is “different” from the work that goes on in construction. Everyone
usestechnologyeveryday.Digitaltechnologytakesalittletranslation,
and a little getting used to, but it is not even close to the hardest
thing a pipefitter, mechanical contractor, surveyor, or any one of the
seasoned professionals onsite or in the office need to know to pull
modern buildings out of the ground.
Human intelligence, problem-solving ability, and general com-
mon sense are irreplaceable. No software, robot, or artificial intelli-
gencethatwecanbuildorevenconceiveofcandowhatconstruction
professionals do every day.
Readingthisbookwilladdtoyourtoolkit,soyoucangooutand
build the world faster, safer, and, hopefully, a little better.
In addition, because any book will get outdated almost imme-
diately, I will be producing a quarterly round up of construction
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xii Preface
technology, The Construction Technology Quarterly. It will comprise
afree,downloadablereport,andafreepresentationwebinar.Youcan
learn more at https://www.constructiontechnologyquarterly.com/
Hugh Seaton
New York, NY
June 2020
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Acknowledgments
I set out to write a book that would be useful to real people, so I
asked as many people as I could find. The construction industry is
full of down-to-earth, smart people who likethe idea of sharing their
thinkingandintheprocess,moldingmine.Itisabiggerlistthanmost
books, and my debt to the industry is greater than most authors. I
am humbled by your insights, and honored to have heard you.
PaulDohertyintroducedmetoBIMin2010andhasbeenafriend
and mentor ever since. Damon Hernandez introduced me to Silicon
Valley, Virtual and Augmented Reality, and showed me how to run a
(cid:2) hackathon – his friendship has been a defining influence for almost (cid:2)
a decade. Cody Nowak, also of hackathon fame, took to my writing
of this book like a true friend and introduced me to dozens of his
colleagues. Mike Zivanovic has been a guide to the trades and the
ultimate gut-check.
These four were instrumental to the success of this book – thank
you guys.
Thanks to Al Vaquez, I really understand what a world-class soft-
ware engineer can do, and thanks to the Glimpse Group, I’ve seen
what a committed, smart group of technologists can do. Thank you
especially to Lyron Bentovim, Maydan Rothblum, and Saul Pena.
To Sasha Reed and Jessie Davidson of Procore.org, thank you for
the opportunity to create the “Data in Construction” courses, and for
putting up with me while I finished the book.
I was lucky enough to interview dozens of people for this book,
allofwhomcontributedtomyunderstanding,allofwhomtriedtheir
best to keep me out of trouble. I’m honored all of you would spend
the time to share your wisdom. Thank you to:
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