Carbon Fibre and Robotics Are Leading 4th Industrial Revolution

Carbon fibre is architecture’s biggest untapped resource according to architect and researcher Achim Menges, who claims that robots could be programmed to build stadium roofs using the fibrous building material. Read more.

 

 

Generate Laser-focused Estimates Using BIM

Traditional 2-D design and data-sharing processes use up valuable time and are prone to errors, potentially delaying estimates and disrupting project timelines. With progressive BIM technology, construction professionals reduce project errors and generate upwards of 50 percent time savings during estimation periods. Read more.

Mentors Help Women in Trades Thrive

The College of Carpenters and Allied Trades (CCAT), located at Carpenters’ Local 27’s training centre in Vaughan, Ont., has set up a mentorship program that gives women entering the trade an opportunity to share their experiences in the male-dominated field with experienced female carpenters. Read more.

FMCA Calls on Government for Inclusion in Fort McMurray Rebuild

Members of the Fort McMurray Construction Association (FMCA) are calling on the Alberta government to allow local contractors to be included in the procurement process and provided with an opportunity to bid on wildfire fighting and cleanup work. Read more.

Portal Helps Organizations Factor in Climate Change

An Ottawa consultancy has unveiled a new online resource that’s designed to help organizations factor the impact of climate change into decisions relating to, among other things, infrastructure. Read more.

Construction Industry Goes Robotic

The building site of the future is going to look very different to the one we are all used to today. Instead of men in high-visibility jackets and hard hats, there are going to be drones buzzing overhead, robotic bulldozers and 3D printers churning out new structures. That at least is the hope of those making technological solution. Read more.

Global Study Points to Needed Construction Productivity Boosts

While productivity in other business sectors has surged ahead in the last half century, advances in construction have been “meager”, according to the World Economic Forum. In a new report, the Geneva-based business organization sets out a recipe of improvements the industry must follow to meet burgeoning global demand. Read more.

Dubai Announces Plan to 3D Print 25% of All Buildings by 2030

Sheikh Mohammed described the 3-D agenda, launched only this month, as an “integrated and comprehensive strategy to exploit 3-D technology to serve humanity.” Within the construction portion of the plan, lighting manufacturing, humanitarian buildings, retail space, art galleries and homes will all be 3-D printed. Officials said 3-D printing takes 10% of the time that standard construction methods take. Read more.

Leading-edge Tech Uses Plants to Treat Sechelt Wastewater

A new $25 million wastewater treatment facility located in the District of Sechelt, a small community on B.C.’s mainland coast, is leading Canada in innovative technology borrowed from Europe that utilizes the root bacteria from plants, located in a greenhouse over treatment tanks, to cleanse effluent. Read more. Maple Reinders Group of Companies also received the 2015 CCA Environmental Achievement Award for this project. Watch the video.