Artificial intelligence has become irreplaceable in many sectors. From self-service in retail, to banking apps on our smartphones, we’re all benefitting from the use of AI. The same technology has been implemented into the construction sector too, offering time-saving and additional information for decision-making within projects. AI can even carry out worksite tasks such as bricklaying, and offer suggestions at a design and planning stage.
Categories of artificial intelligence
AI is categorised into four main areas within the construction industry:
First stage: planning and design
Prior to work commencing, drones can be deployed to gather data and conduct a survey of the proposed worksite. From this, the drones can create 3D maps, extract blueprints and simulate construction plans. Before this process, these processes would take weeks – now they can be done in one day. This helps to save the firm both time and money in the form of labour.
Second stage: administrative tasks
Technology is also being implemented in the office area, making a paperless system possible for the people involved in the project. Programs are now being used that allow architects, engineers, construction workers and others on a project to work collaboratively by exchanging documentation on a cloud based network, as opposed to sending physical documents. Therefore, project plans can now be manipulated and changed and sent to the necessary person who is working onsite straight away.
Third stage: methodology
In-depth databases of past projects and solutions can be accessed by AI systems, allowing them to inform engineers on different routes a project can take, or offer solutions to problems encountered. For example, if engineers were working on a proposed new bridge – AI systems would be able to advise and present a case for how the bridge should be constructed. This is based on past projects over the last 50 years, as well as verifying pre-existing blueprints for the design and implementation stages of the project. By having this information to hand, engineers can make crucial decisions based on evidence that they may not have previously had at their disposal.
Fourth stage: post-construction
Upon completion of the building’s structure, artificial intelligence is frequently used these days as an in-built part of the building’s function. In the US alone, $1.5 billion was invested in 2016 by companies looking to capitalise on this growing market.
In 2016, for instance, hotel chain Wynn stated that they would place an Amazon Echo in every one of their rooms in the Las Vegas branch by the end of 2017. These devices can be used for aspects of the room such as lighting, temperature and any audio-visual equipment contained in the room. These systems can also be used within domestic settings, allowing homeowners to control aspects of their home through voice commands and systems that control all electronic components from one device.
All information regarding a building’s construction, management decisions, and encountered issues can all be recorded by building information modelling (BIM) all the way up to demolition. Virtual assistants, also known as VAs, can then be used to add a conversational element alongside this information. By combining VAs alongside NFC (near-field communication) VAs can be given additional information to the building itself in real-time from various sensors in the building. For example, if there were structural problems with a building, then VAs could inform engineers specifically where the problem was and how it can be fixed.
Artificial intelligence has progressed far enough that it can now be integrated within construction work processes seamlessly, supporting workers and offering savings in labour, time, and costs. As the future of AI becomes more of a reality within construction, only time will tell how reliant upon intelligent machines we will have to be in order to construct innovative building designs.
Further reading: retaining wall solutions
