2023 FutureTech Agenda

Some say current field solutions can’t replace physically being on site, but Ryan Companies set out to challenge that with an integration of automated weekly schedule assessments, Level 5 autonomous robotic site capture and integration of reality capture data analysis tools. It has led to direct integrations between scheduling software and a scheduling analytics platform, boosted by an added layer of AI analysis for automated, weekly assessments of project schedule health.

The crowning element of the $2-billion, Portland International Airport terminal redevelopment is a nine-acre, curved timber roof sourced from local Douglas fir. To perfect the installation logistics of the 2,200-piece prefabricated roof and gather vital data, Skanska USA Building turned to drone-captured photos, videos, and 3D models for detailed, real-time reports on the site’s progress and to ensure the 9-million-ton roof falls within the 3/8th in. joint tolerance. Getting approval to fly drones over a high-risk, FAA-controlled airspace with 160+ daily commercial flights is unprecedented and requires strict compliance protocols not present on typical job sites. Skanska will tell us how they got it done.

AI Engineers, Inc. (AIE) has performed conventional infrastructure asset inspections for more than three decades. In recent years, under the guidance of Michael Giacco, director of technology, it has increasingly adopted innovative tech. Now, seeking to combine traditional and new data collection and analysis methodologies, AIE has formed a strategic partnership with Aren, Inc., which leverages machine learning and AI algorithms for inspection of images of building facades and civil infrastructure. Giacco says Aren is quickly creating easy, safe, and cost-effective inspection and evaluation workflows. It is producing accurate results in the form of annotated 3D models, orthomosaic images, summary tables and granular reports that help asset owners understand the condition of their structures and make informed decisions. The data is ready for leveraging into digital twins, detailed bridge information models (BrIM), building information models (BIM), and other digital asset management resources. In this session, Giacco, together with Aren's creators, will show how this is being done.

Technology solutions for design and construction continue to proliferate, and users are learning to master data collection and analytics so they can exert more effective control, be more accurately predictive and produce ever-improving outcomes for everyone involved. Meanwhile, the construction economy continues to recover, although not every market is participating to the same degree. Steve Jones from Dodge Data & Analytics, the leading provider of research and forecasting focused specifically on the AEC industry, will share highlights from the company’s economic forecast as well as several of its recent studies on technology.

Bryden Wood Technology Ltd.'s, cloud-based Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) and its specialists in Design Automation use an intelligent, rules-based approach that locks in greater design compliance and performance, from concept to construction. It builds custom software – called configurators — for major clients, tailored for their business. The London, England-based architectural firm says the technology has resulted in faster generation of usable iterative designs for site-specific projects, from data centers to roadways to education to housing. See how the end-to-end design automation cloud software goes from initial site selection all the way through to pre-construction BIM documentation using an innovative ‘kit-of-parts’ approach.