Author: hps-admin

There have been plenty of new construction trends making an appearance in the construction industry throughout 2017. The increasing demands, evolving needs of clients and the ever changing market place mean that the industry must continually improve, resulting in new techniques and ‘ways to do it’.

However, it’s not just down to the change within the industry. A big part of this is advancements in technology, and an increased focus on sustainability. This plays a vital role, pushing construction companies to consider different construction methods and technologies that are smarter and greener than ever before. Although many of these trends are prominent in the construction world, it is interesting to see just how impactful these trends currently are, and how they are going to change the industry.

The demand for smarter buildings is increasing due to the rapid progression of technology and its affordability. As a result, The Internet of Things is an innovation which is being incorporated into modern building designs to automate certain functions, such as energy and water consumption. The use of this technology will look to improve sustainability, efficiency, safety, interacting and personalisation to those who use the it.

Mobile technology for on-site construction management is a new way in which will help construction workers manage their time and site more efficiently. The use of apps will enable workers to increase their productivity and make their time easier for administration purposes. These new apps will enable all field coordination, as well as people management processes such as timesheets, performance reports and task allocation. These can be assigned, reviewed, and tracked, meaning that management will have more time on their hands to organise sites and other tasks.

Green buildings are growing at an increasing rate. They use a lot less energy, which, in return, will make them considerably cheaper to run. Combined with the growing concern on the environment, this has led to building regulations being put in place to increase the use of renewable energy, and the government are now aiming to have 4 million solar powered homes up and running by 2020.

3D computer designs that use Building Information Modelling (BIM) are the new standard. These drawings provide an incredible visual experience that will give the whole picture. This innovation is becoming a popular process to view the design, which will make it easier to find any faults or issues before construction is set to take place.

The above is only a few of the many construction trends that are shaping the construction industry. How do you feel about how technology is changing the industry as we know it? Let us know by tweeting us @HighfieldREC !

We are all aware of how technology is changing everyday life as we know it, and it’s only a matter of time before the future of rail technology will start to shape the way we travel.

2017 was the year technology in rail really came into practice. Systems introduced included The Internet of Things, as well as Augmented and Virtual reality, and Intelligent apps. Something that we may see tacking more of shape by 2020 is ‘digital twins’.

We’ve broken down the array of new features in the industry below, to give you a better idea of what you could be using in the near future…

The IoT (Internet of Things)

This enables metros, passenger and freight services to use sensors, data analytics, cloud computing and many other tech to gather and analyse information on a wider scale. The idea of this is to be able to offer passengers a better service on an easier and a more cost-effective measure. The IoT will enable the rail industry to move forward and will offer many more opportunities to those in the industry and those who invest into it. The great thing about this is that it will not only benefit those in the IT departments, it will also benefit those in engineering, maintenance, communications and the whole on board service. This is a fast and evolving digital revolution in rail technology that is set to excel the rail industry.

Virtual and Augmented Reality

We all know what virtual and augmented reality is, and most of us have experienced this new concept in one way or another since it’s leap in the digital world since 2016. In the last few years we have seen virtual reality headsets become a craze, leading to these becoming more affordable to buy. We also saw the mania of the Pokémon Go Augmented reality app, which saw millions of downloads and incorporated the underground and rail in its game.

So, how is this concept of rail technology going to help in the rail industry? This idea of virtual reality is going to see an increase of virtual manufacturing technology, which allows designers to create 3D models of products and to also virtually test the efficiency of its performance. This concept is also going to be expanded on board.

Deutsche Bahn have been working with the team at Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) to develop augmented reality windows on their ‘Innovation Train’. Keolis Commuter Services, which has operated the MBTA, deployed smart glasses by AMA XPertEye which use “augmented reality lite” and link staff in the field with technicians at the maintenance headquarters. Images can be transmitted from the glasses back to base, and the idea is that the office-based colleagues can offer advice without having to travel to the site of the problem. The good news is this will save time and money for the company, and stop possible delays for passengers.

Intelligent apps

We all use apps every day. In 2009 alone, approximately 2.52 billion apps were downloaded worldwide. By the end of this year this is expected to rise to 268.59 billion. The idea of these apps is that they are built to use both historical and real-time data, which will make predictions and decisions to deliver a personal experience. We will see how this new wave of app will shape technology in the use of personal assistants, which will have a clear link to rail and metros when it comes to booking tickets, organising travel and make the user aware of changes to their commute. This is to ensure the customer experience is improved.

Digital Twins

The idea of ‘digital twins’ is a big leap in the digital world and is something that we may not see happen until around 2020, although work on this is prevalent today. Digital Twins is a software model of a physical system which can be used to analyse and simulate real world conditions, and improves operational performance which help rail and metro. It is a system that will create a deeper understanding of maintenance and bring the work of engineers and data scientists together. This will offer a detailed virtual view of the real world.

All in all, things are changing, and fast. Customer experience is the forefront of innovation, especially with increasing delays and costs to commuters.

How do you feel about the way rail technology is shaping the rail industry? Are you excited for this new development? Tweet us @HighfieldREC !

The Olympics is arguably the most well-known sporting event in the world. The anticipation and excitement in the host country is unexplainable, and the boost to economy second-to-none. But, constructing an entire village for athletes from all over the world to live in, compete and relax is not easy, even for the most experienced professionals.

During the 2016 Rio Games, Olympic officials for Tokyo announced ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that they cannot afford to construct the centre piece stadium. Not the best news to hear with 4 years to go.

Now it’s less than 1000 days until we head to Tokyo for the sporting event of the year, let’s have a look back through the years to divulge ourselves in all things Olympic construction…

London 2012

London 2012 was a historic event for the country, which fortuned a proud and united front from all who participated, helped and watched. Most of us may have seen these structures being built through the years, and many of us will have visited at least one site since 2012.

Astoundingly 6,449 people worked on the Olympic Park at the peak of its construction during December 2010. This gave over 2,000 unemployed workers the chance to work from April 2008 up until the games took place. This saw the Olympic park being one of the largest urban parks to be built in Europe for 150 years.

The estimated cost of constructing everything required for the London games was originally £280m, but these projections soon grew to around the £701m mark and beyond.

Rio 2016

In 2016, Brazil welcomed the torch and became home to the Olympic Games. There were many challenges being faced during the construction of these games, starting with cost. In Rio’s bid, they promised 14 new structures to hold various sporting events. However, due to the recession this was not implemented.

Just 12 months before the games were set to begin, only one of the original fourteen promised buildings had been completed, so the negative press was coming in thick and fast. Eventually, they completed 9 new buildings, falling short of their bid promise.

Rio took inspiration from our London 2012 Games, however, building their Future Arena with a Nomadic feel, similar to the Copperbox in London.

Tokyo 2020

The construction for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is expected to cost £1.1 billion – one of the largest budgets the Olympic games has ever seen. Currently, there are 40 different buildings expected to be constructed for the games, including 5 different stadiums just to host the football.

In addition, there will be the Olympic village and a building hosting the ‘Tokyo International Exhibition Centre’.

“It is an opportunity to design the whole area surrounding the station,” said architect Kengo Kuma, who is designing the new national stadium for the Tokyo Games. “It would be a great project because it will connect the sea and the hill of Tokyo, which will make a new face to the city.”

With less than 1000 days to go until the start of the opening ceremony, it will be interesting to see the outcome of this mega construction project, and whether they will be able to keep up with the demand of their original bid. Especially considering they’ve already announced they can’t afford to construct the centre piece stadium…

What has been your favourite piece of construction so far from all the Olympic games? Were you involved in the construction of the London 2012 buildings? Tweet as at @HighfieldREC to let us know.

The role of a Quantity Surveyor is developing to keep up with the changing market. There is no denying the critical role a Quantity Surveyor plays in the construction industry, and this therefore highlights the importance in keeping this profession relevant.

The traditional role of quantity surveying, seen as measurement and bill of quantities, has been declining due to the dynamic nature of the industry and growing demands of the client. Quantity Surveying dates to the 18^th century in the United Kingdom, when construction projects were measured and valued after they were designed and built. By the early 19^th century a new system was put in place which resulted in price completion before construction would begin.

With the uncertainty of today’s ever-changing market conditions, the movement towards new technology and ‘green’ building, has meant the role of the Quantity Surveyor has evolved to keep up with this new demand.

The world is evolving day by day, therefore so are the requests and demands on the professionals and their expertise. With the changing environment, the Quantity Surveyor has evolved to satisfy the marketplace by filling the gaps across diverse industries.

The Quantity Surveyor in the construction industry seems to have gone through some significant changes. The traditional technical and professional services of Quantity Surveyors still relate to measurement and documentations, price, value and cost of construction, pre- and post- tender management and final account. However, the role now includes work with the development of new services, including risk and value management, construction project management, project financing, contract administration, sustainability, legal and environmental services.

The term ‘modern quantity surveying’ signifies the increasing demand for professionals to change with the market. This has added a great optimism and value to the profession.

So, how has the role of the Quantity Surveyor changed over the years?

Utilise increasing knowledge:

Gone are the days that the QS would only be involved at the end of the project. The client now contacts the Quantity Surveyor before any construction has taken place, in order to utilise their expertise. The QS will therefore play a vital role in the design and planning stage to ensure everyone’s needs are met, as well as through the construction and completion phases.

Technology:

Clearly, IT has a huge impact on the way our world has changed. We continue to witness the way technology progresses and changes the ways in which work is produced and maintained. Technologies such as BIM have decreased the pain staking hours QS’ used to spend hand drawing, which frees up their time to be involved in other aspects of the project, such as advising on different procurement measures, or suggesting alternative building materials.

Expectations and competition:

Michael Manikas FAIQS, chief executive officer of Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (AIQS), said;

“A lot of firms are becoming more of a business advisor than a traditional quantity surveyor. Some are positioning themselves as the kingpins of the construction industry, especially in relation to government projects and large infrastructure projects. The traditional role of a QS where they used to sit down for hours on end and measure bills of quantities has definitely changed.”

With technology changing day by day, this profession is going to continue to evolve, bringing more challenges and more competition than ever before.

How do you feel about the changing role of the Quantity Surveyor, and what has changed since you first started your QS career? Leave a comment, or tweet us @HighfieldREC to let us know.