Future Construction Industry Trends | Page 38

Design History and Theory - Theoretical questions related to cities, urbanization, urbanism and urban planning, whether in historical or contemporary contexts to foster critical thinking regarding the social, economic, political and spatial processes that have produced urbanized built environments, and their consequences for everyday life, social reproduction, politics, and environmental conditions. Source: Harvard.edu Design - Is the creation of a plan or convention for the construction of an object or a system (as in architectural blueprints, engineering drawings, business processes, circuit diagrams and sewing patterns). Design has different connotations in different fields. Source: AiA.org Design skills - Interior and Exterior -Evaluation of principles, traditions, and requirements of building in all its aspects, interior and exterior by combining ethical judgment and technical proficiency in pursuit of excellence, whether the product of our expertise is a physical or intellectual construction through sensitivity to the aesthetic and social responsibilities of environmental intervention; the life-long cultivation of a broad, synthesizing, and humanistic world view; respect for the benefits of research and innovation; deepened commitment to specific lines of inquiry; and an advanced understanding of the culture of practice. Source: AiA.org Developing a safety mind set and culture - A new focus has emerged, based on the insight that the actual behavior of employees is influenced by more than the ability to act in a certain way. Safe behavior depends on having a safety mindset, and a team culture that supports communication and cooperation between individuals. That way of working involves people seeing safety as part of their professionalism. Achieving sustainable improvements in safety performance often requires a change in the way an organization approaches and thinks about safety. To succeed, a safety management improvement process must address all three fundamental elements of the safety management triangle: Work Environment: This includes equipment, housekeeping and engineered systems; People: The knowledge, skills, abilities, values and attitudes of the people in the workplace; and Behaviors: This encompasses the performance of assignments, observations, communications, etc. Source: SafetySmart.com Digital Fabrication - Digital modeling and fabrication is a process that joins design with the Construction/ Production through the use of 3D modeling software and additive and subtractive manufacturing processes. These tools allow designers to produce digital materiality, which is something greater than an image on screen, and actually tests the accuracy of the software and computer lines. Computer milling and fabrication integrate the computer assisted designs with that of the construction industry. In this process, the sequence of operations becomes the critical characteristic in procedure. Architects can propose complex surfaces, where the properties of materials should push the design. Source: Wikipedia DOLS - Department of Labor? Drone applications - “Drones” are probably the most advanced equipment in the field of robotics, aeronautics and electronics. The technical name of drones is “Unmanned Aerial Vehicles” (UAVs). They are aerial vehicles which come in wide varieties of sizes, shapes and functions, which are controlled either by remote or control systems from the ground. They are generally used to carry out tasks in which manned flight is considered to be risky. In the future drones could be used by the construction industry to survey properties, inspect buildings and workplaces for safety. Source: eadanddigest.com Efficiency - Generally describes the extent to which time, effort or cost is well used for the intended task or purpose. It is often used with the specific purpose of relaying the capability of a specific application of effort to produce a specific outcome effectively with a minimum amount or quantity of waste, expense, or unnecessary effort. Source: Wikipedia ©Copyright 2014, North Central Texas InterLink, Inc. All rights reserved 38