THE FAST CHANGING AEC DOMAIN.

The pandemic has become a powerful catalyst for accelerated digitalization inside most AEC organizations.

Things have changed a lot for the AEC domain from the technology perspective.  Globally, the adoption of internet, mobile applications and cloud technology is helping the AEC industry to manage and monitor construction projects from remote locations. In India, the trend is catching up fast both in public and private enterprises.

Large advancements in technologies available to the design and construction industry have empowered the design and construction processes to be more efficient, accurate and cost effective. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have enabled us to design in an immersive digital environment with immediate visualization. No renderings or physical models can provide a comparable experiential three-dimensional analysis of the design. This technology is now sophisticated enough to measure dimensions and even make instantaneous adjustments on the go.

Using AI to manage the construction documentation and administration process allows the entire team to have synchronized information on budget status, critical path schedules and risk mitigation plans. Use of drones allow for faster surveying, management and inspection of project sites while also providing high resolution imagery. When combined with specific technique tools such as 3D printing and advanced data analytics, every component of the building comes together with extreme precision.

With the onset of Covid-19, the construction industry is forced to digitalize at a faster pace than anticipated. A number of industry players have now realized that using modern construction technology to digitalize their workflows and processes is crucial to their survival and profitability. The pandemic has thus become a powerful catalyst for accelerated digitalization inside most AEC organizations. A recent study by McKinsey reports that in the three months of lockdown, the construction industry has leaped forward in terms of five years in their adoption of technology with a 40-50% increase in adoption of solutions.

Says SN Subrahmanyan, CEO & Managing Director, Larsen & Toubro, “Over the last few years L&T has deliberately and slowly enhanced its technology footprint and is charting a course in the recent years that will see its technology portfolio increase its contribution vis a vis its traditional businesses. In 2014-15 the world was seeing a tectonic shift with digital technologies. These emerging technologies were creating new processes, new business models and entirely new businesses. Digitalization and digital transformation was sweeping the business world. L&T was seeing and experiencing this first-hand from its clients of the IT service companies. L&T saw the opportunity of digital as twofold. First, to digitally transform its own operations and use these new technologies to get better at what it was already doing well. Second, to look at digital as a new business opportunity that could shape its future portfolio.  L&T started doing both and it acted swiftly with determination, speed, and scale.”

Says Jayant Keswani, Marketing Director, Trimble Buildings, India & Middle East, “In the past few months, we have seen a significant increase in demand for construction technologies, tools and solutions. A lot of this demand is being driven by the need for optimal collaboration among all project stakeholders, both onsite and offsite; which in turn is a deemed necessity on account of the prevailing social distancing norms. Many AEC industry players are also warming up to fully digitalising their workflows; which will inevitably lead to the adoption of tech-enabled solutions across all stages of construction.”

Saurabh Goenka, Senior Associate, S9 Architecture, a New York-based firm says, “Cloud based building information modeling (BIM), data analytics and inter process communication (IPC) have improved the pace of design-to-construction processes to unparalleled levels. Using a single source of coordinated, computable information and sharing real-time data with the entire team allows for clash-detection and reduces scope for human error. A BIM model is useful throughout the building lifecycle, from design and construction to facility management and operations. It is a database of information which can provide constructability analysis, performance analysis and building maintenance requirements. A connected data environment can also compute budget and schedule changes automatically, thus keeping the entire team well informed.”

States Vijay Gupta, Founder & CEO, SoftTech Engineers Limited, “I believe that online software and systems to digitally manage construction projects now onwards will be considered imperative by business owners for monitoring and decision making for their projects. The building information modeling (BIM) to virtualize the construction project, and monitoring through Virtual and Augmented reality (AR/VR) technologies without moving on to the site will be a boon to address the industry challenges brought by Covid-19. I believe the industry has started learning and adopting this for the survival and growth of the business.”

“Construction software ultimately will help the industry save time, money and unnecessary labour.  Lean construction, connected construction and remote construction is now easier to implement with digital solutions, and will address many of the issues faced in the AEC domain. Digitalisation offers instant communication and real-time visibility to address any issues instantly. In the post-covid era, we will see the emergence of contactless construction. The need to maintain operations safely and stay competitive will compel more construction companies to explore the benefits of digitalization,” says Denis Branthonne, Founder and CEO, Novade.

Says Irfan Razack - CMD, Prestige Group, “The future of every business has been affected in ways both large and small by the pandemic. With respect to real estate, I expect an increased appetite in investments in automated construction techniques and a virtualization of marketing and other activities. The industry will want to be less vulnerable to similar crises going forward and will adapt accordingly. In recent years, disruptive technologies such as 3D printing have begun to emerge and we anticipate an increase in research and development into technologies such as these.”

A complete digitalization of workflows and processes across all stages of construction - from planning and design to engineering, construction and eventual operations and maintenance - can unlock hidden productivity and efficiencies, improve margins and also enhance workplace safety; creating a win-win for the AEC industry.

As Keswani puts it, the question today is no longer about whether construction companies should digitize, rather, the moot point today is how they can embrace automation and digitalization that best prepares them to mitigate the business impact or create new opportunities from crisis.

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