Natacha Redon MCIOB, assistant project manager, Turner & Townsend
I’m part of an innovation group at T&T that is focused on BIM. By 2050, we will have progressed beyond Level 3 and various roles will have become established and others made redundant. For example, the BIM leader will no longer exist; instead BIM will have become part of every professional’s role to some degree – especially the project manager’s and architect’s.
The increased automation enabled by BIM will end the role of the traditional QS. There will be skilled cost managers and technicians who check that data is mapped and extracted correctly, but the physical measurement and surveying aspects of the job will disappear.
I’m excited to think what will become possible. For example, post-construction models from BIM could be uploaded to sanitation robots so they know which areas of a building to clean. It sounds like sci-fi but this is already feasible.
Kirsten Henson, director, KLH Sustainability
We already have the technology to resolve some of the challenges facing the industry, such as shortages of energy, materials and water. So it feels like an excuse when people say they are waiting for something to come along to deal with problems like photovoltaic panels, the widespread adoption of BIM or self-healing building materials.
If we don’t start focusing on the soft skills necessary to implement innovation we may still be asking ourselves in 2050 why we are facing people and resource shortages. Innovation requires communication, collaboration and vision. If we learn to value empathy, diversity and flexibility alongside engineering skills, the industry will be heralded as the saviour of our fragile planet in 2050.
Gemma Gay, project manager, Osborne Infrastructure
Inevitably, the industry will be more reliant on technology and offsite manufacture than traditional trades. The main construction period will take place inside a factory, with the onsite period taken up by the delivery and assembly of parts and components. Although this is already happening to some extent, by 2050 most projects, including smaller home builds, will be constructed this way. The drivers will be advancements in digital technology and a dearth of traditional skills in bricklaying, joiners, electricians and so on.
That doesn’t mean the workforce will reduce dramatically – people won’t be replaced by robots – but it will mean more people working on digital design and in factories, and site managers will have to upskill to coordinate advanced methods of assembly.
Chulu Kamalondo ICIOB, chairman, CIOB Novus London Branch
The industry will move towards the manufacturing model employed by the car industry, which has developed an intricate just-in-time system, so deliveries of prefabricated elements from factories will be more co-ordinated with construction sites. Our industry is unique as, in general, no two buildings are alike, so we’re always building prototypes. What I’d like to see is a standardised method of erecting a range of building types and the ability to offer set options to clients. This will help achieve economies of scale.
By 2050, clients will have greater knowledge of construction and sustainability, and will require more precision on price, which will drive digital evolution and the development of software, including BIM, to allow them to see the finished product in detail well before the project has begun on site.
Helen Harrison, associate cost manager, Aecom
In 2050, there will be an increased focus on minimising the impact of construction on the environment. Natural resources will be scarcer and, as a result, efforts to minimise waste will require enablers such as 3D printers and onsite fabrication to cut down on inefficiencies. The refurbishment of existing buildings and the reclamation of materials from existing construction will become an important issue for the industry.
More bespoke solutions and tools will be required to complete this work economically and accurately – such as the use of BIM to model existing structures in greater detail.
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