In anticipation of the new year, we took a closer look at all the innovations happening across architecture, engineering and construction as well as energy and utilities. A few facts are clear. Digital transformation is on the rise. Construction shows no signs of slowing, despite anticipate economic headwinds. And the value of digital tools on jobsites has made them a necessity.  We asked industry experts to share their predictions for 2023.

“My three predictions for 2023 are:

1. The Infrastructure Bill will continue to benefit utilities and property owners with a ripple effect on engineering and construction as our infrastructures are fortified.”
2. The insurance industry will incentivize general contractors to adopt digital tools as a way to boost safety and improve record keeping of who is on a jobsite and their role.
3. The use of virtual design and construction (VDC), BIM and prefab will increase among larger contractors because they offer greater control over costs. Meanwhile, expect medium-size contractors to increase their use of cloud based project management platforms.”

– David Ward, CEO, Safe Site Check In

“Smartphone-based apps will continue to democratize lower-accuracy, fast 3D imaging and sharing. For example, interior designers who just need a quick living room or kitchen scan for concept approvals will be thrilled as their kids show them how to capture.

Also, the worlds of architecture, construction, computer gaming and entertainment will further merge into each other. We’ll see laser scanner manufacturers continuing to improve the photographic capabilities of their equipment while super-fast gaming computer processors will allow more architects to design in 3D.”

– Corey Weiner, founder of C2.A Studio, an as-built laser scan measurement service.

“Looking ahead to 2023, I’m most concerned about staffing and training new personnel to handle the forecasted workload. It takes time to hire and train new people on our processes and operating software systems. The key is to utilize the most user friendly and intuitive apps and programs to facilitate a more streamline training program, such as Safe Site Check In and Procore in our company.’

“What I think we’ll see next year are more frequent on-site safety meetings (tailgate style) and greater accountability and control of who is where and when. For example, safety zones should be limited to the people required to do the work and not allow others to pass through while critical operations are going on. Awareness is the most important part of improving safety results. If we can use more digital tools that are accessible to all workers, then we can have better accountability and that should drive safety results in the right direction.”

– Zach Hoffman, Director of Field Operations, Prevost Construction

“I believe we’ll see the use of more digital technology to manage workers, streamline and update processes, and stay ahead of any potential safety issues. The construction industry (generally) is behind and we’re working hard within our company to not only streamline our processes but also limit our environmental impact the best we can.”

– Jon Broyles, Corporate Safety Officer, AMG & Associates

“The use of AI, virtual reality, wearable devices and camera monitoring systems will allow us to do things we never dreamed would be possible. The increased use of digital technologies will also allow us collect true data. This way, we can identify and address the leading indicators that impact safety, productivity and the business.”

– Rod Courtney, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) director, Ampirical.

“In 2023, companies will be moving more into digital workflows, especially as industry leaders digitize the process of monitoring construction projects. These digital workflows will rely on automated reality capture to compare the current state of a construction site with BIM plans. Then, to quickly close the loop, corresponding insights will be brought back into the field using augmented reality to point out inaccuracies or missing installations. However, automating this process requires frequent capturing of a construction site using reality capture technology. The most cost efficient way to do this is through the use of autonomous reality capture to minimize user involvement without compromising the integrity of the scans.”

– Pascal Strupler, Business Director of Autonomous Reality Capture at Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon.

While nobody knows exactly what will happen this year, it’s interesting to see how recent changes in the industry are shaping the future.

Authored by:

David Ward, CEO, Safe Site Check In

*Featured Logo Courtesy: Safe Site Check In