Applying AI in the construction sector

The construction industry, long vital to economic development, faces numerous challenges that have driven the need for innovation. These problems range from inefficiency, safety concerns, and cost overruns to environmental impact and resource limitations. Climate change and its devastating impact on our built environment are the key issues that have led to the development and application of these transformative technologies in construction. In response, design and construction professionals, with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced building materials, have produced groundbreaking solutions.

Slow project delivery. From design to execution, construction is a complex process involving numerous stakeholders, tight schedules, and a large amount of logistical coordination. Its projects are notorious for delays, budget overruns and inefficiency. Delays due to unforeseen problems, material shortages and human error are common, leading to cost escalations and missed deadlines.

AI has been a game-changer in addressing inefficiency. With predictive analytics, it can help the construction team foresee potential delays, enabling project managers to proactively resolve issues. AI-driven tools optimize schedules and resource allocation, improving overall project timelines. On the materials side, innovations like 3D printing have sped up construction processes, while self-healing materials reduce the need for costly repairs, ensuring the structure's durability over time.

A global labor shortage confronts the construction industry with many skilled workers aging out of the industry and a lack of younger workers entering the field. This shortage is exacerbated by construction work's physically demanding nature, which deters many potential workers. Moreover, labor costs continue to rise as demand outstrips supply.

AI-driven robotics and assistive technologies offer an efficient alternative to human labor, making their task easier, safer and more efficient. AI-equipped robots and drones can perform repetitive tasks like bricklaying, surveying and material transport, reducing the reliance on human workers. 3D printing allows for the rapid production of building components, optimizing the need for skilled manual labor while ensuring high precision and reduced errors. As a result, AI and automation help maintain productivity levels despite the shrinking labor force.

Safety concerns. The construction industry is one of the most dangerous sectors, with a high number of fatalities and injuries occurring on job sites. Accidents result from improper safety protocols, human error and hazardous working conditions, leading to legal liabilities and increased insurance costs.

Assistive and proper tools help improve safety by minimizing potential hazards before they result in accidents. AI-based systems can analyze real-time data from construction sites, such as worker movement patterns, weather conditions, and machinery malfunctions, to provide safety alerts and suggest corrective actions. AI-equipped drones can inspect hard-to-reach areas, reducing the need for workers to access dangerous zones. Advanced building materials like impact-resistant glass and self-healing concrete contribute to the buildings' structural integrity, minimizing the risk of damage during construction or after their completion.

Environmental impact. The construction industry is a major contributor to environmental degradation. The extraction of raw materials, high energy consumption, and waste generation are significant issues. Buildings consume a considerable amount of energy over their lifespans due to heating, cooling, and other operational demands, contributing to carbon emissions and environmental harm.

AI can help professionals design to optimize resource use, reduce waste, and ensure that projects are more energy-efficient. By leveraging AI algorithms, construction companies can do the same while lowering costs. Advanced building materials like smart glass, high-performance insulation and photovoltaic materials can reduce energy consumption in buildings, making them more sustainable. The use of recycled materials in construction, such as recycled steel and bio-based concrete, helps minimize the industry's carbon footprint.

Rising costs of construction materials. The rising costs of raw materials such as steel, wood, concrete and other natural material resources have made construction more expensive. They are driven by supply chain disruptions, geopolitical factors, inflation and resource scarcity. The increased prices of essential building materials result in higher project costs and make it harder for construction companies to remain competitive.

AI technology can help reduce material costs by optimizing the use of resources and minimizing waste. It can analyze data and suggest ways to cut down on material consumption while maintaining structural integrity. New materials like the development of 3D printing, self-healing concrete and other faux materials provide more cost-effective, long-lasting solutions. Ty help reduce the overall amount of maintenance, weight and repairs required during a building's lifespan, mitigating the impact of rising raw material prices.

Construction projects often have a lot of errors and suffer from quality issues due to poor workmanship, design flaws, and material defects. These issues can result in structural problems, costly repairs and delays. Ensuring consistent quality control across large-scale projects is a significant challenge.

AI tech can help detect errors early on in the construction process by analyzing data from sensors, construction logs and building models. By monitoring real-time progress, it can identify deviations from the planned design and suggest corrections, ensuring higher quality control. Advanced building materials like nanomaterials and high-performance concrete improve the structural integrity and durability of buildings, ensuring they meet higher standards and reducing the need for repairs.

Complexity in design and building customization. As architectural designs become more complex, traditional construction methods struggle to meet the demand for innovative and customized buildings. Designers often face limitations in terms of material properties, structural stability and aesthetic challenges in trying to push the boundaries of architectural creativity.

The AI-driven Building Information Modeling (BIM) allows for more advanced and accurate designs by automating repetitive tasks, optimizing spatial layouts, and ensuring regulatory compliance. It facilitates the use of complex materials like 3D-printed components and customized nanomaterials, which are flexible and can be tailored to meet a design's specific needs. This technological synergy allows for greater creativity in construction while maintaining structural integrity and cost-effectiveness.

Long-term performance

Building lifespan and maintenance challenges. Many construction projects face significant challenges related to the long-term performance and maintenance of buildings. Cracks, wear-and-tear, corrosion, and other forms of degradation can reduce the lifespan of structures, increasing maintenance costs and reducing building safety. Inefficient post-construction operations and maintenance can also be costly and time-consuming.

The development of self-healing materials and smart materials has been a breakthrough in addressing long-term building maintenance. Self-healing concrete automatically seals cracks as they form, reducing the need for frequent repairs. AI technology can monitor building conditions over time: by using sensors and data analysis to detect early signs of wear or failure, it allows for preventative maintenance and extends the lifespan of buildings. It also helps design professionals in creating resilient, sustainable green buildings.

The construction industry is grappling with several critical challenges, from inefficiency, labor shortages, environmental sustainability, to rising material costs. AI and Advanced Building Materials have emerged as vital solutions to these issues. AI is streamlining operations, improving project management and enhancing safety, while Advanced Building Materials are contributing to more sustainable, durable and energy-efficient construction practices. Their innovations are setting new standards for the construction industry.

Together, they are shaping a smarter, greener and more efficient construction industry by improving efficiency, reducing costs and enhancing safety. They are enabling the construction of more sustainable, durable and innovative structures — one that can meet the challenges of a rapidly urbanizing world.

As these technologies continue to evolve, they will play an increasingly important role in overcoming the many obstacles facing the construction industry, which then will be able to deliver better, more resilient and environmentally friendly infrastructure for future generations.

Source: Business World

Hurricane-proof skyscrapers vulnerable to less powerful windstorms

Tall buildings fare poorly in derechos*, say experts, raising questions over their resilience as climate crisis worsens

Skyscrapers built to withstand major hurricanes fare much more poorly in less powerful windstorms known as derechos, researchers have found, raising questions for cities worldwide over the resilience of tall buildings as the climate emergency worsens.

A team from Florida International University’s (FIU) civil and environmental engineering department studied the unexpectedly severe damage caused to buildings in Houston, a city with 50 skyscrapers of 492ft (150 metres) or more, during the 16 May 2024 derecho.

They found that the storm’s long line of fast-moving thunderstorms spawned “downburst” winds peaking at 90mph that bounced off the buildings and inflicted considerable damage, especially to the facades of structures designed to withstand stronger, category 4 hurricane-force wind speeds of up to 156mph.

The same buildings, by contrast, were virtually unscathed during category 1 Hurricane Beryl in July, when sustained wind speeds were similar to those of the earlier derecho, but without their more erratic, up and down nature, or explosive bursts at or near ground level.

The results were published on Friday by the peer-reviewed science website Frontiers in Built Environment. The FIU study focused on five of Houston’s tallest and most iconic buildings but, the researchers say, it could have profound implications for cities elsewhere as the climate crisis and soaring ocean temperatures fuel stronger and more frequent severe weather events, including hurricanes, fires and floods.

They stress that the wind speeds in a derecho, which can vary from far below major hurricane strength to match or exceed it, is not as consequential as how that wind is dispersed. A “unique characteristic” of a downburst, they say, is how the wind blows outwards in all directions when it reaches the ground.

“When strong winds move through a city, they can bounce due to interference between tall buildings. This increases pressure on walls and windows, making damage more severe than if the buildings were isolated,” said Omar Metwally, an FIU doctoral student and the report’s co-author.

“On top of this, downbursts create intense, localized forces which can exceed typical design values for hurricanes, especially on the lower floors of tall buildings.”

Metwally called it a “one-two punch effect” that the FIU team predicts will become an even worse problem for states around the Gulf of Mexico, where a 0.34F rise per decade over the last half-century is twice the rate of oceans globally.

Amal Elawady, professor of structural and wind engineering at FIU, and the team’s leader, said the research would also have relevance in other countries, where regulations for building design and wind loads are often calculated primarily with hurricane categories in mind.

“It’s not only a US issue. Downbursts are also very common and very frequent in Europe and worldwide,” she said.

“How a building responds to a thunderstorm is different from the way they respond to hurricanes, so it’s something that needs to be considered, not just for the buildings, but also for the components, like the cladding, the envelope of the building.”

Metwally said he hoped the research would lead to a re-evaluation of regulations and design of future tall buildings, as well as urban planning, as officials became more aware of the complexity and potential negative outcomes of downburst events.

The FIU analysis focused on Houston’s Chevron Building Auditorium, CenterPoint Energy Plaza, El Paso Energy Building, RRI Energy Plaza, and Wedge International Tower, all built between 1962 and 2003 and between 518ft and 742ft tall. Construction standards require them to withstand winds up to 67 metres per second, or category 4 hurricane strength.

During last year’s derecho, facade panels were dislodged and cladding damaged, especially on corners and lower floors. Broken glass and other hazardous debris fell on to downtown streets and the aftermath brought significant socio-economic impacts including traffic disruptions, businesses temporarily closing, and a huge bill for clean-up and repairs.

The FIU team ran simulations of the downbursts and hurricanes on modeled replicas at the university’s Wall of Wind experimental facility in Miami, funded by the National Science Foundation. Suction on the sides of buildings was substantially more evident during downburst events, explaining the ripping away of cladding and broken windows that did not occur during the hurricane.

“It’s not likely that a tall building will fail under wind, either hurricane or downburst,” Elawady said.

“But it causes damage, debris and water intrusion, and once you have a broken window you have a change in the internal pressure in the building and then the total force on the building is different,” she said.

Ongoing and future FIU research will look at the effects of downbursts on transmission lines, lighting poles, telecommunication towers and low-rise buildings as well as more studies on skyscrapers.

“It’s a very complex problem that needs to be thoroughly studied, and we’re trying our best to better understand it,” Elawady said.

*A derecho (pronounced similar to "deh-REY-cho") is a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms

Source: The Guardian

How Mall Culture Moved to the Center of Philippine Life

The Philippines, a country known for its vibrant culture and warm hospitality, has seen a significant shift in its social and economic landscape over the past few decades. One of the most notable changes is the rise of mall culture, which has moved to the center of Philippine life. This phenomenon can be attributed to several factors, including the country’s tropical climate, urbanization, and the multifunctional nature of malls.

Historical Context and Evolution

The concept of malls in the Philippines began to take shape in the 1970s with the establishment of Ali Mall, the country’s first major shopping mall. Over the years, malls have evolved from simple shopping centers to multifunctional spaces that cater to a wide range of needs. Today, malls are not just places to shop; they are community hubs where people gather, socialize, and access various services.

Climate and Convenience

One of the primary reasons for the popularity of malls in the Philippines is the country’s tropical climate. With temperatures often soaring and the rainy season bringing heavy downpours, malls provide a comfortable, air-conditioned environment where people can escape the heat and rain. This convenience has made malls an attractive destination for Filipinos looking to spend their leisure time in a comfortable setting.

Urbanization and Accessibility

As the Philippines has urbanized, the development of malls has kept pace with the growing population in cities. Malls are strategically located in urban centers, making them easily accessible to a large number of people. This accessibility has made malls a central part of daily life for many Filipinos, who visit them not only for shopping but also for dining, entertainment, and even accessing government services.

Multifunctional Spaces

Modern malls in the Philippines are designed to be all-in-one destinations. They house a variety of establishments, including supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas, gyms, medical clinics, and even government offices. This multifunctionality makes malls a convenient place for people to accomplish multiple tasks in one trip. For instance, a person can shop for groceries, pay bills, watch a movie, and have a meal, all without leaving the mall.

Social and Cultural Hub

Malls have also become important social and cultural hubs in the Philippines. They host events, concerts, and exhibitions, providing a space for community engagement and cultural expression. Additionally, many malls hold Catholic masses on Sundays, further integrating them into the social fabric of Filipino life. This role as a community center has strengthened the bond between malls and the people who frequent them.

Economic Impact

The economic impact of malls in the Philippines cannot be overstated. They provide employment opportunities for thousands of people and contribute significantly to the local economy. According to data provided by the Philippine Retailers Association, shopping malls account for about 15% of the country's GNP and 33% of the entire services sector. The presence of malls has also spurred the growth of surrounding businesses, creating a ripple effect that benefits the broader community.

Conclusion

The rise of mall culture in the Philippines is a testament to the adaptability and resilience of Filipino society. Malls have become more than just shopping centers; they are integral parts of daily life, providing comfort, convenience, and a sense of community. As the country continues to develop, it is likely that malls will remain central to the social and economic landscape of the Philippines.

Source: ZRE