Applying technology in Civil Engineering

The 21st century is seen as the technological century. In fact, technology surrounds our society. It is changing, and most of time facilitating people’s lives. Computers, smartphones, tablets, projectors, millions of electronics devices, but also the physical space where we live: houses, buildings, stadiums, roads, and any structure.

More and more industries have been using modern machines to improve material production. Nowadays, companies feel the need to innovate to follow the needs of modern society. World Famous Apple inventor, Steve Jobs, said that “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Technology is changing how cities and communities are built. It is changing how we live.

 Using the latest technology has become essential for companies, especially companies that hope to succeed in the future, and applying technology to civil engineering has many benefits and should be a priority for construction companies.

First, one of the benefits of applying technology to civil engineering is that it can increase productivity. Nowadays, the necessity of building faster is growing among construction companies because they are looking for profit. The more they can build in less time and spending, greater will be the profit. So productivity is the key word.

It is possible to see the increase of productivity by two points of view: to produce materials quickly and to use materials that make the construction easier and faster. Industries that use new engines during the production of materials are able to produce a bigger amount of material in less time. Also, new softwares can optimize the production making the industrial process as fast as it is possible.

A study made by Abhinav Peddi (n.d) about an automated on-site productivity measurement system shows that this technology can improve the capability of rapid construction. The system is based on capturing images of construction activities. An analysis of theses images can generate a working status of a worker, what allows to determine construction productivity in real-time at the project side. Through this instant feedback it is possible to establish where the workers need to increase productivity and, as a result, minimize the time required for the construction process.

In addition, the use of technology allows industries to develop materials that do not require too much effort to be applied at the construction. For example, using pre-mixed concrete that arrives at the construction (from the industry) ready for application helps to optimize cost and time of construction because the application of this kind of concrete does not need to be prepared at the construction site and requires less labor. Investing in technologies to improve building materials and their industrial process has significant results in terms of productivity.

Another benefit of technology is it allows industries to improve the quality of materials. The use of software can improve quality control of materials because it can precisely calculate the proportion of the components what affects material’s properties. Also, the use of new engines allows the development of more efficient testing of materials.

A study written by Ghaboussi (1991) analyzed the use of neural networks to control the behavior of concrete during the period of plane stress under monotonic biaxial loading and compressive uniaxial cycle loading. He concluded that, through the use of this device, it is possible to better analyze the behavior of materials and, then, modeling them.

Quality is tightly connected to durability of structure. Efficient materials avoid structural problems, such as cracks and infiltrations, what can compromise the whole construction. Moreover, there are many particular locations that require special materials with specific properties. For example, construction that is exposed to seawater, such as bridges, need to be corrosion resistant. The use of software during the production of materials process permits to create more efficient materials that will attend the building necessities.

The next point is that technology can solve one of the biggest problems faced by the construction industry: trash generated from process. Nowadays, there is a big concern about trash and waste of materials. In civil projects, support structures, such as woodpiles, and rests of materials are increasing the amount of trash in the world. Technology can solve this problem by some ways: using softwares to calculate the exactly amount of materials that will be necessary, what will avoid wastes, and also developing new materials that generate the smallest amount of waste.

A research article written by Formoso, Soilbelm, De Cesare, and Isatto (2002) analyzed two studies made in Brazil about waste of building materials. According to the authors, waste of materials is a important issue for the construction industry from the perspective of efficiency, and also from its effect on the environment. They point out two different views for waste: directed waste, which is the loss of materials, and indirect waste, which is the monetary loss caused by wrong calculations. From the analysis of the studies carried out in Brazil, they concluded that the main solution to facilitate elimination of waste is an implementation of control systems, that is able to measure financial and nonfinancial waste and optimize the production process, in construction companies.

Furthermore, prefabricated structures, such as steel frame and drywall, are a good solution for the problem about the trash in construction site. This kind of construction generates the minimal amount of trash as possible because it does not need support structures and comes prepared from the industry. Everything is precisely calculated before, so there is no waste of materials.

According to Jaillon (2009), the construction industry generated about 21.5 million tonne of waste in Hong Kong in 2005. The amount of 11% of this waste was disposed of in landfills and 89% in public areas. To solve this problem, the use of prefabricated structures was implemented, what resulted in wastage reduction of 52%.

Also, steel frame and drywall have an additional benefit: it reduces the amount of water necessary in the construction, what is important because the waste of water is a relevant issue nowadays. Thus, the use of technology for buildings materials and construction projects has benefits not only for the process but also for the community and environment.

Technology is still expensive today, and integrating technology to construction industry requires a large investment. The cost of technology is a hurdle that companies are trying to overcome to be integrated in our modern society. However, applying technology to construction has a positive return. This happens because all benefits discussed – increase on productivity, increase of quality of materials, and decrease of wastage – has an embedded financial issue: companies will spend less with labor if they are able to increase productivity producing more in less time and with less effort; they will spend less with structural problems if they use high quality materials which have the best performance as possible; also, they will avoid financial waste if they avoid waste of materials with support structures and wrong calculations. It means that it is necessary to apply a significant capital in technology, but after a period its benefits will cover the costs, and the company will experience an increase in profits.

If industries invest their money on technology, they will be able to have a high quality production because of its benefits and, consequently, have an advantage in the market. Companies that show the best performance are more likely to gain the preference of contractors and entrepreneurs interested in applying their capital. Companies without credibility and investment tend to fail in the future.

So, integrating technology has direct benefits, which is an improvement on materials and construction process, and also indirect benefits, which is related with credibility and preference in the market.

The civil engineering field has been revolutionized by technology. Companies and industries are using technology to change and improve the way they produce materials and the way they construct. Software and industrial mechanisms have been used to optimize as much as possible constructions by developing more efficient materials and avoiding wastes of materials, and time, and avoid problems that can result in a financial loss.

Looking at the reality of our society today, it is easy to conclude that the tendency is a future more and more technological. Companies that aspire to succeed in the future need to incorporate technology to be able to follow the society progress.