Construction Technology News
Constructech magazine is dedicated to bringing you the latest and most relevant technology and automation news impacting the commercial and residential construction industries.
March 10, 2010
In the construction industry, it’s crucial to ensure project information is accessible by everyone involved in the project. This includes superintendents, project managers, and of course field workers. Equally important is being able to share vital project information without worrying about its security and knowing that it cannot be accessed by outside parties.
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March 09, 2010
No construction project can move forward without an accurate and complete schedule. But given the complexities of jobs today—including the number of parties involved and the myriad of nuances and dependencies involved with each task—building and maintaining that schedule is never easy.
Approximately 71% of contractors polled in a recent Constructech survey say scheduling technology continues to play an important role on projects today. Aside from the standard options on the market, there have been few pure construction-specific scheduling tools available to contractors.
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March 08, 2010
The economy continues to send somewhat mixed signals, with some slight indications things are improving, but also hinting of further challenges. In particular, personal income increased in January, but personal disposable income showed a decrease.
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March 08, 2010
While EMS (energy management systems) help commercial building property managers optimize energy through building automation and control, new research shows that only a small percentage of the market potential is actually being realized.
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March 08, 2010
Saving time equals saving money. These days, when it comes to construction technology one of the biggest time savers is digital takeoff technology, allowing estimators to view plans, count and highlight symbols, and generate reports, among other functions, directly on the computer screen.
Readers of Constructech continue to list digital takeoff among the top items on their list of technology priorities, whether this means investing in new software or upgrading currently functionality. As this demand in the market develops, so too does the requirement that the capabilities of software match the needs of the job.
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March 05, 2010
Universities are typically at the leading edge when it comes to teaching and educating about technology. In the case of Northern Kentucky University, www.nku.edu, Highland Heights, Ky., this educational institute is practicing what it preaches. Griffin Hall—the new home for the College of Informatics—will be built with intelligent building systems.
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March 04, 2010
While the economy is down, homebuyer customer satisfaction of new homebuilders is up. According to the 2009 U.S. New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study from JD Power & Associates, www.jdpower.com, Westlake Village, Calif., overall customer satisfaction of new homes improved last year.
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March 03, 2010
Some contractors find that working closely with consulting experts and technology providers can help them take more advanced steps into software implementation. These days, technology providers are partnering up with a number of other industry professionals, in order to allow construction companies to get the most out of technology.
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March 02, 2010
Sundt Construction, www.sundt.com, Tempe, Ariz., and WESTON Solutions, www.westonsolutions.com, West Chester, Pa., have a few things in common—both recognize the value of technology in construction, specifically the value of tracking and managing documents to comply with government regulations.
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March 01, 2010
Who says construction technology is behind the curve when it comes to innovation? One of the hottest devices on the consumer technologies market these days is the iPhone with its thousands of apps that encompass everything from gaming to location-based services. How about using that iPhone to record your daily logs or during your punchlist process? Believe it or not, there is an app for both tasks, and many more.
There is some debate about just how prevalent the iPhone will become as a business tool--many would argue the BlackBerry still has a stronghold on that market. However, these devices are popping up in the hands of more and more construction professionals. Seeing this trend, construction technology providers are delivering apps that make it easier to do their job.
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