WHERE WERE HEADED:

Construction Technology Trends for 2015

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LAUREN HASEGAWA
Co-Founder, Bridgit
Lauren is a Structural Engineering graduate with a background
in concrete restoration and is the Co-Founder of Bridgit. As a
young engineer, Lauren has always had an interest in how
new technologies can improve efficiency and productivity on
construction projects. With this passion, she founded Bridgit in
2012. Bridgit focuses on developing mobile-first solutions that
can help relieve on-site pain points, such as punch list
management. Lauren is an active mentor to young women in
engineering and a frequent speaker at local and national
industry events focused on construction innovation.

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WHERE WERE HEADED:

Construction Technology
Trends for 2015
Technology is evolving at an exponential rate. Each year we
will see more impressive advancements than the last, and the
time between a technology being born and its practical
application will continue to become shorter and shorter.
Today, were seeing a lot of advancements that deal with the
blending of the digital and physical worlds such as 3D printing
and augmented reality. Making right now, a more important
time than ever for construction professionals to pay attention
to emerging trends in technology and ideate around how
these trends can help in the industry.
Here is a compilation of trends in construction technology that
are going to be important to pay attention to in 2015 and
beyond.

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1.

Device convergence: phablets to

replace tablets on-site
Phablet - another made up word that has now made its way
into the Oxford Dictionary. A phablet is a smartphone with a
screen that is intermediate in size between that of a typical
smartphone and a tablet computer (phone + tablet = phablet).
In 2013, phablet sales accounted for of all smartphone
sales1 and with Apples recent launch of the large iPhone 6
Plus, this number is expected to keep growing.

Apples Phil Schiller announces the new iPhone 6. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

1 Deloitte TMT Predictions 2014: Phablets are not a Phad

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Construction professionals have been struggling for the past

few years over whether they should deploy tablets such as the
iPad on-site because of the large screen size, or invest in
company smartphones which allow for better collaboration.
The struggle is possibly coming to an end with the
introduction of phablet devices that provide the best of both
worlds: a screen size large enough to view drawings and
other detailed reports on plus all the features of a smartphone.
This device convergence will help make the choice easier for
decision makers designing mobile policies and on-site teams
will no longer need to struggle between multiple devices.
This trend, however, means that some software vendors need
to adapt. Cloud based software that is only available on tablet
devices could be threatened by the move towards larger
smartphones. As you evaluate software vendors ensure that
you ask: Is your solution a smartphone app, a tablet app or a
web based app? Sometimes the solution will be a
combination of a few delivery methods - which is good.

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2. Augmented reality and wearables to

make BIM and VDC more accessible
Augmented reality (AR) is a live, direct or indirect, view of a
physical, real-world environment whose elements are
augmented by computer-generated sensory input such as
sound, video, graphics or GPS data2. Today, the most common
form of AR is delivered via wearable smartglass, such as
Google Glass, where the user sees a digital image beside or
on top of their view of the world.

DAQRI smart helmet launched September 2014

2 Augmented Reality on Freebase, licensed under CC-BY

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For decades, two-dimensional communication (via drawings

and spreadsheets) has been the norm in construction. This
communication method forces the reader to reach into their
imagination and translate the 2D information, with standard
markups, into actionable information for building in the real
(3D) world.
Building information modeling (BIM) brought the promise that
this translation of sorts would no longer be necessary.
However the complex learning curve, amongst other barriers,
for BIM software makes the software hard to integrate past
BIM consultants and experts - creating a further disconnect.
The ability to integrate BIM and AR technologies for use onsite could prove to be an excellent way of releasing BIM from
the experts clutches and out to the rest of the jobsite decreasing the need to communicate 3D intentions with 2D
tools.
The concept is to use the GPS already in a device to sync
location data to a BIM model. In doing so, the user would have
the ability to see the 3D virtual view of the construction
overlaid on the real-world view of the jobsite with the click of a
button. While the GPS mapping capabilities in AR arent
currently sophisticated enough to do this well on a detailed
level (within walls, etc.), the technology is advancing rapidly
and we predict that this will be a reality in the near future.
A good area to keep an eye on is technologies that make BIM
data easier to manipulate for non-BIM experts via one-click
options and user-friendly design.

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3. Near-field communications (NFC) to

gain popularity on-site
NFC, or near-field communications is a secure form of data
exchange that allows data to be transferred from physical tags
to NFC enabled devices. The technology is frequently
discussed in relation to mobile payments (tap to pay and pay
from your phone).
NFC is a specialized subset within the family of RFID (radiofrequency identification) technology. RFID technologies have
seen some interesting applications in the construction
industry, but as NFC begins to emerge as the more ubiquitous
form of data exchange we can expect to see a lot from the
technology in the future. The real push for NFC comes from
the fact that in September 2014, Apple released the
technology as a part of all new iPhones - now making it
available across iPhone, Android and Windows devices.
In terms of applications on-site, here are some ideas of where
we can expect to see growth for NFC in construction.
Prefabrication and materials: NFC can be used to track
prefabricated sections of large structures as they arrive onsite. Tracking these prefabricated materials can help quickly
identify if an incorrect section has been delivered, or if parts
are missing prior to installation - saving time and labour costs.
The same can be done for other materials deliveries.

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Equipment management: NFC can be used to track inventory

and equipment on-site. With a quick scan, employees will
know when the equipment was last inspected or certified, and
more.
Workforce management and safety: NFC tags placed on
hardhats make it simple for project manager and supervisors
to track each worker entering and leaving a site. In terms of
safety, these NFC tags would allow quick access to
information about workers safety accreditations and can be
used in the instance of tracking people during site
evacuations.
Deficiency management: Currently, tags are often placed
around a site to indicate deficiencies. If these tags used NFC
technology then a simple scan could pull up more information
about what needs to be corrected in the identified location.
The beauty of NFC is that the reader is already incorporated
into most smartphones so no additional scanning devices are
required.

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4. Truly paperless jobsites

We are moving towards truly paperless jobsites where
drawings, punch lists and change orders are shared from the
jobsite to the office using a suite of integrated cloud-based
applications. While paperless is not synonymous with the
cloud, the two must work hand in hand in order to achieve a
working system.
Simply deploying one or multiple cloud solutions does not
equal going paperless. The key to a truly paperless jobsite, or
even just a paperless process, is complete adoption of the
software. When software lacks adoption then the process
generally becomes fragmented with portions being completed
within the software and portions being left untracked and
managed via scattered paperwork and unrecorded notes defeating the purpose of cloud-based paperless solutions.
Here is a list of things to consider when thinking about going
paperless:
Wi-Fi strength: The Wi-Fi strength required to download and
manipulate large .pdf files is a lot more than that required to
simply send and receive emails. If this process isnt fast, then
people will resort back to paper-based habits like large-format
plans.
Devices: Certain devices may limit accessibility to some cloudbased applications. Before purchasing a cloud-based solution,

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ensure that it will either be compatible with everyones

devices (if using a bring-your-own-device policy) or that your
team is equipped with the proper devices.
Time management: Often times, there is a misconception that
paperless solutions dont need organization. It is important to
still train teams to take time to label, organize and save files
properly to the cloud. A little bit of time goes a long way.

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ITS WHERE WERE

HEADED
Each time a new technology is introduced to the world, it may
have relevant applications in the construction industry. It is by
examining emerging technologies and assessing their merit
within the industry that we are able to continue the process of
innovation. What seems like a stretch of the imagination today,
may well be the reality of tomorrow.
For updates on emerging technologies and how they relate to
construction sign up for the Bridgit e-Newsletter here.

Have a question? Were always happy to chat construction

innovation.
Get in touch at info@gobridgit.com

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GLOSSARY

Augmented reality: Augmented reality is a live direct or indirect view of a

physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computergenerated sensory input such as sound, video, graphics or GPS data.

Google Glass: Google Glass is a type of wearable technology with an

optical head-mounted display. Google developed it with the mission of
producing a mass-market ubiquitous computer. Google Glass displays
information in a smartphone-like hands-free format. Wearers communicate with
the Internet via natural language voice commands. Google started selling
Google Glass to qualified "Glass Explorers" in the US on April 15, 2013 for a
limited period for $1,500, before it became available to the public on May 15,
2014 for the same price.

Near-field Communication: Near-field communication is a set of

standards for smartphones and other mobile devices to establish radio

communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them
into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimeters. Current NFC
systems use a radio frequency of 13.56 MHz, corresponding to a wavelength of
22.11 m.

Phablet: A phablet is a class of mobile device designed to combine or

straddle the functions of a smartphone and tablet. The word Phablet is a

portmanteau of the words phone and tablet. Phablets typically have screens
that measure between 5.3 to 6.9 inches, which complement screen-intensive
activity such as mobile web browsing and multimedia viewing. Phablets may
also include software optimized for an integral self-storing stylus to facilitate
sketching, note taking and annotation.

Radio-frequency identification: Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is

a technology that uses communication via electromagnetic waves to exchange

data between a terminal and an electronic tag attached to an object, for the
purpose of identification and tracking. Some tags can be read from several
meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.

Smartglasses: Smartglasses or smart glasses or Digital Eye Glass or

Personal Imaging System is a wearable computer that adds information onto

reality or actually helps people see better. Typically this is achieved through an
optical head-mounted display or computerized internet-connected glasses with
transparent heads-up display or augmented reality overlay that has the
capability of reflecting projected digital images as well as allowing the user to
see through it, or see better with it.

3
All definitions from Freebase.com

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ABOUT BRIDGIT
We started building Bridgit in December
2012 with one question:
How can we help improve efficiency on-site?
Since then, hours of qualitative research on construction sites
across North America has led to the development of Closeoutthe industrys first cloud-based punch list management tool of
its kind. A strict focus on simplicity and usability has allowed
our company to stay focused on remedying one construction
industry pain point at a time, without the clutter of a catchall
software solution. We know your teams will love using
Closeout and you will love the improved efficiency, cost
savings and quality control that

Or visit www.gobridgit.com to learn more

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