How Can Automation Be Used On A Construction Site? 

Whether it be a labor shortage or an increase in demand, the desire to utilize automation in construction can arise for a variety of reasons. Generally speaking, there are three main opportunities for automation in the field:

1. On-site automation: where technology aids in the ability to complete, and the efficiency of, physical tasks such as laying brick or paving roads.
2. Factory automation: where technology aids in the production of materials (i.e. 3D printing).
3. Digitization and automation of design, planning, and management operations (i.e. building information modeling). 

In our ideal environment, our personnel work alongside emerging automation technologies rather than being replaced. These technologies help to increase a construction site’s overall safety and efficiency.  For example, instead of completing a physical site walkthrough, the average construction worker may be expected to utilize a tablet to access building drawings or fly a drone for a more efficient task completion.

Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Increase Productivity

In the construction industry, we are consistently marketed tech-based solutions that claim to improve  our everyday operations, for example the numerous photo-documentation platforms that provide 360° visual representations of construction sites. This has proved to be a great advancement for the industry, allowing remote clients and project teams to view project progress. So how can we build on these advances and continue to innovate to bring it to the next level?

One way to do this is to utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine-learning to track productivity on site. On a series of New York projects, Gilbane has partnered with Disperse, a leading provider of building productivity systems to identify problems before they compound and to build faster with added confidence. Disperse takes construction project site data ­­—  and then uses AI and machine-learning­­ to process that data, taking the visual documentation to a whole new level.

The data becomes integrated with schedules and drawings, is mapped against components, and is quantified over time. This provides our project teams with indisputable project records to assess where they are against planned progress and provides evidence of performance week to week.

This solution provides our teams with a consistent and dependable supply of accurate data and machine-learning analytics that reveals gaps and stimulates productivity improvements. It enables us to deliver our clients complete transparency on a project, fostering a trusting relationship. It also protects cash flow by providing a visual audit, proving what has been delivered on a weekly basis, all while allowing our teams to optimize the labor onsite.

How Gilbane Utilizes Automation In Construction

Gilbane is currently using the Disperse system on multiple projects in New York representative of Gilbane’s diverse portfolio – including healthcare, multi-family, civic and institutional, and interior fit-outs.  And the Gilbane-Disperse partnership is expanding to more projects and geographies. This reflects Gilbane’s willingness to explore new approaches and technologies, especially when it comes to the use of AI-powered building productivity solutions.

“We stay focused on delivering top quality results from the moment we’re on a project, and that includes pre-construction. The delivery data that we’re collecting feeds directly back into our processes around estimation, procurement, requisitions and payments, which means we’ll continue to work smarter and guarantee a new level of accuracy across many of our functions. When we engage with a client, we want them to know that their investment is protected” says Rawle Sawh, Director of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) for Gilbane Building Company.

The effective data processing, analytics and machine-learning technology takes the subjectivity out of the equation, so our teams can truly optimize our client’s projects.

Learn more about how Gilbane is adopting innovative technology to offer our clients a more integrated, dynamic, and lean method of building.

*This blog was updated in February 2022.