Project managers know that an organised and functional construction site is the backbone of successful project delivery. Efficient workflows directly impact on timelines, budgets and ultimately, profitability.
In a bid to boost these things, the industry has begun to embrace innovative trends that are transforming the traditional construction process into a modern, fast flowing and fully streamlined operation.
This is in response to a demanding environment which is squeezing profits and putting pressure on stakeholders. Rising material costs, a large decrease in the work force and the instability of shifting tariffs are all hitting construction hard.
Here are some of the new trends that the industry is adopting to rise to the challenges of a hostile environment.
Prefabricated and Modular Construction Solutions
In the post-war years in Britain, prefab tower blocks and social housing were the ideal solution to the country’s housing and finance crisis. Their relatively low production costs and the rapidity with which they could be put together killed two birds with one stone.
In the United States though, the economy was booming. House prices were cheap, land was plentiful and times were good, so prefab and modular constructions had no place in the American construction industry of the time.
The environment that American construction finds itself in right now however, is more akin to that of post-war Britain and as such, cheap and easy to install prefab and modular solutions are becoming more and more common.
In modern America however, construction companies are combining functionality and cost with trendiness and aesthetics. Warehouses are being made from shipping container roofing, you can find a guide to container covers here, but in way that looks fashionable and chic. Quonset huts are being sold as retro must-have garden accessories too.
This clever rebranding helps to keep costs down whilst at the same time, keeping customers happy.
Lean Construction Methodology
A good project manager always minimises waste on a project, but nowadays, that’s becoming more and more important. In years gone by, construction companies were wasting huge amounts of money, not only materials and labour, but on simple parts of the process like planning applications.
One of the first and most crucial aspects of a development for example, is commissioning an Arboricultural Impact Assessment (AIA). This shows architects the Root Protection Areas (RPAs) of trees which are sacrosanct and cannot be touched by development.
Typically in previous decades, architects and construction companies would tear on through this process only to realise later that an AIA is necessary. At this stage they would have finalised plans and bought materials, only to realise then that a complete redesign was necessary to achieve planning approval.
This is just one example of waste, which is now being eliminated through lean construction methodology, right from the drawing table, up until the placement of the final brick.
Digital Project Management
Gone are the days of construction site huts bustling with men in hard hats holding clipboards to their chest whilst they watch a presentation. Now, construction companies are embracing the digital world to reduce their costs.
Arboriculturists, archaeologists, ecologists and structural engineers don’t need to travel directly to site to have meetings with the construction team, billing for a full day in the process. Instead meetings can be carried out on Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
It might seem like a very small thing, and maybe even something that isn’t worth mentioning, but when you’re employing experts who charge hundreds of dollars an hour, the difference between a bill for 8 hours and one for 2 hours is sizeable.
In Summary
Global events have conspired against the construction industry in recent years. As such, experts in the industry have had to think outside of the box in a bid to keep costs down and arrest the trend of dwindling profits.
The examples used above are just some of the workarounds that we have seen in recent years. If costs continue to rise though, thanks to conflicts around the globe and trade wars, the industry might be left in a position where even the cleverest of workarounds isn’t enough.
