In recent times, engineers have started using tools such as drawing boards, T-measures, and ink pens.
Nowadays, the originally silent data is “processed” by digital technology, and becomes a three-dimensional image on paper, like Lego bricks, which can be adjusted in time according to the needs of different departments, and the adjusted structure is visible in real time. This is now known in the industry as Building Information Modeling.
The “intelligent construction” represented by this technological path is becoming the internal driving force for change in the construction industry, changing this ancient industry.
What is smart building?
Intelligent construction refers to the full use of intelligent technology in the construction process, through the application of intelligent systems to improve the intelligent level of the construction process, to achieve the purpose of safe construction, improve the cost performance and reliability of the building.
Take “Building information model” as an example, it can replace the original two-dimensional drawings by three-dimensional visual design model, so that the building information is interrelated and transmitted to the construction, operation and maintenance and other building life cycle. Under the digital model, the designer can draw, explore, try to design, think and choose on the outline of the selected area with a pen on the tablet computer, when entering the design goal and the relevant amount, and roughly draw the functional partition, then the computer will automatically create a BIM model that is optimized enough, reasonable and contains enough design details. This is an emerging comprehensive technology that is rapidly developing in the world today, and is known as the foundation of smart city construction.
Under the digital model, the designer can draw, explore, try to design, think and choose on the outline of the selected area with a pen on the tablet computer, when entering the design goal and the relevant amount, and roughly draw the functional partition, then the computer will automatically create a BIM model that is optimized enough, reasonable and contains enough design details.
The “One Bligh Street” project in Sydney, which has been rated as the “best skyscraper in the world”, is the clever application of building information modeling technology. This technology plays an important role in the whole project, especially in the three aspects of sustainable development, coordination and cooperation, and facilities management, which has achieved this super building with a large number of systems and complete facilities and extremely high energy conservation and environmental protection standards, and has become a “template” for the construction industry in various countries to study and learn from.
Japan Post Tower, a new skyscraper in Tokyo, Japan, is also a successful example of the application of building information modeling technology. Due to the adoption of this technology, the pipeline conflicts hidden in the drawings are reduced, the consistency between the construction drawings and the quantity table is ensured, and the extraction of data, drawings and materials by all participants becomes fast and safe, providing a good management platform for the safe construction of the project.
In China, many large key projects such as Xiongan New Area and Beijing Daxing International Airport have also applied building information modeling technology.
In addition, new technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, industrial Internet, robotics and 5G also have a place in the field of “smart construction”.
By assembling prefabricated components like building blocks, prefabricated buildings can effectively reduce pollution, save resources and reduce costs. Exterior wall spraying robot to carry out high-altitude work, the efficiency can reach 3 to 5 times that of manual; Building automatic control system real-time adjustment of indoor temperature, lighting, so that the building has a “smart brain”, etc., are important scientific and technological achievements in intelligent construction.
Smart construction is changing the global construction industry.
Smart construction provides solutions for the global construction industry
Construction industry is a traditional labor-intensive industry, extensive production methods, low labor efficiency, energy and resource consumption and other problems become the industry to be solved.
Faced with the problem of the obstruction of traditional construction methods, the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries have put forward the development strategy of the construction industry, requiring the promotion of industrial competitiveness through intelligence, digitalization and industrialization.
The British government has released the “Construction2025” strategy, proposing that by 2025, the whole life cycle cost of the project will be reduced by 33%, the progress will be accelerated by 50%, the greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 50%, and the construction export will be increased by 50%. Around this strategy, the UK has developed a digital innovation development roadmap for the construction industry, proposing to integrate business processes, structured data and predictive artificial intelligence to achieve intelligent infrastructure construction and operation.
The German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has published the Digital Design and Construction Roadmap, which describes the path of change in digital design, construction and operations, with the aim of gradually adopting building Information modeling (BIM) in the field of the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, and continuously improving the accuracy and cost certainty of engineering design. Continuous optimization of project life cycle cost performance.
Digital technology empowerment projects are becoming an important solution for the global construction industry to overcome construction bottlenecks.
Big data, artificial intelligence, industrial Internet, robotics, 5G, and BIM all play an important role in the technology matrix of smart construction.
According to a recent report released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), there are about 3 million industrial robots operating in factories around the world.
In April 2022, the robot developed by South Korea can complete intelligent tablet painting, lifting and delivering packages. In August, North America released a construction line printing robot that can autonomously print layouts on the ground of construction sites. In September, British architects were inspired by animals to develop a flying construction robot that can build 3D printed structures on the fly. Japan is currently the largest exporter of robotics and automation technology, and its robots are world leaders in joint technology, high-precision reducers, controllers, high-performance drives and other core technologies and key components.
On July 17, 2022, Ezhou Huahu Airport, the first professional cargo airport in Asia, was officially put into operation. The project also uses 3D modeling to convert building data and graphics into stereoscopic visual digital models, which solves the problem that the number of reinforcement elements is large, and the traditional 2D hand-drawn modeling method cannot meet the requirements of project design and construction.
In addition, artificial intelligence is also playing a big role in the construction field. For example, the designer has made corresponding adjustments to the number of work stations, the number of meeting rooms and the number of telephone rooms. With the help of artificial intelligence technology, within the framework of the new BIM model, the optimal involvement involving the changes can be obtained within 90 seconds, including the design model and drawings containing enough details.
Intelligent construction – a complex system engineering, covering scientific research, design, production and processing, construction and assembly, operation and other links. The application of digital technology has brought about changes in planning and design methods and even design concepts, which is subverting the original engineering construction technology system and project organization and management mode, and reshaping the ancient industry of architecture.