September 01, 2019
What if sometime soon a “drone printer” could repair the façade of a high-rise building much as a 3-D printer can lay concrete to print a basic building? GXN, the research spinoff of Danish architectural firm 3XN, is studying hightech robotics that could repair, enhance, and build sections of high-rise façades. GXN is working with […]
October 01, 2018
Researchers at ETH Zurich University in Switzerland have developed an innovative 3-D sand printing technique with which they have fabricated their first full-scale concrete slab. The 80-square-meter (861-sq.-ft.) slab at the DFAB House, dubbed the “Smart Slab,” carries a two-story timber unit above it. The intricately designed ceiling maintains load-bearing characteristics with precision narrowed down […]
September 01, 2018
Investment by venture capitalists in construction technology (ConTech) for the first six months of 2018 has outpaced last year’s total amount by 30%, according to Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. (JLL). Some $1.05 billion has been invested globally. This investment outpaces overall tech startup growth in the U.S. Construction, according to a recent McKinsey study, is […]
May 02, 2018
Drone technology is taking off. Samsung recently received a U.S. patent for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) that can be controlled simply by moving your eyes. The drone features an integrated display and four propellers and can detect various types of user information, including the position, but also the face and pupil of […]
November 28, 2017
NASA awarded three teams a total of $40,000 in the first stage of the 3-D Printed Habitat Challenge Design Competition at the New York Maker Faire on September 27. The design competition challenged participants to develop architectural concepts that take advantage of the unique capabilities 3-D printing offers to imagine what habitats on Mars might […]
October 26, 2017
Augmented reality (AR) headgear may one day be standard issue for architects, engineers, and building envelope consultants on construction sites. The headsets could overlay digital information from building information modeling (BIM) so that someone looking at a wall or a roof through the AR headset visor could see imagery of the systems beneath. It could […]
July 24, 2017
A newly developed software can film a jobsite and automatically determine those not wearing hardhats and safety colors. Smartvid.io Inc. has developed Very Intelligent Neural Network for Insight and Evaluation (VINNIE), which recognizes when people are present in jobsite images and cues those who may be missing safety gear. Still in development, the software is […]
June 29, 2017
By Peter Brooks Due to its many advantages over flood testing, membrane integrity testing with electronic leak detection (ELD) has rapidly become the first choice for owners, manufacturers, specifiers, consultants, and contractors around the world. ELD on roofing and waterproofing membranes is proving to be faster, safer, more accurate, and often less expensive than flood […]
June 29, 2017
By Suda Molleti, PhD, and Bas Baskaran, PhDNational Research Council Canada Designing buildings in an energy-efficient manner has become of primary importance in order to meet energy code target levels. It has been clearly demonstrated that air leakage is a key influencing parameter in the energy efficiency of the building envelope. To mitigate air leakage […]
June 29, 2017
“Drawing” a lot of attention at the CONEXPO show in Las Vegas in March was a small mini excavator off in one corner. The amazing thing about it was that significant parts of the machine were produced using 3-D printing technologies, which were then integrated with conventional parts to create a functional 5.5-ton mini excavator. […]