Construction Automation and Smart Buildings

Abstract

The built environment has become more integrated in its delivery, from its planning and design to its construction and operation. Technology-enabled information sharing from the early stages of design has allowed construction automation to impact smart building operations. The construction industry is labor-intensive, project based, and slow to adopt emerging technologies. Combined, these factors make the construction industry not only dangerous but also prone to low productivity and cost overruns due to shortages of skilled labor, unexpected site conditions, design changes, communication problems, constructability challenges, and unsuitability of construction means and techniques. Automation emerged to overcome these issues, aiming to capitalize on the increasing quality expectations, tighter safety regulations, opportunities for real-time monitoring, technological breakthroughs, and to facilitate information exchanges between building design and operation. On the other hand, smart buildings emerged to respond to building energy, efficiency, longevity, comfort, and satisfaction. This chapter covers construction automation and smart buildings, describing important concepts for each but focusing on applications that integrate them through design intent, technology development, and information exchanges.