The Construction Technology Handbook. Hugh Seaton
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The Construction Technology Handbook
HUGH SEATON
Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Seaton, Hugh (Tech entrepreneur), author. | John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., publisher.
Title: The construction technology handbook / Hugh Seaton.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2021] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020038949 (print) | LCCN 2020038950 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119719953 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119719908 (adobe pdf) | ISBN 9781119719977 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Building—Data processing. | Construction industry—Technological innovations. | Information technology.
Classification: LCC TH437 .S43 2021 (print) | LCC TH437 (ebook) | DDC 624.028/5—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038949
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020038950
Cover Design: Wiley
Cover Image: © matrioshka/Shutterstock
This book is dedicated to my mother, Bonnie Verses.
Thank you for being there.
And to all the men and women in construction,
the greatest industry in the world.
Foreword
“We must keep up or be left behind…”
When Hugh and I first met a few years ago, I almost immediately mentioned this phrase. Hugh, being an advocate of virtual reality (VR)/artificial intelligence (AI) and all things technology, wanted to deep dive into our world of construction and see what was there. We began discussing ways we could integrate VR and AI into our current training workflow. Hugh was very enthusiastic about furthering the development of training in the trades.
First, Hugh wanted to know our thought process on construction technology and where our motivation was. We wanted to start from the beginning, interested in the way it was done in the early days when mobile devices and 3D‐generated models were not the mainstay. We decided that we needed to have some conversations with those who spent a great deal of time in the field.
We pulled some of our tenured members into these conversations. Our brothers and sisters who have spent the last 40 years in the trades, on the verge of retirement. We asked them about the modern jobsite and how it was different from “way back when.” We asked what their opinions on technology were then and if their opinions are different today. We had conversations about productivity and efficiency. We were curious as to how technology could be an impact on the momentum of a jobsite.
We spent a great deal of time breaking down these conversations, attempting to tie it all together. Looking for the breaking point, the moment when technology took over and became commonplace. We wanted to put our fingers on the exact date. What we kept circling back to was frustration. Let me explain.
“So, how do you feel about your company's VDC department?”
“What's a VDC department?”
“Not a big deal, how about BIM…at what point do you feel BIM took over on the jobsite?
“What's BIM?”
“Great question. Let me ask you about iPads. Would you rather have paper dra wings or an iPad in the field?”
“Paper drawings, no questions asked.”
Thinking that we would have the answers put in the palms of our hands, we were quickly awoken to the fact that technology had come on so quickly most of those in the field didn't have an opportunity to fully grasp it. A whirlwind of change came, and they were swept up with it. They were frustrated. They wanted to go back to how it was done in the past. Nobody spent the necessary time with them explaining the benefits of these new tools.
They were not given the proper training, they had no idea what these new TLAs – three letter acronyms – meant. It was assumed that they would be able to keep up. Most importantly, their feedback was never a conversation point. We never really asked them – the true professionals who spent the last 40 years in the field – how to properly integrate these new technologies. We failed to ask them how they would strategically integrate a new tool into the daily workflow.
We sat back, expressionless, realizing we were going about it the wrong way for a long time.
This book is intended for anyone who lives on the modern jobsite. Whether you are new to the construction industry or have years of