While technology can be the golden ticket for many industries, why is the lack of adoption holding the industry back so drastically? Brinker, whose companies have been responsible for over $4 billion in construction projects, explains that 30% of all construction work being done is typically rework. “It adds cost and time to a project because you’re often identifying the updates and reworks to the project while you have labor in the field, which means now the project or that scope of work has to stop while architects figure it out, but also it decreases the actual productivity and efficiencies of the labor. Therefore the timeline increases and the cost increases.”
In order for construction to evolve, you not only need the right type of technology that will bridge gaps in digital information and sharing, but you also need groups of professionals who are ready and willing to adopt the new technology. While others may have been unenthusiastic about creating technology that could help an unwelcoming sector, Morkos invented the world’s first generative construction simulator that ingests BIM models and user-defined rule sets, which then generates millions of valid simulations to build a project. He then founded ALICE technologies in 2015, which is actively working to reduce the cost of construction by 25% globally. They just received $30 million in Series B funding to continue their work.
“Our technology holds the potential to reduce global construction costs by 25%; millions more people will have access to healthcare and infrastructure, and elevate their standard of living. In addition to lowering costs, optimizing with this technology can also reduce carbon emissions from construction,” shares Morkos.
ALICE uses AI to offer tools that assist with the planning stages through project delivery. The technology explores scenarios that make the most efficient use of project resources: materials, equipment, labor, and more. ALICE is unique in bringing AI to construction scheduling and helps contractors by creating a myriad of different construction plans. They can create different scenarios and chart a path that makes it more likely that they not only deliver on budget but on time.
Wes Asao of Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company, the largest general contractor in the state of Hawaii, utilized ALICE in their construction planning to create an affordable senior housing project in downtown Honolulu. “ALICE helped us in the planning of the facade, where we looked at different ways of how we were going to attack and put up the facade in a 20-start building that's very tight with the adjacent buildings. ALICE helped us in the planning and sequencing of the exterior skin of the building using the hanging scaffold. ALICE did a 3D model in time and actually visualized what our plan was going to be.”
Both Brinker and Morkos share that with a new generation of project managers and construction executives, they’re seeing stronger relationships with tech, more rapid adoption, and an enthusiasm for the evolution.
“The construction renaissance is upon us,” said Morkos. “With the rise of the ‘contech’ segments, companies are getting better at sharing digital information. Customers demand it, and companies are therefore adapting. Companies are becoming increasingly comfortable with bringing new technologies to bear. This is particularly true with ‘next-gen’ construction professionals — our digital natives. They see the advantages that ‘contech’ can bring and are becoming vocal advocates for tech adoption within their organizations.”
Read the article as published on Forbes here.
