The Construction Technology Handbook. Hugh Seaton

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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.

       “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 experience behind you, this book will break down technology in an easy‐to‐read format. It will give you the resources you need to have conversations on the jobsite about technology.

      This book will empower you to innovate and change the way things are done. In order to succeed we must all have a voice and we must all pitch in.

      If we do not keep up, we will be left behind.

      –Mike Zivanovic