Category: Features
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From CAD to Machines as Co-Designers
Finnish economics professor Osmo A. Wiio claimed that we typically overestimate the near future and underestimate the distant future. His thoughts resonate well with today’s perception of design automation. Back in the 1980s, I took part in the first-ever Finnish “integrated CAD” projects, in which the architect, the structural, HVAC, and electrical engineers exchanged CAD…
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Make Every Construction Project Succeed with VisualLeader
Ains Group has just released a digital service that radically changes the way construction projects are managed. The concept consists of a new management process, a command center, and a situation awareness portal for project decision-makers and partners. It aims to make every project reach its goals. Jaakko Jauhiainen Ains Group has long been a…
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10 Tech Startups Powering the Construction Site with AI
In the coming years, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will automate many construction tasks in unprecedented ways. These 10 startups are in in the vanguard of turning AI into a value-adding technology for construction sites. Open Space OpenSpace is a photo- and video-based documentation tool– “Google Streetviews” of your jobsite. OpenSpace’s proprietary Vision Engine platform allows you to…
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Aiforsite: Manage a Construction Site like a Production Plant
A construction site is not a factory, so managing a construction project is unlike managing a production line. Aiforsite, a construction tech startup, uses video, IoT, and AI to make construction controllable – analogously to manufacturing. “Contractors go to seminars and read about the benefits of digitalization. However, when they eventually want to buy a…
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From Duct Taping to Reinventing Construction – an Interview with Steve Holzer
Construction tech is hot. The question is: Are the dollars are invested in contech reinventing the industry or are they merely adding patches to outdated processes? Steve Holzer, an industry expert and Product Evangelist at BIMobject, shares his views in this interview. Steve Holzer’s LinkedIn profile details industry experience that starts from 1976 when he…
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Know What You’ve Built: An Interview with Timo Makkonen of Congrid
Construction contains thousands of big and small tasks. How can a client and contractor know if they have all been completed as intended? Congrid offers an answer to that question. Congrid is a Finnish construction software developer. The company provides software for punch lists, quality and safety audits, and design document distribution. It operates in…
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Power to the Office Worker
Modern offices consist of variable spaces that cater to personal preferences and functional needs. The indoor air quality is typically not as adaptive to various tasks, which can lead to suboptimal worker performance and dissatisfaction. A pilot project led by Senate Properties used BIM and building data to develop an operational model that helps workers…
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The Future of High-Rise is Localized and Responsive
By 2050, 70 percent of world’s population of almost 10 billion people will live in urban areas. The presenters at the High Rise – Northern Exposure seminar envisioned how high-rise construction will meet the requirements of urbanization, and what technologies have to offer to builders and users today. Lintula and Smithson A line-up of high-rise…
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Giving Heating Control to Residents is Good for the Environment
Heating in EU households accounts for 79% of the total energy consumption. In cold climate areas, like Finland, the percentage is even higher. Enermix set out to test how room-level control in district-heated apartment houses would affect the comfort of living and energy consumption. Janne Heinonen, Enermix “Our mission is to digitalize Finnish buildings, especially…
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KIRA-digi Experiments Paving Way for Built Environment Digitalization
KIRA-digi was a national built environment digitalization spearhead project of the Finnish government carried out in 2016-2019. The project supported 138 experiments with €4.7 million in funding from the government. Participating companies invested 7.8 million in total. Here are some of the experiments that we’ve featured on AEC-Business.com. Duuers: Better Proposals with Less Work Small…