Category: Features
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BIM Meets Reality on the Construction Site
BIM models are mostly used by foremen on construction sites. But what if they could be made available for workers at the press of a button? This question was what the Finnish government-funded KIRA pilot project set out to answer. As a by-product, the project also produced augmented reality (AR) solutions for construction sites. Otto…
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How BIM Can Serve Building Owners
Building Information Models typically end their active life after the construction phase. An experimental project was initiated to find out whether and how they can serve owners throughout the life cycle of a building. Gradia, the Jyväskylä Educational Consortium, provides education to students of all ages in central Finland. It has around 25,000 students, a…
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Amos Rex – A Museum for the Digital Age
In the very heart of Helsinki, a new museum is set to open its doors to showcase the art of the future. Amos Rex is an architectural and artistic gem that seeks to make modern art more accessible for people to experience and enjoy. Kai Kartio The construction work for the museum was almost completed…
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Connecting IoT Data to BIM
Internet of Things sensors and IoT-capable devices provide a huge amount of data from buildings. To make this data useful and usable for research, Aalto University is developing and testing a service that links IoT with building information models, BIMs. “The idea to start an experiment on linking IoT with BIM at the Otaniemi campus…
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Digitalizing Cross-Laminated Timber Construction – AEC Business
A Finnish experimentation project has made cross-laminated timber construction more productive and creative by using digital modeling. The office of &’ [Emmi Keskisarja & Janne Teräsvirta & Company Architects Ltd] looks rather like a prototype workshop. Intriguing scale models, a 3D printer, and a small CNC machine all give clues about the architects’ current project.…
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Raising the Bar: Sellen Construction’s Salla Palos and Construction Tech
Find out how Palos and Sellen Construction are leading the way in turning Seattle into a real-time incubator for the latest in construction innovation. When you think about the forefront of innovation in the US, you may first think of New York City or Silicon Valley. However, just like paradigm-shifting companies Amazon and Starbucks, the…
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Join: Computer Science Meets Construction
Increasingly, projects need to be optimized to create the most value for their clients and users. With the fragmented nature of project teams, decisions can be lost, communication sporadic, and information disjointed. In addition, the rapid pace of innovation means that it’s difficult – if not impossible – for architects and engineers to be aware…
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The Digital Future of Construction – An Interview with Minister Tiilikainen
Kimmo Tiilikainen is the Minister of the Environment, Energy, and Housing of the Finnish government. He will be speaking at the upcoming World Summit on Digital Built Environment WDBE 2018 in Helsinki. Aarni Heiskanen interviewed Minister Tiilikainen on his views of the construction industry and its digital future. The Ministry of the Environment launched, in…
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Speeding up Infrastructure Projects with the Cloud
Infrakit, a cloud service developed by a Finnish startup company, is accelerating infrastructure projects both in Finland and, increasingly, abroad. Automatic transfer of information among parties involved in a project saves time, reduces paperwork, and facilitates the work of land surveyors. In addition to excavators, rock drills can now also be viewed on the map.…
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Duuers: Better Proposals with Less Work
Small contractors, consultants, and design professionals have a love–hate relationship with responding to RFPs. Duuers, a Finnish startup, wants to turn this struggle into an inspiring experience. “We followed a day in the life of a hand-picked group of entrepreneurs,” says Paula Viinamäki, co-founder of Duuers. “We were flies on the wall, observing how small…