Using Drones to Streamline Work, Cut Costs and Manage the Jobsite

  • Posted on

By Tom Simon If you want to see how the $505-million Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center-Riverside in Rockford, Illinois is being built, just look to the sky. In a first for Mortenson, the builder is using drones to map, plan and manage complex site utilization faster and better than traditional methods make possible. Unlike the unmanned aerial vehicles used to produce those entertaining novice videos on YouTube, these drones are delivering precision video and images with dimensional data of the 65-acre construction site in near real time. The builder integrates the drone-captured data and images with the project’s BIM and … Read more

Filed under: eNews, TechnologyTagged with: , , , ,

Latest Study Reveals New Arsenal of Tools to Help Increase Construction Safety

  • Posted on

A new study from Dodge Data & Analytics reveals the engagement with and impact of two critical trends for improving construction safety—technologies used on jobsites, and the practice of Prevention through Design. The study, conducted in partnership with the Center for Construction Research and Training and United Rentals and published in the Safety Management in the Construction Industry 2017 SmartMarket Report, is the third in a series of studies that demonstrate the financial and project benefits that contractors reap from their safety investments. It also shows the impact that new technologies being deployed onsite, from Building Information Modeling to drones … Read more

Filed under: eNews, SafetyTagged with: , , , , , , , ,

Using Drones on Projects

  • Posted on

Navigating the new drone rules By David R. Cook and Chadd L. Reynolds In recent years, construction contractors and subcontractors have taken advantage of small unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones, in the planning, design and construction of projects. By attaching a camera to a small, lightweight drone, construction companies can mitigate the safety risks and costs posed by current methods used to monitor, inspect and evaluate construction. Although the rules for the use of drones in a commercial setting are ambiguous and undeveloped, newly published rules will provide a clearer regulatory framework for construction companies desiring to … Read more

Filed under: eNews, TechnologyTagged with: , ,

Skanska USA Building, Smartvid.io Forge Collaboration to Implement Machine Learning

  • Posted on

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Smartvid.io, a cloud-based platform for analyzing photos and videos from industrial environments, has collaborated with construction management firm Skanska USA Building. The business announcement, made at the Commercial UAV Expo, will also be discussed at the joint Skanska USA Building and Smartvid.io presentation, New Age “Reality Capture:” Leveraging Machine Learning and BIM to Organize Field Data. The business relationship is made possible by the Skanska Innovation Grant Program, which has been designed to foster applications of new technology to unlock value for Skanska and its clients. The pilot program will support the use of the Smartvid.io … Read more

Filed under: TechnologyTagged with: ,

Western Specialty Contractors Performs Restoration of Historic Church

  • Posted on

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Overlooking the shore of Corpus Christi Bay in Corpus Christi, Texas, stands the historic First United Methodist Church with its towering steeple and monument to Jesus. When the 53-year-old masonry and concrete church started to show signs of weathering, Western Specialty Contractors was called in to assess the damage and restore the landmark church’s façade. Due to its limited accessibility, Western crews and facility engineer Manny Gallardo had to get creative with how they surveyed the damage to the church’s 150-foot-tall steeple. “We used a telescope and stood across the street to try and view all … Read more

Filed under: eNewsTagged with: ,