Balfour Beatty Awarded £70-Million Contract for Scotland University Refurbishment, Extension Project

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Balfour Beatty has secured a £70-million contract to deliver the Edinburgh Futures Institute, a flagship refurbishment and extension project on behalf of the University of Edinburgh, located in Scotland. Balfour Beatty will be responsible for restoring and connecting six wards—unlocking the building’s wide corridors to create free-flowing areas in the university’s grade-A listed Old Royal Infirmary hospital building, spanning over 21,000 square meters. On completion, the development will provide multiple teaching and learning facilities, function areas and workspaces for staff, students and the general public. The company will utilize Building Information Modeling and augmented and virtual reality technologies to enhance … Read more

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Three-Quarters of Contractors Believe Advanced Technologies may Alleviate Workforce Challenges, Improve Productivity

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Q4 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index recently released indicates that, despite staunch concerns over labor shortages and skilled workers, three-quarters of contractors believe advanced technologies may improve labor productivity on jobsites. According to the Q4 report, while just over half of contractors currently use technologies like drones, equipment tagging, wearable technology and augmented/virtual reality for their projects, 74 percent anticipate adopting such technologies over the next three years. Moreover, 58 percent of contractors also reported difficulty finding skilled workers – the highest level reported in 2018 – suggesting that as builders look for … Read more

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Augmented Reality App Created for Construction Visualization

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SEATTLE, Wash. – Mortenson Construction has developed an augmented reality mobile app to help the University of Washington community “see” the future CSE2 computer science building – well before its doors open to students in January 2019. Similar to the popular Pokémon Go, users can either point their smartphones at the construction site on campus – or at a printed handout if off campus – to experience a life-like digital representation of the future CSE2 building. The app was developed by Mortenson’s in-house immersive-technology team in Seattle, a project led by Marc Kinsman. Users can experience the building’s exterior in … Read more

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