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MOHAMED SWIDAN
PROCORE
What the Projects of the 50 means for Construction
It’s an exciting time for the UAE. The ongoing unveiling of the Projects of the 50, a raft of projects celebrating the 50th anniversary of unification and driving the nation’s next phase of growth, is making history. So far, we’ve seen new investment commitments, evolved work regulations and even a new data law – all governed by a set of ten ‘Principles of the 50’ to guide this vision of the future.
Central to this vision is the expanded role of technology. Along with a scheme to attract 100 of the world’s best coders to the country every single day, the government has launched a Fourth Industrial Revolution
Programme to accelerate adoption of 4IR tech across UAE industry, with the hope to increase industrial productivity by 30%.
Embracing advanced technology is recognised as critical for growth and driving efficiency.
This has huge implications for construction.
The Projects of the 50 should not just facilitate change: they should inspire it too. Historically, construction has been slower than other sectors to adopt new technological tools but not only are they important in realising the full potential of the industry, they’re crucial in achieving UAE-specific goals.
For example, the Dubai 2040 Urban
Master Plan paints an exciting future but it’s also ambitious, centring on projects of unforeseen complexity and scale. It needs a construction sector behind it that’s working as smoothly and effectively as possible, and that relies on using the right tech.
So, what does the ‘right tech’ look like in this context? It’s tools that can take all the complexity of a construction project and simplify it down – without losing accuracy – so processes are optimised, and confusion kept to a minimum. This can be achieved through single platform technology: one place that can connect every stakeholder on a project, from site operative through to client, and gives each oversight of the whole process. It’s a sharper, smarter way of working that increases productivity, as sought after by the Projects of the 50, and makes the impossible possible.
Productivity gains come from several places. Centralising project data in this way drives informed decision making by allowing a construction team to track project performance in real time and see the whole picture at a glance. This means Owners and their General Contractors can make reliable, cost-effective and timely decisions, as well as identify any issues before they snowball into problems that impact the programme schedule. And it also helps construction firms manage their relationship with their supply chain and spot points where efficiency could be improved.
However, it’s not just about centralising data, but streamlining communication too. Technology that eliminates information and communication silos also prevents the confusion and mistakes that come from disjointed conversations and stops these pushing a project beyond its deadline or budget.
Knowledge sharing is essential to success – hence the government’s Champions 4.0 Network, as part of its 4IR plans, where local and international companies will come together to share best practice and advice. It’s through such collective discovery and learning that an industry, and a nation, develops.
Construction therefore has two roles to play in furthering the Projects of the 50: physically building the infrastructure that will enable the UAE to economically, socially, and politically progress, but also establishing it as an international tech hub that attracts the best talent from around the world. Pushing and pursuing innovative digital practices, using tools that make work easier, and creating a truly collaborative environment are all ways construction can help the UAE.
Industry insight
NAJI ATALLAH
AUTODESK
The Bridge that Designs and Builds Itself
Rethinking how businesses plan, design, and manufacture products is no small task. So, while many companies understand the importance of digital transformation, the process of transitioning an entire manufacturing process, and securing the necessary buy-in, is a colossal effort.
One of the Middle East’s biggest engineering consultancies, Dar, is therefore working with
Autodesk on “Smart Bridge,” a generative design approach coupled with an intelligent self-learning manufacturing system that can lay a foundation for the transition from legacy blueprint processes to an AI-driven construction process. The intelligent selflearning and generative design will lay the foundation for AI-driven construction.
The original “Smart Bridge” project had two research streams: to generatively design and 3D-print a “Smart Bridge,” and to produce what was called Spark Design Assistant, an AI-driven algorithm that learns from Dar’s bridge design experience to create and optimize new bridge designs. The “Smart Bridge" was designed to use recyclable materials and the generative design
process enabled optimum saving of material, and additive manufacturing without the need for formwork, practically eliminating waste, resulting in a lower overall carbon footprint.
The Dar “Smart Bridge” is the result of a collaborative research project which takes a first step towards realizing this thought experiment. The manufacturing process uses a robotic arm with a customised end-effector capable of printing fibre-reinforced polymers (FRPs), and various sensors for closed-loop monitoring of the print quality. Further sensors are embedded while the part is still being printed, which will allow the bridge to “learn” throughout its operating life.
Dar wants to move on from old ways of doing things and to break out of the established constraints of construction. Robots have the potential to help. Rather than making prismatic shapes with simple geometries, you can reimagine the design, giving architects more freedom.
“The “Smart Bridge” is a pedestrian bridge designed and 3D-printed as a proof of concept in two stages: first, as a 2-meter bridge to test and refine the process, then as a 5-meter bridge to augment the process to a larger span and monitor its behaviour over time.
Sensors are used to earn the name “Smart Bridge”, by implementing closed-loop control first developed in advanced manufacturing. The machining processes of the past rely on giving G code to the robot or machine, which then follow those XYZ coordinates to machine or 3D print the requested part.
While we are still sending those coordinates, we're also getting data back from the robot to inform the next layer of the toolpath, which has been relatively simple for the start of the project. By measuring temperatures and using that to tell the robot whether to speed up or slow down for the next layer, we’re at the first step in a more complex feedback system for printing.
How will the bridge, which needs high safety parameters, perform over time? With more data capture, the health of the bridge will be monitored in real-time using a combination of embedded and external sensors that collect structural and environmental measurements. This data will feed into a “digital twin” of the bridge to provide valuable insights.
KATHLEEN MCGRAIL
WSP MIDDLE EAST
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of the Parts
The Capital Projects and Infrastructure sector is facing a challenging market landscape across the Middle East. Many public and private bodies who were driving the design, build and operation of assets have been affected by the implications of oil price volatility and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a consequence, many projects have been cancelled or placed on hold, while existing assets generate negligible returns for shareholders.
As we approach the end of 2021, it is unlikely that strategic priorities will start to change, notably with those responsible for multiple assets conducting urgent portfolio reviews. However, in order to progress, there simply must be a change in approach towards how to generate satisfactory returns and realise true potential asset value across the whole portfolio.
This is no easy challenge; historical trends and future forecasts indicate that investments have been made in infrastructure assets specifically because they are expected to deliver strategic value for many years. However, the promise of long-term value is of course simple to make when the assets are just plans on a drawing board. Ultimately, assets are only valuable if they continue to serve the ongoing needs of their users and shareholders. Therefore, any public or private body responsible for developing and managing these assets should be constantly striving to realise the assets’ greatest lifetime value.
In order to fund new capital projects and realise the true benefits from existing assets in the long term, it is time to utilise a more holistic approach and look not only to address the full asset lifecycle, but also to manage asset portfolios more effectively.
Lifecycle Portfolio Management is a substantive enabler for encouraging desirable private sector participation in capital projects and infrastructure assets, particularly in the Middle East. By looking at everything in an overarching and integrated manner, organisations can reap significant benefits which would not be achieved by looking at projects and assets in isolation.
The key is the continuous process of selecting and managing the optimum set of opportunities, projects and assets that deliver the maximum in business value or return on investment. A significant proportion of existing infrastructure in the Middle East is ageing whilst demand grows to meet the needs of population growth, the desire for better quality of life and higher standards of safety, and improved health and environmental protection. However, these objectives can only be achieved by adopting this transformational, integrated, holistic approach to managing capital projects and assets, both within an organisation’s portfolio and across their lifecycle.
It is of course very difficult to design and build an asset of substantial scale and complexity that is durable, resilient to change and able to meet future needs sustainably over a long period of time. It’s even harder still to manage an asset’s associated ecosystem of interactive and supportive parts, often a fast-moving mix of constraints and demands, including: • Misalignment on the allocation of constrained resources • Fluctuations in availability of supply chain and logistics • Changes in stakeholders’ priorities • The introduction of new technologies • Shifts in demographics and social behaviours
All of these challenges will have the potential to significantly impact the continued operation and associated value creation of each asset. Only by mitigating these challenges can we expect an enhancement to the delivery of services.
