FEATURE DIGITAL TOOLS
Taking Technology to Another Level Sam Hart, innovation manager at Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) discusses the growth in digital technology in construction and the wider use of homegrown timber across the built environment.
T
he Covid-19 pandemic has changed working habits,
improved, with less reliance on human interpretation: time is saved, by
with remote access and social distancing limiting what
using computers that can handle tasks much more quickly and it enables
can be done in person. For the construction industry
greater access to data that can be used to support decision-making.
and associated supply chains that has been challenging,
Efficient digital methods can also help to reduce waste, ultimately
but digital tools and technology can play a large part in shaping a
improving sustainability and reducing the environmental impact of the
Covid-safe future.
timber trade one step at a time. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) tools are also
Digital is a broad term, however, and not every piece of technology is going to be relevant to every business. Together with the Scottish
beginning to filter into different ways of working. While most are still
Construction Leadership Forum and Scottish
at the early stages of adoption, new imaging
Futures Trust, CSIC is working on initiatives
tools are being developed, for instance, to
that demystify what is available and help
support remote management of forests, or
companies to understand the technology they
in enabling timber to be craned on and off
should be looking at and, just as importantly,
lorries more safely with drivers controlling
the technology they can largely disregard.
crane arms remotely. We have been working
There is already a digital transformation taking
with the University of Strathclyde and Robert
place across the sector with companies using
Gordon University to design a VR and AR system
technology to their advantage in a number of
that will allow building standards officials to
different ways, from building timber frame
remotely tour a site as it is being built and make
houses to panellised or fully modular projects.
the necessary checks. While this technology
For merchants, digital tools can help to
has an obvious use at the moment, it could
streamline processes, provide real-time data and
also be employed more routinely in the future
information, monitor stock efficiently and can
– particularly in rural and remote areas, where
even be used to predict trends that can influence
travelling to sites may take hours. That said, not
stock levels.
every local authority will have access to, or the means to purchase, VR and AR hardware. So, we
There are a number of clear benefits
are also working on a more rudimentary form
that come from using technology: accuracy is
Timber Trader UK Magazine
Spring 2021
12
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