IN FOCUS: TECH TRENDS
Help Wanted

BY EVA KAPLAN-LEISERSON

In addition to discussing existing technologies, FIATECH Director Ray Topping, P.E., offered examples of needed tools for which no one has yet built satisfactory solutions. Maybe you'll be the one to create them.
 
Automated code reviews
Just as 3D design tools can perform clash detection between building systems, automated code checks could apply the same principles along with rules-based design to review for code compliance.

For instance, currently a code reviewer must manually check floor plans against design requirements for the number of exits needed in a public building based on square footage. That's just one of many necessary checks. While performing building code reviews now takes weeks or months, Topping explains that software could cut that time to minutes.

Such technology, he says, could allow local government agencies to accomplish more with fewer people. While code specialists would still need to review data and results, the job could be performed more efficiently, and staff could spend more time in the field looking at building compliance.

Topping points out that more than 40,000 jurisdictions in the U.S. alone perform code reviews, and that expediting this process could speed up projects and build more efficiency into the country's economy. In addition, he says, automated checking systems could be designed for any standard or code, not just those for buildings.

Right now there's industry talk about this technology, but no commitment to build it, the PE explains. Automated code checking needs investment that's not yet being made, Topping says, but it could be a huge opportunity.

Sustainability solutions
More and more, design and construction are integrating sustainability assessments and practices. That requires a life-cycle approach that looks at not just constructed capital costs but also life-cycle operation and maintenance costs. And new tools are needed to help, says the FIATECH director.

One area where technology can accee: examining the sustainability footprint around different materials. Currently, there's no standard data format to get information on materials for LEED analysis, Topping says. Technology could provide templates, standards, and analysis criteria to automate the assessment of materials against LEED criteria.

While these tools don't yet exist, applying technology to sustainability practice has significant attention in the industry, Topping stresses. "It's changing the way in which work is approached."
 
Integrated operations
FIATECH's vision is for any facility to be designed, constructed, and operated as an intelligent, integrated system of systems. By bringing operations into the life-cycle work process earlier, along with design, procurement, and construction, you can create an integrated turnover process for projects, Topping says. That requires not only coordinated planning but also data and information systems that enable a smooth turnover and transition from design and construction to operations.

Often operations groups have their own methods, Topping says. Development is needed to integrate the tools that are emerging for automated operations with the data and information coming from design and construction. People are working on solutions, he says, but there's not yet an established practice.