New research shows importance of digital building techniques

Study shows major impact technologically digital building methods can have on the construction industry.

New research undertaken by Erika Parn, a lecturer in Architectural Technology at Birmingham City University, has suggested that combining advanced digital building techniques can transform infrastructure and communities.

The study showed that combining a number of technologically advanced construction methods could have a major impact in mapping our entire buildings, cities and road networks.

By using emerging digital technologies, a better understanding of how people utilise land and infrastructure can be created, which could help create more responsive communities and save money on government funded infrastructure schemes.

Pärn is looking into how the technologies, which are most commonly associated with modern commercial buildings, can be merged together and applied to provide smarter cities equipped with facilities, amenities and services to suit the needs of both affluent and deprived populations.

Building Information Technology is usually viewed in isolation, but by combining it with other technologies, it can help provide smarter cities which suit the needs of bit affluent and deprived populations by plotting the ideal locations of infrastructure such as homes, shops, roads and water sources.

Erik Pärn said: “By bringing together these techniques we can make cities and communities which better fit the needs of the people living there, as well as helping to cut the levels of deprivation seen in some areas.

The seven key elements are:

• Optoelectric devices (e.g. laser scanning)
• Machine learning
• Sensors and network based technologies
• Building Information Modelling
• Machine vision technology
• Hybrid technology
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

“Mixing the seven dimensions of digital technology offers a potential solution to critical infrastructure needs, and will enable countries such as Ghana to capitalise upon the very real benefits that come out of smart city development.

“This includes environmental sustainability and infrastructure operational cost efficiency. It is an exciting prospect to be working with our African colleagues and be at the very forefront of future developments.

“In the UK the government has already laid out a mandate for use of digital building techniques but I think we need to go even further and look at the impact these technologies can have on transforming how whole cities look across the globe.”

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