Archinect - News

Contractors petition Biden to ease rising lumber costs

2021-02-25T11:45:00-05:00

Following the sudden, dramatic price spikes on an array of building materials in 2021, the Associated General Contractors of America has appealed to President Joe Biden to take action to ease the skyrocketing cost of lumber.

According to Construction Dive, "AGC CEO Stephen Sandherr asked Biden to urge domestic lumber producers to ramp up production to address growing shortages, as well as to make the crafting of a new softwood lumber agreement with Canada a top priority of his administration."

Skanska redesigns construction site protective equipment for women

2019-12-03T15:30:00-05:00

Construction and design behemoth Skanska USA has opted to create a full line of "Personal Protective Equipment" (PPE) designed to meet the particular needs of a rising cohort of women in the construction workforce. The equipment is being developed for these workers in order to "ensure their safety and provide an inclusive environment that promotes their wellbeing and success," according to the Skanska website.

As a starting point, Skanska has initially redesigned their construction safety vests and is aiming to reconsider additional items in the near future.

The move comes as the number of women in the construction industry surges. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures cited by Skanska, the number of women in construction roles has seen double digit growth in recent years, with the proportion of women in the construction workforce currently at 9.9%.

Existing vests were critiqued and redesigned for improved functionality and safety. Image courtesy of Skanska.

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Robot "dog" can autonomously document construction progress

2019-11-27T13:00:00-05:00

Construction software company HoloBuilder Inc. has announced a partnership with Boston Dynamics, maker of mobile robots, to develop SpotWalk, which the firm claims is a first-of-its-kind robotic document capture app for construction sites. ...the robot [can] walk around job sites autonomously and capture 360-degree images that record construction progress, thus creating digital, recordable data of the project over time.

According to Construction Dive, Hensel Phelps tested the new technology on a recent project and found its application to be efficient and time-saving. A spokesperson for the contractor said that the robot "removes a time-consuming step while providing accurate construction photos with a high degree of fidelity," reports Construction Dive.

The autonomous nature of this application would allow project teams to document construction progress more frequently, allowing for more consistent documentation and enabling project staff to focus time on other tasks.