Design Practices to Facilitate Construction Automation

Automation in the construction industry involves the use of mechanical and electronic means to achieve automatic operation or control to reduce exposure, time, or effort while maintaining or improving quality. The use of automation in the construction industry has not kept pace with other industries and construction remains a predominantly labor-intensive activity. Cost, availability, and applicability of automated technologies, along with the knowledge and training required to operate the technologies, are obstacles to implementation. The design of permanent features and the means used to communicate the design may either inhibit or prohibit its use in construction.

CII formed the Design Practices to Facilitate Construction Automation Project Team (RT-183) to investigate this issue and the impact of design on the use of automated technologies during construction. A survey of constructors, designers, and fabricators was conducted regarding the current use of automated technologies and the practice of addressing construction automation in the design. Interviews were also conducted with personnel in other industries regarding their approach to designing for automation. This study focused on the design of the permanent features of a project, not the temporary processes and structures.

The resulting research was used to develop and record design practices that facilitate construction automation and expose barriers and limitations that affect the consideration of construction automation in the design. The goal was to facilitate the advancement of automation in the construction industry.