My father worked in construction and I once asked him why they did something a specific way and not a new way (I was seven) and his reponse shaped some of my world view on making things 'Those are...
My father worked in construction and I once asked him why they did something a specific way and not a new way (I was seven) and his reponse shaped some of my world view on making things 'Those are toys, they seem fun and useful, cool and great, but they break, and they aren't tools'
There are a lot of new construction tech companies and startups, and its great! But the biggest issue is that most of them aren't tools, they may scan and check to see if everything is right or a millimeter off, but they aren't tools. A tool is something you can hold or use directly, it's something anyone can look at and just know how to use it, and a tool is something that you can inevitably use as a hammer (especially if it isn't).
A lot of the new tech isn't usable to those who directly work in the field all day, they are built by computer science engineers who couldn't imagine toiling in the sun working in the heat with a sunburn crawling up your back and sweat off your brow. You have to know how to program, you have to know all the small calculations that could go awry.
They need new tools, a better hammer? A better screw driver? You could even build a new way of carrying materials, or relieving pain. Those are all things the industry need, but no one wants to do it because 'that's not how it's always been' and 'its boring'. Construction companies love new tools, but when they require a comp sci masters degree to figure it out or change things, or a subscription package to use a service, then you've already lost. Construction has always been the most tech forward industry on the planet, but it has to be a utility.
Remember those plywood bricks that were floating around reddit a while back? Can't find the gif now, but it was basically lego bricks made out of plywood, containing I think a interior space for...
Remember those plywood bricks that were floating around reddit a while back? Can't find the gif now, but it was basically lego bricks made out of plywood, containing I think a interior space for insulation and a loosely connected outer and inner wall. Looks neat, looks fun. Joins up nice and firm when stacked.
Probably scales like shit because they're slow to put up and expensive to manufacture, nevermind that the engineers probably have a few questions regarding loads and longevity.
From the article: […] I chose a recent article from the Construction Physics blog. There are many others that also look pretty interesting.
From the article:
Construction has the unfortunate combination of building mostly unique things each time (even similar projects will be built on different sites, in different weather conditions, and likely with different site crews) and consisting of tasks that are costly to undo (it’s a lot easier to pour concrete than to unpour it), and are highly sequential (and thus time-sensitive). A building, for the most part, can’t be beta-tested to work the bugs out. Combined with the riskiness inherent of building large, heavy things that will be occupied by people (any failure becomes a potential life safety issue) and are heavily regulated, this means that any given process failure has the potential to completely derail your project.
[…]
The upside of any given project is usually a single-digit profit margin. But the downside is “whatever your company is worth”. A project that goes bad might force you to declare bankruptcy, or get you banned from doing business for 10 years.
I chose a recent article from the Construction Physics blog. There are many others that also look pretty interesting.
My father worked in construction and I once asked him why they did something a specific way and not a new way (I was seven) and his reponse shaped some of my world view on making things 'Those are toys, they seem fun and useful, cool and great, but they break, and they aren't tools'
There are a lot of new construction tech companies and startups, and its great! But the biggest issue is that most of them aren't tools, they may scan and check to see if everything is right or a millimeter off, but they aren't tools. A tool is something you can hold or use directly, it's something anyone can look at and just know how to use it, and a tool is something that you can inevitably use as a hammer (especially if it isn't).
A lot of the new tech isn't usable to those who directly work in the field all day, they are built by computer science engineers who couldn't imagine toiling in the sun working in the heat with a sunburn crawling up your back and sweat off your brow. You have to know how to program, you have to know all the small calculations that could go awry.
They need new tools, a better hammer? A better screw driver? You could even build a new way of carrying materials, or relieving pain. Those are all things the industry need, but no one wants to do it because 'that's not how it's always been' and 'its boring'. Construction companies love new tools, but when they require a comp sci masters degree to figure it out or change things, or a subscription package to use a service, then you've already lost. Construction has always been the most tech forward industry on the planet, but it has to be a utility.
What are examples of new technologies that are "not a tool?"
Remember those plywood bricks that were floating around reddit a while back? Can't find the gif now, but it was basically lego bricks made out of plywood, containing I think a interior space for insulation and a loosely connected outer and inner wall. Looks neat, looks fun. Joins up nice and firm when stacked.
Probably scales like shit because they're slow to put up and expensive to manufacture, nevermind that the engineers probably have a few questions regarding loads and longevity.
I'm imagining something like that.
I didn't see them and it seems hard to search for unfortunately. But yeah, there seem to be a lot of innovations that don't work out.
From the article:
[…]
I chose a recent article from the Construction Physics blog. There are many others that also look pretty interesting.