Hi-tech Lowdown

The Negative Effects of Technology on the Construction Industry

Last week while I was enjoying a Spring Break vacation in Sarasota with my family, I was amazed to see my daughter swimming in the pool with her iPhone. Apparently she had purchased a special case that allows her to text while in the water. I can’t believe the way that smart phones have turned people into zombies. You see couples at dinner glued to their phones instead of talking, and groups of kids interacting with their handsets instead of playing together. Watching my daughter be unable to go for a swim without a phone made me sick. It also made me think about how technology has adversely affected business in general and the construction industry in particular. Although technology has been a boon to many facets of our industry, there are aspects of technological developments that have severe negative consequences.

Now let me preface this post by explaining how fascinated I have been with technology for the past 35 years. I am not a technophobe who is making Orwellian predictions, and I have never referenced the movie 2001: The Space Odyssey. I used to love to program in BASIC back in my college days. I purchased a $4,000 IBM XT for my home back in 1984 and lugged a 20-pound Compaq computer around to conduct business when portable computing wasn't even on the map. My businesses have invested in the latest hardware, software, and computer controlled manufacturing equipment. I currently own three different smart watches and Apple hasn't even released its iWatch yet. So on the technology spectrum, I run pretty close to the bleeding edge. So why would I post a criticism of technology’s negative effect on the construction industry?

I am concerned that technology is distracting our attention from what is important. While high-tech tools can make our lives easier, they can also become a permanent crutch that diverts our attention from critical factors. We become so addicted to the convenience, we forget how to do the tasks that technology is performing on our behalf. Just as we have forgotten phone numbers of loved ones with the advent of a contact database, we've forgotten how to do basic things that are critical to business. We spend more time in front of our computers than we do engaging with associates and customers.

Technology also has a habit of forcing us to become slaves to the high-tech monster. We now spend hours scanning data, inputting information, and reading irrelevant documents. Just think of the time you spend wading through mounds of daily e-mail messages. Add to that the depletion of employee productivity while they scan Facebook and shop on eBay while work needs to be performed. And top it off with the millions of dollars businesses spend on IT work to keep the monster healthy and protected from cyber-attacks. Our dedication and commitment to technology has become frightening.

So how does this affect the construction industry?

Architects were early adopters of technology, primarily through the use of computer aided design. On one hand, CAD has been one of the most incredible software tools to be developed, allowing amazing precision and reducing drafting time. On the other hand, CAD also provides a platform where one can create designs without having a solid understanding of whether the rendering will be structurally feasible. Back in the day when architects produced drawings by hand, they had to have a broad understanding of construction means and methods as well as structural elements. I have seen many a frustrated general contractor who has been forced to make sense of construction documents that have been hastily assembled by inexperienced CAD practitioners. Although CAD is a great tool, it can’t make up for a lack of understanding of basic construction principles.

The use of word processing software for the creation of specifications has also been a boon to the design community. The time it takes to pull together a 500-page project manual has been dramatically reduced since it’s so much simpler to collect detailed product specifications from manufacturers and from agencies like CSI. Unfortunately, this ease of spec assembly also makes it very easy to cut and paste incorrect data. It is very common to see finished specifications that reference an element copied from another source that has no relevance to the project at hand. Specifications slapped together with the help of Microsoft Word can create more problems than they solve.

Technology also creates challenges for contractors. Although tools like cell phones, tablet computers, lasers, estimating software, and spreadsheets have made everyone’s life easier, they also create problems. New means of communicating such as texting, e-mail, and cell phones can create a flood of information that becomes overwhelming. It is not uncommon to have to wade through a couple of hours of correspondence in a typical day. Estimating software and spreadsheets make it very simple to manage a complex network of numbers. Conversely, they also increase the risk of making a simple error that can mean the difference in making or losing money on a contract. Contractors are also having a more difficult time finding labor to perform the work since our labor pool is more interested sitting in front of a computer than swinging a hammer.

Manufacturers and distributors have benefited from having an online platform for storing technical product data. This enables a typical manufacturer to post detailed information on product details, drawing files, performance data, and installation instructions. In the past, this information was communicated directly to customers by a salesperson who had extensive training and served as a technical consultant to architects and contractors. Now manufacturers hire salespeople and train them on where to direct customers for the technical data. They have sparse background on the particulars of their product offering. Gone are the days where the sales consultant would train architects on product design, structural issues, finishes, and general construction practices. This information is now gleaned from accessing the internet. Architects have reduced their direct contact with manufacturers to AIA approved CES presentations that are bland overviews of the product segment. The main source of construction information has transferred from the trained consultant to Google.

I’m not the only one who fears the direction technology is taking us in. Steve Wozniak, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates have all been recently quoted on their concerns for the negative effects of our high-tech explosion. Musk was recently quoted as saying, “Artificial Intelligence is the biggest existential threat to mankind.” Gates was quoted as saying, “It’s a scenario that doesn't bode well for our future as a species.” I don’t know if I think the current challenges we struggle with today are that monumental, but it is something to think about for the next couple of decades. My immediate concern for now, however, is that I have a daughter who lives her life in a small box called an iPhone.