Automation has, to some extent or another, revolutionized just about every facet of the modern globalized economy over the last few decades. And nowhere has the change been in greater evidence than in the world of heavy industry. Industrial building design now integrates a whole host of technologies and modern methods. But exactly what does this mean to those doing the designing?
The Rise of Automation in Industrial Construction
At the turn of the 20th century, manual, skilled labor was a dominant force in just about every factory setting. That began to change with the introduction of the moving production line, which saw an arrangement of stationary spots replaced by a conveyor belt that ran a given product through a series of modular, specialized steps.
This change, and many of the ones that followed it, conferred several key advantages. Each part of the line could focus on a very specific competency, and thereby more quickly produce labor of a high quality. If all you’re doing every day is installing a specific headlamp, then the chances are that you’re going to end up very good at it.
In the modern age, automation tends to mean the involvement of pseudo-intelligent computer systems, which can capture endless data points about the quality of the item being produced. This allows the facility as a whole to refine itself, and ultimately become more efficient.
Smart Technologies and Adaptive Layouts
The smart technologies we’re talking about here largely consist of sensors that have the ability to communicate with a larger system. Each sensor might have a specialized role, much like the workers in the early moving production lines. This modular design again means that layouts can be made much more flexible, and that systems can be reshaped according to the changing needs of the business.
Impacts on Civil Engineering Practice
What does this mean for the way that the building itself is designed? There are a number of considerations to point to. Firstly, facilities have consolidated, and become large enough to accommodate larger pieces of machinery and the industrial controls that go with them, and deal with different stresses when it comes to things like vibration and electrical load. Industrial projects as a whole have also become vastly more sophisticated, with the result that large and diverse teams of engineers, architects, and technologists are having to collaborate with one another.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
Just as the average industrial facility has changed remarkably over the past century, the chances are that it will change beyond recognition in the century to come. We might see sweeping changes as a result of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity threats, and sustainability. Civil engineers will need to adapt to new ways of doing things, and do so proactively. By embracing change, civil engineers can not only survive, but thrive.