Inside the Autodesk Laboratories, Where the Future of Construction, from Drones to Holograms, is Being Tested
When renovation on a century-old YMCA facility in Beverly, Massachusetts, started, a laser scan of the structure revealed a unique challenge: almost every ceiling in the building was slightly uneven. Reframing the building's walls would need the use of hundreds of various-sized studs. It would be a complicated nightmare to build them on-site.
As a result, Windover Construction, the firm in charge of the renovation, sought a technical solution. So they put their laser scan data into an automated steel frame fabrication equipment, which accurately produced light gauge steel studs and panels for the building, collaborating with the New Zealand-based manufacturing firm Howick. The machine also added one important feature. The new studs may telescope, shrinking down to fit more easily into and through the old building's tight spaces and extending out like a shower curtain rod put into position.
The telescoping wall stud is only one of the construction innovations created in a unique new multidisciplinary initiative sponsored by Autodesk, the creator of the industry-standard architectural design tool AutoCAD. Autodesk has established a residency program for businesses trying to utilize new technologies to address design and construction issues via its Technology Centers. Windover and Howick got together due to the program, recognizing that one had technology that could solve the other's issue.
The building business is currently a low-tech affair. Regardless of the fancy design tools and advanced building information modeling systems used by architects and engineers, once a project is under construction, it is thrown into a decentralized world of general contractors who source materials, hire workers, and build projects according to their formulas. In the business, best practices are often based on what each contractor has done in the past. A more systematic approach to construction that uses technology is still a notion rather than a reality.
The Technology Centers, situated in Autodesk locations in San Francisco, Boston, Toronto, and Birmingham, England, are similar to large fabrication laboratories where firms and researchers attempt to discover new production techniques to solve construction industry problems. The facilities, which opened in 2018, include CNC metalworking equipment, 3D printers, water jet cutting systems, 5-axis robotic arms, and laboratories where composite materials, glass, and ceramics can be used to create new components and tools. In addition, Autodesk provides residencies ranging from two weeks to two years, providing space and resources for startups, academia, and established industry players to explore new ideas and develop novel ways to design and construct.
A team of students from the University of Southern California recently used the Boston Technology Center to robotically build an intricate steel pedestrian bridge that now crosses a ravine in Los Angeles.
The pandemic prompted Autodesk to shut its Technology Centers, but Rundell said they would return gradually starting this month. In any case, the closure of the centers had little effect on the collaboration. Autodesk converted the residency program to a virtual version, allowing businesses to meet and work online. As a result, more companies showed interest in participating because they did not have to go to one of the Technology Centers or give up billable hours. The network of the residency program now includes about 160 companies and organizations.
Windover Construction has utilized the network to find additional construction solutions, including a collaboration with Fologram, an Australian mixed reality company. As a result, Windover reduced that part of the project's schedule by 70% by using Microsoft HoloLens goggles and Fologram's mixed reality technology to direct the assembly of hundreds of roof trusses for a building project.