There are numerous resources that professionals can look to in order to try stay up-to-date with the latest technology developments in AEC, but few have the expertise and prestige of Automation in Construction. This international research journal covers all aspects of automation and information technologies in the entire lifecycle of the construction process.
Specifically, the journal covers developments and trends that are set to impact Information Technologies in Design, Engineering, Construction Technologies, and Maintenance and Management of Constructed Facilities. While the articles that appear in it are not commercial in nature, the commercial application of the technology that’s being showcased is often very evident.
“Every article has to clearly state the design or construction problem that it’s trying to address, or clearly articulate a research question it’s trying to answer,” Professor Miroslaw J. Skibniewski, Editor-in-Chief of the journal, told AEC Next. “After the authors show that they’re very familiar with prior work that was done by other people and organizations in the field, they need to show that the work being reported is heads and shoulders above the state-of-the-art and current practice. By doing that, they’re setting the stage for the formulation of the tools that are required to answer their question or address their issue.”
With this kind of expertise and focus, the journal can provide an incredibly powerful look at the future trends and technologies that will impact the various construction-related disciplines the journal focuses on. Doing so is about ensuring readers can understand changes that are set to impact them in the short and long term.
The rapid development of various technologies and disciplines throughout AEC means that being able to accurately assess what’s on the horizon is more important than ever. A look back at some of the developments the journal has highlighted in the past underscores the importance of this recognition.
“The journal has been around since 1992, and there were a number of things that were first reported in it,” Professor Skibniewski continued. “BIM has practically taken over the construction world when it comes to handling information processing and bringing down the walls of fragmentation among various participants in construction processes. In the early 90’s no one understood the concept, but Professor Chuck Eastman, the inventor of BIM, published some of his early articles on concepts of BIM in our journal. He’s now at Georgia Tech and on the editorial board of the journal, and the articles he put together for the journal showed readers why this was a concept they needed to understand.”
BIM is a reality that professionals really can’t live without, which underscores the importance of when and how such game-changing technologies are first revealed. A similar focus on the tools professionals can’t live without is one of the many specialties of the AEC Next event, where Professor Skibniewski is set to discuss some of the topics and trends that are being explored in the journal. What exactly will he be looking to talk through at the event though?
“I can talk about the core technologies that are really changing the industry today,” Professor Skibniewski mentioned. “Those include advanced automation and robotics, 3D printing and mobile computing, which include specialized apps for contractors and design firms which can cover facility operations and maintenance. A lot of these technologies are responsible for future developments that the industry will benefit from, and those core technologies are being developed as we speak in research labs worldwide. They’re being featured and presented in our journal, so I’ll pick and choose a few since the time there will be limited.”
Tools and technologies like 3D printing are going to impact a variety of disciplines throughout AEC, and there are few better places to preview and understand such developments than publications like Automation in Construction or in-person events like AEC Next.
To learn more info about the educational tracks at the event, click here.
