Construction robots have been around since the 1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, Japanese companies such as the Shimizu Corporation, Obayashi Corporation, and Takenaka Corporation created robots and remote-controlled machines for excavating, material handling, concrete placing, finishing, fireproofing, earthworks, rebar placing, and other construction tasks. However, the overall robotization of the industry has been slow.

Have you considered the significance of a product’s bar code when you shop at a supermarket?

The 50-year-old invention contains a standardized product number essential to the operation of the whole value chain: the retail store, the distribution center, the transportation company, the warehouse, the vendor, and the producer.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the construction of outpatient healthcare facilities. Informed patients seek quality, choice, and convenience, and they are finding that outpatient specialty clinics can provide high quality care at low prices than hospital care – often right in their own neighborhoods.

Construction sites are known for their excessive water usage and generation of liquid waste, both of which have a negative impact on the environment. Despite the importance of efficient water management, it is often overshadowed by the focus on carbon emissions reduction in construction. This is partly due to the fact that water-related issues tend to be more localized and may not have as immediate a global impact as climate change. Additionally, there may be a lack of awareness and understanding of the importance of efficient water management in the construction industry.

The office market has slowed but the demand for more urban housing only continues to rise. A possible solution? Converting office to residential. In a recent episode of STO Building Group’s Building Conversations podcast, Brooks McDaniel, STOBG’s senior vice president of building repositioning, speaks with Dan Shannon, commercial design leader and managing partner at architecture firm MdeAS, about the wave of office to residential conversions in New York City. Here is an excerpt of their conversation.