Most of the focus on applying 3D printing technology to the construction industry revolves around building structures. The world’s first 3D printed office building opened this week in Dubai which has set a goal of 3D printing 25% of all buildings in the city by 2030. Taking just 17 days to print and two days to assemble, the 2,700-square-foot building was printed by WinSun Decoration Design Engineering. Back in 2014, WinSun printed 10 single-room buildings in a span of 24 hours.  They followed that up last year by 3D printing a five-story apartment building and a nearly 12,000-square-foot villa.

The implementation of lean construction has been gaining traction over the last several years as more and more firms realize the benefits of applying lean thinking to construction. The concept is simple enough, maximize value for the client while at the same time minimizing waste. Proper execution of the lean construction philosophy, on the other hand, can be difficult to implement. For starters, lean construction involves a completely different approach to project delivery from traditional construction methods.

Earlier this month, Gilbane Building Co. proposed that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) should require construction workers to wear safety harnesses whenever they are working at a height of 6 feet or more above a lower level. This requirement is part of Gilbane’s safety program, which they claim has prevented 20 potential fatalities since 2011. It’s hard to argue with a company that has won multiple industry safety awards with a safety program that has resulted in 95% of projects completed having zero lost time injuries and 80% of projects finished with zero recordable injuries in 2015.

When it comes to acquiring construction equipment for your commercial construction company there are a number of factors to consider when it comes time to decide whether you rent, buy or lease.

Is cybersecurity a major concern for your construction business? Maybe you don’t think your company is a potential target for a cyberattack. You’d be right too if your company doesn’t use computers to store any information about your business and if you never connect to the internet.

In honor of Earth Day today, we're taking a look at some of the greenest and most sustainable buildings throughout the world. Since measuring the greenest or the most sustainable or even the most eco-friendly building is nearly impossible to do, we chose a few of our favorites that highlight and showcase the many ways architects and construction companies are using design, materials and technology to create more sustainable buildings.

This week. April 11 – 15, 2016, is the 17th Annual National Work Zone Awareness Week which was started to increase public awareness about work zone safety and is held each April at the start of the highway construction season. This year’s theme is “Don’t Be That Driver!” with a kickoff event being held on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, near the I-75 widening project outside Toledo, OH.

Telematics systems combine GPS technology, on-board diagnostics and monitoring sensors to track, log and report data via cellular networks on the performance and operation of your construction equipment. Data from telematics systems are typically accessed through a web portal and can provide data on a number of machine systems. Common data points include GPS location, fuel consumption, idle times and machine alerts. Equipment manufacturers are installing telematics systems as standard equipment on an increasing number of their product offerings each year.

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries to work in. One out of every five worker deaths last year was in construction, a percentage that has remained fairly constant over the last several years. The four leading causes of construction worker fatalities are falls, electrocutions, being struck by objects and being caught in or between objects. OSHA has dubbed these the “Fatal Four” and in 2014, they accounted for 508 of the 874 construction worker deaths.

Jobsite thefts of tools, equipment and materials continues to be an issue plaguing the construction industry. Unattended construction sites are easy targets for thieves, especially those lacking adequate security measures. Heavy equipment, power and hand tools and materials such as copper are the most targeted items. According to the National Equipment Register (NER), heavy equipment theft has been on the rise the past couple of years with 11,625 thefts being reported to law enforcement in 2014.