The construction industry is routinely criticised for its supposed resistance to technological innovation.
But how behind is it really? If you work in a BIM environment, employ 4D+ design, develop robotic construction plant or use virtual or augmented reality, you might well bridle at being labelled a luddite.
Well fret no more because now there’s a new label that you can wear to prove you’re hip to the latest tech, daddio. And that’s “contech”.
The term (used liberally in our feature starting on page 50 of this issue and cropping up repeatedly in all fashionable industry circles) is short for ‘construction technology’ and joins its property and financial stablemates, “proptech” and “fintech”, in the lexicon of cutting-edge innovation.
According to the website designingbuildings.co.uk, the term ‘contech’ was coined by start-up technology companies “seeking to challenge the construction, real estate and property management sectors”. Who knew they needed that challenge?
The site explains that contech embraces such things as drones, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, communications technology and wearable tech – each of which has an established role in construction.
So while others might scoff at construction’s supposed aversion to technology, you can now point to thrusting young start-ups like Modulous, flash your new “contech” badge and prove that you’re at the cutting edge.