Ever-Changing Trends in the Construction Industry

In an interview, Frank Islas, director of structural operations at OSBURN, discusses the challenges and trends facing the construction industry lately.

What are some major challenges and trends impacting the construction industry lately?

Skilled Labor: Finding skilled labor continues to be challenging, leading to delays and increased labor costs. Training has to be at the forefront for those new to the construction industry looking for a stable career.

Cost Fluctuations: Volatile material prices have disrupted current project budgets, schedules, and durations.

Sustainability Demands: Increasing focus on environmentally friendly practices and materials.

Technology Adoption: Integrating new technologies like building information modeling (BIM) and drones while overcoming resistance to change.

Regulatory Changes: Adapting to evolving safety and building codes. This has been a major challenge among cement producers in the North Texas and US markets.

Trends

Modular and prefabricated construction: Off-site construction methods for faster and more efficient project delivery.

Digital Twin Technology: Creating digital replicas of physical buildings for better project management and maintenance.

Green Construction: Growing emphasis on sustainable designs, material incorporation (such as fly ash), energy efficiency, and renewable materials.

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality Design: Enhancing design visualization, training, and safety.

Data Analytics: Using data to optimize construction processes, reduce risks, and improve decision-making.

These challenges and trends shape the construction industry's present and future landscape.

What keeps you up at night regarding some of the major predicaments in the construction industry?

Some of the major concerns in the construction industry surround the quality of life our people and employees experience. This tends to have quite an impact on how efficiently our teams work day in and day out. If your personal life is not where you would like it, your work life can suffer greatly. Over the last two years, unpredictable material costs and the industry's relatively slow adoption of advanced technologies. This has created quite an unstable market and makes it difficult to ensure a proposed budget will satisfy the project scope.

Can you tell us about the latest project you have been working on and what technological and process elements you leveraged to make the project successful?

The Lakeside Terranea (3111 Sunset) high-rise multifamily/mixed-use development in Flower Mound, TX, is the latest project my teams have broken ground on. Technology and processes can be leveraged for success: Imagine a large-scale construction project (17 levels). The project management team utilizes several technological and process elements:

Building Information Modeling (BIM): BIM software is used to create a 3D digital model of the building. This aids in visualizing the design, identifying clashes, and optimizing the construction process. We also employ drones to conduct aerial surveys and track progress. They provide accurate measurements, monitor site conditions, and enhance safety inspections.

Advanced project management tools help schedule tasks, allocate resources, and monitor milestones. This ensures efficient coordination among various teams.

Augmented Reality (AR): AR technology overlaps digital information onto the physical construction site. This assists workers in visualizing designs, leading to more accurate construction.

Collaboration Platforms: Cloud-based platforms facilitate real-time communication and collaboration among project stakeholders, regardless of physical location.

Data Analytics: Data collected from various sources is analyzed to identify patterns, predict potential issues, and make informed decisions for smoother project execution.

By integrating these technological and process elements, the construction project can achieve greater efficiency, reduced errors, improved communication, and, ultimately, successful delivery.

What are some of the technological trends which excite you for the future of the construction industry?

Several technological trends are poised to reshape the future of the construction industry.

Robotics and Automation: Using robots for bricklaying, 3D printing of structures, and even autonomous heavy machinery can increase construction speed and precision.

Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI can assist in project planning, risk assessment, and predictive maintenance. It can also optimize schedules and resource allocation.

Drones: Drones are becoming more sophisticated, aiding in site surveys, progress monitoring, and even material delivery to hard-to-reach areas.

Wearable Technology: Wearables like smart helmets and vests can enhance worker safety by monitoring vital signs and detecting potential hazards.

Advanced Materials: Self-healing concrete, energy-efficient materials, and innovative composites are being developed, improving sustainability and durability.

Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): AR and VR technologies are expected to play a bigger role in design visualization, training, and remote collaboration.

Sustainability Solutions: Green building materials and sustainable construction practices will continue to gain momentum. These trends can potentially revolutionize the construction industry by improving efficiency, safety, sustainability, and collaboration across all project phases.

"If your personal life is not where you would like it to be, your work life can and will suffer greatly"

Again, the construction industry (especially concrete construction) has trended slowly in integrating technological advancements across each project. But as time passes, developers and owners are starting to see some cost benefits in using more advanced tech.

Could you provide a brief overview of your career path leading up to your position as director of structural operations at OSBURN, highlighting key roles and milestones?

Getting started in the construction industry in 2004 with Baker Concrete Construction, I was fortunate to be on some extremely large and complex construction projects. I started my career as a quality control inspector and soon realized I had an innate ability to read and comprehend structural design drawings and their intent. Using that and collaborating with project superintendents and field engineers, even the most observant clients and owners rarely found issues with our work. This made it desirable for my company to move me into operations. I moved into a project engineer role quickly into an assistant superintendent role. In 2010, Baker Concrete had a unique project in Eunice, NM, called the National Enrichment Facility. We were building a uranium enrichment plant from the ground up. This would become a career-defining project for me. To become an NQA-1 inspector, you have to fill out forms backing up your experience, you have to interview with the NQA-1 program holder's level II or III inspector, and you have to prove your ability to understand, comprehend, and apply project documents and program requirements to required inspections and planning. I excelled at being an NQA-1 Level II Inspector.

In 2015, I realized I might not get the opportunity I was looking for at Baker Concrete and left for Sundt Construction in their Concrete Division. I started as a field superintendent and quickly became the project superintendent on the Fort Bliss Replacement Hospital Project. This was a large project governed by the USACE (1.15 million SF new construction hospital, clinic, administration, and clinical investigation buildings). What seemed impossible to complete with a tough client and owner, I helped bring a team of over 120 laborers, carpenters, field engineers, QC personnel, and other field superintendents together and successfully finished out our scope. In 2018, I hired back on with Baker Concrete to build the large walls of Launch Complex - 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket. Upon completing this project, I took about a month off as it took me a mental toll. I received a call from Osburn and took a position as a general superintendent. Quickly realizing the scale of construction was significantly smaller than what I was used to with Baker, I could take on more projects and complete them with great success. By 2020, Osburn asked me to step into my director position; the rest is history. 

Given the industry's rapid evolution, how have you adapted and grown throughout your career?

Continued collaboration with my peers and those I admire in this industry. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and I owe my career to those who came before me. Some of whom are no longer with us. The knowledge I have gained from them, trade schooling, and self-teaching have brought me here. Above everything, being a father has made me push myself to try to be a better me every day, at work and home.