The construction industry continues to tackle the challenges of rising construction materials costs, a skilled labor shortage and overall lack of productivity improvements, offering an expansive opportunity for disruption. According to the newly released JLL research report, “The State of Construction Technology,” Silicon Valley investors are stepping in to seize that opportunity. Venture capital funds are funneling unprecedented levels of cash into Construction Technology startups’ pockets.
In the first half of 2018, venture capital firms invested $1.05 billion in global construction tech startups, setting a record high. The 2018 investment volume is already up nearly 30 percent over the 2017 total, with six months still remaining in the year. To date, the Construction Technology sector has found three Unicorns—startups valued at more than $1 billion—in Katerra, Procore and Uptake.
“The construction sector is on the verge of major disruption as tech start-ups tackle head-on the industry’s biggest pressure points,” says Todd Burns, President, Project and Development Services, JLL. “These startups can provide technology that helps deliver projects faster, cheaper and with fewer resources than ever before, effectively addressing the existing challenges in the industry.”
Emerging technology is opening a significant opportunity for venture capitalists and construction executives. JLL recognized this opportunity early, and last year brought on two Silicon Valley veterans to launch JLL Spark, a global business that identifies and delivers new technology-driven real estate service offerings, including a $100 million global venture fund.
JLL’s research uncovered three primary focus areas of construction tech startups:
1. Collaboration software. Considering that dozens of professionals can be working on a given construction project at the same time, leveraging cloud-based software to optimize the workflow could profoundly improve collaboration and impact the bottom line. Front-runners such as Procore Technologies, PlanGrid, Clarizen and Flux Factory are utilizing cloud capabilities, mobile platforms and dedicated design software to enable collaboration.
2. Offsite construction. As skilled construction labor becomes harder to find and general competition for construction inputs heats up, offsite construction startups are championing a different approach to how buildings are built: building component manufacturing. Offsite manufacturing and delivery of finalized components to the construction site equals shorter assembly time and more centralized production to help offset the labor pinch and rising costs. Industry leaders include Katerra, Blu Homes and Project Frog.
3. Big data and artificial intelligence (AI). From materials delivery to equipment maintenance, predictive data and automation tools can collect data on nearly every aspect of a construction project, resulting in data pools at risk of going to waste. Armed with big data and AI software, construction teams can make more informed business decisions to save time and money by extending the life of expensive equipment, reducing worksite risk and automating simple business processes. Top startups in this area include Uptake Technologies, Flux Factory and SmartEquip.
Since 2009, investors have closed 478 Construction Technology funding deals totaling $4.34 billion, underscoring the continued volume of construction projects and the recent urgency to innovate and offset industry costs. The huge bump in Construction Technology investment in 2018 is hopeful proof of an impending surge of technology and hardware marvels, promising to optimize the industry.
Related Stories
| Apr 13, 2011
Southern Illinois park pavilion earns LEED Platinum
Erin’s Pavilion, a welcome and visitors center at the 80-acre Edwin Watts Southwind Park in Springfield, Ill., earned LEED Platinum. The new 16,000-sf facility, a joint project between local firm Walton and Associates Architects and the sustainability consulting firm Vertegy, based in St. Louis, serves as a community center and special needs education center, and is named for Erin Elzea, who struggled with disabilities during her life.
| Apr 13, 2011
Office interaction was the critical element to Boston buildout
Margulies Perruzzi Architects, Boston, designed the new 11,460-sf offices for consultant Interaction Associates and its nonprofit sister organization, The Interaction Institute for Social Change, inside an old warehouse near Boston’s Seaport Center.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Feb 23, 2011
“School of Tomorrow” student design competition winners selected
The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and Kawneer Company, Inc. announced the winners of the “Schools of Tomorrow” student design competition. The Kawneer-sponsored competition, now in its fifth year, challenged students to learn about building materials, specifically architectural aluminum building products and systems in the design of a modern and creative school for students ranging from kindergarten to sixth grade. Ball State University’s Susan Butts was awarded first place and $2,500 for “Propel Elementary School.”
| Feb 11, 2011
Kentucky’s first green adaptive reuse project earns Platinum
(FER) studio, Inglewood, Calif., converted a 115-year-old former dry goods store in Louisville, Ky., into a 10,175-sf mixed-use commercial building earned LEED Platinum and holds the distinction of being the state’s first adaptive reuse project to earn any LEED rating. The facility, located in the East Market District, houses a gallery, event space, offices, conference space, and a restaurant. Sustainable elements that helped the building reach its top LEED rating include xeriscaping, a green roof, rainwater collection and reuse, 12 geothermal wells, 81 solar panels, a 1,100-gallon ice storage system (off-grid energy efficiency is 68%) and the reuse and recycling of construction materials. Local firm Peters Construction served as GC.
| Feb 4, 2011
President Obama: 20% improvement in energy efficiency will save $40 billion
President Obama’s Better Buildings Initiative, announced February 3, 2011, aims to achieve a 20% improvement in energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 2020, improvements that will save American businesses $40 billion a year.
| Jan 31, 2011
CISCA releases White Paper on Acoustics in Healthcare Environments
The Ceilings & Interior Systems Construction Association (CISCA) has released an extensive white paper “Acoustics in Healthcare Environments” for architects, interior designers, and other design professionals who work to improve healthcare settings for all users. This white paper serves as a comprehensive introduction to the acoustical issues commonly confronted on healthcare projects and howbest to address those.
| Jan 27, 2011
Perkins Eastman's report on senior housing signals a changing market
Top international design and architecture firm Perkins Eastman is pleased to announce that the Perkins Eastman Research Collaborative recently completed the “Design for Aging Review 10 Insights and Innovations: The State of Senior Housing” study for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The results of the comprehensive study reflect the changing demands and emerging concepts that are re-shaping today’s senior living industry.
| Jan 25, 2011
AIA reports: Hotels, retail to lead U.S. construction recovery
U.S. nonresidential construction activity will decline this year but recover in 2012, led by hotel and retail sectors, according to a twice-yearly forecast by the American Institute of Architects. Overall nonresidential construction spending is expected to fall by 2% this year before rising by 5% in 2012, adjusted for inflation. The projected decline marks a deteriorating outlook compared to the prior survey in July 2010, when a 2011 recovery was expected.
| Jan 21, 2011
Combination credit union and USO center earns LEED Silver
After the Army announced plans to expand Fort Bliss, in Texas, by up to 30,000 troops, FirstLight Federal Credit Union contracted NewGround (as CM) to build a new 16,000-sf facility, allocating 6,000 sf for a USO center with an Internet café, gaming stations, and theater.
