Construction technology fest draws over 300 industry experts
DUBAI, June 3, 2021
The third Construction Technology Festival (CTF) ended on a successful note with over 300 industry experts taking part.
The highly-anticipated event was the industry’s first in-person conference and exhibition in 2021, welcoming over 300 attendees, said the organisers.
The two-day event, hosted on June 1 and 2 at the Address Hotel Dubai Marina, saw guests from the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector share new digital methods that help design, build and operate assets better, and deliver projects more efficiently, quickly, sustainably and safely.
Attendees were delighted to meet face-to-face for the first time in months and enjoyed the opportunity to network in person again, reconnecting with current peers while expanding their network with new connections, they stated.
Maged El Hawary, CIO at ASGC Construction, said: "Construction Technology Festival is back as the must-attend event for our industry. I was so pleased to reconnect with all the relevant AEC leaders face-to-face. For the first in-person event for our industry this year, it was a distinguished start to what feels like ‘normal’ in Dubai. And it was good to see that confidence in the run up to Expo."
Katie Briggs, Content Director from the co-organiser b2b Connect, added "After events being digital-only for so long, it was important that CTF 2021 was held in person, providing the opportunity for much-needed networking. Speakers and attendees really appreciated bumping into industry colleagues and meeting new people again”.
Over 60 speakers took to the stage to shed light on the technologies that worked for them and how companies can implement these tools, including Saudi Aramco, The Red Sea Development Company, Amaala, Amana Group, Dubai Municipality, ALEC Engineering and Construction, AECOM, China State Construction and Engineering, and Atkins.
Katie Briggs, Content Director at b2b Connect, said “It is clear that the shift towards digitalisation in AEC is now unstoppable. It is no longer if technology will be used within the sector to improve its performance, but how’’.
This was evidenced by the number of case studies given across both days that presented real-world results. This included the widespread and more sophisticated use of BIM, the use of monitoring and sensors coupled with IoT systems, and the growing use in the region of Digital Twins.
Throughout the construction value chain, processes are being re-evaluated and areas of resistance are weakening as clients, developers, consultants, and contractors alike said they are increasingly realising the benefits of digital transformation.
Regional case studies, shared by the speakers, highlighted how building an effective digital strategy has allowed them to curb inefficiencies and waste, increase efficiencies, and in some cases, provided direct financial benefits to the organisation.
The event underlined that offsite methods of construction bring tangible benefits to the industry, particularly around safety and reduced waste of materials, as well as introducing predictability to build processes, said the organisers.
3D printing is similarly offering benefits in safety and sustainability, and is introducing new and more ambitious opportunities around design and the shapes used in buildings.
Speakers shared that the next step for 3D printing was to scale from the proof-of-concept buildings to more commercial and commoditised structures, they added.-TradeArabia News Service
