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Technology's Role In Lowering Construction's Carbon Footprint | |
| Sumita Pawar |
The construction industry is one of the most polluting and resource-intensive sectors on the planet, but it can significantly reduce its carbon footprint with the help of state-of-the-art technologies, according to Paul Wallett, Regional Director of Trimble Solutions in the Middle East and India.
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Trimble's technologies, including Tekla Structures and Tekla Structural Designer, offer dynamic embodied carbon calculation functionality, helping designers and contractors create environmentally sustainable systems and replace traditional practises.
Trimble is also committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions with its science-based targets, including a 50% reduction in absolute scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 100% annual sourcing of renewable electricity by 2025.
The company's latest sustainability report highlights its commitment to partner with 70% of its suppliers on emissions to set science-based targets by 2026.
In the Middle East, Trimble's state-of-the-art digital construction technology solutions have played a significant role in getting major and mega projects designed, engineered, efficiently built, and delivered on time, including the Museum of the Future, Burj Khalifa, Riyadh Metro, Ain Dubai, The Dubai Opera House, Coca-Cola Arena, Midfield Airport, Sharjah Monument, UAE Expo Pavilion, National Museum of Qatar, and Riyadh Metro.
Technology can help drive sustainable practises effectively by predicting a building's operational performance even before it is built, reducing rework, avoiding mistakes, and increasing productivity.
Effective collaboration can also help tackle a major portion of the waste produced by the construction industry. With the help of connected construction solutions, designers and contractors can collaborate sooner to resolve any issues with the environment and other miscommunications before beginning a project.
Cloud-based common data environment (CDE) solutions give stakeholders the opportunity to collaborate on construction data to resolve design conflicts, identify on-site challenges, and gather data intelligence, resulting in a reduction of material usage and fuel waste as well as lowering workers' safety risks.
Trimble advises stakeholders in the construction sector to adopt new technologies like BIM, digital twins, connected construction, AI, machine learning, and mixed reality, as well as raise awareness of sustainability to lessen its adverse environmental impact. Technology can be expensive, but it is also crucial to think of it as a long-term investment, and Trimble offers a subscription business model for companies that find it difficult to adopt new technology.