Asia digital trends to watch in 2021

Being a digital leader in Asia, I am grateful that I have the opportunity to engage with numerous companies and thought leaders within the AEC digital community. During our discussions, we talked about the opportunities and growth areas within our region and beyond. These insights have helped shaped our solutions and digital capabilities to our clients and encourage us to explore new ways of working.

In this article, I would like to share more about the upcoming digital trends that are taking shape in Asia.

Cloud-based technology: Many people will say this is an obvious one. While it may seem to be the case, there are many SME companies that have been keeping an eye on this trend but have not yet made the move to invest in it. One of the significant barriers to the uptake in this area is the lack of knowledge and hence, resulting in the reluctance in investment.

Since the pandemic, the companies that have been quick to adopt #cloud-based technology have been reaping the benefits. #Microsoft Teams, #SharePoint, #BIM360 and the #synergy for data management are prime examples of cloud-based technology that came to the forefront during the pandemic as the workforce was mobilised to work from home. These platforms provide access to data from any location giving teams more flexibility and companies, scalability.

With the increase in cloud computing, companies are taking advantage of real-time rendering that allows adjustments to be made to the materials, lights and cameras in a 3D setting to get immediate results without a need for test renders. I have also seen companies upskilling their staff with the appropriate digital skills to enable them to transition to these digital platforms to minimise the impacts from the shift to work from home and to enable them to have easy access to shared data.

This year will be the year of mass migrations as more companies will be embracing new ways of working and are pushed to adopt cloud-based technology. As it opens up the world of virtual machines and remote working, companies will experience better efficacy and cost savings, if implemented correctly.

Drones technology: The adoption of UAVs (drones) will be one of the priorities for many construction companies and land developers leading into 2021.

In 2020, the engineering and construction industry in Asia has adopted the use of drones for surveying, site supervision and asset condition assessment at an accelerated pace. This also saw an increase in requests for specialist applications and the development of tools to help support this technology.

The developer: Over the past few years within the AEC industry, we have seen a massive uptake of bespoke tools, workflows and the integration of visual programming applications. This includes Dynamo and Grasshopper. These bespoke tools and applications help increase productivity through task-based automation, explore form-finding and cross-platform integration.

In response to this, many companies have hired at least one developer in-house or are working with a company that can provide this service. To cater to this need, we at Aurecon have created the CoDe network. This network brings together computational designers and automation specialists who help to manage complexity and drive innovation into our designs. Aurecon’s creative technology team also comprises experts that have experience in user-centred research and design, technology design and system architecture. They lead the creation of innovative digital products and tailor solutions to meet individual clients’ needs and requirements.

Pedestrian simulation: Pedestrian simulation has been traditionally used to observe how people behave and travel towards exits and move along stairs and escalators. It allows companies to be able to identify potential bottlenecks and preferred exits, as well as test evacuation routes and timings for different emergency scenarios.

With the pandemic influencing the way we work and interact with our environment, we have seen a large increase in requests for pedestrian simulation to help with social distancing and safety. This will continue to be a topic of discussion into 2021.

Smart infrastructure data: The integration of smart infrastructure into our cities has been a hot button topic in the industry for more than a decade. The basic approach is to embed smart technology and leverage data to make the places we live in safer and better.

While the adoption has been slow in some regions, the recent availability of low-cost internet, #IoT sensors, investment into artificial intelligence (AI) and distributed hybrid multi-cloud IT architectures, will propel growth in the adoption of smart infrastructure data in Asia Pacific this year.

I’d be keen to hear your views towards these trends and/or if you have any other trends that you have observed and would like to share. Please leave your perspectives in the comment boxes below.