The positive experiences Gilbane Building Company is
realizing with prefabrication and building information modeling (BIM), as
described in the Autodesk Redshift article “4
Ways Prefabrication and Modern Construction Methods Will Make Building Better,”
is not isolated in the construction industry. More and more firms are taking
advantage of the ways prefabrication and modular construction are making the
industry better. The article points out four aspects of these modern processes
that are propelling the industry forward:

1. Accurate schedules – When you spend more time on
   quality planning, construction proceeds more smoothly. There are fewer problems
   to fix, shortening the overall schedule. Although BIM has been around for 20
   years and has been proven to help bring projects in under budget and within
   schedule, it is by no means widely used – yet. It is still considered a
   “modern” process.
2. Quality – Working in a controlled environment
   assures better quality control. Prefabrication of something repeatable, for
   instance a dozen bathroom modules, in a factory setting is far more efficient
   than creating them one by one onsite. Quality can be tracked more accurately.
3. Safety – With prefabrication in a shop, there
   are fewer demands for working off the ground, in the wind or on wet or snowy
   surfaces. In addition, equipment and machinery can be scheduled and more
   closely monitored to avoid worker accidents. The prefab process is more
   ergonomic and safer, and may be the perfect solution to addressing the qualified
   labor shortage. In Australia, prefabricated construction is the boom that’s
   replacing the bust of the auto manufacturing industry as factory workers are
   retrained to meet construction demand. 
4. Sustainability – The prefabrication process
   results in better use of materials and less waste on a project. According to a
   University of Melbourne article in 2018, “The
   Future is Prefabricated,” modern prefab buildings can have lighter and
   stronger components. As a further benefit, leftover materials and scraps can be
   recycled when chunks of construction take place in the controlled environment
   of prefab, a sustainable option compared to to throwing away everything on a
   traditional building site.

Technology advances – and BIM in particular – are becoming
critical to an efficient construction industry. The trend toward
standardization of design and construction for the built environment is helping
firms keep up with demand for high quality, sustainable buildings.
Historically, intellectual property has been closely held in the AEC industry.
But as other industries are seeing increased sharing of IP, the Redshift
article points out that same trend is sure to take place in the building
industry.