The U.S. building industry is under increasing pressure to deliver high-performance buildings to meet the needs of owners, occupants, and the government. Owners and contractors are looking for opportunities to improve certainty in schedule, performance, and cost while managing risks. At the same time, there is an increasing concern from multiple segments of the industry on the availability of a skilled workforce, as well as the productivity of the buildings workforce today and into the future.
Efforts are underway on a variety of fronts to address productivity challenges, including the expansion of off-site construction techniques; development of enhanced tools and processes such as building information modeling (BIM); enhancing mid- to long-term forecasts of workforce needs; and attracting new, technology-savvy entrants to the workforce through development of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs.
This past fall, the National Institute of Building Sciences held a Representative Hearing on Productivity and the Workforce. Based on testimony provided by 18 representatives from a broad group of industry organizations during the hearing, the Institute developed the infographic below to identify the major themes that will help the industry address the productivity challenges. The infographic identifies the recommendations and includes: collaboration; contracts/risk allocation; technology/BIM; metrics & knowledge sharing; safety & quality; life-cycle focus; workforce; and off-site construction. (Click image to enlarge.)
