Moore points to three trends in particular that will either make or break your construction firm over the next decade: the ongoing labor shortage, growth of megaprojects and the implementation of technology. And while the idea of “disruption” is always scary, Moore sees this next chapter for the construction industry as an exciting one, specifically for those companies who can find a solution to these major disruptors.

For the last several decades, the manufacturing sector has invested significantly in technology to significantly improve the output of its workers. A less capital-intensive industry, the construction business, however, has historically grown by employing more people, not buying more equipment. It’s easier to hire more labor when the economy is good and lay-off employees when it falls than make big capital investments in technology and equipment.

The industry, Moore adds, has also found it easier to simply raise costs and prices than invest in becoming more efficient.

That trend must change going forward, however, as construction activity is only expected to grow. And companies who are unable to find labor will be constrained by what types of projects they can take on and, therefore, how much they can grow.

This type of reinforcement is commonly called shrinkage and temperature reinforcement.

Shrinkage and temperature reinforcement is different than structural reinforcement. Structural reinforcement is typically placed in the bottom portion of the slab thickness to increase the slab’s load capacity. Most structural slabs-on-ground have both top and bottom layers of reinforcement for controlling crack-widths and increasing load capacities. Because of constructability issues and costs associated with two layers of reinforcement, structural slabs-on-ground are not as common as nonstructural slabs.

While there are several reinforcing options for nonstructural slabs-on-ground, this article focuses on steel reinforcing bars and welded wire reinforcement for crack width control.

The USGBC works on a point system, and most of those awarded come from a building’s design, location and orientation, and its materials to a smaller degree. All of these contribute to LEED certifications. Lean manufacturing, in contrast, wins no points for contractors but contributes to less energy expended at a site.

For contractors, a strategy for saving time and materials can lead to higher profitability and the good feeling of not creating unnecessary waste. Here’s a look at five techniques that are having the greatest impact on sustainable building construction.

Being able to cut materials precisely decreases waste and creates buildings that are strong enough to allow contractors to use wood framing as high as five stories, he says.

Mechanical contractors use Building Information Management (BIM) systems to cut sheet metal for duct work in a controlled environment instead of outside to avoid the shape-changing problems caused by cold or hot weather.