On Digital Builder, our daily construction blog, we’ve chronicled the many changes the last year has brought the industry through a number of interviews, lists, articles, guides, and other resources. Looking back, our 10 most-read posts of 2020 offer a comprehensive look at the top issues, trends, professionals, and projects shaping not only the current state of the construction industry, but also its future.
While it’s no secret that 2020 saw its fair share of setbacks and uncertainties, we think it’s worth taking a look back at how this unprecedented year unfolded through our top 10 posts to help us keep an eye on what 2021 might hold for the construction industry.
Below are our 10 most-read Digital Builder stories of 2020. They span a number of topics and industry trends, and show us how the lessons from the last year can help us prepare for what’s next. Read on for the 10 most-read Digital Builder posts of the year.
Without a doubt, one of the biggest changes in 2020 across construction and countless other industries came in the form of the shift to working from home. Of course, after a while, many people experienced “Zoom fatigue”, or increasing exhaustion with daily video calls. To try and combat this by making our countless daily video calls a little more fun, we provided an overview of 10 Zoom backgrounds for construction industry professionals. This turned out to be just what these professionals wanted, as it became our most-read article of 2020. And with video conferencing increasingly becoming the “new normal” for the foreseeable future, this list will likely come in handy in 2021 as well.
Our spotlight of the industry’s brightest young talent of the year was our second most-read article of 2020. This impressive list of our 40 Under 40: Champions of Construction featured a diverse group of extremely impressive young professionals changing the field of construction for the better through hard work, innovation, and a commitment to excellence. From helping hospitals navigate the pandemic to implementing new technology to move the industry forward, this list spotlights some of the best work of the year from young professionals with a bright future.
This look at how European firms are implementing new technology to transform construction showcases some of the most innovative ideas in the industry today. With a country by country snapshot featuring how different nations are approaching technology implementation in construction, this is a comprehensive guide to what our overseas colleagues are prioritizing for 2020 and the years ahead.
With the construction industry in the midst of a digital transformation, there are certain professionals who are leading the charge for what comes next. These powerful voices are not only telling the story of construction today, they’re shaping the narrative of what the industry will become in the years ahead. Following the influencers on this list will ensure you’re up-to-date on the latest construction trends of today, tomorrow, and beyond.
And speaking of trends, this piece from early in the year took a shot at exploring what 2020 would hold for the industry from more than 30 construction experts. Of course, things don’t always go as planned, and if any year has taught us that, it’s 2020. While a global pandemic wasn’t on any of our experts’ (or most of the world’s) radar in mid-January, this list still turned out to be somewhat prescient regarding what this year would hold for the construction industry. Interested in learning what 2021 will hold for construction? Check out our 2021 trends blog.
Here, again, we have an article that addressed the massive shift to working from home that dominated 2020. This “new normal” understandably required some help navigating, and this guide offered advice on how to do the best work possible in our new home office settings, including how to better communicate over video conferencing platforms, how to stay connected to coworkers in a distributed environment, and how to create an optimized work space in our new world of remote work.
While safety is of course a top priority every year, 2020 has proven especially precarious when it comes to creating safe job sites. This article offers helpful advice for teams on how to stay safe and OSHA compliant, as well as provides guidance on keeping teams as protected as possible from the spread of COVID-19. In an easy-to-follow, downloadable format, the safety checklist can be displayed in offices, project sites, and anywhere else teams need to consult it.
Also known as the DNA of construction, trust is one of the most important aspects of any project. This helpful guide highlights the ways in which multiple successful construction firms build trust in their organizations. This starts with defining trust and addressing the industry challenges to establishing it. The article also gives an overview of the benefits of trust, how to build it, and technology’s role in creating a trustworthy environment at construction firms.
Innovation is the lifeblood of construction, so much so that 70% of contractors believe advanced technologies increase productivity, improve schedules, and enhance safety, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. That’s why this list has earned a spot among our most-read articles of 2020, allowing readers to discover how the latest in AI, 3D printing, predictive analytics, connected construction, and more transformational innovations are shaping the future of construction.
Everyone wants to be more efficient in their work, especially professionals in the construction industry. But before we start saving time, we need to know what we’re wasting time on in our day-to-day work. This list outlines the top workflows that account for wasted time in the construction industry, and offers advice on how to improve efficiency across each of them. Remember, more efficiency often leads to better project outcomes, so consider this list a must-read for 2020 and beyond.
