Working Construction?

[Jersey Vics]

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMi-yM01zBI"]YouTube - Theometrics - Precision Layout Robot[/nomedia]

will this day ever come? (completely robotized? construction site)

probably not anytime soon... I recently took a job in construction (I get a lot of laughs when people find out about the industry I've chosen, followed by a sarcastic comment: "what the job market is that bad, after college all you can find is hard manual labor?") and am amazed with the lack of innovation. Its actually sad how primitive the construction industry still is... string is still used on construction of skyscrapers in Manhattan, Egyptial technology that was used in the time of pyramids few thousand years ago.


Are there others in construction industry... architects, engineers, surveyors?

Is there a forum for that sort of discussion. I realize this is off topic, just felt like commenting and getting people's feedback.

If anyone's in this field and finds themselves in NYC stop by my office, I'd be happy to show a little demo of what the future should look like, I'm surprised that in 21st century we're not there yet. Theometrics Architectural Navigation | Welcome


to moderators, if I posted this in the wrong off topic forum please feel free to move or delete as needed. thanks!

--Russ

 

[s_x_i]

string is still used on construction of skyscrapers in Manhattan

You find me a more accurate, less expensive, easier to carry tool for finding dead vertical than a piece of string with a weight on the end, and I'll start using it. ;-)

 

[Niks97cobra]

I framed houses for a couple of years and loved the manual labor. If the pay was better and benefits had been better, I would still be doing it today. Nothing better than being active all day at work.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

i loved demolition. but i decided to leave the construction to the people that are actually good at it. lol.

 

[NO-BlkLightning2K]

I framed houses for a couple of years and loved the manual labor. If the pay was better and benefits had been better, I would still be doing it today. Nothing better than being active all day at work.

the pay can be decent. my step dad pays his top guys around 20 bucks an hour. of course, that's peanuts on this site. lol.

 

[Blown_By_You]

YouTube - Theometrics - Precision Layout Robot

will this day ever come? (completely robotized? construction site)

probably not anytime soon... I recently took a job in construction (I get a lot of laughs when people find out about the industry I've chosen, followed by a sarcastic comment: "what the job market is that bad, after college all you can find is hard manual labor?") and am amazed with the lack of innovation. Its actually sad how primitive the construction industry still is... string is still used on construction of skyscrapers in Manhattan, Egyptial technology that was used in the time of pyramids few thousand years ago.


Are there others in construction industry... architects, engineers, surveyors?

Is there a forum for that sort of discussion. I realize this is off topic, just felt like commenting and getting people's feedback.

If anyone's in this field and finds themselves in NYC stop by my office, I'd be happy to show a little demo of what the future should look like, I'm surprised that in 21st century we're not there yet. Theometrics Architectural Navigation | Welcome


to moderators, if I posted this in the wrong off topic forum please feel free to move or delete as needed. thanks!

--Russ

You obviously DON'T work in the construction industry..

You find me a more accurate, less expensive, easier to carry tool for finding dead vertical than a piece of string with a weight on the end, and I'll start using it. ;-)

Simpler is usually better.

Plumbob FTW!

 

[FordSVTFan]

You find me a more accurate, less expensive, easier to carry tool for finding dead vertical than a piece of string with a weight on the end, and I'll start using it. ;-)

A rope with a dead rat on the end? :banana:

 

[Blown_By_You]

YouTube - Theometrics - Precision Layout Robot

will this day ever come? (completely robotized? construction site)

probably not anytime soon... I recently took a job in construction (I get a lot of laughs when people find out about the industry I've chosen, followed by a sarcastic comment: "what the job market is that bad, after college all you can find is hard manual labor?") and am amazed with the lack of innovation. Its actually sad how primitive the construction industry still is... string is still used on construction of skyscrapers in Manhattan, Egyptial technology that was used in the time of pyramids few thousand years ago.


Are there others in construction industry... architects, engineers, surveyors?

Is there a forum for that sort of discussion. I realize this is off topic, just felt like commenting and getting people's feedback.

If anyone's in this field and finds themselves in NYC stop by my office, I'd be happy to show a little demo of what the future should look like, I'm surprised that in 21st century we're not there yet. Theometrics Architectural Navigation | Welcome


to moderators, if I posted this in the wrong off topic forum please feel free to move or delete as needed. thanks!

--Russ

A rope with a dead rat on the end? :banana:

We've used string with a nut tied around the end to plum a $2.2 BILLION dollar boiler :beer:

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

I am in the industry but I'm on the management end of it. I've spent the majority of my time building large scale projects ($800M+). My last project was a 620kW power plant.

 

[FordSVTFan]

We've used string with a nut tied around the end to plum a $2.2 BILLION dollar boiler :beer:

$2.2 Billion boiler? What the **** is that used in?

 

[VirtualSVT]

Al Gores house

 

[RedDemon91]

Lack of innovation? If it ain't broke don't fix it. Why change something that we've had no problem with for thousands of years? I don't see the logic in that..... And your friends sound like huge assholes for laughing at you for choosing manual labor. Without manual laborers this world wouldn't be what it is today.

 

[tistan]

Al Gores house

The devil likes it hot.

 

[tistan]

What happens when someone bumps the robot, or a tools or materials get in its way? I don't care how good the robot is programed, somoene would have to come back and check every mesurement to make sure the programmer didn't input the wrong measurment somewhere. At least when I am pulling layouts I can double check everything as I go.

 

[oldmodman]

"620kW power plant."

Shouldn't that be MW?

That looked like a pretty big footprint for a 620kw plant.

 

[WireEater]

I use to be a surveyor for 2 years. I loved it and miss doing it a lot actually. We used robotic and GPS equipment (Leica). Nothing beats starting on a peice of land with nothing but fields and trees and watch it develop into a 200+ home community.

I always looked at survey as connecting the dots. Laying your points on the ground, you could visually see what was happening. Now it did have it's sucky times, like TOPO/cross sections. Cutting lines through massive brier patches, or wading in swamps with leeches, etc.

But the best part of the job is, you are out there on your own. It's only you and your crew. You don't have supervisors, managers, etc up your ass. Plus sometimes you run into some really wild things. Like old abandoned places/structures/grave sites.

I also was an inspector consultant for the DOT in VA. That wasn't nearly as fun and I didn't get dirty. I basically just walked around with a clipboard and made sure the contractor hired was doing their work to the standards and specifications of the contract and DOT.


Now I work in IT for one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects in the US.

 

[jmk97GT]

Lack of innovation? If it ain't broke don't fix it. Why change something that we've had no problem with for thousands of years? I don't see the logic in that..... And your friends sound like huge assholes for laughing at you for choosing manual labor. Without manual laborers this world wouldn't be what it is today.

I agree with this. String is still used, for example, because it's cheap and just as effective as other more expensive, complicated methods.

There has been so much technological advance in other areas of the construction industry that actually matter. Those Egyptians would have killed for 15+ ksi environmentally resistant concrete. Talk to an engineer during WW2 and ask them what pre-stressed concrete is and they probably wouldn't know. Steel tendons as strong as 270,000 pounds per square inch? Ha! You've got to be crazy!

It is not my expertise, but I know that hot mix asphalts as well as concrete pavements have come a LONG way in recent history as well. Materials are the driving force behind bigger and better infrastructure projects.

 

[Jersey Vics]

the majority of high rise developments in Manhattan for example no longer use square/rectangular shapes where string works best

many of the projects I've been on so far have to do with awkward curvature of various materials... both steel and glass

at some point you've got to move on, that's the idea

surveying is fun... although working in hot buildings with no AC is not always my favorite part of the job... can't beat the views though, especially high up above the NYC skyline