Digital revolution reshapes construction sector

Tech has changed the building industry and digital natives are leading the charge.

Peter Salveson

The technology revolution has transformed construction in recent decades and building sites are well positioned for skills training and transfer, according to industry veteran Peter Salveson, chief executive of Hansen Yuncken.

“Construction sites are a team environment so you find that the younger employees are mentoring older ones in the use of tech,” he says.

The company also provides in-house training in digital skills in a sector where so much of the work on multimillion-dollar projects is done on computer screens in the office and handheld tablets onsite.

In the 45 years since he graduated as a civil engineer, Salveson, who joined Hansen Yuncken 25 years ago and became chief executive five years ago, has seen dramatic changes in construction. “When I started you had a typist on site with six sheets of carbon paper, and as the young engineer you got the last one and you couldn’t even read it,” he says. “Now site managers walk around with a tablet. The younger ones have fantastic skill sets.”

Salveson says avoiding the clash of services on projects is one example of the revolution. In the past, time and money were spent making sure placement of services in ceiling ductwork, electrical pathways and hydraulic pipes did not clash. With data and 3D technology, potential clashes are sorted out before site work begins.

There has been a similar transformation with off-site manufacturing and modular­isation of components of a building. The use of 3D models allows for those elements to be built off-site with great precision and confidence. The result, Salveson says, is that projects are delivered about 20 per cent faster.

He says the reduction of numbers of workers on building sites required under Covid rules has made many people realise they can do some work from home. But he predicts working arrangements in construction will revert to normal post pandemic.

Hansen Yuncken, which is 100 years old, is the largest privately owned commercial building constructor in Australia. It has been responsible for projects such as Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art, the SkyCity Adelaide casino and, more recently, the Victorian Pride Centre.

Salveson says the digitisation of project work means clients have a complete picture of a building, from initial design to completion: “It’s not just about efficiency in the construction phase and afterwards, you also have a record for maintenance in the future.”

When he left university, Salveson hoped to move into consulting but took a construction job because there were few other openings.

“I loved it from day one,” he says. “For me and probably the same for most people in the industry, you put in a lot of hard work but there is actually something physically there in the end.

“You see a piece of infrastructure. If you are building a hospital, not only do you see it all finished but the great satisfaction of what that actually means for a community, it’s very rewarding.”