Modern Building Services

26 MODERN BUILDING SERVICES FEBRUARY 2021 FEATURE PIPED SERVICES 2 020 brought many challenges to the mechanical pipe joining sector and the construction industry as a whole, but as we wave goodbye to a grimyear, we can say with certainty that the industry attained great achievements. Accelerations in the adoption of innovative technologies – from5G to BIM– and new products have fast-tracked the construction industry into positive change. An example is the comeback in economic output – ONS figures showed construction output fell by 35% in Spring but then revived up 42% in the third quarter. 1 What’s more, in June the UK PrimeMinister, Boris Johnson, confirmed he is looking to the construction industry to drive UK recovery from the economic downturn induced by the Covid-19 lockdown. With a vaccine roll out well underway and the delivery of many construction projects on the horizon, there is much to look forward to in 2021. So, with 2020 behind us what’s in the pipeline for our industry? A digital future The release of the construction playbook in December revealed the Government’s plans for industry reform through modern methods of construction and digital technologies – all designed to speed up the delivery of projects. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that enlarging the digital phase of building development’s footprint will play an important role in the year to come. As customers inevitably start designing the majority of projects through technology like BIM, it is likely we will see standardisation – a modular approach applied to different projects to affect speed, quality, and safety – play a much larger role, especially as contractors seek greater performance at no extra cost. With the benefits of digitalisation clear to see, Victaulic has positioned itself at the forefront of using BIM technology and even developed an add-on to Revit® and AutoCAD® to enable engineers to design faster and more efficiently. Digitalisation isn’t just confined to the jobsite: the sector has transitioned from normal office life to remote working. I’ve seen colleagues acting admirably in their speed to stand up work-from- home solutions quickly. I expect that to continue into 2021, with many organisations continuing to put the right infrastructure in place to support flexible working, digital learning, enhanced video calling, and live presentations. Data Centres In 2020, where digital infrastructure became more important than ever before, data centres played a central role in enabling digital commerce and online meetings. Already recognised as a key technology, the past year has further highlighted the importance of data centres in keeping digital business operating and growing. With data centres emerging into the spotlight across Europe, a growth trajectory caused the industry to scale up. And as we go into 2021, operations continue at full throttle, leaving operators with the task of keeping systems cool and fire protected. Sebastian Matijasevich , Commercial Sales Director Europe, Victualic & Graeme Leonard , Commercial Sales Director Fire Protection, Victaulic What’s in the pipeline for 2021? PIPED SERVICES