The real estate and construction sector has a catalyzing role in ensuring prolific and sustainable growth of the economy. It requires concerted, coordinated and consistent efforts from all the stake holders covering the Central and State Government, public sector, private sector, corporate sector, cooperative sector, community sector and individual sector to increase the pace of growth in the real estate sector, housing delivery and supportive infrastructure. The need of the hour is the healthy growth of the real estate sector through consolidation and convergence by shedding the old mindsets, relearning the markets, including new construction technologies and injecting dynamism, professionalism and customer orientation in the practice of the trade.

RACE (RERA Academy for Construction Excellence) is step towards achieving excellence in construction, by helping real estate professionals lead their organizations towards global best practice and the development of a world class industry here in Andhra Pradesh.

RACE aims to achieve a step change in construction productivity by encouraging the sharing of knowledge amongst consumers and promoters. Through focused programmes in Innovation, Best Practice Knowledge and Performance Measurement, RACE has developed a strategy to deliver the process, product and cultural changes that are needed to drive major productivity improvements in the sector.

With the government focus on bringing transparency and accountability in the Real Estate sector, and with RERA coming into effect in several states, the onus is on the builders to meet the project timelines and ensure quality work, else face penalties. RERA will have a strong positive effect on buyer sentiments, especially those looking to invest in the residential sector. Many developers have launched integrated townships that have a mix of villas and high-rise towers, along with commercial developments, transport and connectivity systems, education institution, schools, parks, retail outlets, gymnasium, jogging tracks, indoor sports, and other amenities.

Fortunately for the builder, the construction sector is becoming more and more technologically advanced with new mechanizations, equipment and systems that are expediting construction, making it safer too, and enabling better quality work. In fact, the contruction industry is abuzz with advanced products like tower cranes, mechanized scaffolding, concrete pumps, access platforms, etc. At the same time, new construction techniques like drywall, PEB (Pre-engineered building ) and precast are being adopted for speedier completion of projects. Use of software for project design and management is also becoming essential for builders who want the best solutions for their projects for example: Building Information Modelling, Virtual reality in construction monitoring etc.,

What is Virtual Reality?

Virtual reality is a computer simulated environment, accessed through stereoscopic goggles that include a variety of different tracking mechanisms that track the viewer's movement in physical space, and matches those movements within the simulated 3D environment. Headsets display a stereoscopic image, viewed through built-in lenses that creates the illusion of looking out into a space. 3D renderings of the environment are captured in 'real-time' - which means the computer is processing and presenting a new rendering of the scene 60 to 120 times per second. This provides the viewer with a very realistic sense of what it would be like to inhabit the simulated environment, which is what makes it such a powerful opportunity for architectural visualization.

Why does it matter for Building Design and Construction?

• People have a very hard time visualizing architectural concepts. It's nearly impossible for most people to fully understand what an architectural space will be like by viewing 2D floor plans, illustrations, animations or scale models. These are all ultimately abstract and distorted ways of visualizing a design, and not at all representative of how we experience architecture in the real world. With virtual reality, we can gain a very holistic understanding of what the building will feel like before investing the massive amount of resources it takes to make it a reality. It's a lot easier to change a pixel than it is to move a brick wall after it's built. VR helps people understand architecture in a way nothing else comes close to, which we believe will ultimately lead to the creation of better, more efficient built environment.
• Residential sales are another great area of opportunity for virtual reality going forward. Prospective homebuyers would be able to tour and customize a home before its purchase or even its construction, including options like layout and optional features, and even painting and furniture.
• There is also an opportunity to use virtual reality for professional training, helping workers learn about potential risks on the job site in a virtual reality setting or training them on heavy equipment operation in a virtual environment without deploying or risking any material assets.
• Establishing Appellate Tribunal to hear appeals from the decisions, directions or orders of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority

Drones are highly effective at surveying, 3D modeling, performing inspections for safety and in places that are difficult or dangerous to reach, and giving real-time progress updates on a job site.

Capturing site data today is costly, time-consuming and often dangerous. Drones can easily go where it's inefficient or unsafe for field personnel, making it easier to accurately measure our world so we can better manage it.

Uses for Drones in Construction Projects

Drone for Surveying:You can use drones to quickly survey your job site and build maps. Instead of using human resources, heavy machinery & expensive surveying tools, that produce complex data, you can get the job done in half the time & money, with greater accuracy. his makes the task of creating very accurate maps and providing valuable data to numerous companies much easier. Information that you acquire can be uploaded right away to a server, where it can be accessed by individuals all over the globe who you allow authorization.

Drones can reach high-risk areas and tightly-squeezed in locations that are quite a bit harder to reach with a human crew.

Project managers can also opt to use 3D laser scanners that fly over the designated region and give the surveyor quality images of what the terrain appears like.

This data is then used in a process called GIS mapping, which creates a digital map through a mix of statistical analysis and cartography. These maps have a very high definition and allow for the viewing of very specific information about an area that's easy for the manager to access.

As many national entities will soon offer delivery via drone, proprietors who are in the business of getting their goods quickly to customers will stand up and take notice of regulations that may change drastically in the days to come.

Analyzing the Data

Models such as high-resolution 3d types use browser-based technology so users can simply share by sending a link, and the client can then log in, view the data, and export it to any local entities if they need.

For work on structures such as dikes and dirt containment, this is one way to very easily visualize the progress of the very important duties.

Showing the progress to Clients

When clients stay away from the job site and cannot afford to come to the site again & again & your current pictures are just not doing justice, drones can be an inventive way to show clients the progress of building, renovation, or inspection.

If clients are not able to come view the job site regularly, drones are very helpful in providing a visual standpoint that they wouldn't have seen from the ground.

It is not just the task of showing the client what is happening if they can't be there, it can also help with projects that haven't even begun yet.

Drones do a great job of giving designers and architects an idea of what putting an adjacent structure up will look like, and how the aesthetics will change a very large project in a community in regards to open space on the ground and upwards.

Monitoring Job Sites

When you have to frequently shuttle between multiple job sites, or have taken up simultaneous renovation & facelift for multiple properties; putting up a drone to monitor the progress, work, safety standards and much more can save you a lot of energy, time & money.

When your workers are on a job site, the main objective that any project manager could wish for is keeping them productive. It is understandable that energy levels will ebb and flow, but you can also detect if any equipment shows up missing, or if other areas may need more workers designated to them for special accommodations.

If safety standards are one of the elements you are trying to monitor, one important aspect to keep in mind is that you will be flying a bit low to the ground.

Better Safety Records

With your eyes & ears in the sky, all the time, you will be in a much better position to locate that unstable pillar, precariously balanced laborer and not deep enough excavations. If, you keep up the drone-survey, gradually you will build an excellent safety system and your reputation.

Drones in construction can do a great job of hovering over a location that is too dangerous for a worker to get to, and can save lives by monitoring workplace conditions in areas that are very hard to reach. In manufacturing plants, drones can help with reconnaissance, sending images of what kind of conditions can be expected before a worker is dispatched

BIM or Building Information Modelling is a process for creating and managing information on a construction project across the project lifecycle. One of the key outputs of this process is the Building Information Model, the digital description of every aspect of the built asset. This model draws on information assembled collaboratively and updated at key stages of a project.Creating a digital Building Information Model enables those who interact with the building to optimize their actions, resulting in a greater whole life value for the asset.

BIM data can be used to illustrate the entire building life-cycle, from cradle to cradle, from inception and design to demolition and materials reuse. Spaces, systems, products and sequences can be shown in relative scale to each other and, in turn, relative to the entire project. And by signaling conflict detection BIM prevents errors creeping in at the various stages of development/ construction.

The main challenges faced by Indian building industry are significant schedule and cost overrun, which is mainly occurring due to wastage of material, poor coordination, significant rework and lack of information sharing. Let us point the main issues faced by firms involved in built environment as follows.

• Changes in design
• Time, work effect consumption
• Higher possibilities for error and rework
• Increasing input costs
• Deficiency of skilled labor that result in high risks for workers
• Construction cost estimations
• Anxieties on the quality and productivity of the project
• Lack of organization of market
• Rare virtual environment work

The bigger challenges faced by Real estate sector can be solved up to a limit with the emergenceof technologies like BIM models. A lot of different IT-enabled project management tools have been introduced in the real estate market and the industry can ensure more efficient project delivery with the help of these technological tools. Such technologies can act as a catalyst to change the real estate companies in India and redefine their space in the country for both now and in the future. They can make tremendous changes in all areas like construction, project management, business management, marketing and customer service etc

BETTER OUTPUT THROUGH BIM COLLABORATION

BIM creates a collaborative working relationship among all project partners including various design disciplines, contractor, specialists, suppliers and customer, using a single shared 3D model. As a result, everybody involved in the project will focus on achieving best value throughout the project from project inception to eventual decommissioning.

OPTIMIZED PERFORMANCE

BIM creates a collaborative working relationship among all project partners including various design disciplines, contractor, specialists, suppliers and customer, using a single shared 3D model. As a result, everybody involved in the project will focus on achieving best value throughout the project from project inception to eventual decommissioning.

BETTER FORECAST

Using BIM, project team can build the project in a virtual environment before construction started. This virtual model rehearses complex procedures, optimizes temporary works and plans procurement of materials, manpower and equipment. As BIM can provide the owners and operators with a visual representation of the project at an early stage, they get a clear idea about the design intent. So, they can suggest modification in the design to get the output they really want.

QUICK PROJECT TURNAROUND

As BIM allows changes in design concept in early stage of the project, last minute design changes can be avoided. Similarly, it uses standard design elements and so complex construction details can be solved before the project starts. Moreover, it produces fabrication and construction drawings from the model, uses data to control construction equipment and checks design integrity and estimate quantities. All these features of BIM will help the construction industry to save time up to 50%.

ENHANCED SAFETY MEASURES

The designs using BIM can optimize public safety with the help of crowd behaviors and fire modeling capability. Asset managers can enhance operational safety using the 3D model. Contractors can also review complex details or procedures before the project starts and it avoids construction risks.

ELIMINATION OF ERRORS AT EARLY DESIGN STAGE

The single 3D model can integrate multidisciplinary design inputs that enable to identify and resolve interface issues prior to construction. It eliminates chances of redesign and save time and costs. Using this model, we can also integrate existing and new assets seamlessly.

Building information modelling (BIM) offers rich opportunities for all the varied property professionals to use information throughout the property life cycle. BIM assists in managing design and construction data through virtual construction.Expanding access to BIM could enable property professionals, to utilise relevant data that could improve the quality and accuracy of their professional services.

BIM has the potential to link digitised property data to Real estate regulatory authority.

• A simple initial system could be done to ascertain the valueof the data(cost, quantity and quality). Over time, the availability of data could be extended to allow access for the buyers and other real estate professionals.This results in creating efficiency,transparency and accountability in the real estate sector.
• BIM provides the spatial and visual accuracy of virtual building models which helps the regulatory authority and buyers to verify that the intended design is actually built.
• The value of using BIM data is that, as more property stock is delivered and maintained via BIM-enabled processes, it will be possible for a wider range of corporate real estate professionals and investment surveyors to offer more accurate advice and services to clients/buyers.
• BIM makes cost and quantity estimation at various phases of the construction easy for the builders to plan the requirement of cost at each stage of the construction.

A big trend in the construction industry today is retrofitting outdated buildings with more advanced structures. Retrofitting involves adjusting or replacing old infrastructure in existing buildings with new technology to improve performance. This could include numerous internal upgrades such as replacing lighting systems, installing internal climate sensors and outfitting the building with a state-of-the-art building automation system.

A building automation system, or BAS, is a centralized control system which monitors an entire building's functionality including heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC), lighting systems, and often water, fire and life safety. In outdated buildings, these systems are often not interconnected, which can lead to energy-waste. Many contractors are now decreasing inefficiencies by integrating all of these functions into a unified system, which often drives down building costs as well as energy consumption.

Despite reluctance by some in the construction industry to change, consumer pressure to keep up with demand of smart designs and structures will ultimately dictate a shift to new technologies for many companies.

Companies that adapt and adopt these practices will be the ones that thrive as the industry evolves. The construction industry, like many others, is on the brink of a shift in the way business and operations are carried out..

The value of materials that are required to be purchased and used for any construction contract make up a large proportion of a project's total contract sum. Typically materials account for 40-45% of the cost of all construction work (Andrew et al., 1998). Maintaining an efficient and effective material procurement system as well as procuring materials at the right price, quality and time are essential for contractors to remain competitive in today's environment. The emergence of internet technology has enabled information to be shared and exchanged through a common global network in an efficient and relatively low cost environment. Many companies are now conducting their business using a web-based e-commerce system. In fact, it has been suggested that e-commerce can provide a win-win situation for both suppliers and buyers, as e- commerce can provide an expanded marketplace within which buyers and suppliers can communicate directly with each other (Cheng et al., 2001). Online construction trading markets are not limited by the physical limitations of store spaces and can carry a much larger variety of products, which can range in style and size. At the same time, buyers can search through a wide range of products with low transaction costs at any time convenient to them. More importantly, direct communication between buyers and suppliers will eliminate the multiple middlemen that often exist between the two. Consequently, products can be purchased at lower prices and delivered quicker to the purchaser

Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) is the management of integrated multi-disciplinary performance models of design-construction projects, including the product (i.e., facilities), work processes and organization of the design - construction - operation team in order to support explicit and public business objectives.

• Engineering modelling methods: product, organization, process
• Analysis methods - Model-based design: including quantities, schedule, cost, 4D interactions and process risks, these are termed Building Information Modelling (BIM) tools Visualization methods
• Business metrics - within Business analytics - and a focus on strategic management
• Economic impact analysis, i.e., models of both the cost and value of capital investments