The Coalition for Smart Construction funds first seed grants for innovative construction techniques

The Coalition for Smart Construction announced recipients of its first seed grants to support projects that will explore new approaches to construction industry challenges.

The grants ranged from $30,000 to $75,000 each, totaling $280,000. Researchers at Virginia Tech will use the money to study ways to modernize the construction industry and set the stage for large-scale investments.

Projects will test approaches to 3D printing, modular construction, mass timber prototyping, sustainability, and digital and human interfaces. One project will use artificial intelligence to track printed concrete quality and to use surface waves to track the setting times of the printed concrete.

Another initiative will develop and test a customizable modular construction system, based on an adjustable set of parameters, using oriented strand board sheets cut into parts by computer numerical control milling machines. One project aims to launch a first-of-its-kind construction prototyping facility centered around mass timber construction.

Another project will explore a cradle-to-cradle approach for building design and construction using precast concrete elements to reduce the massive accumulation of construction and demolition waste.