Plumbing contractor’s guide to the galaxy: predicting the future of construction

I have always been an avid reader of science fiction, but it’s only been in the last 15 years that I’ve been able to use my sci-fi knowledge to help predict where the building construction and maintenance industry is going.

This has allowed me to remain ahead of the curve on things like green building and technology and bring those around me along for the ride. Last year, I gave a seminar at Mechanical Contractors Association of America’s national convention titled “From Star Trek to the Job Site.” I had been working on it in for several years.

I was almost afraid to come out as a sci-fi nerd, but the program went well. At another recent technology conference, there was even a sci-fi writing contest. I guess it’s now cool to blend sci-fi and buildings. That’s a good thing, and I’ll tell you why.

There are three ways we can use science fiction to help the building industry:

1.) To help us evaluate technologies.

2.) To inspire us to come up with new things.

3.) To remind us of vulnerabilities.

Change will come whether in the form of technology or other ways. We all get that. By now most of us know that change can be good or bad. Since technology is so powerful it can magnify the bad if executed poorly. By leaning on sci-fi to help us to visualize how people and buildings really interact it can help us to bring change realistically to our world.

For instance we put occupancy sensors in our own building about five years ago. It drove people crazy how they’d turn off the lights when you were at your desk working. I would tell people that we haven’t caught up to the smart sensors in “2001 A Space Odyssey” yet, but we will.

I notice recently that someone is promoting smart occupancy sensors. If only someone would have thought about the movie first they would have had an early advantage in the market place.

Let’s look at another example. There are lots of systems out there that will connect your thermostat (home or office) to your smartphone but is it really better? Sure, it’s nice to be able to set your thermostat from your phone, but is that all it can do?

• Does it automatically tie into your lighting load and adjust accordingly?
• Is it smart?
• Does it talk to you?

Without science fiction I don’t think I would have been able to ask those questions. Sure, we have things like “Siri” now, but is anyone fully using that as an interface?

To be honest it doesn’t even have to be sci-fi, just a movie where advanced technology is represented. But make no mistake the roots come from science fiction, whether “2001..”, “Star Trek”, or even a comedy like “Galaxy Quest.” So whether you’re choosing a technology solution for your office or your customer, first imagine how people friendly it really is. Would it fit well in a futuristic movie?

What about innovation?

Look at all of the devices and programs we are using: iPads, smart phones, BIM, wireless sensors, fault detection, etc. Are we using technology to the fullest?

I answer that question with a resounding no. We are barely scratching the surface.  We are still in this transitional period, and that means opportunity.

These days sustainability is very important. One of my favorite authors, Alan Dean Foster, has a character taking a shower with charged water particles.

The character, Flinx, showers with the absolute minimum of water and the energy to heat that water because he uses just enough water to clean himself. The water droplets clean his body and when they are dirty they get filtered. How is that for water and energy conservation?

What story can you think of that has a previously unheard of conservation strategy? Or what strategy can you invent for the future?

Finally, we get to one of the most important thing: security. While there are a lot of fun sci-fi books out there, the movies tend to be more dystopian. When I was in high school, my computer programming class (there was no PC yet) got to visit Bell Laboratories.

They showed us a car with a phone in it and told us it was the first “cell phone”. My first question was why couldn’t someone just make a call with someone else’s number? They said it couldn’t happen. But I had predicted cloning way before it became a problem? Why did I mump to this conclusion? Because I read a lot of science fiction and that is just what happens: technology can be hijacked. So you need to make a system safe and also allow for contingencies.

My favorite sci-fi version of this concept is in the 1989 version of Batman. Joker puts a device on the Batmobile and takes control of it remotely. But Batman has a read-only CD which inserts into the car and tells him where the malicious device is located.

The CD allows Batman to save the day. There are two lessons here: make sure your technology is secure from intruders, and if it does get compromised, have a plan to mitigate the damage quickly!

If you still haven’t gotten the main message it is that technology is coming so get on the self-driving bandwagon. The next message is make sure you do it the right way. I plan to keep repeating this message to our contractors.

Dan Bulley, senior vice president, Mechanical Contractors Association Chicago, is an expert on safety, green building and construction technologies, such as BIM and mobile apps. A mechanical engineer, he has the distinction of being a LEED Accredited Professional in both green building design and construction as well as operations & maintenance. Bulley serves as a resource to MCA Chicago member contractor companies on technical and code matters. As a former officer and board member for the Illinois Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and former president of Illinois ASHRAE, he continues to work with those and other related organizations.