The new normal

摘要

I don't really like the phrase 'the new normal' which, I guess, is ironic given that's the headline for this editor's letter. If I had to self-reflect (oh, I can be pretty deep at times, believe me) then I would say I didn't like it because we are continuously adapting to new situations all the time, not just at the moment. Of course, Covid-19 is - drastically - different to what we are used to, but we adapt to new situations constantly. This issue has another one of our construction technology supplements; this will be the fifth one that I have helped pull together, so it isn't new to me anymore like it was at the start. In the supplement we have features on Building Information Modelling, machine learning and power generation. All important and interesting topics and in each of them there are examples in which people in the construction industry have got used to doing something new. That could be using an electric-powered excavator, putting down a pen and paper and using BIM on a project, or buying a skid-steer loader that is capable of doing some jobs autonomously. The construction industry is full of people and companies adapting to the 'new normal' on a daily basis. It's not often (ever?) that I quote former leaders of the Soviet Union, but I agree with Mikhail Gorbachev who said, "If you don't move forward you begin to move backward." This is true when it comes to construction technology - take a look at the latest supplement from page 25.