Via Chairman Bruce comes bad news for anyone hoping for a lasting career at the manual-labour end of the construction industry. A trailer-mounted bricklaying robot (imaginatively named “R.O.B.”) will be building its second stylishly curved wall on Pike Street, New York later this year. [image lifted from linked post at Dezeen]
OK, so it’s a little large and ungainly at the moment (and probably has a price tag to match), but that will change – plus it won’t take breaks, go home to sleep, wolf-whistle at passers-by or attempt to form a union, which will doubtless add hugely to its appeal to corporate buyers.
Perhaps you’re thinking that concrete-and-rebar specialists will still be able to find work? Don’t forget that buildings can be 3d-printed now, too…
Part of the end of a great form of craftsmanship… Reminds me of a “stone wall” I saw going up in Milton, Mass., yesterday: It was merely a concrete wall with stone facing slapped on! It’s a shame, because–perhaps for the next few years–stone masonry is one place where humans can’t be beat.