What do honeycombs and prefabrication of construction materials on job sites have in common? Based on new research from Purdue University, the answer is more than you might think. When preparing content for this issue, which focuses on job-site productivity, I couldn’t help but remember a rather peculiar yet fascinating report that recently crossed my desk. According to the press release, research from engineers/entomologists at Purdue suggests that the way in which honeybees build their honeycombs could actually lead to new fabrication techniques in the construction industry. This work demonstrates a discipline called biomimicry, in which humans can draw important lessons from the plant/animal world and apply them in the human world.
Nikhilesh Chawla, the Ransburg Professor of Materials Engineering at Purdue, is harnessing the power of 4D imaging technology to study the complexities of honeycombs, which provides a time-lapse view of the bees’ work without cutting into their home. “It’s a lesson in materials utilization that could lend itself to new ideas and practices in structures,” said Chawla, explaining that some of the junctions between the honeycomb cells were created using less material, with the resulting porous connections resembling Swiss cheese. “Their honeycombs are still perfectly fine. From that perspective, humans may not actually need as much material in some areas that are not quite as important from a structural point of view.”
Chawla went on to explain that people don’t truly comprehend how bees construct honeycombs. “Most theorize the honeycomb chambers start as cylinders and then are molded by the bees into the well-known hexagonal shape. But a sophisticated three-dimensional (3D) X-ray microscopy technique combined with a time lapse provided an unprecedented means of studying and quantifying the honeycomb’s microstructure,” he explains in the report. “The resulting 4D imaging showed chambers are built with panels. Research also found bees go to great lengths to strengthen the honeycomb structure by first creating a vertical spine for support and then building the hexagon cells out horizontally.”
What does this have to do with the electrical construction industry? Basically, this tells me that bees could potentially be the first prefab pioneers. Who knew?
To learn more about the evolution of prefabrication in the electrical industry, turn to the cover story on page 14. Written by Dr. Perry Daneshgari (an actual human prefab pioneer) and Dr. Heather Moore of MCA, Inc., this piece explains how the concept of prefab has gone from criticism and skepticism to industry standard in the construction market. Don’t miss this comprehensive article, which not only shares exclusive research from the electrical contracting field and projections for the future of prefab but also outlines the industry’s first prefab standard from NEIS (NECA 5-2022) and offers up a free prefabrication litmus test for readers. According to Daneshgari, more than half of all electrical work currently done on site could be done off site — a trend he believes is where the industry is headed.
A related feature article, written by Freelancer Tim Kridel, takes an inside look at the problem of lost labor hours in the construction industry. Read “Loss Cause,” starting on page 36, to see why supply chain shortages, project creep, inadequate planning, and finger pointing are just a few of the reasons full-time electrical professionals often have the productivity of a part-timer. According to sources interviewed for this piece, oftentimes more than half of an electrician’s day can be chalked up to lost labor hours. This article demonstrates the real-world consequences of wasted time — electrical contractors must pay their help regardless of whether the work gets done or not. Don’t miss the lessons learned in these two articles on the power of prefab — and don’t be surprised if we learn more from our buzzing little honeybee builders in the future, thanks to ongoing developments in biomimicry research.
