Laura Black

Chicago

Editor-at-Large at Connected World

Writer at Freelance

Wife, mother, writer, and editor

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Articles

AI in Construction: Lifecycle Opportunities in Building Operations

3 weeks ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

If you are following along here, then you know we are looking at one of the hottest, most talked about technologies of 2025: AI (artificial intelligence). We all know data in the lifecycle of a building or infrastructure asset provides huge value. In the last two weeks, we kicked off a “hot” technology blog series by looking at lifecycle opportunities in design as well as in engineering and construction.
AI in Construction: Lifecycle Opportunities in Construction

1 month ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

We are currently in the middle of a “hot” technology series, looking at one of the hottest, most talked about technologies of 2025: AI (artificial intelligence). To start the series, we are looking at AI in the lifecycle of a building or infrastructure asset. Last week, we kicked it off looking at lifecycle opportunities in design. Today, let’s expand on this a bit by looking at how AI could extend even further, into construction.
AI in Construction: Lifecycle Opportunities in Design

1 month ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Design, build, operate: Imagine if data could flow seamlessly through throughout the lifecycle of a facility, being shared with all project participants? This is the conversation we have been having at Constructech for decades. Easily sharing data across the entire project and across various project team members opens up new opportunities for construction to improve project efficiency, heighten collaboration, and ultimately lead to a better bottomline.
AI in Construction: Growth Heating Up

1 month ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Summer is coming, and things are heating up here in the United States. This summer, we will be embarking on a “hot” technology series, looking at one of the hottest, most talked about technologies of 2025: AI (artificial intelligence). You have likely heard some of the predictions. Gen AI will likely pass $1 trillion by 2028, which represents a more than 20-fold increase in the next three years. However, this is all easier said than done.
Women in Construction: PPE

1 month ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Let’s talk safety in construction—for women. We all know PPE (personal protective equipment) is one of the best ways to heighten safety in the construction industry, and yet so much of the PPE is designed to fit men. It is time for a candid conversation about safety. The construction industry continues to see the greatest numbers of fatalities. Falls, slips, and trips accounted for more than 39% of all construction fatalities.
Diggin’ a Safe Jobsite

2 months ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Safety is paramount in the construction industry—something that has evolved throughout the years and has become more prominent in the past few decades. But are there still areas where we can improve safety? April is National Safe Digging Month, but let’s review a little bit of U.S. history first. The Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 required all utility services to have abbreviated numbers for locating underground utilities.
The Em Dash: ChatGPT Confessions

2 months ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Last night, I was in a heated debate with some friends from my women’s club about none other than ChatGPT, and I think it is applicable for any construction professional who is currently or who is planning to use ChatGPT to write emails, briefs, or other documentation for either work or personal purposes. We were reading applications for our scholarship committee and tried to spot when an applicant used ChatGPT.
Infrastructure: Foundation, Facts, and the Future

2 months ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Infrastructure has been a hot topic in the past couple of weeks, as ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) has released its Infrastructure Report Card—something Peggy Smedley has reported on here on the blog and on The Peggy Smedley Show in depth. There has been much progress made, and yet there is still much work to be done. Let’s review the foundation, the facts, and the future of infrastructure. The FoundationInfrastructure is the foundation and the lifeblood of communities.
Research Helps Rebuild with Resilience

2 months ago | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

If we want to rebuild our infrastructure, we must consider a few key factors, chiefly innovation, which is something I explored in-depth last week. However, another key factor we must consider as we are rebuilding infrastructure and cities is resilience. The statistics are telling. We know of the 10 years with the most natural disasters, nine were in the last decade.
Innovation to Solve Infrastructure Challenges

Mar 25, 2025 | connectedworld.com | Laura Black

Today, the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) announced the launch of its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card, and it has me thinking about innovation in infrastructure and what that means for the construction industry in the years to come. For those who follow the report card, it is released every four years, and 2021 was the first time we saw the overall GPA out of the D range. Achieving a C- in 2021 was progress, and now in 2025, the overall GPA is a C.