The Daily Drill (Construction WOTD)
Backfill: Dirt or other material used to refill a hole or trench after digging, often around a foundation.
“The future of homebuilding stands on the foundation of the past—each brick laid, each beam raised, a lesson in innovation. To build forward, we must trust in technology, as history has shown us that progress is the blueprint of resilience.” — W.E. Skidmore, “Demystifying Residential Construction Data,” p. 29
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Reason, Simulation, and Judgment: A Historiography of Artificial Intelligence and the Epistemic Limits of Machines
5–8 minutes
This paper explores the historical and epistemological differences between artificial intelligence and human reasoning, drawing from critical AI and STS scholarship. Read More
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The Digital Divide in U.S. Residential Construction: A Historical Perspective on Digital Construction Theory and Practice
4–6 minutes
Why is digital construction not working? This historical analysis reveals a deep divide between theory and practice in residential construction, showing how cultural fragmentation, software incompatibility, and data neglect keep innovation stuck at the surface. Read More
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Demystifying Residential Construction Data
25–38 minutes
What counts as construction data, and why does it matter? This deep dive reveals the hidden layers of data on job sites, from geotagged photos to procurement logs, and outlines a roadmap for transforming outdated records into digital intelligence. Read More
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Residential Construction in the Longue durée of the Industrial Revolution, 1750s to the Present Day
5–7 minutes
What if the Industrial Revolution never ended? This essay reconsiders industrialization as an ongoing condition in residential construction, highlighting how long-term thinking can unlock fresh insights into today’s most persistent building challenges. Read More
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Review of Everett M. Rogers, Diffusion of Innovations (New York: The Free Press, 1962), ix. 367 pp. 21 figures, index, 13 tables, Hb. $19.99
11–17 minutes
What makes an innovation catch on? This review revisits Rogers’ classic framework to explain how technologies—from hybrid corn to BIM—succeed or stall based on their compatibility with social networks and systemic readiness. Read More
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Shock & Awe: A Review of 84 Lumber’s Recent Showcase-Build Videos in Historical Context
17–26 minutes
What happens when construction meets cinema? This piece examines 84 Lumber’s dramatic videos as cultural artifacts—blending mythmaking, branding, and building into a spectacle that says more about housing dreams than housing reality. Read More
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The Framework of Efficieny: Reflections on Builders FirstSource’s READY-FRAME® System
23–35 minutes
Does efficiency come at a cost? This article explores how READY-FRAME® aims to streamline construction—but raises questions about creativity, labor displacement, and the subtle trade-offs embedded in automation-first building models. Read More
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Cosmos Crumbling: The Disruptive Nature of Technology in Residential Construction
6–9 minutes
Is technology really making construction better? Or just more chaotic? This think piece dives into the disruptive reality of digital tools like BIM, exposing why builders resist change and how history repeats itself when innovation outpaces adoption. Read More
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Review of John Ely Burchard, “Prefabricated Housing and Its Marketing Problems,” American Marketing Journal 2, no. 3 (1935): 150–156.
4–5 minutes
Was prefab ever really the future? Burchard’s 1935 critique still hits hard today. This review explores why American housing resists industrialization, tracing a legacy of market misreads, cultural roadblocks, and misplaced optimism. Read More
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The Epistemology of Homebuilding: An Examination of Knowledge Production and Dissemination in Residential Construction
7–10 minutes
How do we know what we know in residential construction? This piece explores the hidden systems and philosophical underpinnings of knowledge across the jobsite and the boardroom—from dark data and digital tools to lived experience and risk. Read More
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