Robots on Site: Is the Bricklayer of the Future Already Here?

From bricklaying robots to 3D printers, automation is rewriting the rules of construction. Here’s why ignoring it might cost you your career.

The Promise of Automated Construction

Construction is one of the most traditional industries in the world. Brick on brick, asphalt on asphalt.

But something is changing:

• 3D concrete printers building houses in less than 48 hours.

• Bricklaying robots like Hadrian X placing more than 1,000 bricks/hour.

• Survey drones replacing entire replanning crews.

👉 Labor costs in some phases are already down by 70%.

The Painful Comparison (But Necessary)

Example: building a brick wall

• Human

  • Productivity: ~120 bricks/hour.

  • Wage: €23/hour → €0.19/brick.

• Robot

  • Productivity: ~1,000 bricks/hour.

  • Cost (energy + amortization): €100/hour → €0.10/brick.

💡 Result: robots cut costs in half.

Now scale to a project with 1 million bricks:

• Human crew: ~€190,000.

• Robot: ~€100,000.

That’s €90,000 saved in one single task.

Performance and Deadlines

Robots don’t get tired, don’t ask for vacations, and can work 24/7.

• Human bricklayer (per month): 20,000–25,000 bricks.

• Robot (per month): 700,000+ bricks.

The difference isn’t only economic—it’s time.
And in construction, time = money.

Where Does the Engineer Fit In?
Here’s the interesting part: robots don’t think.
They don’t make decisions about safety, unforeseen events, or design.
That’s still our territory as engineers.

Automated construction doesn’t eliminate humans — it forces us to level up: less shovel, more brain.
The role of the engineer in robotic construction doesn’t disappear; it transforms. Robots execute, but engineering defines, controls, and optimizes.

To understand this shift, it’s worth reviewing the main technologies already being applied today:

The Technologies Driving Robotic Construction

1. Bricklaying Robots

• Example: Hadrian X (Fastbrick Robotics).

• Capacity: 1,000 bricks/hour with laser accuracy.

• Role of engineers: integrate BIM with control software, ensure tolerances, coordinate with MEP installations.

  

2. 3D Concrete Printing

• Examples: Apis Cor (US), COBOD (Europe).

• Benefits: 60% savings in formwork, freedom for complex geometries.

• Engineering challenge: mix design, fast setting, and regulatory approval.

  

3. Robotic Welding & Steel Assembly

• Application: prefabrication of beams and modules.

• Benefit: ISO-certified welds, fewer defects, real-time QC.

• Engineering role: welding procedures (WPS), NDTs, digital traceability.

  

4. Drones & Autonomous Vehicles

• Survey drones: daily 3D models with cm accuracy.

• Autonomous trucks: mining and earthworks (e.g., Caterpillar Command).

• Engineer’s job: big data analysis, cycle optimization, digital twins.

5. Exoskeletons & Cobots

• Enhance workers instead of replacing them.

• Reduce injuries, improve repetitive-task productivity.

• Engineer ensures ergonomics, safety, ROI.

Conclusion

Robotic construction is not futuristic—it’s happening now.

Those who learn to integrate these technologies will lead the next decade of civil engineering.
Because if you keep measuring productivity only in man-hours, you’ll lose against those who measure in robot-hours.

Civil engineering is evolving:

• From calculating structures → to programming processes.

• From supervising → to auditing real-time sensor data.

• From site foreman → to digital architect of construction.

📌 Open question to all my readers
Do you believe robots should remain in repetitive tasks (like bricklaying), or should they also take over more complex roles?
And could this push societies toward Universal Basic Income, as Elon Musk and others predict?

🔜 In my next article, I’ll dive into a groundbreaking real-world case: the construction of a 157 km highway on the outskirts of Beijing, executed entirely by autonomous machines. A project that marks a before-and-after moment in the history of civil engineering.