ᐅ Masonry Construction with the FBR Hadrian X Robot

Let’s move the robot out of the trial phase. Technology often becomes more affordable after a few years.

hanghaus2000 schrieb:

But such a bricklaying robot would definitely have its justification. [...] Especially as using larger brick formats could make construction more efficient in the future.

I don’t see even larger brick sizes coming, as they wouldn’t significantly increase efficiency anymore. Larger also means heavier, which would put more strain on the robot’s bearings, joints, and drives, requiring more frequent adjustments, and accuracy would suffer as well.

hanghaus2000 schrieb:

The price of the robot at 2 million is certainly not for small companies, which in Germany build the majority of single-family homes, semi-detached houses, and terraced houses.

For apartment buildings or row houses, several robots would be needed to keep building synchronously in shifts. There’s already no shortage of undercapitalized construction companies/general contractors today ;-)

hanghaus2000 schrieb:

For the big companies, however, the masonry robot promises more flexibility, so such an investment is more forward-looking.

This is exactly what I meant earlier—I still see a human advantage here. You don’t tell Ahmed today to do screed, but rather to do joint smoothing at a clinker brick facade on another site. Hadrian X lays bricks, the successor Hadrian Y with a robotic arm might even apply external thermal insulation composite systems (ETICS) at the same time. But it won’t do rebar tying if it otherwise would be idle (or even call Kemal in if there is more work today).

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

@11ant: I am dissatisfied with the choice of names and the language you have used twice now for masons.

hampshire schrieb:

@11ant: I dislike the choice of names and language you have used twice now when referring to bricklayers.

1. Not for bricklayers, but for “universal construction laborers of non-Polish foreign origin who, in most cases, hold at least equivalent but unfortunately unrecognized construction specialist qualifications in Germany,” which I prefer to replace with Karsten’s concise term for such a lengthy description;
2. Do I really have to repeat this every time? :

11ant schrieb:

I wouldn’t quote Karsten’s expressive term if I didn’t a) believe that Karsten means it affectionately and b) if it didn’t reflect reality. In construction sectors where pragmatic skilled workers without a German trade union background are needed, Western Europeans are rarely found. The screed layers, who also take on bricklaying and pointing, are typically Turks, Kurds, or Albanians – Greeks and Spaniards are rarely seen there; I haven’t encountered Indians in that role at all. “Deutscher Michel” is not racism; Michael is a common German male first name, much like Fritz or Helmut were once almost synonymous names for Germans. Achmed is as common among the countries of origin of screed crews as Stefan or Jürgen are here. What you call a “societal problem” is at best that our labor market in the lower income brackets is more open to skilled foreign workers than in the higher ones. Many Achmeds are pushed to earn their living as “semi-skilled” workers in trades without master certifications because their formal qualifications from their home countries are not recognized. It’s the same for Olgas and Svetlanas in nursing (and they also come from countries where girls are not usually named Stephanie, Michaela, or Susanne).

11ant schrieb:

It’s actually quite common that “Screed Achmeds” exist: self-employed construction tradesmen of foreign origin often name their companies “[Trade][First name]” because German customers find it easier to remember and pronounce first names from Polish or Albanian backgrounds than last names. In particular, combinations like “rz” and “dj” tend to cause tongue twisters for Germans.

You really don’t want to know how many Olgas working in nursing could actually be employed as high school teachers if the German authorities weren’t so keen to ignore their qualifications.

---

https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/

11ant schrieb:

2. do I really have to repeat this every time?

No, you don’t have to.
I also don’t agree with the distinction between unskilled and skilled workers explained in point 1.
It is so important to me that I comment on it calmly and clearly.

My demolition crew: All German, don’t understand instructions, demolish what shouldn’t be removed and leave standing what should be taken down.
My bricklayers: All native Germans, missing proper overlapping joints because they’re too lazy to cut properly. Shoddy workmanship and uneven rows. In the end, they were offended and hopefully didn’t urinate in the mortar.
My roofers: All native Germans except one Polish worker. Initially incorrect battens because they assumed a different nominal diameter (DN). Roof covering was delayed because they forgot to order roofing tiles. But then the work was done quickly.
Original plumbing and heating specialist: Native German, got offended immediately because I wanted my own design.
Electricians: All native Germans, fast and clean work, but data cables were not fully run in empty conduits.
Plasterers: All native Germans, flawless work so far.

By the way, the choice of workers was random (at least on my part), I don’t place special importance on their origin. For the bricklayers, I would have clearly preferred people who simply do their work well, regardless of their migration background.
My moving helper for the last two moves, whom I will also hire next time if available, is Kurdish, named Ramazan, speaks better German than some of the native German craftsmen mentioned above, does a great job, and his son can even paint rental apartments.

Clichés often hold some truth but just as often fail and—regardless of the intention—they can cause offense. Therefore, it’s worth considering whether their deliberate use outside of literature or other art forms is really necessary.
Just say “floor screeding (or construction) helper,” not because it would label a native German that way, but because the colloquial addition “helper” has meant a replaceable member of that trade in our language for centuries. That way, everyone will understand what you mean.