About the author
www.waterafrica.co.za
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2019
35
innovations
A
very simple explanation is that
it has something to do with the
future and how the world is
changing. 4IR is already here
and growing at an exponential rate.
It reminds me of an analogy presented
to me many years ago: Imagine there’s a
pond with a single water lily. If the water
lily doubles every day and by the 30th
day the pond is completely covered, on
which day would the pond be half full?
Many would calculate it as the 15th day,
but the answer in fact is on the 29th day.
My point is that technology is also
moving at a phenomenal pace and we
can see it around us almost on a daily
basis. 4IR is the future – your future
– it is basically a new industrial and
technical revolution.
Recently, someone mentioned to me
that, more and more, the lines between
physical, digital, biological and the
economy are becoming ‘blurred’. I think
what this means is that we will depend
more and more on technology, to the point
that many jobs will become redundant.
The question is how will this affect
the engineer, and more specifically civil
engineering?
One thing is for certain, as long as
there are people there will be a need
for water and sanitation, energy and
transport and some kind of infrastructure
in an environment where people and
animals can live and survive. With the
advancement of technology though, all
of this will look and work very differently
from what we have today.
There’s talk about ‘smart buildings’
and ‘smart cities’ already being
designed within a world where we
already have smart phones and other
smart technology. If we compare the
design office of the engineer of 30 or
40 years ago with what we have today,
the advancements are already mind-
boggling, so the question is how will
things look 20 years from now?
Vollie Brink (Pr Eng, MSAICE, MPMISA, MFEASA) is one
of the industry’s longest-serving wet service engineers.
He continues to serve on SABS committees and has
been involved in the Green Building Council’s Green
Star rating system. Brink continues to consult for various
organisations while enjoying a well-deserved retirement.