Work is being done in this area, but it doesn't move as fast as people would think. Milwaukee is doing a lot of electric/battery tool development that replaces/enhances gas tools, and there are new construction methods that take time to be adopted.
Two off-hand that I can think of are "cast and move" bridges and hollowcore.
Construction moves very slowly because of the permitting process and the equipment investments. You also have to deal with the realities - if you build a standard house via the methods everyone around you uses, you'll have no problem finding people to perform maintenance on it. If you build it differently, people may not know how to deal with it, even if the method is technically better.
Many "US builders" are stealing techniques from Europe and vice versa.
Two off-hand that I can think of are "cast and move" bridges and hollowcore.
Construction moves very slowly because of the permitting process and the equipment investments. You also have to deal with the realities - if you build a standard house via the methods everyone around you uses, you'll have no problem finding people to perform maintenance on it. If you build it differently, people may not know how to deal with it, even if the method is technically better.
Many "US builders" are stealing techniques from Europe and vice versa.