MARCH 2023CONSTRUCTIONBUSINESSREVIEW.COM 19better quality in terms of appearance and performance. As innovation is the art of combining two or more established ideas to create a new one with added value, integration is an absolute must to achieve innovation. Lack of integration is one of the main reasons why the Construction industry remains decades behind other tech industries like Automotive and Aerospace.With the above said, software technology have helped in improving the coordination and execution processes in the Construction industry by maximising visual communication and the ability to visualise and virtually experience the various steps and stages the process through shared platforms and models using BIM and AR/VR. However, it has not helped as much in achieving seamless integration because the latter is more of a mindset and cultural issue, and industry model make-up than a technological one. A major game changer however is on the rise that could disrupt ­ for better or worse ­ the entire landscape of the industry; the introduction of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as part of the decision making process in the design development and construction stages of projects. This is because AI may assist in combining multiple expertise and mindsets into one, therefore ­ at least theoretically ­ helping in maximising integration and innovation. However, AI should be treated carefully to make sure that it helps in extending the human brain and not replacing it, otherwise it could spiral out of control and lead to many undesirable outcomes. Construction technology like 3d printing, CNC machining, and the use of advanced composites like carbon fibre is making it possible to construct components that are more geometrically complex and structurally robust, that could offer better appearance and performance, in a quicker and more precise manner than ever before. In summary, visualisation, automation, and material technology standout as the main drivers behind the main advantages of the current technological evolution that we are witnessing today in the Construction industry, as described above.2. What according to you are some of the challenges plaguing the Construction Tech landscape and how can they be effectively mitigated?As pointed out earlier, one of the main challenges that is plaguing the Construction Tech landscape is the multi-disciplinary make-up of the Construction model where different stakeholders (Client, Business Consultant, QS, Architect, Engineer, Contractors) work in silos, which severely undermines the ability of Project Teams to established integrated solutions. If we take an example from the Automotive industry ­ say Mercedes-Benz ­ the latter is the Developer, QS, Architect, Engineer, Contractor and FM of its vehicles ­ all operating under one umbrella. Therefore, it has better control over the entire process; feasibility, R&D, design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, operation etc. including the allocation of resources (time, money, people, materials, machinery etc.). R&D and Testing are not even formally recognised as a stage in most projects in the Construction industry, which is a must for achieving high performance and/or introducing innovative tech solutions. More importantly, Mercedes-Benz retains the knowledge and data base related to every stage of its vehicles, including the operation stage where it monitors the performance their performance carefully through its maintenance workshops and dealers, and use it to plan, refine and optimise the design and construction of its next generation of vehicles. This is in strike contrast to the Construction industry where the make up of the project team stakeholders is different on almost every new project; different client, or architect, or engineer, or contractor or facility manager etc. where retaining a complete set of information and data related to the entire process of the project be it during design, construction, or operation stages is extremely difficult at best and impossible in most cases to be used to refine the next project. This is one of the main reasons why there is an overwhelmingly larger number of errors, failures and breakdowns in the Construction industry than there is in the Automotive industry. In summary, we need to find ways to transform and evolve our Construction industry from a multi-disciplinary model to an inter/cross-disciplinary one where projects teams are made up of integrated stakeholders working under a single umbrella, we need to recognise R&D and Testing as a formal and properly funded stage of a project, at least complex/innovative ones, and we need to be able to retain knowledge and performance data of our project stages so we can use them to improve upon the next one.3. Do you have any advice for industry veterans or budding entrepreneurs from the Construction Tech space?Invest in hiring more diversified individuals with a common collaborative mindset to build an inter/cross-disciplinary and research oriented culture prior to investing in any technology, as the latter will be a natural and organic outcome of the former, and not the other way around. We need to find ways to transform and evolve our Construction industry from a multi-disciplinary model to an inter/cross-disciplinary one
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