Innovator interviews: Digging into construction’s future

Who could be better to ask about construction innovation than the winners of the inaugural 25 Innovators in Construction Awards? We surveyed the companies and compiled the best responses below.

What’s the next big thing you’re excited about in the world of construction innovation?

One trend we’re excited about at CM Labs is the growing number of sensors on the jobsite. At first glance it might sound like an odd thing to be excited about, but as sensors become more inexpensive to produce and the data processing power behind them grows exponentially, we will see some really powerful changes in the construction world. With wearable sensors notifying workers of potential collisions and sensors on equipment notifying fleet owners of upcoming maintenance, there is a lot of optimization coming to the job site.

Alan Limoges, strategic partnerships manager, CM Labs

I’m really excited about where the future of recycling materials is going, and the accountability for how we track that. With so much change happening through tenant improvements and new construction, it’s inevitable that a percentage of materials will generate some form of waste. It’s what we do with that material, and how we manage it, what will make a dent on our world.

Barry Hartman, co-founder and CEO, 505-Junk

The move towards Industrialized Construction! I believe that the transition to 3D modelling, off-site manufacturing using automation & robotics, the standardization of design in construction is the future of construction innovation

Sam Revel, director of industrialized construction, Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical Systems

How can you create a company culture that fosters innovation?

Spend a lot of time talking to the people doing the work, on construction sites. Emphasize the value of learning over being right. Push to learn faster, not to be perfect.

Calvin Benchimol, co-founder and CEO, Crewscope

Promoting innovation within a company is a significant challenge, and it is most effective when initiated by top management who not only instigate a culture of innovation but also support it through incentive programs that reward innovative behaviour.

Anton Ricafort, innovation director (Americas), ACCIONA

Innovation starts with the company’s leadership commitment. The leadership team needs to demonstrate genuine commitment to innovation by words and more importantly actions. Clear communication of the company’s innovation goals and values is essential, ensuring that every employee understands their role in the innovation process. It is immensely important to empower and encourage employees to contribute ideas and innovation, remove barriers for employees to contribute their ideas and innovations.

Samil Junuzovic, general manager, Innovative Trenching Solutions

What are your thoughts on the common perception that the construction industry is slow to adopt new technology and practices?

Two words: risk aversion. The industry’s in some ways is fragmented and to averse. There are companies that lack awareness, while a strong majority of them have cost concerns and struggle to understand their return on investment or simply the need…the “We Never Needed That before” additive.

Jeff Olafson, CEO, Gardon Construction

In construction, everything we build is a one off or custom making it difficult to take advantage of the benefits that technology can offer. We therefore need to find a way to standardize building to truly maximize the benefits of technology and transform the industry mindset into a manufacturing approach of a kit of parts of standard repeatable elements.

Mike Maierle, president, ETRO Construction

The perception that the construction industry is slow to adapt to innovation holds some merit, but in some cases it’s far from the truth. Construction work is inherently dangerous, and building communities involves high-stakes situations. Therefore, caution is warranted when adopting new technologies, as they can have both positive and negative consequences, especially concerning a worker’s safety and wellbeing.

Andrew Ross, CEO, Clark Builders

What activities, processes or practices does your business employ to keep innovation going?

Thinking big and thinking small. Innovation can occur at every level, ranging from small day-to-day improvements (like participation in annual “2 Second Lean” challenges) and a weekly full-company stand-up meeting where we share about those kinds of wins to transformational innovations at an industry scale, which we discover through a rigorous practice of strategic foresight rooted in exploration of forces driving change in business and culture across the globe.

Markku Allison, VP of strategy & innovation, Chandos Construction

One our core values at EBC is to trust the expertise of our professionals. Innovation-wise, this led to the creation of a mix organizational structure where we integrate, inside the same team, all the key disciplines that will be needed to start, maintain and increase the innovation. Programmers, planners, technicians, modelers and engineers (civil, electrical, mechanical) work together an in constant contact with their environment: the final users to collect and share their feedbacks, the support teams to address the corporative framework and the third parties and suppliers to share and remain up-to-date about the latest technological developments.

François Houle, Vice-Président Services aux projets, EBC

We nurture innovation through strong partnerships with global peers, sharing best practices, active involvement in industry groups, work with entrepreneurs and universities, and close collaboration with our trade partners. Furthermore, we encourage our team members to experiment safely, and when a promising idea emerges, we formalize it into our practices.

Andrew Ross, CEO, Clark Builders

I think the most important thing is a commitment from leadership or ownership to fund true innovation and be patient with the leg work and time it takes to uncover user needs or the R&D discovery and testing. Having this type of culture is often the most crucial step where ideas are welcomed and can flourish.

Chris Ellerby, director of industrial safety, Koroyd

Are there companies or people in the industry that you are inspired by when it comes to innovation?

Pitt Meadows Plumbing, Intelligent City, CadMakers – Javier Glatt

Mike Maierle, president, ETRO Construction

In the construction industry, we’ve been inspired by companies like Bobcat and Sennebogen who are exploring the electrification of their machines, and taking a greener approach to construction.

Alan Limoges, strategic partnerships manager, CM Labs

Dynamic Systems Inc. Crown House Technologies and DPR Construction

Sam Revel, director of industrialized construction, Pitt Meadows Plumbing & Mechanical Systems

There’s quite a few companies that inspire me – the list is too long! In the construction industry, I find Pitt Meadows Plumbing not only does a great job of implementing new innovation, but encourages other companies to do the same. That hybrid of building a customer-focused culture while driving innovation is what really sets companies apart.

Barry Hartman, co-founder and CEO, 505-Junk

DPR Construction and Suffolk Construction out of the US, and Bryden Wood from the UK. Both DPR and Suffolk have been industry leaders in exploring new technologies and methodologies and have spawned and invested in a range of new companies across the value chain. Bryden Wood has a vision for the future of the AEC industry that is powerful and compelling and could enable us to meet many dimensions of the increasing demands for productivity and quality while providing ever greater value.

Markku Allison, VP of strategy & innovation, Chandos Construction