21st Century Construction – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In the latest episode of the 21CC podcast, three leaders of successful megaprojects delve into the nitty gritty of what it takes to lead them.

On the panel are:

• Jake Mumm, head of Bechtel’s global Public Infrastructure division, whose projects include the Keeyask hydropower project in northern Canada, and the new metro system for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;

• Davendra Dabasia, CEO of Mace Consult, whose portfolio includes the 2012 London Olympics, the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, and Toronto’s ongoing, multi-billion-dollar subway extension;

• Ambrose McGuire, Aecom’s Europe Programme Management Lead, who helped deliver many billions worth of infrastructure in Qatar ahead of the 2022 World Cup, and who has been programme director of the joint venture delivering the twin-tunnel Lower Thames Crossing in London, UK.

In this frank and pacey discussion full of examples from their own experience, the panellists explore:

1. What behaviour they’d nominate as the most helpful in getting megaprojects over the line;
2. What a winning culture in the leadership team looks like, and how to foster it;
3. How to cascade that culture all down through the megaproject’s total organisation;
4. How to manage stress in the full glare of public and political attention.

Megaprojects have a reputation for overruns and delays but, as the panel finds, success is achievable with the correct mindset, preparation, and diligent practice.

With megaprojects increasing in number and scale around the world, this discussion will help anyone who aspires to take part in what Jacob Mumm believes are among “the last great human endeavours”.

Veteran plant journalist Peter Haddock is with us this month to help make sense of the rapidly changing landscape of construction machinery and sustainability. Should we go all in on electrification?Is hydrogen coming on stream anytime soon? What’s the current state of enabling technology?

Peter shares examples of how businesses including Flannery Plant Hire, L Lynch Plant Hire & Haulage, Perkins Engines Company Limited, LiuGong Europe, Xwatch Safety Solutions part of Hexagon Leica Geosystems part of Hexagon and ZQuip from Moog Construction are pushing technology and skills development forward.

Peter also discusses the future with Hydrogen; talking about the fuel and explaining the work JCB is doing on JCB Hydrogen machines and the infrastructure needed to make the fuel work.

The home of great construction stories. We go behind the headlines to meet the people who envision, create and manage the built world. Brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building.

In this episode, CM’s Cristina Lago grills ex-Arup engineer Stevan Lukic about the AI chatbot he developed for construction projects. Does it hallucinate? [01:23]

[08:44] Our expert panel discusses where AI sits in the digitalisation of construction. Hear from David Philp FCIOB, chief value officer at Cohesive Group and chair of CIOB’s innovation panel; Murillo Piazzi, digital consultant at the BIM Academy; and May Winfield, Buro Happold’s global director of commercial, legal and digital risks.

[17:44] Jargon-buster Justin Stanton takes a peek under the bonnet of “optioneering”.

[20:19] And with October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, CIOB People’s Nadine Buddoo caught up with building control surveyor Jeannie Ambrose, who kept working and studying after being diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer.

Welcome to the fourth episode of the 21CC Podcast, brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). The home of great construction stories. We go behind the headlines to meet the people who envision, create and manage the built world.

This episode, Will Mann reports on an AI tool developed to detect RAAC in buildings[11:38]; Rod Sweet explores a proposal to build a Roman-style colosseum for Bath Rugby [00:54] ; two young engineers describe what it’s like to build in Antarctica [22:11] ; and Justin Stanton explains what Scope Three Emissions are [20:18].

Welcome to the third episode of the 21CC podcast, brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). The home of great construction stories. We go behind the headlines to meet the people who envision, create and manage the built world.

This episode we explore why a line is the worst possible layout for a planned new city in the desert [01:44]. Pioneering female crane operator Katie Kelleher tells how she started out in construction and explains why women are just as capable [14:56]. And we visit a construction site using a robot to print plans right on the concrete floor [25:08]. Digital twins is the topic for this month’s Jargon Buster. [11:01]

Welcome to the second episode of the 21CC podcast, brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).21CC is short for 21st Century Construction, which means we’ll be looking ahead to the challenges the industry faces, such as Quality and Safety, Sustainability, and Skills.

In this episode 1979’s Usborne Book of the Future set out what life would be like in the 2000s. How correct was it? Justin Stanton and Tom Cheesewright discuss what it got right about today, and what it means for tomorrow.[01:39]

[10:56] New CIOB president Sandi Rhys-Jones kicked off her presidential year with an awkward question: Why can’t we give women #PPEthatfits? Hear her ideas for turning that industry blind spot into a surprising advantage.

[21:57] And, in a segment sponsored by Cohesive, we hear from David Philp, chair of the CIOB’s innovation advisory group, about the latest thinking on construction and “ESG”, meaning environment, social wellbeing, and governance.

[19:09] CM Communities Editor Nicky Roger jargon busting BIM Dimensions

Welcome to the first episode of the 21CC podcast, brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building.

21CC is short for 21st Century Construction, which means we’ll be looking ahead to the challenges the industry faces, such as Quality and Safety, Sustainability, and Skills.

In this episode

With all eyes on Ukraine just now, we hear from a Canadian architect whose team has developed a modular, precast concrete system for fixing apartment blocks damaged by Russian missiles.[02:02]

Construction social media influencers tell us about the surprising benefits of getting a following on Linkedin.[09:53]

21CC’s resident jargon-buster, Justin Stanton, explains the difference between VR, AR, and MR.[17:03]

And, in association with Procore, we talk to Denise Chevin and Steven Frost of Milestone Infrastructure, about Procore’s “How We Build Now” report, and what it’s like to be a “Digital First” construction company.[19:57]

The home of great construction stories. We go behind the headlines to meet the people who envision, create and manage the built world. Brought to you by the Chartered Institute of Building.Editor Rod Sweet outlines in one minute how we hope to bring the people stories behind the headlines...brought to you by CIOB

Following World Environment Day 2024, we dig into a complex and difficult question.

Construction is the single biggest source of greenhouse gases.

It produces vast amounts of waste.

The resource extraction needed to feed its demands puts enormous pressure on habitats and biodiversity.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of buildings stand empty, even as we prepare to build hundreds of thousands more.

So, what does enough look like?

To explore this issue, 21CC editor Rod Sweet is joined by some of the most advanced thinkers in sustainable construction today.

In this bracing and thought-provoking discussion, you’ll hear from:

• Hero Bennett, sustainability leader at building services engineers, Max Fordham;

• Will Arnold, climate action leader at the Institution of Structural Engineers and lead author of the proposed Part Z embodied carbon regulation for the UK;

• Saul Humphrey, consultant and professor of sustainable construction at Anglia Ruskin University;

• Hudson Worsley, chair of Australia’s Materials & Embodied Carbon Leaders’ Alliance (34.47); and

• Amanda Williams, head of environmental sustainability at the Chartered Institute of Building.

Building Saudi’s Red Sea high-end tourist giga-project

[01:04 ]From bare sand to a collection of 50 separate resorts with its own international airport on Saudi Arabia’s remote west coast, The Red Sea giga-project is a high-end tourism scheme like no other. We speak to Andrew Tyson, head of construction at Red Sea Global, who’s in charge of bringing it all together.

Canada: Land of opportunity

[11:30] Two CIOB members who upped sticks to find their fortunes in Canada tell us how they did it, and what it’s like.

Iain Thomas FCIOB is leading Ontario’s unprecedented, $18bn rail expansion, while Ken Smyth FCIOB is leading construction on a new RCMP headquarters in Burnaby, British Columbia.

What clients really want

[22:27] Institute Fellow Dr Claire Handby has more than 25 years’ experience helping construction clients in many sectors.

She discusses their top three priorities in getting their hospital, school, or office building built.