Digital Builder – Details, episodes & analysis

Innovation, purpose-built tools, and the labor shortage have initiated an unexpected shift in roles across the construction industry, especially when it comes to superintendents. Traditionally, the majority of superintendents have a background in the trades and deeply engrained experience from the field. Now, more than ever, superintendents are entering the role from a variety of backgrounds, creating a unique mix of experiences, perspectives, and approaches to the role. 

 In this episode, we are sitting down with Erin Saiki, who pivoted from her career in Civil Engineering and now has fully embraced the superintendent role at DPR Construction. We explore her career journey and how she sees the superintendent role evolving alongside the construction industry. 

Here’s what we cover: 

• Erin’s unique career path from civil engineer to superintendent 
• The growing variety of experiences and leadership styles among today’s superintendents 
• The superintendent’s role in streamlining and shortening project schedules 
• The rising importance of trade skills for future superintendents 
• How purpose-built tools are bridging the gap for newer superintendents 
• How superintendents can empower the field more effectively 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

A core goal of Digital Builder has always been to highlight innovative approaches to the way companies are designing and making our world, which involves so much more than workflow processes, RFPs, and the often-overhyped threat of AI taking all of our jobs. Some of these innovations are happening at a much more granular level, which is what our friends at BamCore are doing with sustainable building materials like eucalyptus and timber bamboo.  

In this episode, we sit down with two leaders from BamCore, Kate Chilton, the Chief Sustainability Officer, and Zack Zimmerman, Co-founder & Chief Commercial Officer. BamCore is dedicated to developing building solutions that minimize waste and shorten construction timelines with the goal of achieving a “beyond-zero” carbon footprint.  

We discuss: 

• What makes BamCore unique as a green construction startup 
• Common myths around alternative construction materials 
• The advantages of timber bamboo and eucalyptus as construction materials 
• Other, non-material factors that impact sustainability in construction projects 
• Influencing a culture shift in North America that encourages builders and owners to consider new materials  
• How BamCore’s emphasis on climate-smart practices and sustainability address a wide variety of objections 

If you want to hear about more organizations doing work with sustainable building materials, go check out Episode 84 where we talk with Ariana Cohn about mass timber’s growing popularity, as well.  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Intuitive Machines aimed to be the first private, US commercial company to send a spacecraft to the moon. On February 22, 2024 they accomplished that goal. Helping Intuitive Machines realize their dreams was today’s guest, Stephen Brooke, a Digital Delivery Manager at Burns & McDonnell. 

With the recent completion of the SuperBAB operations and testing facility in Houston, TX, Stephen joined us at Autodesk University to share how the project was brought to life, how Burns & McDonnell approaches value delivery and client success, and how data and AI will continue to impact the future of the AEC industry. 

We also talk about: 

• Stephen’s career journey through the industry 
• Intuitive Machines’ testing facility 
• How to encourage an innovative mindset in the next generation 
• Collaborating with vendors to bring value to clients 

 Assets Mentioned: 

• The Mural 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

One of the most exciting ways the AEC industry is continuing to find new ways to increase sustainability and safety is through mass timber construction. That’s why we’ve invited Ariana Cohn, a Digital Construction Engineer at Timberlab, an organization dedicated to advancing the mass timber’s mainstream adoption.  

Whether it’s mass timber’s impact on the environment, or its ease of use in prefab and modular construction, there is so much potential for it to be a game changer for the industry.   

Here are some of the topics you can look forward to in this episode:  

• The top misconceptions about mass timber 
• Timberlab’s approach to its mission 
• A day in the life of a Digital Construction Engineer at Timberlab 
• The biggest obstacles for mass timber’s mainstream adoption 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

This week, Autodesk’s Chief Marketing Officer Dara Treseder, joins Eric at Autodesk University to break down the 2023 State of Design & Make report, including the key focuses of the study, narrative shifts across the AEC industry, and the competitive difference between Digital Transformation and Digital Maturity. 

In this episode, you will learn: 

• How companies across the AEC industry are experiencing the benefits of converging technologies 
• Why companies focusing on Digital Maturity are maintaining a statistically significant competitive advantage 
• How to engage the next generation of talent 
• Why the future of AEC innovation is going to focus on augmentation in our workforce 

Assets Mentioned: 

• The 2023 State of Design & Make Report 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

The rise of Gen AI has put organizations in a race to remain competitive. Those who are successfully integrating AI into their processes are seeing improvements in efficiency and output quality, but that rush to adopt AI carries some significant risks, ones that can spell disaster for companies if they are not careful about their approach to using AI.  

 We've invited May Winfield, Global Director of Commercial, Legal and Digital Risks, at Buro Happold, to reveal what some of the biggest risks are when using Gen AI, what questions organizations should be asking as they adopt AI, and why sometimes the best way to move quickly is to slow down. 

We discuss: 

• Identifying AI’s five biggest risk categories in AEC: reliance, confidentiality, copyright, personal data, and ethics 
• Why copyright and content attribution are such tricky issues with AI 
• The limitations of using in-house AI models trained on proprietary data 
• Why client requests are becoming more informed and specific (and why this is good!) 

Assets Mentioned: 

• Joint Study from the Harvard Business School & Boston Consulting Group  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

One of the most exciting ways that innovation is taking construction to the next level is when companies like DPR Construction implement new and innovative strategies into their culture. We’ve invited Jacob Skrobarczyk, VDC Technology Lead at DPR Construction, to share his experience with data visualization and how he is using it to shift the narrative around Construction careers and changing the way the next generation is learning about Construction.  

Listen to hear about: 

• Construction’s perception problem  
• Why data visualization is so impactful 
• How DPR is approaching innovation and the adoption of new technology 
• Keeping people as the center of the industry 
• Improving benefits and apprenticeship programs for craft workers 
• How to better highlight non-linear career paths in Construction 

Assets Mentioned: 

• Jacob's Presentation
• https://www.dpr.com/company/careers 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

The landscape of construction is changing, and technology is at the helm. How can your organization stay on top of that changing landscape to remain competitive throughout 2024? 

Ariel Castillo, Innovation Director at Miller-Davis Company, and Brad Buckles, VP of Technology and Innovation at Charles Perry Partners, Inc., join the show this week to explore the latest trends in construction, from AI and data-driven insights to the importance of tech literacy and collaboration.  

We discuss: 

• Which trends are real and which are all hype? 
• How 3D modeling, wearables, and robotics are increasing field safety 
• How the latest trends are allowing the industry to move from reactive processes to becoming proactive decision makers. 
• Why modern technology is enabling multigenerational knowledge sharing experiences, giving experienced and new workers opportunities to learn from each other 
• How new technologies can reduce waste and increase sustainable construction practices 

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

Content warning – this episode and description has some heavy conversation topics including a discussion on suicidal feelings and mental health struggles. 

Construction has a mental health crisis. According to research from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the CDC, the rate of suicide among US construction professionals is five times higher than the number deaths caused by workplace and safety-related accidents. Across the industry, companies cannot afford to talk about safety, innovation, and growth without also addressing the need for real, practical, and immediate solutions to the mental health crisis facing our people.  

Mark Dyke, Licensed Professional Counselor and Tenured Associate Professor at Ferris State University, joins Eric Thomas during Autodesk University for an intensely practical conversation about the mental health crisis, burnout, and how addressing the mental health crisis can help secure a bright future for the AEC industry. We will share not just why mental health needs to be addressed, but we will also give specific, practical advice for workers to identify and address mental health issues early and effectively. 

We discuss: 

• How to identify internal and external symptoms of burnout 
• How the leadership culture sets the tone for organization-wide mental health 
• How managers at all levels of an organization can support their team members 
• How Millennials have changed the way we talk about mental health 
• Why mental health and emotional wellbeing need to be top priorities to convince the upcoming generation to join Construction. 

 If you or someone you know are having trouble coping with work-related stress, talk with someone who can help: In the United States, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Hotline or visit https://988lifeline.org/.  

For those living outside the United States, you can find local resources here: https://blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.  

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk. 

As more BIM mandates are being put in place around the world, impacted organizations are working to ensure they are BIM compliant—while many in the construction industry are still trying to figure out not just if BIM and other digital tools are right for them, but how to begin even implementing them in their business operations.   

Digital tools are transforming the way construction companies are operating, demonstrating countless benefits to adopting them, but there are still many unanswered questions for companies and contractors who are trying to find the most cost-effective strategies for managing all these new innovations and requirements. 

That’s where our guests come in. David Purdon, Technical Director at Diatec, and Marek Suchocki, Head of Industry Associations Strategy at Autodesk, are two industry veterans who have seen first-hand the rollout of Europe’s BIM mandates and how companies are responding. In this episode, they will break down some of the myths around BIM mandates, what the true intent of the mandates are, and much more. 

We discuss: 

• The rollout of BIM mandates in the UK faced challenges in managing the information exchange process 
• The complex intersection of BIM modeling and the production supply chain 
• How BIM modeling and technology integration ensures the longevity of construction organizations 
• The difficulty many organizations face in balancing the long-term vision of digital tools with their immediate needs 
• Why BIM allows organizations to derive better value from public construction investments 
• How to get started on your BIM journey if you’re impacted by a BIM mandate. 

 Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.