Moving Construction Firms Toward Tech-Forward Innovation

Abstract

Moving Construction Firms Toward Tech-Forward Innovation 'The Forge', a two-building office project under construction in London, showcases Bryden Wood's ... [ ] approach to industrialized construction. Bryden Wood 'The Forge', a two-building office project under construction in London, showcases Bryden Wood's ... [ ] approach to industrialized construction. The same standardization taken to a parts level can triumph in the construction of many building types. "Project teams being formed anew and then disbanded means each new building is a prototype. The big shift that transformed car manufacturing was Henry Ford standardizing and repeating. We need the same 'aha moment' for construction." He says clients and general contractors consistently ask the firm the same questions. "Construction has always been held back by the old guard. Now it is time to become a thriving, tech-led industry." Among the tech-driven approaches is introduction of digital design configurators, which assist international corporations in determining the hows, whys and wheres of development in a tiny fragment of the traditional time. "Companies want more control over their future construction projects," says Phil Langley, who leads Bryden Woods' creative technologies division. Says company president Tim Colwell: "We get the most value on a project when designers and constructors create assemblies and components working together. When construction informs design, and design reaches deeper into construction, efficiencies can be gained and lots of waste eliminated."