Structural Intelligence Podcast

"What if the firms falling behind on AI aren't the ones that tried it and failed, but the ones still waiting to understand what has already changed?" Most engineering firms are still treating AI as something to evaluate from a distance. The conversation inside the industry remains focused on readiness, risk, and the right time to start. Meanwhile, a smaller group has already moved pa...

“How can our beloved engineering tools evolve for the future?”Most structural engineering workflows still rely on disconnected tools, manual processes, and time-consuming iterations, where engineers spend as much time managing data as they do making decisions. In this episode, I sit down with Ben James, CEO of SPACE GASS, to explore how engineering software is evolving in the age of AI, automation...

“What if detecting critical structural defects was as easy as uploading a photo?” Most structural inspections still rely on manual site visits, ladders, and visual checks, leaving room for missed defects, costly delays, and safety risks. In this episode I sit down with Ralph Noronha, founder of Defectech, to explore how AI, drones, and 3D modeling are transforming the way engineers detect and mana...

“What if the biggest risk to our infrastructure isn’t corrosion, cracking, or ageing, but the assumptions we still make?” Most asset inspections rely on “representative sampling”, checking a handful of areas and extrapolating the rest. But in complex, ageing buildings, that approach can quietly hide defects, increase risk, and lead to expensive surprises later. In this episode of the Structural In...

“When engineers start trusting AI, what exactly are they trusting?” In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast, host Owen Keenan sits down with Stijn Jansen, co-founder of VIKTOR, to explore what happens when engineers begin building tools that build themselves. From aerospace engineering to software automation, Stijn explains how VIKTOR enables engineers to replace brittle spreadsheet...

“If we only solve the technical problem without understanding the human problem, we limit ourselves as engineering leaders.” Is engineering moving fast enough to keep up with technology, or are we limiting ourselves by thinking too narrowly? In this episode, Owen Keenan sits down with Raj Aseervatham, President of Engineers Australia, to explore how engineers are uniquely positioned at the interse...

“What if construction isn’t tech-averse just misread?”Is construction really slow to adopt technology, or have we been building the wrong tools? In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast, Owen Keenan sits down with Ethan Ow, Co-Founder & CEO of Wenti Labs, to challenge the myth of resistance in the field. Ethan shares how his team is embedding AI directly into the tools site teams...

How does a civil engineer go from designing tunnels to building an AI startup? In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast , Owen Keenan interviews Stevan Lukic, founder and CEO of Civils.ai a startup transforming how engineering teams use AI to extract data from construction documents. Before ChatGPT, before the hype, Stevan was already teaching himself to code and building automation...

What happens when a civil engineer decides to stop waiting for better tools and builds one himself? In this episode, Owen Keenan talks with Sebastian Masset, the creator of HECFlow, a Python-based automation tool for stormwater modelling in HEC-HMS. They explore how Sebastian transitioned from spreadsheets to scripting, what role AI played in the process, and how any engineer can start bridging th...

Engineering Reality - The Power of Simulation & Digital Prototyping with Derik Cloete, Senior Engineering Solutions Manager at LEAP Australia What if simulation wasn’t just about reducing prototypes, but about expanding how we think as engineers? In this episode of The Structural Intelligence Podcast , Owen Keenan is joined by Derik Cloete to explore the creative and technical frontier of simu...

When you look at a building, you see walls, floors, and roofs. But what you don’t see is the silent choreography of forces keeping it all standing. In this AI Short, we break down the concept of the load path the invisible route every force takes from roof to foundation. You’ll learn: Why load paths are essential for structural safety and resilience The difference between gravity and lateral loads...

In this episode, Owen Keenan sits down with Brooks Smith, Chartered Structural Engineer, open-source contributor, and Head of Engineering R&D at ClearCalcs . Brooks shares his unconventional career journey, from testing software at Ansys to conducting forensic investigations at the Empire State Building, before moving into cold-formed steel design and engineering platform development. Together...

Disclaimer: This episode was generated using AI, specifically NotebookLM, and is based entirely on the publicly available contents of CROSS Safety Report 1335. The dialogue you hear is fully AI-generated, no real people were involved in the voice or scripting. This format is an experimental tool designed to present technical safety insights in a more accessible, audio-first way for engineers, stud...

Can data‑driven design make mooring operations safer than the rule‑book ever imagined? Senior Structural & Maritime Engineer Jordan Butler (WGA) explains how 20 terabytes of snapback simulations are rewriting global standards—and why engineers must look beyond compliance to manage real‑world risk. Guest bio: Jordan chairs PIANC Working Group 251 , leading the creation of international guidelin...

In this premiere episode of Structural Intelligence , host Owen Keenan sits down with Brent Burgess, Senior Principal Technologist at WSP, to unpack the real-world role of automation in structural engineering. Brent shares his experience working on the Swan River Pedestrian Bridges (Boorloo Bridges) in Perth — a complex project featuring curved geometry, angled piers, and cable-stay structures. He...