AEC Business

In this podcast episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Natalia Rincón and Johanna Suortti of CHAOS Architects, a smart city AI platform startup. CHAOS Architects say that current smart cities are missing a key element: "The smart city is very good at tracking but not very good at listening. We are still missing one ingredient. A city is only smart when it considers the creativity of citizens...

Dr. Noha Saleeb is Associate Professor Creative Technology/Digital Creativity at Middlesex University London. In this interview, we discuss BIM and other technologies in education and the best ways to put BIM into practice. Noha has taught multiple modules at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels in Architecture, Building Information Modelling, Design Engineering, Programming, and Graphics.  H...

Marianne Friis is Head of BIM Management at Arkitema Architects, a Danish company. In this interview, we discuss architectural BIM, especially from the Scandinavian perspective. Arkitema Architects was founded in Aarhus in 1969. Today, it is one of Scandinavia’s biggest architectural firms, with fifteen partners and a staff of 500 employees. The company has offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Oslo, Sto...

Newtecnic is a world leader in the engineering design of ambitious construction projects and building envelope systems. In this interview, Andrew Watts describes how his firm became an international success and how they approach difficult design problems. Andrew Watts it the CEO of Newtecnic, an architect and engineer. In this exciting interview, he discusses the following topics: How to solve dif...

Silvia Taurer, the founder of LivingRoomCraftZ, says that BIM is more than a technology or a methodology. It is a collaborative mindset that is becoming elemental for the renewal of the construction industry. LivingRoomCraftZ, a Delft company, helps clients implement BIM and Integrated Project Delivery. They are specialized in Autodesk products (e.g. Revit Architecture/Structure/MEP and AutoCAD) b...

In this interview, my guest is Wes Smith, Cloud Executive Officer of AEC Cloud. We talk about how and why AEC companies are moving to hosted IT services. We also discuss the state-of-the-art in cloud hosting and look into the future. About Wes Passionate about people and process driven technology, Wes Smith has 20 years experience enabling AEC Industry leaders & participants with business focused...

Brittanie Campbell-Turner is a Construction Management professional and a podcast host. In this interview, we discuss construction productivity, ways to make it better, and the Constructrr podcast. Here's what Brittanie says about herself and her podcast: "I've been servicing the engineering and construction management industry for 10+ years having specialized in project controls and schedule mana...

In this podcast interview with Pouria Kay, CEO and Co-founder at Grib, we talk about the startup's new, intuitive 3D design tool. Grib® is a cloud–based software that turns a mobile device into a universal controller. With Grib, both young and professional designers can sketch complex objects without first having to learn cumbersome 3D software. You work intuitively in actual 3D space and interact...

In this podcast interview with Pedro Aibéo, we discuss Architectural Democracy, a research project, and its practical implementations. Pedro Aibéo, photo: Helen Kurri Architectural Democracy started as a doctoral research by Pedro Aibéo, architect and civil engineer. Pedro has been doing his research at Aalto Bim Lab, Aalto University School of Engineering. The project has now grown into a larger...

I had the pleasure of meeting with Pirita Vainio, Head of Digital and Innovation at NCC Group. In this podcast interview, we discuss how a newcomer to the industry brought agile practices into a construction company. NCC Group is actively exploring agile methods such as Scrum and Kanban.  What is agile? Agile is the term that is most familiar to software developers. Traditionally, projects deliver...

In this podcast episode, my guest is Andrew Weinreich. We talk about the future of homebuilding against the backdrop of Andrew's new podcast Predicting Our Future.  Is construction ripe for disruption? Andrew believes that homebuilding is much closer to a tipping point than ever before. In this interview, he explains why. "In the United States, modular construction significantly lags behind what w...

In this podcast interview, my guest is Daniel Sundlin, a partner at Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in New York. We talk about how BIG innovates and what opportunities and challenges digitalization brings to architecture. BIG is a Copenhagen and New York based group of architects, designers, builders, and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design,...

In this podcast interview, Casey Grey talks about Conscious Building, passive houses, and  and how we can make our homes healthier. About Casey Grey Casey Grey is the founder and CEO of The Conscious Builder Inc., an Ontario company. Casey is one of those very few people who knew what he wanted from a very young age. Although his goals have changed over the years, they have always revolved around...

In this podcast interview with Kevin Forestell, Founder and CEO of Dozr, we discuss how contractors can lend and rent heavy equipment using the company's new online service. In the construction industry, the cost of owning and operating equipment is a big factor in profitability. As the owner of a commercial landscaping company, Dozr co-founder and CEO Kevin Forestell hated watching his equipment...

Plastic waste is a huge global problem and we need viable solutions. In this interview with Jeff Mintz, CEO of Envirolastech, we discuss how plastic can be recycled and used as a building material in a unique way. Envirolastech, Inc, is a developer of thermoplastic technology that offers a cost-competitive alternative to wood and concrete in a variety of products and applications. The company's pr...

I had the pleasure of interviewing Laura Kassovic, CEO and Co-founder at MbientLab Inc. We discuss how wearable technology and smart sensors can help on the construction site. MbientLab is a technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was started about four years ago by a team of engineers who are experts in sensors and machine learning. MbientLab develops wearable technology...

In this podcast episode, I interview Joe Pulizzi, the leading content marketing expert. We talk about why content marketing is valuable for AEC firms, where to start, and how to stay successful. Joe Pulizzi is founder of  Content Marketing Institute, the leading education and training organization for content marketing, which includes the largest in-person content marketing event in the world, Con...

I met with Kasmir Jolma, a newly graduated Finnish architect, in Helsinki. We discuss his master's thesis on strategy and communication for architects and how clients see the architect's role.  Here are snippets of the summary of Kasmir's thesis, published in May 2016 at Tampere University of Technology: "Business development has not been a strength for architectural firms, even though it could he...

I had the pleasure of interviewing Guy Skillett, head of construction at Rhumbix, a construction industry IT startup. In addition to the audio interview, here's a summary of our conversation. What is Rhumbix? Rhumbix is a construction data platform that replaces manual reporting processes like timekeeping, daily reporting, installed quantities and production tracking. The genesis of Rhumbix was a...

In this podcast interview Tobias Dahlberg, CEO of Wonder Agency, talks about branding. You’ll learn what a brand means, how to develop a brand, and why branding is a strategic question. What is your definition of “brand”? Assuming that I’m developing a new service in the construction industry, why should I pay attention to branding as part of my strategy? Can you walk us through the process of cre...

In this episode 52 of the AEC Business podcast I interview Barry Giles, CEO of BREEAM USA. We talk about BREEAM In-Use, a sustainability rating system for existing buildings. It has entered the American marketplace as a localized version, BREAAM USA In-Use. Here's how BREEAM USA describes BREEAM In-Use: "In 2009, BRE Global developed BREEAM In-Use (BiU), the scheme which just launched this year in...

In this interview with Gordon A Geddes, CEO of Lynx Systems, we talk about reinventing the building envelope. Gordon also gives great advice to innovators in the construction industry. Here are our discussion topics: Why Gordon became interested in innovation in the construction industry What are responsive building envelopes What it the problem with traditional building envelopes and how have com...

This is the 50th episode of the AEC Business podcast! As a special guest, I have Gijs van Wulfen, a globally renowned innovation speaker and founder of the FORTH Innovation Methodology. We talk about his new book, The Innovation Maze, and how you can become a successful innovator. Gijs was chosen by LinkedIn as one of the first 150 influencers. On his LinkedIn page he says: “Why is innovation made...

Stefan Engeseth is author, consultant, speaker, CEO and Guest Professor. His latest book is Sharkonomics. In this podcast episode, we're going to talk about what nature has taught Stefan and how that could be applied to the construction industry. Sharks are not only nature’s most revered killing machines, they are highly strategic and efficient predators. Studying their behavior and instincts can...

I had the pleasure of visiting Pöyry's headquarters and meeting Jaana Tyynismaa and Jouni Honkala. In this episode 48 of the AEC Business Podcast we talk about circular economy. Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company serving clients worldwide across the energy, industry, and infrastructure sectors. Last year, the net sales of Pöyry Group exceeded half a billion euros, with ar...