Construction Disrupted

When we analyse the construction industry, we often focus on the building cost. However, the true cost of inefficiencies, rework and waste is frequently underestimated. In episode 9 we spoke to Caner and Jayan from Gamma AR and how augmented reality can help to reduce some of these reoccurring problems. But what about the tangible, construction is all about the tangible right? The physical product...

Carbon neutral, carbon negative, net zero and other similar words are banded around like a dutchie to the left-hand side (one for the younger generation there), with commitments and targets to a more sustainable future set decades away do nothing to help what many believe to be the biggest problem the construction industry faces. It can be frustrating for everyone involved within the built environ...

One critical part of the construction process that can be detrimental to success is the tendering process. Without this there would be less competition for work available and although at times it can be painstaking, lengthy and if you’re on the wrong end of a result disheartening, the industry cannot do without it. Whether you’re at a PQQ stage, completed the PAS91 or have a templated tendering do...

One thing that has been a constant on this podcast is the fact that most of our guests are the kinda people that are actually doing something they care about and you’ll hear a lot of that on this episode – more on that later. When you hear the word Decarbonisation it’s easy to be flippant about what is being discussed. It is one of the buzzwords in construction that is easy to say, and harder to d...

Today I welcome back Andrew Curtin, CEO of Construction Wave, providing news and insight into the UK construction industry. If you haven’t already, sign up for their daily email newsletter that covers infrastructure, commercial, residential, regulations, and strategic news. Alongside this Construction Wave have recently announced their first Construction CFO Summit - 19th Feb 2024 in London where...

If there is one thing the construction industry loves, it’s a report, the more complex the better, and the longer the better it seems. But sometimes size isn’t everything. Over-engineered reporting can stifle the main outcomes and put blockers on achieving over-inflated or even unachievable targets. So it’s always refreshing to see a report that cuts the crap and gets to the heart of the matter. T...

If you ask Google ‘what's the most important thing in any business’ you get a variety of answers from Relationships, Reputation and People to profit and even Urgency. All are key aspects, and that is undeniable, if one of these is weakened it surely impacts the success of a business. But this isn’t a definitive list by any stretch of the imagination as each business is different. But one thing tha...

Today, we've got a thought-provoking and important topic to discuss - Women in Construction. It's a subject that has been gaining increasing attention in recent years, and for good reason. The construction industry is undergoing significant changes in terms of technology and innovation but can this also be said in terms of diversity and inclusivity? We've seen a surge in interest and conversation...

When it comes to tradition, the construction industry can hold its own against other traditional industries such as mining and agriculture, but with tradition comes a reluctance to change. An inherent need to keep things as they are.  But this simply isn’t true. We do need to change and we have in various ways, some are more obvious and visual than others - such as the impetus for onsite safe...

Construction is a versatile industry, with many different roles and responsibilities. It can be challenging at the best of times to make yourself visible, especially if you are targeting or communicating with a variety of stakeholders who have very different wants and needs, which is usually the case. Add to this, fierce competition, a changing business landscape and tight budgeting restraints and...

As we mentioned last time, construction is more than bricks and mortar, and although the previous episode was centralised around bits and bytes (another integral part of the built environment) we discovered that construction is still all about the people who help build our cities and communities. In this episode, we're going beyond the blueprints and machinery to explore the vital concept of commu...

We're delving deep into a topic that's rapidly transforming the way we build our world - data. Data is the lifeblood of the modern construction industry, reshaping everything from project management to safety protocols, and even the very designs that shape our cities. As the construction industry continues to evolve, adopting innovative technologies at an unprecedented pace, the effective use of d...

I’ve always found Architecture a bit of a secret society, a bit like Marketing in a way. It can be easy from the outside to view it as just creative thoughts and conceptual designs with no science behind them as the output is so visual. Yes, science is integral to the design and build of, well, anything. As technology becomes more advanced right across the construction space, from the design softw...

We’ve all been there haven’t we, and it always feels like we’re on the receiving end of it -  late payments for something or another and depending on your financial situation that can be a brief oversight or a disastrous situation to be in. But should this be a situation we ever find ourselves in at all? Yes, if you’re in financial difficulty then there is a valid reason for late payments but...

It’s easy to get carried away with tech, on paper it always sounds like a great idea but to put it into practice (within construction at least) can be a challenge, too much tech is like a Chinese buffet, it looks great, you know it’s gonna work for you, but once you’re in it, it can become uncomfortable very quickly and the worst thing you can do is keep on going!!!! Some tech is just too complex,...

Back in 2021 CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) stated that 216,800 new workers are needed by 2025 to meet demand and the latest figures show this has increased by nearly 4%, increased, not decreased! The sectors this seems to be affecting the most are Private housing, Infrastructure and Repair and maintenance. But I don’t think this is an accurate representation as it very much focuses o...

Inefficiencies within the construction industry can be easily spotted at the output stage, onsite. A recent study by buildots outlined four such inefficiencies; the areas of a project that are worked on per week (46%), the weekly output from onsite trades can vary by over 50%, we’re making too many return visits to incomplete work and work is being delivered out of sequence causing issues later do...

As another beautiful British summer comes to an end it’s time to reflect and take stock. Who are we kidding, it’s business as usual. Part of this business as usual is scrolling through our favourite social channels looking for note and newsworthy items associated with our industry to expand our knowledge and keep us in the loop. Or a better way to view this - wasting our time doom scrolling and th...

In this episode, we’ll run through the 10 main challenges facing the construction technology industry, or more specifically the hurdles that are in the way of a more technologically advanced industry appearing from its manually made rubble. We need to better understand these problems in order to overcome them and unlock the significant potential for increased productivity, cost savings, and sustai...

Although there is an abundance of other factors where Marketing plays a critical role, such as the diagnosis of current market factors, internal auditing of Marketing output as well as the development of strategic intent, it is within the implementation stage where this episode discusses the five principles that are so important to any Construction Technology business. Product Be it a SaaS or a ph...

Before proceeding with this episode it’s important to note that this isn’t a ’the robots are taking over’ or an ‘AI is stealing people's jobs’ guide nor is it an AI love in where EVERYTHING MUST BE AI. AI will be an important tool that we can utilise to our advantage as long as we’re not sucked into all the BS that is spewed out by those jumping on the bandwagon. These tools really are effective i...

6 reasons why you shouldn’t be worried about losing your job to construction technology and instead should start getting excited about a technically advanced construction industry of the future being in the now, like right now, right in front of you. 1 Technology Creates Jobs The more new tech that enters the industry (and sticks), the more there will be a requirement for people who know how to ac...

Welcome to Construction Disrupted, the ultimate podcast for the construction industry exploring the limitless possibilities at the dynamic intersection of construction and technology. Delve into the latest topics, news, events, expert insights and marketing that are shaping the industry right now and in the future and hopefully sprinkle a little humour in there. I’m your guide Peter Sumpton and I...