The future of AEC: an executive perspective
H
ow is the Covid-19 pandemic forcing the AEC sector? to digitise and modernise faster than it otherwise would. How will the AEC industry change? Which areas will be first to evolve, and which will be resistant to transformation? And ten years from now, which aspects of AEC that we take for granted today will look like something out of the Stone Age? Offering their thoughts on these and other matters are: • • •
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Anand Mecheri, CEO of Invicara, a developer of digital twin solutions Clifton Harness, CEO of TestFit, an automated building configurator Hilmar Gunnarsson, CEO of Arkio, a provider of collaborative design tools for architecture Richard Humphrey, Vice President of Product Strategy and Product Management at Bentley Systems, a provider of AEC software
A lightly edited and condensed version of the conversation follows. Q: What will the medium- and longerterm impact of the pandemic be on construction software companies and the AEC space in general? 24
January / February 2021
p24_25_AEC_JANFEB21_roundtable.indd 24
Mecheri: We can already see some of the medium-term impact. I was on a call with some clients in Singapore today, and construction there has nearly ground to a halt, simply because there are no construction workers. We see similar impact in India. Also, there’s an overriding concern about demand contraction in the commercial real estate space. Retail, of course, already was contracting, and the pandemic has accentuated it like crazy. Long term, things will be fine and back to normal – but there will be some lessons learned. I think this pandemic will be a trigger for change. For starters, there’ll be more investments in technology to optimise usage and management of built assets, ensure occupant wellness, and create more efficient buildings overall. Harness: Operationally, I think companies are learning to do things differently during the pandemic. You’re starting to see various companies in the AEC ecosystem adopting new technologies like Zoom and Slack. But those tools are disrupting email, so we’re still pretty far behind as far as investing in the right things to push everyone into the 21st century. For example, there are only around 500 prefab modular construction projects in the US. I think we’re still really far behind in the means and methods of construction.
RICHARD HUMPHREY, BENTLEY SYSTEMS
HILMAR GUNNARSSON, CEO OF ARKIO
CLIFTON HARNESS, CEO OF TESTFIT
ANAND MECHERI, CEO OF INVICARA
RON FRITZ, CEO OF TECH SOFT 3D
Recently, Ron Fritz, CEO of Tech Soft 3D, hosted a roundtable discussion with four other technology executives to discuss trends circling around the AEC industry and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic
Gunnarsson: My company is pretty much a “remote first” company, with employees scattered across four different countries in Europe. We’ve been working this way for a long time. What’s interesting is that if I look at my customers – the architecture firms and engineering firms – they are in the same boat now. They have had to ask themselves: “How do we do business and get work done remotely? How do we collaborate if we’re not in the same place?” Because we develop VR and collaborative design tools, we have an answer to those questions. I’m a big believer that in the long term, the idea of all of us having to physically be present in the same place to do something will start to diminish. Humphrey: The key to planning and executing construction projects used to be to get as many people on site and to collaborate in a common location where you’re close to the project, because the project is the context by which you can have a discussion and make your plans and execute and make sure the project is in control. When that can’t happen anymore – like during this pandemic – collaboration has to happen digitally. We’re seeing a lot more virtual design in construction, whether that’s taking task-based workflows and capturing data in the field, or tracking performance metwww.AECmag.com
27/01/2021 12:47
