Construction Disrupted

Construction Disrupted Episode 85 - Build, Baby, Build (01.10.25)

Announcement Details:

• The UK government has pledged to initiate three new town schemes during the current parliamentary term.
• Locations include Bedfordshire, North London, and Leeds, with a taskforce identifying 12 potential sites for development.

Sector Reactions:

• Industry leaders have welcomed the announcement but raised concerns about the viability of the projects due to rising construction costs.
• Calls have been made for Homes England to step in and "de-risk" sites, particularly those with a 40% affordable housing requirement.

Challenges:

• Persistent construction cost hikes and infrastructure challenges are key obstacles.
• Ensuring affordability and sustainability in the new towns is a priority for stakeholders.

Project Delays:

• The Northern Powerhouse Rail project, connecting Liverpool and Manchester, faces fresh delays due to another review of its costs and value for money.
• The government has not provided updates in recent spending reviews or infrastructure pipelines.

Funding and Timeline:

• The Department for Transport proposed £1.5 billion in early funding to start work by 2030, but the Treasury is cautious due to concerns over cost overruns similar to HS2.

Political and Economic Implications:

• Northern mayors view the rail line as essential for economic growth and resolving transport constraints in the North West.
• The project is strongly supported by political figures like Andy Burnham and Lucy Powell, but criticised by Reform UK, which advocates scrapping the line.

Engineering Feat:

• At the Fifty Fenchurch Street development in London, a 700-year-old church tower (All Hallows Staining Church) has been preserved on 45-foot tall stilts.
• This innovative engineering solution allows the church to remain suspended above a 60,000 sq ft excavation site.

Construction Milestone:

• The ceremony marked the completion of excavation work, involving the removal of over 125,000 tonnes of earth.
• The site will host a 36-story flagship development blending modern workspace with historical features.

Collaborative Efforts:

• Key players include AXA IM Alts (developer), YardNine (delivery partner), Arup (engineering consultant), and Multiplex Construction Europe (main contractor).
• The project is celebrated for its unique integration of historical preservation and state-of-the-art construction

Additional Link:

Entire church begins two-day journey across Swedish city

Bios

Ryan Jones - SLG Agency

For almost 20 years, Ryan’s focus has been on helping brands in the construction and manufacturing sectors tell their story.

His career began in PR, working for global businesses across a variety of sectors, before opting to focus on construction and the built environment.

In his role as Managing Director, Ryan works to ensure that SLG Agency continues to be one of the construction industry's leading specialist strategic and creative agencies, having seen its work recognised by the likes of Campaign, Marketing Week and The Drum in recent years.

Ryan is regularly asked to speak at trade shows and events, and to contribute thought leadership pieces to trade media. He is also a member of several industry advisory boards, including Constructing Excellence and the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce.

His passion for the construction sector has seen him work with clients on CSR campaigns that tackle the sector’s public perception, culminating in him recently launching a not-for-profit called Deconstruction.

Peter Sumpton - buildDifferent

Peter is a construction–marketing strategist and co-host of Construction Disrupted. With two decades’ experience spanning manufacturers, contractors and agencies, he helps organisations swap scattergun activity for clear strategy, joined-up planning and measurable outcomes.

His approach is practical and plain-spoken: cut the noise, focus on what moves the numbers, and build repeatable systems that teams can actually use.

Having seen first-hand how unfocused tactics waste time and budget, Peter works with leaders to align commercial goals, customer insight and content so marketing supports delivery rather than distracting from it.

Peter's passion lies in diagnosing organisations' marketing functions' capabilities and existing market, assembling what’s required to create a functional strategy, fit for purpose and scalable.

Marketing should create value, not just cost, and Peter’s work is about making that the norm.

Weather has always been the wildcard on a construction site, derailing schedules, inflating budgets, and adding that factor of risk the taller you build. Yet, for all the talk of digital twins and predictive analytics, weather risk is still too often treated as an unavoidable act of nature rather than a variable that can be measured, priced, and proactively managed.

In this episode, we’re exploring why weather is moving from “bad luck” to board-level priority, how climate insight can reshape everything from contracts to profit margins, and what it takes for contractors, insurers, and clients to manage the weather rather than work on a day-to-day basis that brings nothing but unpredictability with someone who knows his nimbostratus from his cumulonimbus.

Our guest today is Josh Graham, CEO at EHAB (WeatherWise). Josh leads a platform built specifically for construction to quantify and manage weather risk with science, not guesswork. 

EHAB’s WeatherWise suite maps portfolio exposure, “digitally rehearses” programmes against likely weather windows, and alerts teams to risks before they bite, saving days of manual analysis and giving planners defensible allowances, plugging into construction planning and risk tools to provide granular, project-level insight

Josh is an active voice on weather risk, writing regularly about how data and new insurance models can reduce delays and protect margins as extreme events intensify.

Here's our chat in list form

- How did WeatherWise come to be?

- Why not just check with the Met Office?

- Why weather risk is treated as ‘inevitable’, rather than actively managed.

- How climate intelligence transforms a business model as well as project delivery.

- Building trust in accuracy and forecasting.

- Weather prediction myths that are tough to shift.

Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Procurement is where construction’s ambitions meet reality. The point at which programme, cost, risk and quality are either protected or quietly eroded. In a market drenched in price volatility, fragmented supply chains and rising ESG expectations, the old playbook of chasing the lowest number no longer delivers. What matters now is certainty, standardised scopes, transparent comparisons, live market intelligence and disciplined commercial governance that travels from pre-con to handover.

Digital procurement is accelerating that shift. The best teams are connecting estimating, tendering and contract execution into a single workflow; capturing supplier performance data; tightening change control; and surfacing risks early enough to act. Done well, it lifts margins, shortens cycles and strengthens relationships with subcontractors, while giving leadership defensible, real-time visibility of where value is being created or lost. Let’s chat to someone who is looking to save 1 billion construction admin hours through procurement tech.

Alastair Blenkin is the Founder and CEO of ProcurePro, a construction-tech company transforming procurement for main contractors. Beginning his career as a lawyer on major developments for institutional asset owners, Alastair gained expertise in high-volume contracting, commercial strategy, and risk management.

Frustrated by the inefficiencies he encountered, he transitioned into tech to drive meaningful change. Since founding ProcurePro, Alastair has led the company in creating an all-in-one, integrated platform that has powered over 3,500 projects worth more than £38 billion, helping contractors procure 50% faster while saving over hundreds of years of admin time. Alastair’s mission is clear - to save 1 billion construction admin hours and enable the industry to deliver the social infrastructure that supports our lives.

Here's our chat in list form

- What does value in procurement mean?

- Silo’d behaviours of commercial teams in procurement and driving change

- Price volatility and labour shortages and the impact on procurement

- A lowest-bidder-wins culture, carbon and sustainability. How supply chain transparency can facilitate solving these issues.

- AI in procurement: co-pilot or auto-pilot?

Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Quick-Fire questions from Digital Construction Week 2025, providing real insights from the construction tech industry.

This is the final episode recorded live at Digital Construction Week 2025.

A quick-fire Q&A session that captures the honest, unscripted, and occasionally outstanding responses of industry professionals as they tackle some big questions about the future of digital construction.

From AI and robotics to the reality of adoption and the importance of collaboration, these short, insightful pieces highlight what’s top of mind for those building, designing, leading and digitising the built environment.

Here are the seven Quick-Fire questions asked of a whole host of delegates attending Digital Construction Week:

1 - What do you see as the most exciting development in digital construction right now?

2 - What barriers still stand in the way of wider digital adoption across the built environment?

3 - What has been the most impactful technology of the last 10 years?

4 - Where do you think the biggest wins will come from for construction in the next few years?

5 - What challenge will still be holding the industry back a year from now?

6 - DCW 2026 - What’s the hot topic, buzzword, we cannot avoid?

7 - What’s the one thing people need to be taking away from Digital Construction Week 2025?

Some gave sharp insight.

Others laughed nervously.

And only one person gave the correct answer when asked, "What do you see as the most exciting development in digital construction right now?" 

The answer: Peter Sumpton - check him out, he's alright.

This isn’t a polished highlight reel. It’s a snapshot of how the industry talks when they haven't had time to prepare or provide a scripted answer. Expect thoughtful answers and a few responses that open up the possibilities of what is next for the construction industry.

Watch to see who said what, and get a feel for where the momentum really is in digital construction.

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/ 

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

As the construction industry continues to grapple with digital transformation, it’s clear that progress is being made, but also that many of the toughest questions still lie ahead. From skills and systems to expectations and execution, the gap between technological potential and everyday practice remains a central challenge.

Those leading the charge in digital construction are not only implementing tools but rethinking how the industry works, how knowledge is shared, how platforms connect, and how people adapt to rapid change. Listening to those on the front lines of this evolution offers a unique vantage point: one that blends realism with optimism, and ambition with hard-earned insight.

Sometimes it’s as important to take a step back to reflect on what’s been learned so far as it is to take the technological leaps forward and understand where the momentum is heading so that we can build a more connected, digitally confident construction sector, one person, one platform, and one mindset shift at a time. Let’s have a chat with someone who is indeed talking to one person at a time.

Amelia Fletcher-Blackburn is an Enterprise Client Partner at Causeway Technologies, where she works with some of the UK’s largest construction and infrastructure organisations to drive meaningful digital transformation. With a strong background in delivering enterprise technology, enabling organisational change and a deep understanding of the built environment, Amelia helps clients navigate complex challenges by aligning digital solutions with business outcomes.

Host of the Deconstructing Digital podcast, Amelia speaks with industry leaders, innovators, and change-makers to unpack what digital transformation really means for the construction sector.

Amelia is passionate about helping the industry embrace digital change in a way that’s sustainable, scalable, and genuinely useful on the ground.

What we cover in this live episode:

- Changing how we think about the future of digital construction.

- Closing the gaps between technology and the way we work on and off-site.

- The evolution of connected platforms and data sharing.

- The expectation of future technology enablement.

- Advice for those starting out in digital construction.

- It’s the 10-year anniversary of DCW. Where will Construction Technology be in a decade?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

Digital tools promise faster decisions, smoother collaboration, and greater clarity across construction projects, but the real work often begins after the software is switched on. Yet the adoption of such digital tools isn’t just a technical challenge; it’s a behavioural one.

On this podcast, we’re yet to explore the reality of digital transformation on the ground, not from the perspective of dashboards or features, but from the vantage point of the people using them. It’s about time we had a conversation about people, not platforms and the often overlooked human factors that make or break construction technology with someone who knows their behaviours from their bytes. 

Greg Demchak is a seasoned leader in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) technology sector, recently appointed as Vice President of Industry and Market Development at Motif Systems where He aims to bridge the gap between innovative technology and practical application, ensuring that Motif's next-generation AI-powered solutions are aligned with the evolving needs of design professionals.

With over two decades of experience, Greg has been instrumental in pioneering immersive technologies and real-time collaboration tools that have transformed the AEC landscape. His notable contributions include work on foundational platforms like Autodesk Revit and Synchro 4D, as well as leading digital twin initiatives at Bentley Systems. Educated as an architect, Greg holds a Master of Science in Architectural Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

What we cover in this live episode:

- Moving away from fragmented communication methods

- Supporting new ways of thinking

- What ‘success’ looks like and measuring this success.

- False assumptions and surprising realisations.

- It’s the 10-year anniversary of DCW. Where will Construction Technology be in a decade?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

Concrete forms the literal and figurative foundation of the built environment, yet its role is often overlooked in conversations about innovation. As pressure grows across the construction industry to deliver projects more sustainably and with greater resilience, the systems surrounding this material are beginning to shift.

Digitalisation is no longer confined to design software or post-completion analysis. It’s reaching deeper into the materials, methods, and real-time processes that shape how buildings and infrastructure come to life. At the same time, clients and contractors are increasingly looking for smarter, more connected ways to plan, monitor and optimise across the entire project lifecycle. It’s time to cure this conundrum with someone who has solid knowledge in this area (sorry, not sorry for the concrete gags)!

Dr Djelal Osman's work is shaped by his extensive experience in both fundamental physics and applied artificial intelligence. Currently an Algorithms Engineer at Converge, he operates at the intersection of technology and sustainability, developing AI and machine learning models to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector, focusing particularly on optimising concrete mix designs and usage to minimise embodied carbon. 

Prior to this role, Djelal co-founded an augmented reality startup, Sention, creating novel computer vision algorithms. His academic foundation includes a PhD in Physics from the Quantum Sensors Group at the University of Cambridge, where his research focused on the physics of low-temperature imaging detectors used in orbital space telescopes.

What we cover in this live episode:

- Digital tools streamlining the management of concrete

- Continually improving sensor technology for concrete monitoring.

- How AI is transforming traditional concrete construction practices

- The benefits of using data for efficiency and sustainability

- Where do you think Construction Technology will be in 10 years?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

Robotics are emerging as a powerful tool to improve efficiency, enhance safety, and tackle the growing complexity of modern projects within the built environment. Yet introducing advanced technologies into active, often unpredictable, construction environments brings its own unique set of challenges. From addressing early-stage problems through innovation, to balancing research and development with real-world application, robotics is at a critical point in reshaping the future of the building site. So let’s dive into this topic with someone who lives and breathes robotic engineering.

Michael Ren is the Founder and CEO of CSC Robotic Engineering Limited, a pioneering construction robot company established in 2019. Under his visionary leadership, CSC Robo is becoming a global leader in innovative construction technologies.

With a career spanning over two decades, Michael is a seasoned technologist and experienced entrepreneur with a proven track record of innovation across multiple industries. His expertise encompasses automation and robotics, power electronics, IoT devices and systems, mechanical and electronic manufacturing, advanced materials research, and micro- and nano-scale fabrication.

Michael has held roles as Director of Strategic Application in Shun Cheong Engineering Group, and as an entrepreneur and one of the founders of iLOda, a startup in connected Bluetooth low energy (BLE) wearable products. 

What we cover in this live episode:

- Finding solutions through robotics.

- Safety protocols and regulatory frameworks we need to consider.

- The best return when using robotics.

- Balancing the need for continuous R&D and technological innovations with deploying and delivering on-site robotics.

- The building site of the future.

- It’s the 10-year anniversary of DCW. Where will Construction Technology be in a decade?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

The way organisations manage knowledge, structure delivery, and learn from experience is rapidly changing with the built environment. As projects become more complex and teams more dispersed, traditional approaches to workflows, documentation, and process management are no longer enough. Success increasingly depends on how well teams can capture, share, and evolve their ways of working in real time.

At the centre of this shift is a growing demand for tools that are not just digital, but dynamic, tools that support both consistency and adaptability - smarter systems, clearer playbooks, and more human-centric designs that can empower teams to work more effectively, learn faster, and deliver with greater confidence in a fast-changing world, so let’s chat to someone who is leading the charge on this.

Pip Morpeth is the CEO of Method Grid and a leading voice in transforming how complex projects are delivered across infrastructure, construction, and professional services. With over 20 years of experience, he helps organisations embed clarity, consistency, and innovation into their ways of working through structured playbooks that integrate knowledge, process, and delivery.

Pip’s work combines deep expertise in human psychology, leadership, and change, focusing on what truly drives team performance and sustained transformation. He is a passionate advocate for helping clients move beyond AI as just a nice-to-have feature, supporting teams to scale AI in practical, human-centred ways.

What we cover in this live episode:

- From static procedures to dynamic, interactive playbooks.

- Change management and user adoption challenges when implementing digital tools.

- A 'lessons learned' process.

- Method Grid and AI

- It’s the 10-year anniversary of DCW. Where will Construction Technology be in a decade?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/ 

It hasn’t been that long since it was a buzzword we were told we should all be concerned about, as it would soon take our jobs, yet now Artificial Intelligence is no longer a future concept in the built environment, it’s an active force reshaping how buildings are designed, constructed, and maintained. As the AEC/O sector faces growing pressure to deliver faster, smarter and more sustainably, AI is becoming a key enabler of change, offering new possibilities in automation, insight, and decision-making. It’s time to discuss how, with someone who knows…how.

Charles Sheridan is the Chief AI and Data Officer and leads the global AI Innovation Hub for Nemetschek, driving the seamless integration of AI technologies across the company’s diverse portfolio of software as well as deploying the internal adoption of AI. 

Over more than 25 years, Charles has gained international industry experience focused on addressing critical technology challenges in the cyber-physical world. Before joining Nemetschek, he held key roles at large tech companies including Google, Intel and Huawei, where he spearheaded the development of next-generation cloud, AI, data, and IoT solutions.

What we cover in this live episode:

- Using Nemetschek’s AI Innovation Hub as an accelerator for digital transformation across the AEC/O industry.

- The integration of AI into the building lifecycle to enhance creativity, efficiency and user experience.

- Addressing ethical considerations and ensuring responsible AI deployment.

- AI Assistants' ability to reshape collaboration, decision-making and workflow management.

- It’s the 10-year anniversary of DCW. Where will Construction Technology be in a decade?

Show Links

Get Adobe Express for FREE: https://www.adobe.com/uk/express/

Website: https://www.builddifferent.marketing/

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/builddifferent

Digital Construction Links

Digital Construction Week 25 and 26: https://www.digitalconstructionweek.com/

Digital Construction North: https://www.digitalconstructionnorth.com/