In the first of a new series of short but insightful conversations with construction industry thought leaders, Steve Randall is joined by René Morkos of Alice Technologies.

Are you ready to explore the cutting edge of construction technology?  René shares his remarkable journey, from hands-on construction projects around the world to pioneering AI applications in the industry.

Learn how AI is not just changing, but revolutionising the way we plan, simulate, and execute construction projects.

Find out how René's work is paving the way for a more efficient and cost-effective future, and why this might just be the most exciting time in construction history.

Listen and build your knowledge on the AI revolution in construction!

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Building Conversations is a Retuned Media production for Constructive-Voices. © 2024 Retuned Media Ltd. 

Host: Jackie De Burca

Guest: Dr. Julian Bolleter, Co-Director of the Australian Urban Design Research Centre

Below are a few of his books and you can check out Dr. Julian Bolleter on Amazon.

Introduction:

Main Themes:

Research Highlights:

Books Discussed:

Environmental Concerns:

Innovative Proposals:

Cultural Perspectives:

Urban and Suburban Synergy:

Concerns and Advocacy:

Dr Julian Bolleter is the co-director of the Australian Urban Design Research Centre (AUDRC) at the University of Western Australia. His role at the AUDRC includes teaching a master’s program in urban design and conducting urban design related research and design projects.

Julian is an experienced landscape architect and urban designer and has worked in design offices in Australia, the USA, the UK and the Middle East. He has completed a PhD concerning Dubai’s urban development (which will be published by Routledge in 2018) and has commercially published 6 books.

Welcome to Constructive Voices. In Episode 1 of Season Three, we explore the urgent shift within the construction industry towards more sustainable practices, particularly in the face of the UK government’s net-zero targets. 

The construction industry is seeking environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional cement due to its significant carbon footprint, with the UK government setting net zero targets for the sector. A promising innovation in this field is Cemfree by DB Group, a binder made from waste material through alkali activation, offering an 85% reduction in carbon emissions compared to conventional cement. Jackie De Burca investigates Cemfree with Tony Sheridan.

Tony Sheridan is Group Commercial Manager at DB Group (DBG), the pioneering leaders behind Cemfree, an alternative to traditional cement that offers the construction industry unprecedented savings of up to 85% in carbon emissions.

Tony has over 20 years of construction industry experience and has spent the majority of that in management roles within the ready-mix concrete industry. He has remained dedicated to furthering his own knowledge of the industry as well as others, with a degree in civil engineering before completing a further MBA in 2010.

Tony remains committed to influencing the industry to work towards a more sustainable future, and through his leadership of the commercial function of all divisions at DBG, he is championing sustainable practices every day in the role.

This episode features Yaron Dycian, co-founder of WINT, who discusses the integration of AI in water management to combat water scarcity and climate change.

WINT employs AI algorithms to monitor water flow patterns in buildings, identifying anomalies that indicate leaks or damage, which can result in substantial water savings and reduced carbon footprints.

The system is designed to alert staff to these issues promptly, which is crucial given that about 25% of water in buildings is wasted, contributing to significant carbon emissions and financial losses, such as the $100,000 annual waste at the Empire State Building.

Dycian highlights that water damage is now the leading cause of insurance claims, surpassing fire damage, prompting initiatives like the UK’s Joint Code of Practice to enforce Water Leak Mitigation Systems.

WINT not only helps in achieving sustainability by reducing water waste and carbon emissions but also offers financial benefits by saving money for its customers. The technology, adaptable to various environments, including construction sites, uses AI to predict potential leaks, although it does not ensure a 100% success rate.

The podcast also discusses the cost-effectiveness of implementing WINT, with initial prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of pounds and ongoing fees in the tens per month per system. WINT has a presence in multiple countries and is effective in preventing leaks on construction sites, despite the inherent limitations of AI technologies, which can sometimes produce inaccurate results or “hallucinations.”

Overall, WINT is posited as an essential and increasingly standard component in building design, likened to elevators and sprinkler systems, for creating water-sustainable buildings. The adoption of WINT across various projects exemplifies its utility in real-world applications, and the conversation underscores the potential of AI in revolutionising water management in the construction and building management industries.

Mr. Dycian has over 30 years’ of experience in building innovative products that disrupted various markets in companies ranging from early stage startups to Fortune 50 corporations.

Before joining WINT Yaron ran IBM’s cyber-theft defense portfolio following its successful acquisition of Trusteer, one of the first anti-malware companies.

Yaron also held executive positions at RSA Security where he ran the software authentication and credit card fraud prevention portfolios; at Consumer Physics, inventor of the world’s first micro spectrometer broadly used for digital agriculture applications; Lannet, inventor of the Ethernet Switch; Wavion, creator of the world’s first MIMO-based Wi-Fi access point, and Mercado Software, an e-commerce startup.

Before that, Mr Dycian served in the Israeli air force working on cutting edge military R&D applications.

Mr. Dycian is a graduate of the IDF’s elite Talpiot program and holds a BsC in Math and Physics from the Hebrew university, a Masters in Electro-optical engineering from Tel Aviv University, and an MBA from Tel Aviv university’s Recanati Executive MBA program.

Yaron is an avid road and mountain cyclist. He also loves skiing and hiking, especially in remote locations such as the Himalayas.

“I never really saw engineering as the career for me and it wasn’t really pushed. When I was studying subjects like art, science, maths, those subjects were always my passion from school all the way up to college. But I was always looking at different career pathways like medicine, going into maths, or even going into marketing and media. And it wasn’t until I did lots of different work experience placements, that I realized that engineering really was the career for me.”

This intriguing quote above is from this episode’s guest, Melissa Ahmed, who is talking to Emma Nicholson as part of the series Focus on Female Engineers. Melissa Ahmed is the Managing Director at Techwuman Ltd.

“Our company’s mission is to empower women in engineering to improve gender parity in the industry. So having such a passionate engineer and myself looking around and understanding that there are a lack of females in the engineering industry, but also other STEM based careers as well.

This is a way to be able to promote STEM, but also to work on the engineering projects and continue to continue the career I love”

Melissa is a design engineer, entrepreneur and ambassador. She is passionate about being a role model, not just for engineers, but for young entrepreneurs, females from ethnic minorities and the next generation; showing that engineering can be a viable career choice for all.

At the age of 27, Melissa has achieved Chartered engineer status (IMechE), is a certified SolidWorks professional member, a SolidWorks Champion programme, a STEM & female role model, an advocate for women in engineering and is a successful entrepreneur, running her own engineering consultancy, Techwuman Ltd.

Emma is an award-winning Chartered Construction Manager and Chartered Environmentalist and has been a previous Board Trustee with the Women’s Engineering Society.

She is a Principal Sustainability Project Manager with a multi-disciplinary national UK consultancy with 25 years built environment industry experience.

She is also Chair of the EDI Specialist Interest Group for the Women’s Engineering Society and is an EDI Advisory Group member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Emma founded the international LinkedIn Group, Women in Sustainable Construction and Property and has been Chair of the UNA-UK Harrogate Group since 2022.

“I grew up seeing my Dad as my role model. And he is a civil engineer. So I saw him working with interesting tools and software. I remember he had this huge table with massive white papers. It had scribbles of buildings all over it, and a ruler that was taller than me.

He also had sketches on his computer. He had lots and lots of books. And all of this really fascinated me. I would even do pretend play when he was not looking.”

The wonderful quote above is from this episode’s guest, Dr. Zenan Ahmed, who is talking to Emma Nicholson as part of the series Focus on Female Engineers. Dr. Zenan Ahmed is currently a Senior Energy and Sustainability Engineer at WSP in the United Kingdom. But in her biography below you can read about more of her endeavours.

“Starting early during the formative years. I think that it’s really important how each of us are brought up in our household and how the gender bias rules are passed on from one generation to another. I think it’s really important that we eradicate that preconceived notion from a very early age.

And it’s not really about forcing people to be an engineer when they do not want to be an engineer. It’s more about exposure and validation and telling them look, this is also for you.”

Dr. Zenan Ahmed is an experienced Senior Energy and Sustainability Engineer currently employed at WSP in the United Kingdom. Alongside her primary role at WSP, Zenan also volunteers with the European Youth Energy Network, contributing as an Energy Policy Reviewer within the Youth Energy Consumer task force.

Additionally, she shares her datascience knowledge by teaching at Le Wagon, a global coding bootcamp. Zenan’s professional interests revolve around the intersection of energy, sustainability, and data. She has previously held roles at Swansea University as a researcher and worked as an Energy Pricing, Forecasting, and Trading Analyst at an energy company in the UK.

Zenan originally hails from Bangladesh, where she completed her undergraduate studies in Electrical and Communication Engineering at BRAC University. She later pursued further education in the United Kingdom, obtaining both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Renewable Energy Systems from the University of Nottingham.

Dr. Zenan Ahmed’s diverse experiences and educational achievements have established her as a respected professional in the field of energy and sustainability, both in the UK and internationally.

Emma is an award-winning Chartered Construction Manager and Chartered Environmentalist and has been a previous Board Trustee with the Women’s Engineering Society.

She is a Principal Sustainability Project Manager with a multi-disciplinary national UK consultancy with 25 years built environment industry experience.

She is also Chair of the EDI Specialist Interest Group for the Women’s Engineering Society and is an EDI Advisory Group member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Emma founded the international LinkedIn Group, Women in Sustainable Construction and Property and has been Chair of the UNA-UK Harrogate Group since 2022.

Jackie De Burca talks to Bill Hill, chief executive of the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity. The charity has been in existence since 1956 and has evolved immensely over the decades.

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity and its extensive network are doing phenomenal work through a variety of channels and initiatives. This episode investigates their work and how it has resulted in 125 active rescues to date. Active rescues refer to people who were considering suicide and through the charity’s support did not take that route, after all.

Bill speaks in depth about #MakeItVisible which is a support tool and portal created by the charity with their partners.

#MakeItVisible is a free workforce wellbeing and welfare portal for all in construction

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has partnered with CITB and Samaritans to create a wellbeing support tool as part of the industry-wide initiative called Make It Visible.

The Make It Visible campaign and portal aim to make welfare and wellbeing support visible on every construction site, helping to reduce the stigma around the subject and increase awareness of the support pathways available. Having secured over £400,000 in funding from CITB, the #MakeItVisible portal was created earlier this year to support the initiative.

The portal provides a wide range of resources, covering themes of emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing. It aims to help individuals recognise when they’re struggling and how to cope with the challenges they’re facing. For each area, there is an extensive list of organisations that can provide further in-depth advice and support.

Research shows that stress, depression, or anxiety account for 27% of all work-related illnesses in construction. Tragically, the charity also reveals that two construction workers in the UK take their own lives each day. The charity’s mission is to ensure that no construction worker or their family feels alone in a crisis and that they get the support they need before it’s too late.

The Make It Visible campaign also has a taskforce of people who are dedicated to visiting construction companies, builders’ merchants, hire centres, and sites across the UK and Ireland to get the conversation started and raise awareness of the free resources. The team has spoken to almost 30,000 people and visited almost 500 sites since the on site tours started in February last year.

The portal is currently encouraging visitors to take part in the world’s biggest mental health check-in, One Million Lives. This free tool has been developed by mental health professionals to help users assess their current state of mind and better understand the complexities of mental health. One Million Lives aims to create a global ripple effect by encouraging users to share the tool with friends and family.

Bill Hill, Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity CEO, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support from our industry to take on the challenge of improving workforce welfare and wellbeing as a unified force. This new portal curates all the amazing free services from various charities in the UK and Ireland and simplifies access for anyone seeking emotional, physical or financial help. The CITB has been instrumental in making this happen. There is much more to do but this is a great step forward.”

Tim Balcon, CITB Chief Executive, said: “We know that there is a huge mental health crisis in the construction industry, and we must do more to support workers and their families. The statistics presented by the Lighthouse Charity’s research are truly devastating, and with World Mental Health Day upon us, I urge anyone who is struggling right now to reach out to the charity’s helpline.

“CITB has been making improvements to ensure employees get the wellbeing support they need, and I feel very passionately about carrying this through to industry. The work we are doing with the Lighthouse Charity will help drive long term culture change and promote fairness, inclusion, and respect across workforces.

“There is a great selection of resources online, and I hope that this will make support more accessible to the wider industry. When all workers can access support, without fear of stigma, lives will be saved and attracting new entrants will be easier.”

Bill gained over 20 years’ experience holding senior positions in blue-chip giants Hewlett-Packard and Sage PLC. He has a passion for customer service and has a wealth of experience across the major business disciplines of marketing, sales, operations, and finance. Bill trained as an accountant and holds diplomas from INSEAD, Cranfield University, as well as CIMA qualifications. Most recently, Bill qualified as a Mental Health First Aid instructor.

He joined the Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity in 2013 and since then has played a major role in significantly growing the profile and significance of its charitable work within the construction community.

The charity now operates a 24/7 Industry Helpline, it has also developed a construction-focused Health and wellbeing APP and plays a central role in “Make It Visible”, the construction industry’s major new initiative to improve workforce Welfare and Wellbeing.

“There is a big difference between doing things right and doing right things. Developing a strategy to improve workforce welfare and wellbeing in our industry is the right thing to do! If you look after your people … your people will look after your business.”

Emma Nicholson speaks to Helen Ramsay whose enthusiasm and drive is bound to inspire you.

Helen, who seems to have boundless energy, has worked in steel, water consultancy and medical device manufacturing, during her engineering career.

“We need to be able to change the way we work and live, to be able to manage and also to reduce our impact on the environment. So I absolutely think it’s key. We can’t solve the problems that we face as a society without including half the population.”

Emma Nicholson speaks to Helen Ramsay whose enthusiasm and drive is bound to inspire you.

Helen, who seems to have boundless energy, has worked in steel, water consultancy and medical device manufacturing, during her engineering career.

“I believe that engineers are great problem solvers, are very genuine people, and they’re fun to work with. It’s a fantastic career and I’d recommend it to anyone.”

Helen is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow member of Institution of Chemical Engineers and Fellow member of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) with over 20 years’ experience of working in Industry. She is currently Non-Executive Director of World Transport Agency Group, a family run international logistics company, and during her engineering career, she has worked in steel, water consultancy and medical device manufacturing.

At the start of her career, Helen was an environmental engineer at British Steel putting in environmental management systems to the international standard of ISO 14001; Helen believes engineers are key in addressing the global challenges of the Climate and Biodiversity crisis.

In her previous role as Engineering Manager at Abbott Diabetes Care, Helen has run a department of over a hundred multi-discipline engineers designing, developing, testing and maintaining hardware and software for blood glucose sensor manufacturing.

She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Cranfield University and is currently Lead Governor for the South Central Ambulance Service. She is a Trustee for The Engineers Trust (Charitable Trust Fund of the Worshipful Company of Engineers) where she is focused on building on the diversity and inclusion reach of the organisation.

Helen is passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. She currently sits on the Women’s Engineering Society Equality, Diversity and Inclusion specialist sub-group. She founded the Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) chapter at her workplace in 2017.

In her previous role, she partnered with StemReturners and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers and tripled gender diversity in project engineering.

She is a WES judge for UK Karen Burt Award celebrating the achievements of recently chartered female engineers. She mentors many individuals including a Chief Executive of a Charity and multiple women in STEM specialising in supporting those overcoming the challenges common to minority groups in early stages of their professional careers.

For over 20 years, Helen has attended schools to encourage STEM careers and her highlight was delivering a motivational speech to 30 Oxfordshire Engineering Apprentices to celebrate 100 years of UK Women in Engineering.

Emma is an award-winning Chartered Construction Manager and Chartered Environmentalist and has been a previous Board Trustee with the Women’s Engineering Society.

She is a Principal Sustainability Project Manager with a multi-disciplinary national UK consultancy with 25 years built environment industry experience.

She is also Chair of the EDI Specialist Interest Group for the Women’s Engineering Society and is an EDI Advisory Group member of the Chartered Institute of Building.

Emma founded the international LinkedIn Group, Women in Sustainable Construction and Property and has been Chair of the UNA-UK Harrogate Group since 2022.

“I never dreamed that I will get to the point where I am.”

Emma Nicholson speaks to the very insightful Magda Sartin about many aspects of her work in engineering and the path that led to it.

From being a ballerina to now being a Mum who balances her successful career in engineering, Magda’s story will resonate with many of you. She touches on how motherhood has helped aspects of her work and also delves into Imposter Syndrome.

“I’ve never dreamed I will be working for international companies travelling around the world, living in different countries. So I would definitely recommend to give it a try.”

Magdalena Sartin is the Global Reliability Excellence and Engineering Senior Director for Cargill in food industry. She is originally from Poland where she graduated in Master of Science in Civil & Structural Engineering from Gdansk University of Technology.

Prior to Cargill, Magda has spent over 17 years working for various industries in the UK and in the USA including: residential, commercial, industrial and Oil and Gas onshore and offshore in both owner’s organizations as well as engineering service providers.

She is a chartered member of the Institutions of Civil Engineers in the UK and a member of the AISC (USA). I’m also chairing the PIP (Process Industry Practices) Globalization Community in the USA.

Magda is very passionate about STEM and promoting it from very early ages. As growing up she did not know what she wanted to be and there were no outreach programmes for her to learn what opportunities there may have been. She loves being involved in school projects, experiments to teach kids about science through fun and play.

Throughout her career, she has had to overcome many barriers and obstacles as a foreign female engineer however, she has encountered some amazing mentors (males and females) who helped her navigate and supported me through challenging times.

Now Magda would like to share her journey and inspire younger generations of talented females to choose engineering as their career path as it has been very rewarding for her. It has allowed her to travel the world, live and work in other countries across the globe and to meet inspirational people.

Magdalena has always has been an ambassador for Equity Diversity & Inclusion, and has served on various panels to raise awareness of this issue. She is very excited, and thoroughly looking forward to making a difference through WES.

This episode features a really interesting conversation between two construction industry experts. Irish builder and TV star, Peter Finn, talks to David Hernandez, Managing Director of Elecosoft LLC. 

Although David is based in America, he also talks to Pete The Builder about how the industry is doing there right now, Elecosoft’s history can actually be traced back to 1895 in Essex, England.

..”So you have performance and predictive analytics. To me that is the piece that I think could be really transformative for the industry.”

David Hernandez is the Head of US/Managing Director for Elecosoft, LLC, a provider of Innovative Planning and Scheduling solutions for the construction industry.

For over 15 years, David has been involved in virtually all aspects of the commercial construction industry. From Business Development to running his own business, he brings diversified experience to his role at Elecosoft.

Previously, he was head of sales at eMOD by BuildSafely LLC, where he helped construction companies digitalize their safety processes, safety plans and inspections, ensuring that crews would come home safely at the end of their shift. He began his construction technology career at Trimble Viewpoint, shortly after leaving his partnership in a commercial construction company in Houston, TX.

David understands the pain created by tremendous company growth without proper processes and poor technology in place. Removing that pain is what drives him today, and that is what ultimately brought him to Elecosoft. Based in Austin, Texas, the company provides solutions that are built by construction for construction that revolutionize the way projects are planned, tracked, and delivered.

In the world of project management, efficiency, accuracy, and collaboration are paramount to success. At Elecosoft, David is instrumental in delivering one of the premier technology tools to the construction industry. In doing so, he is helping customer companies to achieve these goals.