ED2552: How Technology, Innovation, and Generation Y Will Shape the Future of the Workplace
Rebecca De Cicco, David Miller Architects
Neil Thompson, Balfour Beatty
With
Rachael Park, Mace
Alison Watson, Class of your Own
Class Description
This panel session focuses on the key issues that relate to technological advances in the construction industry and
how these changes will influence the future of the industry and our workplace behavior and processes. The panel
session draws upon the work undertaken by the CIC (Construction Industry Council) BIM 2050 team in the UK
which was established as a group of young professionals late in 2012 by the government BIM Task Group. The
team consists of a group of young dynamic individuals who come from a cross section of the construction industry.
We consist of Contractors and Architects through to clients and construction lawyers. Our team is passionate
about technology, future gazing, and collaborative processes and ultimately will take on the baton of the current
government leading advisors as we move forward. We embed our research in areas that allow us to understand
the technical, psychological, and physical impacts of virtual process and a digitally focused construction industry
which in turn allow us to extrapolate on how we see the industry changing as we move toward 2025. The team is
unique as it is a government driven scheme and the key to the success of the group is its involvement with key
political figures in the UK and thought leaders throughout the UK, US and Australia who are teaming up with them
to influence change.
The session will also report on the outcome of a Symposium held in London late in November which drew in
leading figures both in construction related fields and in other professions. The aim of the symposium was to begin
to generate discussion surrounding our key work streams. The day also involved interviews to help to create a
series of discussions and debates surrounding these themes.
ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
Learning Objectives
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The UK government adoption of BIM and its associated drivers to promote efficiency and create a digital
built Britain.
Understand Generation Y workplace behavior and our adoption of new processes and techniques as
technology rapidly evolves.
Current UK education position relating to BIM and the drivers and potential future processes that will
ultimately begin to drive this change. New roles and multi-disciplinary knowledge sharing.
Technology, data mining and cloud based applications. How these will advance and ultimately drive how
we work and live in our cities.
About the Speakers
Rebecca De Cicco
Digital design and technology first became a passion for Rebecca as an undergraduate. Since graduating as an
architect in Australia in 2002, innovation has been the platform for her career, learning through practical
experience how new technology can promote excellence throughout the whole building lifecycle. This underpins
her role at DMA as Innovation leader where she works with the team and partners to trial and apply new
techniques to ensure that the practice remains at the leading edge of technology developing the most intelligent
solutions for clients.
Rebecca also supports the Government’s BIM Task Group and as Steering Group Lead for the CIC’s (Construction
Industry Council) BIM2050 group. She manages the team to ensure the work stream incentives are achieved and
ensures the presence of the team is felt throughout the industry by retaining close attention to industry thought
leadership and approach. Her passion ultimately lies in Education and ensuring the construction industry in the UK
and ultimately across other sectors and industries in the world target changes in technology and lifelong learning.
Neil Thompson
Neil Thompson is Innovation Lead and Principal BIM Integrator at Balfour Beatty, Vice Chair & Co-founder of the
CIC BIM2050 group and MSc Construction Economics & Management student at University College London.
His focus is on how the industry can accelerate its rate of production and process innovation. The framework
created by the BIM2050 group splits this focus in to three integrated parts; Process & Technology, Education &
Skills and Culture of Integration, this is how BIM2050 propose to approach the problem of slow innovation in the
construction sector. The group is supported by the BIM Task Group, CIC and BIS. Neil’s innovation role spans across
Balfour Beatty as part of the business efficiency team. He is looking at how Balfour Beatty can operate optimally
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
as an international infrastructure investment and delivery business, and how it can integrate its diverse delivery
units to deliver better outcomes for its clients.
Rachael Park
Rachael Park is a Cost Consultant at Mace Group, a leading international consultancy and construction firm based
in London, and is driving BIM implementation throughout the Mace Cost Consultancy business. She is a passionate
advocate of how digital technologies and BIM can be used to encourage and facilitate collaboration within the
Built Environment; a passion she discovered whilst completing her bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying.
Rachael leads the Education & Skills work stream of the UK’s Construction Industry Councils BIM 2050 Group and
is a regular speaker at industry events in the UK focusing on digital education in the built environment. Working
with the BIM2050 group allows her to encourage the UK education system to adapt to the needs of the
construction industry and produce graduates with the skills required to meet the Built Environment’s current and
future needs.
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
Foreword
Our construction landscape is reshaping rapidly, driven by a need for better efficiencies, more altruistic carbon
solutions and optimised outcomes for both new and existing assets. In parallel we are witnessing a digital
revolution in our built environment where information technology fused with integrated working offers us new
solutions in uncertain times. Correspondingly, we are also being influenced by global mega-trends; transformation
and change is the pervasive reality of the modern day.
So what do we do? We either try to predict the future (notoriously difficult) or we start to look at what steppingstones we need to create a better tomorrow. BIM2050 are a key part of determining what we need to do now to
fashion a built environment fit for the 21st Century. As we move out of the second decade of the 21st century and
indeed move from level 2 to level 3 BIM the work of the BIM2050 group will be essential to the countries key
decision makers so they can prepare now for a future-proofed digital construction economy.
David Philp, Head of BIM Implementation (BIM Task Group) and
BIM2050 Chair
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
1.0 BIM2050 Context
The terms of reference for the team are as follows:
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To improve image and efficiency of the construction industry.
Promote shared knowledge and be an active forum for likeminded industry professionals to collaborate.
Develop and review strategic scenarios for the future of the construction industry
Offer unique perspectives and critical thought leadership to challenge the construction industry.
Disseminate information to help positively shape the future of the construction industry.
To take a wide view of the industry and research what an interdisciplinary scope of work may look like as
technology develops.
With these terms of reference in mind the group have been focusing on the three below work streams, each
stream has a dedicated leader to drive the approach and understand how the industry currently stands in
reference to those points and then move forward in proposing research based solutions to positively influence.
• Education & Skills
• Culture of Integration
• Technology & Process
Our team reiterates that education underpins most of our work, with technology and processes acting as enablers
but tied together by commonality in beliefs and a culture for integration. Each stream ultimately affects the other
so it is a priority of the team that we engage with each work stream and constantly interact and feedback findings
holistically.
The capturing of the best young talent into the construction industry is a perennial challenge, and one, which in
the ever-globalised economy, remains significant.
BIM2050 have identified a number of short, medium and long term objectives, centered around three core work
steams; skills and education, technology and process and culture of integration. Exporting skills remains a key
objective of HM Government in the UK and an integral part of the Government construction strategy published in
May 2011. These skills must be nurtured once initiated within education, most importantly at the formative years
of a future construction leader. We have therefore come together with key figures in education across the industry
to enforce this and the Design/Engineer/Construct Program via Class of your Own initiative are now major
stakeholders in this cause.
BIM2050 has suggested measures to push the boundaries of BIM adoption and digital information modeling and
procurement methods that challenge current conditions. It is with these processes we see an opportunity to move
ahead and draw in strength from thought leaders and our current research.
Each work stream has identified key objectives, which holistically, will contribute to providing a response to the
Government challenges as well as a benchmark for 2016 and beyond. Initial research has contributed to some
outline recommendations, contained in the handout. These recommendations focus on the work steams, whilst
ensuring that the objective of ensuring a changed approach to current industry methods is achieved.
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2.0 Introduction
During the last 12 months the BIM2050 team has been engaging with key members of the UK BIM Task Group and
BIM in order to clearly understand the BIM implementation roadmap within the UK. The UK is currently driven by a
2016 mandate on all publicly procured projects being delivered in a BIM environment. This has caused some
turmoil and fast action when it comes to an up-skilling and creation of technical ability to be able to do this. The
problem is the construction industry was stifled by an antiquated and old fashioned workflow which is engrained in
historical context.
Big data is rapidly transforming the world. The construction industry is in the throes of recession and the BIM task
group has set the foundations of tackling the austerity measures by producing the Level 2 BIM strategic
framework. As the benefits of working in the level 2 environment are realised, level 3 BIM must have growth at the
heart of its purpose. The definition of level 2 stems from the BIM task groups creation of a measurement system
that defines where we need to be and what the minimum deliverables are (Refer to Figure 1). The industry has also
been bombarded by a series of UK specific standards that will drive this approach to ensure there is a common
platform for these processes. The next level of BIM development (Level 3 & beyond) will need to tackle how
automated data streaming is handled and transacted upon. With live real time data available to the automated
markets, assets could potentially influence the futures markets. This will not only be affected by advancements in
cognitive computing, Artificial intelligence and affective computing, but will also be coupled with security issues,
accessible data and Intellectual Property of managing technical assets.
As the construction process is liberated by level 3, digital connectivity and collaborative working it will shape role
requirements throughout the industry. Engaging with industry experts and researching particular areas, we have
found key trends in smart building materials, data security, and adaptive design.
It is clear that to evolve into an industry, which is fit for purpose, the construction sector faces many challenges.
These challenges present themselves in skills gaps, short-term relationships that stifle value and innovation and a
poor image and low appeal, as a career choice, for young people. A recent study by Construction Industry Training
Board in the United Kingdom Construction Skills (cited in BIS 2013) identified that the overall appeal of the
construction industry as a career option for young people is low, scoring an average of 4.2 out of 10 among 14 to
19 year olds.
To address these challenges the industry must be proactive in its endeavor to improve. The year 2050 may appear
to be some way off but, in an industry historically slow to adapt, it is imperative to initiate change now. The
industry should strive to create a ‘Construction Brand Britain’, in no small part to protect the interests of UK plc in
the face of overseas competition. We are currently in a perfect storm, driven by Government mandates.
Additionally, the UK has a strong reputation for innovation, and in particular, the research and development of
BIM related technologies (BIS 2013).
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
Figure 1: Bew-Richards Wedge
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
3.0 Industry Context
Construction is one of the largest sectors of the UK economy. It contributes almost £90 billion to the UK economy
(or 6.7%) in value added, comprises over 280,000 businesses covering some 2.93 million jobs, which is equivalent
to about 10% of total UK employment (BIS 2013). Around half (49%) of the construction industry workforce engage
in manual occupations.
Key features of the current industry, which are worth emphasising currently, guide our thinking. Repair and
maintenance of existing assets is on rise. This includes refurbishment of existing spaces. Space allocated for shortterm use is increasingly being demanded by clients with population rises increasing demand for demountable
buildings. Clients are prioritising the use of dormant space and the industry will need to respond to this need to
reuse derelict space.
Manual ‘blue collar’ workers constitute the majority of employment in the industry. The proportion of technology
savvy work in those trades is comparatively low. The reality of the industry is that further down the supply chain
advanced use of technology is less apparent. We must endeavor to ensure that the supply chain is not neglected
when it comes to equipping workers for future processes in our progression in BIM and technological
advancements.
Whilst females make up 40 per cent of the BIM2050 team, the industry currently has a large exit rate of women
pursuing long-term careers in the construction workplace. We believe that the industry should be seen as gender
neutral, especially in light of changing roles and the evolution from ‘blue collar’ to ‘white collar’ functions. Whilst
this issue has not been a matter of urgency, our research makes clear that this issue requires attention.
The UK industry is affected, often adversely, by globalisation but technology has enabled the UK to connect to the
rest of the world at a fast pace. Global data trends need to be analysed to start to realise the real potential of a
fully connected world and what it means for the UK construction industry.
Government has identified that the UK has a genuine opportunity to export its expertise, worldwide, especially in
the context of BIM. The BIM2050 team has an appetite to commence planning on how the industry can
commence this export, globally. This will form the basis of research drivers and allow us to contribute in setting up
the UK industry as a clear global leader in this sector.
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
4.0 Beyond 2025
To predict life in 2025 is difficult but there are certain hypotheses that we can propose as we move forward. The
world population will increase as birth rates increase and we will have to deal with limited space and occupation of
cities. Human beings are living longer as improvements in healthcare and lifestyle accelerate and the developing
world continues to advance. Our collective environmental impact and energy consumption will continue to figure
as priorities.
Growth will depend on innovative solutions, not least in the delivery of world-class infrastructure. Effective use of
digital technologies will be central to the industry's ability to respond to and shape these challenges.
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
5.0 What digital processes will be in place?
The next level of technically digitally driven development will need to tackle how automated data streaming is
handled and transacted upon. With live real time data available to the automated markets, assets could potentially
influence the futures markets. This will not only be affected by advancements in cognitive computing, Artificial
intelligence (AI) and affective computing, but will also be coupled with security issues, accessible data and
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of managing technical assets.
Intelligent Building (or Business) Management Systems (BMS) need to be integrated with central databases to
record real time data regarding demand and use of energy, and their relationship to human behaviours and
building use and function. These will also need to feed into the BMS to ensure that the environment that
organisations are inhabiting is optimal to the desired business outcomes. This will not only be affected by the
overall management of the facility, rather by manufacturers real time access to this data in order to monitor how
the individual components can remain connected to development and future design capability of these items.
Super computers will be a prerequisite to read and transact on this data.
Buildings may need to be created on shorter life-cycles to ensure optimisation of resources and an agile built
landscape that can react and adapt to environmental changes more quickly and sustainable.
Intelligent data driven design, currently known as BIM, is the vehicle to realistically enable collation and
organisation of this data from design inception through to an assets end of life, and connect the data from asset
portfolios and estates.
Intelligent scanning systems will be important to drive a collation of data from a built asset and be linked to
building management systems, this will bring a significant risk to the cyber security of both private and public
sector assets that will be inevitably part of the fully connected world. The use of cloud based solutions and
collaborative digital methods will continue to evolve leading from 2016-2025.
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
6.0 Our Work Streams and the Generation Y Culture
Education & Skills
The UK construction industry is one of the largest in the world. In 2011 the Gross Value Added of the construction
industry in the UK was £89.5 billion, 6.7% of total GVA and it is rapidly evolving as time passes. The BIM2050 team
are excited to be part of this journey of change.
Maintaining and enhancing the industry's position in the UK and the global context begins with education and
skills. Research shows that 970,000 (49%) of the UK construction workforce consist of ‘manual’ (blue collar) trades,
with the remaining workforce being service driven (white collar) professionals. It is predicted that with the
development of big data and lean construction methods that the construction industry will automate many of its
existing functions, and shift towards a more service and information driven workforce; this is also supported
through developments in the current economic structure both in the UK and globally. The shift towards a more
service and information driven UK construction industry, raises two immediate questions:
1. What happens to the existing 970,000 individuals within the manual workforce?
2. How do we re-educate/up skill existing professionals and educate the future generations of construction
professionals?
The BIM2050 team ensure that whilst we are promoting a digitally enabled industry we consider the consequences
to the section of the industry that is not technologically enabled. For example, should only 15% of the current
manual workforce fail to up-skill or adapt to a digitally enabled industry a potential 145,500 skilled workers will be
affected. Potentially lost to the industry, this will increase skills gaps and clearly increases the unemployment
count within he UK economy.
Education of the existing workforce needs to be carefully planned to ensure the existing workforce collaborate and
share their skills, knowledge and experience in order to enrich the future digital construction industry.this is quite
the challenge as this goes against their generational behaviour and workplace mentality. The existing workforce,
both manual and service driven, must become familiar with new technologies and collaborative ways of learning
and working in order to support and create the foundation and infrastructure of a digital enabled construction
industry to ensure new and future construction professionals are able to thrive in the UK construction industry.
The question here is will this realistically be able to occur considering the generational shifts in understanding?
The education of new and future construction professionals relies heavily on the promotion of collaboration and
integration throughout their education. This is initiated in early education and continues through to higher and
further education. It is essential that the BIM2050 team acknowledges and encourage reformed education, one
that drives an approach that encourages this fusion of innovation, experience and engagement in education from
2025 – 2050. We understand that not only are these ideas promoted by a generation of those willing to accept and
diversify but also those willing to move forward in new and more efficient ways do working.
Research indicates that there are varying levels of BIM engagement within UK universities and higher education
institutions, and any BIM engagement within undergraduate level, is fragmented and lacking coherence, both in
the teaching of students and the training of education providers. This needs to drastically changed in the run up to
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and post 2016, particularly if the UK wishes to remain as a global leader of BIM implementation and be in a
position to export its BIM expertise worldwide.
Our focus remains firm on ensuring that we are enabled with the required skills leading to 2025 to actively produce
and be integral to BIM development in the UK and abroad. There is still inherent fragmentation regarding drawing
upon key figures for leadership and as a team, we require support, in order to influence this change.
The education and skills work stream have outlined that they require support in the following areas in order to
enable it to help develop an integrated approach to training and skill requirements leading to 2050:
1. Academic interaction and encouragement on the integration of BIM focused modules in all Built Environment
focused degrees, this requires support from key figures in academia as well as those involved in the varying
institutions we represent. The BIM Academic forum is engaging with us to integrate this change. The team
consists of a group of Senior University lecturers from across the UK.
2. Engagement with primary and secondary education to integrate collaborative projects in formative education,
and acknowledgement that the collaborative process must be embedded very early in order to achieve a
psychological underpinning to modern work place methods. The COYO scheme is engaging with us to ensure
these areas are addressed and approached in a collective way for schools in the UK.
3. Encourage cross-collaborative apprenticeship schemes in the UK.
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ED2552 - How Technology, Innovation and Generation Y will shape the future of the workplace.
Culture of Integration
A culture of integration is fundamentally reliant on the acceptance that most, if not all, construction professionals
are interdependent. Fragmentation, exploitation and egocentric behaviors are a detriment to a culture of
integration. Currently there are barriers that severely undermine the possibility of a completely connected
industry. BIM2050 aims to encourage beliefs and behaviors, eliminating these barriers, creating integrated teams
and altruistic behaviors, which place emphasis on shared goals, objectives and rewards.
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An integrated industry is one in which the knowledge economy flourishes.
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An integrated industry is one in which creativity is encouraged.
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An integrated industry is one in which everything is challenged, testing ideas, pushing boundaries and
facilitating innovation.
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An integrated industry is one in which projects are the focus of one's motives, with shared risks, shared
rewards and long term sustainable relationships.
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An integrated industry is one which BIM2050 visions.
The BIM2050 team create initiatives whereby people can successfully step outside their regular frameworks and
identify new ways of thinking (and working) that drive positive behavior whilst holding an organisation’s limitations
in place. In doing so, people are empowered and gain the freedom to act in new ways, and forge a new culture
based on common goals and values.
In our view, the following will need to be addressed to foster a culture of integration.
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Knowledge Management - The integration of stakeholders allows ideas and experience sharing, creating
knowledge. This knowledge, when shared via a connected industry, improves decision making and increases
common understanding of the industry for the benefit of all. How this knowledge is successfully created,
harnessed and disseminated must be determined.
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Better procurement is a prerequisite for the integration of stakeholders. Current procurement routes are
geared to reward the appointment of stakeholders at the ‘last responsible moment’. This stifles collaboration.
We are currently researching alternative procurement practices, which encourage early appointments, whilst
ensuring best value is maintained.
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Contracts in construction are antiquated and a mechanism for ‘dumping’ risks. Integrated teams share risks,
and the rewards that are generated.
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A fully connected industry is one which understands the value of technology as a means of communication.
Organisations in the ‘knowledge economy’ such as Google and Facebook became a success by sharing data and
information, more freely and within an open platform. In addition we understand and promote the use of
social networking/media for business to share knowledge and increase the organisational learning capacities
of construction businesses.
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▪
FM Integration is the key to unlocking the benefits of BIM. The expertise of FM professionals is invaluable in
the design, and to a degree, the construction phase of an asset. Our team are actively investigating best
practice of circumstances where the operational expense of an asset was considered over and beyond the
much less significant capital expense.
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Integrated Project Delivery offers a solution, which allows a culture of integration to flourish. IPD makes uses
of technology to connect stakeholders, to collaborate and to facilitate lean manufacturing processes.
Stakeholders are integrated via multi-party contracts, creating common goals and objectives.
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Cloud Based solutions and remote workplaces are becoming increasingly common within construction. It has
been suggested that co-located teams perform better and this is certainly apparent in IPD projects. Cloud
based solutions and remote workspaces can allow virtual colocation, taking the benefits of mega projects with
high preliminaries onto everyday construction projects.
Technology & Process
The following technological developments will begin to affect and influence the construction industry, as we know
it:
1. Volume
2. Velocity
3. Veracity
4. Variety
Known as the V4a of data, this will contribute to a shift to consumer driven, micro targeted voters, a move to
smart smartphones, the shift of value proposition to the consumer and real time sensory data linked to rapid
transacting banks, to enable decisions to be made on real-time data not on historic rules of thumb.
Data, in real time and in high density, and in a fully connected world, can bring lucrative opportunities to the UK
construction industry. This is most commonly known as 'big data'. Looking outside our industry, Google has
recently acquired Waze for £1.3bn. This app enables real time update of maps. Although this is a low density
application of real time data, it shows the value proposition of producing real time datasets and mechanisms. We
want to contribute to setting the foundations to achieve similar innovations to enable clients ultimately to achieve
greater value for money from their built assets, for not only the UK but globally.
A ‘consumer driven’ market has emerged that uses data services to micro target specific needs facilitated by the
shift to mobile intelligence driven by data and a resultant shift of value proposition to the consumer. Real time
sensory data is the future and world class industries are already using it (e.g. banks and web services who have
historically used real time data and not historic rules of thumb).
'The December 2011 Carbon Plan’ was clear that, if we are to cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050,
“energy efficiency will have to increase dramatically across all sectors”. Coupling this against the $57 trillion global
budget for infrastructure by 2030 there is an opportunity for the UK construction industry to innovate solutions to
known inefficiencies and aid in the global effort to use resources as efficiently as possible.
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Currently the most in demand careers globally are data scientists, knowledge managers, business intelligence and
mobile applications developers. These jobs can cross many industries as they share the common need to work with
data that has geographic context – finance, healthcare, transport etc. This means that export focus from BIM as a
technology and process must be on developing external links with industry regarding knowledge management and
GIS systems.
We want to help set the foundation to achieve this technology platform for built assets. We will then have real
time data and trends from assets globally that link to energy demands, consumption and root cause, with buildings
that talk to us and tell us what they need and what we are doing wrong.
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References
[1] McKinsey Global Institute, 2013. Infrastructure productivity: How to save $1 trillion a year.
[2] United Nations, 2012. World Economic Situation and Prospects, Gloabal : United Nations.
[3] Weigend, A., 2012. 8 Rules of Big Data. s.l., Social Data Lab.
[4] UK Energy In Brief 2011, Department of Energy & Climate Change, ONS.
[5] Energy Trends 2011, Department of Energy & Climate Change, ONS.
[6] UK Future Energy Scenarios 2011, National Grid.
[7] Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2012, Department of Energy & Climate Change.
[8] UK Future Energy Scenarios 2012, National Grid.
[9] 2050 Pathway Analysis 2010, HM Government.
[10] Trajectories for Waste 2010, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
[11] Website: IBM Reasearch Blog http://ibmresearchnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/learningfrom-sand-castles-tobuild.html
[12] Population Trends 2011, ONS
[13] UK Aviation Forecasts 2013, Department for Transport
[14] Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts May 2013 compiled by the Economic
Assessment Team www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hmtreasury/series/data-forecasts
[15] Survey of Employment by Occupation in the Construction Industry 2011, Drever, E and Doyle M, NatCen Social
Research that Works for society, London.
[16] Website: MIT http://affect.media.mit.edu/
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