Getting value from construction software
Summary
For the construction industry, such growth in digital technologies is perhaps even more pronounced due to the slower than average adoption so far and the sector’s typically extended supply chain. “I think that determining purpose and perhaps the understanding of why actually something matters is quite a big thing to get across when both selecting a software and also implementing its use.” On the latter point she added that there is a cultural element that needs to be addressed. As long as there’s a purpose behind it, I think people are generally quite willing to take it on.” On this point, Rico Wojtulewicz, head of housing and planning policy at the National Federation of Builders, said that sometimes the simplest technological gains are the easiest when it comes to improving productivity. He said: “For instance, we’ve just invested in technology for point cloud surveys, which for the right buildings are gives us an eight times shift in productivity on site. “And that’s where I feel like a lot of magic happens, because people are like: ‘I wanted the widget to do this thing, but I can accomplish it in a different way – and maybe even a more elegant way.’” As the session drew to a close Marshall asked the panel how appropriate use of construction software can help firms to address wider sectoral issues such as net zero and building safety.