In this episode of The Smart City Podcast, I interviewed fellow podcaster and construction professional and enthusiast Brittanie Campbell-Turner. Brittanie hosts the Constructrr podcast and is currently in her second season which is talking about Blockchain in Construction. Brittanie and I deep dive into how technology can be used to improve processes within the construction industry but also how important it is to not lose sight of how the people involved can be affected. We talk about blockchain, 3D manufacturing, virtual and augmented reality and Building Information Modelling (BIM). BIM for those who don’t know is basically 3D modelling but with so much more detail about the components of the structure or infrastructure that can be utilised in asset management, quality assurance, community consultation and the full life cycle of that product, amongst many other things. It was so great to talk with Brittanie and I look forward to collaborating in the future.

Listen Here:

Quotes:

“I believe the reason we have built environment is in order for you to be more productive, be more fulfilled in the space and to create better relationships in that built environment”

“there’s a lot of opportunity for everyone to get on the same page about what BIM is and use it in their projects…it really makes a whole lot more sense to use it than to not use it”

“we can’t just do tech because it’s cool, you have to really focus on the task at hand, is it the citizen? Is it the patient that’s in the hospital? Is it the person that is going to be working in that workspace? How do you affect all the people that are involved?”

“you have to really educate about what’s possible…making sure people are aware of the benefits you can get with investment in training, with investment in creating a more integrated approach and then also training around the utilisation of technology and sharing with people what the results ultimately have been”

“People aren’t looking at gamification enough, it comes back to that human responsiveness and behaviour, I think that gamification…would really help people feel more fulfilled in [the construction industry]”

What we covered:

• Brittanie’s background in construction and architectural engineering and passion to use technology to build better relationships and collaborations
• A love for technology and design and watching HGTV
• Brittanie’s exposure to tech through her school Illinois Institute of Technology
• Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Net Zero Homes
• The Constructrr Podcast, using blockchain in construction and co-working
• Deeper dive into BIM and using it on projects both horizontal and vertical infrastructure
• Drones, 3D manufacturing, virtual and augmented reality in construction
• Focus on how the technology affects the people involved and getting the value from technology
• The importance of educating people about what’s possible
• Finding innovative culture and investing in training
• How America can be contribute to the global Smart City community
• Using gamification in construction

Links:

Constructrr Podcast http://www.constructrr.com

HGTV https://www.hgtv.com

Illinois Institute of Technology https://web.iit.edu

McKinsey Report https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/capital-projects-and-infrastructure/our-insights/reinventing-construction-through-a-productivity-revolution

Autodesk https://www.autodesk.com

City Zenith http://www.cityzenith.com

Connect:

Connect with Brittanie via the Constructrr Podcast, LinkedIn, Twitter @brittanie_ct or via email brittanie@constructrr.com