The construction industry is at a critical juncture and needs to prioritise smart off-site manufacturing by leveraging Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to provide the social, economic and productive infrastructure required to sustain economic growth and to attract foreign direct investment in Ireland. Some companies have adopted new technological processes and more advanced construction systems to deliver value to their client but this transformation needs to be adopted by all players.

This panel will discuss:

• how industry and government must align to deliver the best outcomes for Ireland
• driving deeper digital adoption
• the key challenges and opportunities in driving frameworks for the delivery of Project Ireland 2040
• current issues that need to be reviewed to overcome the challenges to achieve alignment of common goals

To ensure collaboration and co-ordination there is a need to provide the necessary digital tools, standards, approaches and training required by all across the sector, and in particular small and medium sized firms who may have yet to realise the full benefits of digital approaches and Modern Methods of Construction (MMC). Aligning digital standards provides a common language that can be translated to technical specifications enabling clients, designers, contractors, and facilities managers to communicate efficiently and reduce cost, rework and disputes.

Topics include:

• ensuring that policy supports will deliver the best outcomes for integrators and clients
• the importance of common rules, guidelines and workflows that facilitate improvement of information flow and information management across full asset lifecycles
• why creating trust among stakeholders is essential to achieving the objectives

An insight into how Estonia is reinventing public services by developing an e-construction platform – a digital interaction environment to enable seamless data exchange throughout the building lifecycle. If the construction sector has so far been notoriously fragmented, then the e-construction platform connects planning, construction, and maintenance processes with digital twins and BIM to drive productivity growth, transparency, and innovation.

Education and training are key to the digital transformation of the Irish construction sector. Clients, managers, professionals and all workers need to have relevant knowledge and abilities to collectively advance the design, construction and life-cycle management of the built environment. This panel will discuss the importance of developing capability in three core areas – people, process and technology and will focus on how digital tools, methods and skills are improving the performance of projects for practitioners.

The panel will discuss:

• the benefits of alignment to ensure a pipeline of construction talent across the sector
• addressing equality, diversity and inclusion in construction education and training
• rethinking our hiring to build a workforce that’s a better fit for business today
• transforming mindsets from traditional construction methods to new technology adoption
• supports available for people to reskill or upskill in the new emerging technologies or to enable them to develop new careers in advanced manufacturing through apprenticeships and traineeships

The construction industry offers a wide range of exciting career opportunities for students. It allows individuals to be creative and innovative and to see the tangible results of their work in the built environment. Jonathan Healy talks to some emerging talents about learning pathways and career progression in the industry.

Leaders play a key role in driving the culture change and alignment required to realise digital transformation in support of innovative, effective and sustainable evolution in mindset and practice within the sector. The panel will discuss how the transformation of the Irish construction sector, through the adoption of lean thinking and practices by the entire sector, will enable and sustain enhanced effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and profitability for all stakeholders in the value chain.

• the clients’ perspective – transforming how we deliver our capital portfolio
• transforming mindsets and actions to achieve a more sustainable, responsible sector
• aligning to maximise the opportunities of moving towards a more circular economy and built environment sector • how the alignment of better information management can help us to reduce emissions across the whole life cycle of construction by 2030

Thematic roundtables are interactive discussions in small working groups. Moderated by seasoned industry experts and practitioners, they will address a compelling digital construction trend, issue, challenge, demonstration or an inspiring case study. This is your chance to join insightful discussions and workshops to align, share experiences and get new and actionable ideas from peers and experts.

How to build your company’s sustainability journey, define target outcomes, and enable an actionable transformation plan.

Learn how your firm can bring secure connectivity and best-of-breed technology together at all stages of a construction project, from greenfield sites to final completion. This roundtable discussion will discuss the impact of 5G on the construction industry.

Learn how companies bring together best-of-breed solutions to unite office and field teams from design to planning, construction to operations to help make construction more predictable, safe and sustainable.

How state of the art collaborative walkthrough technology can reduce construction cost & programme duration for designers, constructors & end users.

Learn how everyone in your company can leverage smart reality capture to automatically calculate project completion and unlock BIM coordination on the construction site.