Introducing the Construction Startup Competition 2020
Construction SUMMER/AUTUMN 2020
constructionglobal.com
The global digital ecosystem platform
STATE OF THE ART CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE
TRANSFORMING OPERATIONS THROUGH DIGITISATION Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, on digital transformation and the impact of COVID-19
TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD
FOREWORD
W
elcome to the Summer/Autumn issue of Construction Global magazine!
and Marcus Lawrence highlights the ways that construction is benefitting from Artificial Intelligence (AI).
In this issue we hear from Mark Lowman, the Vice President of McDermott International, about the positive impact that digitalisation is having on construction projects in the energy industry. Mr Lowman also tells us how the company is reaping the rewards of working the ‘One McDermott Way’.
As Dubai’s Burj Khalifa tower prepares to lose its crown as the world’s tallest building, we give a profile of the skyscraper that is about to take its place, and put a spotlight on the rest of the 10 tallest buildings on earth.
In our lead digital report we speak with CEMEX Ventures about the future of innovation in the construction industry. The head of CEMEX Gonzalo Galindo explains the link between venture capital and construction, and introduces the 2020 Construction Startup Competition.
I hope you enjoy reading! To suggest a feature for an upcoming edition of Construction Global, feel free to get in touch with me before our next issue. Jonathan Campion jonathan.campion@bizclikmedia.com
Elsewhere in the magazine, Georgia Wilson explores the smart cities of the future, Harry Menear reports on the digital manufacturing revolution happening in the construction industry, c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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PUBLISHED BY
PRODUCTION MANAGER
MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR
Owen Martin
James White
DIGITAL VIDEO PRODUCERS
DIGITAL MEDIA DIRECTOR
Jason Westgate
Jonathan Campion
Kieran Waite Sam Kemp
EDITOREDITORAL DIRECTOR
MARKETING DIRECTOR
Stacy Norman
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Matt High
CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
Leigh Manning
PRESIDENT & CEO CREATIVE TEAM
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Oscar Hathaway Erin Hancox Sophia Forte Sophie-Ann Pinnell
Shirin Sadr
PRODUCTION DIRECTORS
PROJECT DIRECTORS
Georgia Allen Daniela Kianickovรก
Glen White
DIGITAL MARKETING EXECUTIVE
Dan Weatherley
Manuel Navarro Tom Venturo c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
10 Digital Realty: the global data centre ecosystem platform
26 Fostering the construction revolution
36 48 Oracle: connecting construction
SMART CITIES: THE FUTURE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT
62
74 The case for integrating AI into construction
Digital manufacturing revolution in the construction industry
TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD
86
126 Bentley Systems
104
140
McDermott International
158
186
Indosat Ooredoo
Star2Star
172 Mircom Group of Companies
200 DC Blox
Chayora
214
254
MTR Corporation
Nordex North America
236 268 Sify Technology
Great Southwestern Construction
302 Stockholm Data Parks
284 PLC Construction
316 Hansen Yuncken
10
Digital Realty: the global data centre ecosystem platform WRITTEN BY
MATT HIGH PRODUCED BY
GLEN WHITE
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
Chris Sharp, CTO at Digital Realty, on powering data centre digital transformation with a global ecosystem platform
“
F
orget data lakes, we’re now talking about some of the largest data oceans ever created,” says Digital Realty’s Chris Sharp,
discussing the seismic evolution of data – and how 12
enterprise and hyperscale customers use that data – towards a series of interconnected global, digital ecosystems capable of supporting even the most complex digital transformations. Digital Realty, at which Sharp holds the role of Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation, is a key enabler of those transformations. The company supports the global data centre, colocation, and interconnection strategies of leading organisations worldwide with a fit for purpose global data centre platform, PlatformDIGITAL. This comprehensive solution offers a model built around network, control, and data hubs, and has been created to enable the ever-changing data, security, and networking demands of these global enterprises as they grow.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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2001
Year founded
$3bn+ Revenue in US dollars
1,500 Number of employees
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
“ We are really focused on supporting our customers in their enterprise journey, and a crucial aspect of that is not only focusing on what they need today, but what they’ll absolutely need tomorrow” — Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation 14
The pace at which the global digital economy has evolved has changed the way enterprises in every sector create and deliver value. Now more than ever data, technology and an effective IT strategy are essential to enterprises. Equally so, is operating on demand, ubiquitously and in a manner that is augmented by real-time intelligence at every point of business globally. Yet, with that growth comes challenges. For example, as data creation and consumption rises, so too does the need for effective tools, networks and infrastructures to access and analyse it. This creates data gravity – a point that many enterprises reach as they scale in a digital environment.
THE GLOBAL DATA TRANSFORMATION Sharp is a seasoned technology leader, with more than 20 years’ experience and a proven track record of evolving businesses to meet the most complex and demanding technology trends. From the countless enterprise organisations that he and Digital Realty work with, he identifies an overarching trend driving change: as enterprises scale, they deploy globally and need access S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
to their data and public cloud-based systems in a different way, yet they also all need help managing the complexity from this shift. “This is where, in my experience, Digital Realty is really able to differentiate itself from others in the market,” he says. “We are dedicated to supporting our customers in their enterprise IT journey and a crucial aspect of that is not only focusing on what they need today, but also what they’ll absolutely need tomorrow. “It’s essential to recognise that all enterprises and businesses – not just the hyperscalers that we deal with – are often going through significant digital transformations,” he continues. “Part of that, in terms of their data, is about being able to deploy globally consistent infrastructure to manage efficient data exchanges, rethink data flows to a broader set of partners, and build these ecosystems of community interest.
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Chris Sharp Title: Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation Location: Menlo Park, California Chris has more than 20 years’ experience and a proven track record of evolving businesses to meet the most complex and demanding technology trends. He has a strong understanding of technology and its business impact with a deep network of relationships in the internet, telecommunications and IT industry. During his career, Chris has led acquisition and integration for seven successful companies since 2003, valued over $3bn in managed network services, colocation and security services.
Providing those organisations with an innovative and market-leading platform that’s exactly the same whether they’re in Silicon Valley, Chicago, London, Osaka, or any other location worldwide, allows access to revenue and ecosystems in a very repeatable fashion.” c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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a very different ethos at Digital Realty, where we want to empower our customers and be a true open platform.” That ethos, as Sharp explains, mirrors the broader evolution of the data centre sector, as well as how companies – indeed, all of us – use data. “We’ve seen a shift wherein customers don’t want to be siloed into different products or different services – so, the differences between collocation and scale, for example. Typically, particularly with how rapidly the landscape is changing, you’ll see customers may go into collocation and outgrow it very quickly because the economics and the sheer infrastructure they need just can’t be provided through a collocation
BUILDING A GLOBAL DATA CENTRE PLATFORM
model. From our perspective, it’s about
This approach, Sharp explains, is the
manage all of those different fields in
driver behind PlatformDIGITAL, which
a seamless fashion. It’s why you’ll see
he says is “about being entrenched
us stop talking about collocation and
in what each customer needs and
scale, and just talk about ‘the platform’.
truly supporting them on a global
building out a robust platform that can
“That shift is really dictating the direc-
basis. This is what directly drove our
tion of PlatformDIGITAL,” he adds. “You
recent announcement of expanding
don’t go to Hertz to rent a car for three
PlatformDIGITAL with Interxion, adding
years, you know? It’s economics. So, for
more value to our customers and deeper
us, it’s always about understanding a
reach into Europe and beyond. We have
customer’s requirements around sizing c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
Digital Realty: PlatformDIGITAL CLICK TO WATCH
|
0:59
18 so we can work on an environment
created in a centralised place, the
that lets them ‘land and expand’. The
proliferation of digital technologies,
other critical challenge enterprises
smartphones, cloud, mobile analyt-
face today beyond that blended set of
ics and more means it is now being
services, is really around what it means
created everywhere. That data must
to be open, so that they can get the full
still be aggregated in order to ana-
value from the broader landscape that
lyse, understand, and learn from it.
they need access to.”
When it collects, a growing number
The last major challenge in the shift
of services and applications use it —
to a global ecosystem is data gravity,
against this proliferation of devices,
which Sharp describes as fundamental
data gravity interacts. This can result
to successful enterprise infrastructure.
in data that is near impossible to
By 2025, it is estimated that 463 exabytes
move and, according to Digital Realty,
of data will be created daily worldwide.
“unfavourable complexity when factor-
And while that data was typically
ing business locations, proximity to
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
users, regulatory constraints, compli-
a customer’s data – say they are look-
ance and data privacy.”
ing to carry out some data analytics
To grow globally, businesses must
and want to stand up an AI farm with
use the global open platform approach
several GPU processors, for example –
offered by Digital Realty to mitigate
which is a real game changer for many
the data gravity barriers created by
of those enterprises we’re working
digital transformation. “Some of the
with. They’re all trying to work with data
enterprises we work with aren’t fully
analytics, to use multi-hybrid cloud
aware of the issue, or that they should
architectures and our platform does
deploy in proximity to where all of this
that — when that data doesn’t have
data is burgeoning or being built, and
to travel far because the customer is
this is where PlatformDIGITAL brings
immersed right in it, that’s probably
huge value,” Sharp notes. “So, we can
the most optimal architecture that an
procure a cabinet in close proximity to
enterprise could hope to achieve.”
Solve data gravity challenges and scale digital business by implementing the PlatformDIGITAL solution model
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
CONTROL, CONNECT, OPTIMISE There is also a notable trend of enterprises looking to move away from running their own data centres and data locations, Sharp reveals. He explains that, in this context, solutions like PlatformDIGITAL enable those businesses to get ahead of the curve before their footprint is too difficult to move, adding that “we can expose the benefits of having that fit-for-purpose platform that’s heavily interconnected. Believe me, I don’t run into any custom20
ers that tell me they want to continue building their own data centres.” PlatformDIGITAL allows enterprises to leverage full interconnection capabilities across Digital Realty’s global ecosystem, including cloud service providers, partners, networks and customers, that will drive their business. According to the company, the core benefits of the platform revolve around three distinct opportunities: be in control, be connected, be optimised. In the case of control, for example, standardising deployment and operations on a single platform simplifies infrastructure and reduces risk, while the greater connection of a global S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
platform improves business performance through participation in global digital ecosystems; it also shortens the time to connect with markets and other players in that ecosystem. The platform tailors infrastructure deployments and controls matched to specific business requirements, irrespective of data centre size, scale, location configuration, or ecosystem configurations. In line with the scaling of modern, digital enterprises, it lets customers operate deployments as part of a seamless extension of any global infrastructure, says the company, thus enabling global, distributed workflows at centres of data exchange
“ Forget data lakes, we’re now talking about some of the largest data oceans ever created” — Chris Sharp, Chief Technology Officer, Executive Vice President and Service Innovation
to remove data gravity barriers.
CONNECTION AND SX FABRIC “To embark on a digital transformation, the first thing an enterprise needs is storage,” Sharp says. “They need their own data store, and that’s where the IP for a lot of our customers comes from, the ability to have that data store and run analytics against it. You’re no longer talking just about owning land, but the ability to deploy high power density infrastructure in close c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
21
D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
proximity to that data store once you
global exchange of data centre cloud
factor in things like AI. There’s not an
and connectivity solutions that enables
industry out there today that isn’t look-
interconnected global workflows, the
ing to up its data analytics capabilities
integration of cloud and B2B ecosys-
and it’s the proximity element that
tems with virtual interconnections,
PlatformDIGITAL enables in a very
and the ability to virtually connect
efficient way.”
clouds and digital ecosystems both
After storage, says Sharp, connec-
22
locally and globally. “It essentially lets
tivity is crucial. It is here that Digital
enterprises click and procure,” says
Realty’s Service Exchange (SX)
Sharp. “They’re afforded a portal within
Fabric on PlatformDIGITAL proves
which they can pick any one of the
crucial. SX Fabric, which is powered
150-plus cloud on-ramps from all of the
by Megaport’s multi-cloud and eco-
top cloud providers globally through
system connectivity, is an automated
SX - all without ever having to use an
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
engineer, or even understanding the
and giving them as open a platform
level of complexity behind it.
as possible. We really like to invest
“The work that we collaborated on
in our partners, not to compete with
with Megaport on SX is really at the
them, and have those best-of-breed
highest level,” he continues. “It’s very
relationships that let us deliver the best
technically challenging to achieve
capabilities to our customers.”
because it revolves around the hybrid multi-cloud approach that a lot of
GLOBAL FOOTPRINT
enterprises are taking, wherein they
SX Fabric is just one aspect of the vast
need to establish a location to stand
PlatformDIGITAL capability roadmap.
up their private infrastructure and then
For example, the platform offers cover-
access multiple public clouds. From our
age from more than 265 Digital Realty
perspective, it was really about aligning
data centres in 20 countries and 44
our enterprise customers in the market
metropolitan areas. Connections are offered through physical and virtual cross-connects and includes more than 2,000 ecosystem participants — the company plans to extend this to more than 10,000 in the future. More recently, the business has completed projects in Frankfurt, Dublin, and Tokyo, locations that Sharp describes as “hotbeds for enterprise customers trying to access revenue opportunities”. Take the new Clonshaugh data centre in Dublin, which forms part of an existing portfolio in the Irish capital. Ireland’s data centre economy is growing rapidly having already contributed 7.13bn euros c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
23
D I G I TA L R E A LT Y
24 to the nation’s overall economy in the
28MW; it offers solutions from Network
last decade. Digital Realty has invested
Hubs through to Data Hubs.
more than 200mn euros in Ireland
“With our size and our balance sheet,
to date, with the latest Clonshaugh
there’s rarely an opportunity in the
development designed to underpin the
market that we don’t see,” says Sharp.
importance of data-led technologies
“If there’s an asset that will trade or
to Dublin’s economy.
customer demand around an area
The company has also expanded
then we’ll spend a lot of time assess-
PlatformDIGITAL in Germany, purchas-
ing that prospect. We already have
ing 1.35 acres of land in Frankfurt to
one of the most robust platforms to
address increasing customer demand.
serve Europe with the recent expan-
The new campus, purpose built for
sion of the Interxion assets, we’re
those enterprises looking to exploit the
constantly watching for opportunities
opportunities that PlatformDIGITAL
in the Middle East and we also have an
provides, will add an additional 6MW
eye on some of the deeper elements
of power to the company’s existing
of the African market. It’s also worth
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
25 noting that we’re always looking to go
trends we have discussed, as well as
deeper into existing markets. That’s
other emerging trends like the personi-
particularly the case in terms of new
fication of the data centre becoming
technologies, such as 5G or edge
a critical asset. Every industry and
computing, both of which will still
every customer out there, regardless
need efficient access back to the core
of size, will need to have a fundamental
infrastructure we have today.”
foundation like PlatformDIGITAL that
Those new technologies aside, Chris
allows them to increase in power den-
believes that the global ecosystem
sity, increase interconnection, increase
model enabled by PlatformDIGITAL
in square footage or footprint, and
will continue to dominate. “If you
increase in global presence.”
would’ve told me 15 years ago that I’d still be going to work in a data centre, I’d have found it hard to believe,” he states. “But what continues to draw me in is my passion for those secular c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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Fostering the construction revolution WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
CEMEX VENTURES
Gonzalo Galindo, Head of CEMEX Ventures, outlines the 2020 Construction Startup Competition and what his company hopes to achieve
A
lthough construction might be amongst the oldest industries in history, CEMEX Ventures is dedicated to making sure
that it keeps its sights set firmly on the future. Launched in 2017 as the corporate venture capital arm of Mexico-based building materi28
als company CEMEX, CEMEX Ventures takes a global view of the market and seeks to empower innovative entities in the construction sector via investment, engagement and shared expertise from its extensive network. Open to working with startups, entrepreneurs, universities and more, CEMEX Ventures takes small companies on a 14-step journey from basic evaluation all the way up to investment. We spoke with Gonzalo Galindo, Head of CEMEX Ventures, about the company’s drive to foster a revolution in the industry. With a diverse background of skills, Galindo says that he was keen to combine his knowledge of the construction sector within a corporate venture context. “I have a lot of experience in the construction industry, especially the building
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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CEMEX VENTURES
Construction Startup Competition 2020 – The power of five construction industry leaders CLICK TO WATCH
|
2:14
30 materials. I think it’s a combination
to understanding your subject from
which works well together,” he
the bottom up, which in turn relies on
explains. Priding himself on a style
being open to new ideas and perspec-
of leadership which emphasises a
tives on well-known topics.
receptiveness to change, a passion
Perhaps nothing could have made the
for construction and an innovative
importance of this more abundantly
attitude, Galindo states that CEMEX
clear than the disruption caused by
Ventures fundamentally realises that
COVID-19. “CEMEX looks outside
adapting to new market conditions is
itself to the world and continues to
imperative for a thriving industry. “You
learn what is happening, about dif-
really need to be adaptive and keep
ferent trends and how construction
your core intact by supporting your
is evolving,” Galindo says. “It’s a very
people, learning from them, helping
challenging environment and it will
them and providing them with a clear
continue to be so. We all need to
vision to focus on.” This comes down
really push our limits to succeed.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
The introspective nature of CEMEX
Part of this attitude can be
Ventures is partially the reason for its
accounted for by the uniqueness
success; acting with purpose and well-
of CEMEX Ventures itself: among
thought-out intention, the company
the first of its kind, Galindo says
goes beyond what most corporate
that because it was uncharted ter-
venture funds would consider neces-
ritory the team had no barriers or
sary. “We do a lot of insight-analysis
preconceptions to impede how it
on the industry to form a better overall
approached business. Now, as the
strategy. We’re also investing in con-
company continues to gain recognition,
cepts and business models which may
make investments and develop pro-
help CEMEX create additional sources
jects, Galindo believes that its track
of revenue for the future,” he adds.
record for success and efficiency will 31
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Gonzalo Galindo Title: Head of CEMEX Ventures Company: CEMEX Ventures Industry: Venture Capital & Private Equity With over 20 years of experience in CEMEX, Gonzalo Galindo is the head of CEMEX Ventures, promoting a construction revolution by working with startups in construction, entrepreneurs, universities, and other entities interested in the industry. Thanks to Gonzalo’s work and his team in CEMEX Ventures, he has been named the most relevant investor in the construction ecosystem for the second year in a row.
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
CEMEX VENTURES
only grow with time. “CEMEX is probably
Competition’, an event designed
one of the most innovative companies
to identify and foster the newest
operating today, not only in terms
innovators in the sector. Beginning
of scientific innovation and product
three years ago, the competition has
development but also in the business
gained more and more traction on the
models that the company has applied in
world stage as a fruitful opportunity
order to grow. I think CEMEX has been
for newcomers to prove the worth
a game-changer for the building materi-
of their concepts. This year, CEMEX
als industry throughout these years.”
Ventures is joined by several global
CONSTRUCTION STARTUP COMPETITION 2020 32
leaders of the industry: Ferrovial, Hilti, VINCI Group’s Leonard and NOVA by Sant-Gobain. With the quality of
The culmination of this focus is
the entering startups intensifying
its annual ‘Construction Startup
year-on-year, Galindo is confident
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Focus areas – construction startup competition 2020 CLICK TO WATCH
|
1:05
33 that the 2020 event will be one for the record books. “We’re providing a robust proposition to the startup community. From the level of discussions occurring to the quality of the processes running the competition itself, it’s getting better and better,” he claims. Entrants have until 26 July to participate in the event. With two trends seeming to pervade the contemporary construction industry – the introduction of digital tools in the building process and environmental considerations on the whole process – Galindo anticipates c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
CEMEX VENTURES
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
that the event will produce a satisfying cross-section of responses from innovators on these topics. Keen to stand at the forefront of a revolution that it hopes its actions will instigate, CEMEX Ventures warmly extends an invitation to all startups in the sector to take part and be part of the industry’s future. “I’d like the startup community to go to our website (https://www. cemexventures.com/startup-competition-2020/) and join an event filled with innovators working on great new business models,” Galindo concludes. “CEMEX Ventures is willing to give them support and help make stronger startups and solutions.”
APPLY BEFORE JULY 26TH
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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D I G I TA L C O N S T R U C T I O N
36
Oracle: connecting construction WRITTEN BY
DAN BRIGHTMORE
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L C O N S T R U C T I O N
Construction Global hears from Oracle Construction & Engineering’s Director of Innovation, Burcin Kaplanoglu, on why connectivity is king when it comes to enabling the digital technologies transforming the construction industry
T
oday, there’s a huge trend towards
remote operations and connectivity
is key to that. You need to make sure
you have the right bandwidth, latency and a reliable connection from your site back to your
38
point of digital operation.” Oracle Construction & Engineering’s Director of Innovation, Burcin Kaplanoglu, speaks with authority on the topic having spent the last two years developing Oracle’s Innovation Lab in Chicago; a hands-on trusted space for customers to see solutions in action and collaborate with Oracle’s Partner Network (including the likes of Bosch and nPlan) on how to build the construction sites of tomorrow.
INNOVATION LAB In December 2019 the Innovation Lab moved from being a simulated to an actual site with a general contractor ready to utilise Oracle’s learnings over the previous 15 months to inform new approaches to safety, productivity and connectivity while delivering a planned expansion S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
39 to the facility. “Remote site monitoring demands reliable connectivity for streaming live video and real time data,” explains Kaplanoglu, who points out that 80% of the solutions used at the lab are now commercially available. “We’re able to capture and laser scan from the site 360-degree videos, drone imagery and photos in order to match that information to a BIM model and construction schedule.” Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Kaplanoglu notes the remote monitoring products Oracle were implementing are now being used broadly c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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Accelerating Digital Transformation CLICK TO WATCH
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2:34
41 across the team, by the general con-
“The installation of 4K cameras on
tractor, owner and designers. “The
site with super high resolution for the
design team doesn’t need go to the site
live streaming of imagery required
anymore,” he adds. “They can remotely
to gain a more reliable view of site
monitor and see changes and address
progress requires tremendous
issues off site. However, to utilise all of
bandwidth,” confirms Kaplanoglu.
this innovation, high bandwidth con-
“The implementation of 5G can sup-
nectivity on site is paramount.”
port this along with the operation of autonomous equipment and vir-
5G
tual reality solutions.” Allied to this,
The need for high bandwidth and low
Kaplanoglu points out that with the
latency at the construction sites of
proliferation of devices connected by
the near future is amplified by the
IoT, 5G will be capable of managing
demands of digital transformation
the flow of data from millions of sen-
across mission critical operations.
sors per square kilometre. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
D I G I TA L C O N S T R U C T I O N
42
“Everybody’s looking for connec-
BUILDING IN A POST-COVID WORLD
tivity,” he says. “Currently, at many
With the construction industry ham-
sites in Europe, the US and around
strung by the global pandemic, huge
the world, we must identify a reliable
impacts to schedules were inevitable.
network - whether it’s wireless
Kaplanoglu highlights the uncertain-
through a carrier or a local provider
ties around the accessibility of labour,
or a site that provides its own wi-fi
the availability of materials and, when
connections. With the broader
on site, the ability of crews to perform
adoption of 5G we’ll no longer need
their roles freely. How can Oracle
to do that. The connectivity will
help companies address the evolving
be instantly available for everyone
challenges faced around safety, ef-
to take advantage of through the ex-
ficiency and productivity?
panded capacity of enhanced mobile broadband.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Kaplanoglu explains the increased use of remote monitoring (with solutions
“ Today, there’s a huge trend towards remote operations and connectivity is key to that. You need to make sure you have the right bandwidth, latency and a reliable connection from your site back to your point of digital operation” — Burcin Kaplanoglu, Executive Director of Innovation, Oracle Construction & Engineering Oracle is also addressing the challenges presented by social distancing to safeguard the health of workers and the general public. “Our teams have explored new processes and praclike Reconstruct) is allowing construc-
tices while keeping the project moving
tion teams to access a single source
forward with as little disruption as pos-
of truth where a BIM model is united
sible,” says Kaplanoglu. The Innovation
with a schedule utilising data on what
Lab hosts many technologies whose
materials and workers are in place on
unique capabilities could be brought
site. “Our architects and designers don’t
to bear on the new set of problems
have to be in Chicago for OAC (Owner
the pandemic presents. “For example,
Architect Contractor) meetings, we can
Oracle’s partner technology Aconex
do everything for the Innovation Lab
facilitates a common data environment
remotely,” he offers by way of example.
(CDE) where images from a site can be
“The cameras and scanning equipment
grabbed and processed by its AI engine.
require terabytes of data for large
This technology can scan for objects to
image files so high bandwidth connec-
process compliance to PPE and enable
tivity, such as 5G, is becoming essential.”
us to keep people working in their set c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
43
D I G I TA L C O N S T R U C T I O N
groups,” explains Kaplanoglu. “It’s not about facial recognition or highlighting violations but about educating people on the best practice for changing working conditions. Here, we’re not processing live images so you could rely on a 4G connection.” Kaplanoglu believes another key area for improving efficiency involves better
“ Necessity is the mother of innovation. Things have changed in terms of how fast companies are looking to scale solutions” — Burcin Kaplanoglu, Executive Director of Innovation, Oracle Construction & Engineering
supply chain management, which goes beyond materials handling to materials
44
Oracle’s payment processing solu-
readiness. “Our partner product (from
tion Textura is helping companies
Jovix) integrates with our schedule to let
upgrade their financial manage-
us know the percentages of materials
ment. “We can only share metrics
already being use in production, avail-
of success if the customer accrues
able on site and what remains to be
it,” stresses Kaplanoglu. “They ac-
delivered. We can track materials linked
tually have improved the speed of
to the schedule which are scanned by
their payment processing during the
gate meters on site when they arrive.
pandemic by as much as two weeks.
For material delivery it’s good to know
It’s important that they were able
you can have delivery on site without
to ramp up how fast they pay to the
signing for anything. You unload and
general contractor during the pan-
the gate reader tells you what’s arrived.
demic. And one of the key things is
For large infrastructure projects it’s
because this product is fully digital,
often a challenge to locate materials
you don’t need to write a check, you
on site when they’re stored in different
don’t have to mail it, everything is
locations; our approach is getting great
done online. All the documentation is
feedback from customers looking for an
done online and so with management
efficient solution and relies on consist-
teams working remotely during the
ent back office connectivity.”
pandemic, connectivity is key.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Laser scanning solutions are also
maintains this is not about robots
provided by Oracle partner Faro
versus humans but about automating
(famous for its work with Boston
repetitive tasks requiring multiple
Dynamics on the payments robot
tripod set ups. “We believe robots
Spot). “We’ve been working with one
can be a complimentary labour force
of their robots on site since April,”
allowing humans to do what they’re
reveals Kaplanoglu. “It goes to a
best at. We’re testing more ways of
location, it scans the site, it climbs
outsourcing other repetitive or high-
up the stairs, goes to the second
risk tasks for more agile operations.
level, stops in a location, scans
As the industry progresses more
the site, goes to another location
towards fully remote operations 5G
and so on… So, we now have auto-
will be vital to ensure low latency for
mated laser scanning.” Kaplanoglu
this type of real-time data capture.” 45
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D I G I TA L C O N S T R U C T I O N
R ECO N ST RU CT
Reconstruct, an Oracle Industries Innovation Lab tenant and member of the Oracle Partner Network, has developed a Visual Command Centre that supports remote monitoring, explains Oracle Construction & Engineering’s Director of Innovation, Burcin Kaplanoglu.
46
“Reconstruct’s AI technology consumes data from reality capture devices—and integrated project management systems - to provide a visual street view tour. This enables project teams to remotely collect, measure, document, and communicate issues around progress, productivity, and risk on site. Data is collected from a variety of tools - drones, 360-degree cameras, laser scanning, light detection and ranging technology (LiDAR), and live cameras - to power the command centre.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
We’ve integrated Reconstruct and Oracle Aconex so users can connect a Reconstruct project to the corresponding project in Oracle Aconex. This integration enables users to transfer files directly from the Document Register in Aconex’s common data environment (CDE) to the Data Manager in Reconstruct. These files include images (including 360-degree images), videos, PDF f loor plans, and 3D models. For schedules, integration with Oracle’s Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management automatically pushes schedules into Reconstruct, and, in return, shares actionable progress updates into the Oracle scheduling solution in the cloud. Reconstruct also utilises Oracle Aconex model coordination to enable reality capture and BIM overlay.”
“ Collaboration with customers, partners, and industry institutions - especially at a time like this - is really important to help us build a better future” — Burcin Kaplanoglu, Executive Director of Innovation, Oracle Construction & Engineering
In tandem, the work Oracle Construction & Engineering is doing at the Innovation Lab is being extended across Oracle’s other businesses. “We now have Oracle Utilities and Oracle Communications joining the lab,” explains Kaplanoglu. “This gives us the ability to show how you can build
MAKING FUTURE CONNECTIONS
capital projects or a utility like infra-
Throughout the pandemic, the resulting
structure. We can also demonstrate
enforced lockdown and gradual reo-
how you can actually have a smart
pening of construction sites worldwide,
grid at your house and how the en-
Kaplanoglu has seen an increased
ergy use can be monitored via Oracle
appetite for technology investments.
Communications bringing technolo-
“Necessity is the mother of innovation,” he
gies from its partners across energy
says. “Things have changed in terms of
and utilities. It’s an exciting time as we
how fast companies are looking to scale
seek to expand the mission of the lab
solutions. For example, how people per-
beyond engineering and into the com-
ceive technology is changing. Previously,
munications industries that complement
if an evolving solution could only solve
construction. We truly believe that, as
70% of a problem it wouldn’t be adopted,
an organisation, the only way to improve
but right now the response I get from
the industry is to share what we’ve
the customer is that 70% is better than
learned. If we all keep the knowledge to
0%. There’s definitely a willingness to
ourselves, we’re not going to get there.
make new connections and be part of
Collaboration with customers, partners,
the development of these technologies.”
and industry institutions - especially at a
Kaplanoglu is excited by IoT partner tech-
time like this - is really important to help
nologies like Versatile – a camera box
us build a better future.”
that can be attached to crane hooks to measure productivity in real time. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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48
SMART CITIES: THE FUTURE OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT WRITTEN BY
GEORGIA WIL SON
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
49
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
We explore the smart cities of the future, understanding more about their development and why we will benefit from them WHAT IS A SMART CITY? A smart city is a framework designed to harness the capabilities of innovative technology to connect, protect, and enhance the lives of a city’s citizens. By harnessing information and communication technologies (ICT) and the Internet of Things (IoT), a 50
smart city collects and analyses data from multiple channels to ‘sense’ the city’s environment, providing real-time information to help governments, enterprises, and citizens make better and more informed decisions to improve the overall quality of life. When developing such a project, there are typically 11 core focuses that are considered for a smart city framework. These include: air quality, communication architecture, environment, lighting, parking, public wifi, safety and security, transportation, urban mobility, waste management and water management.
DEVELOPING A SMART CITY FRAMEWORK Outlined in Eden Strategy Institute’s most recent ‘Top 50 smart city governments’ report, the organisation conducted extensive research into the top 50 smart city governments, discussing S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
51
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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S U S TA I N A B L E T ECHN O LO GY – MO BI LI T Y
Bike sharing: public-use bicycles, providing an alternative to driving, public transit, and private bike ownerships. Car sharing: providing access to short-term car use without full ownership. Congestion pricing: fees for private car usage in certain areas and during times of peak demand. Demand-based microtransit: a ride-sharing service with fixed routes and/or stops to supplement
existing public transit routes, harnessing algorithms to analyse historical demand to determine routes, vehicle size, and trip frequency. E-hailing (private and pooled): real-time ordering of point-topoint transportation through a mobile device. Intelligent traffic signals: improving overall traffic f low through dynamic optimisation of traffic lights and speed limits. Source: McKinsey
the core factors involved in a modern
include: taking stock of a city’s natural
smart city framework.
strengths and assets, to build the foundations for a smart city vision; en-
1. AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY, BUDGETING
gaging with citizens when it comes to
“Developing a smart city vision involves
determining the smart goals and areas
multiple stages: defining the relevant
of development; encouraging private
smart city concepts; designing the
sector involvement; identifying focus
planning process; engaging and draft-
areas; establishing a specific criteria
ing approaches with stakeholders; as
for the city in order to prioritise the
well as prioritizing initiatives and craft-
multiple opportunities available; and
ing the roadmap.”
ensuring that each initiative is planned,
Within its report, the Eden Strategy Institute LLP details six steps for an effective smart city strategy. These
sequenced and validated. When it comes to developing a smart city, “budgetary limitations often c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
53
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
S U S TA I N A B I L IT Y T ECHN O LO GY – EN ERGY
Building automation systems: systems that optimise energy and water use in commercial and public buildings with the help of sensors and analytics. Distribution automation systems: smart grid technologies, which include FDIR, M&D, Volt/ Var, and substation automation, to optimise energy efficiency and stabilise the power grid.
54
Dynamic electricity pricing: utilised to reduce peak time demand as well as the electricity generation cost. Home energy automation systems and tracking:
constrain the pace at which cities can
optimising home energy consumption using smart thermostats, programmable and remote controllable electronic devices as well as standby electricity control. In addition to, providing information on tracked residential electricity consumption to increase awareness and encourage conservation. Smart street lights: Harnessing connected and sensor equipped energy efficient street lights to optimise brightness and reduce maintenance needs. Source: McKinsey
Of the top 50 cities within the
realise their development potential.
report, 37% have access to national
The top 50 cities have turned to innova-
and state level funds to develop
tive ways to secure funding, including
their smart city frameworks; while
competitions and hackathons, partner-
23% rely upon private-sector par-
ships with private companies, smart
ticipation; 18% use hackathons and
procurement policies, or national and
competitions to identify worthwhile
state-level funds. In many cases, these
smart city project investments; and
acted in concert to improve fund-
9% utilise smart procurement poli-
ing outcomes,� highlights the Eden
cies and practices, to optimise the
Strategy Institute.
use of public funds.
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The Need for Smart and Connected Cities Today CLICK TO WATCH
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55 “Done correctly, smart cities have
they prepare future plans for their cit-
the potential to transform the charac-
ies. These often assume that citizens
ter and liveability of a city, rejuvenate
enjoy internet access, and are tech-
its economy and heritage, enhance
savvy enough to use and interact with
its resilience and sustainability, and
the city’s spaces and services. Reality,
even tighten the social compact with
however, presents a wider range of city
the government and among citizens,”
users, and cities risk excluding entire
states the Eden Strategy Institute.
segments of their population from the smart city experience if efforts are not
2. DIGITAL INCLUSION, BUILDING A SMART WORKFORCE AND OPEN DATA “A city only becomes truly ‘smart’ when
made to bridge the digital gap,” emphasises the Eden Strategy Institute. As a result, it is important when de-
all citizens are ready for it. Urban plan-
veloping a smart city framework that
ners and innovators might develop
every group within the city is account-
personas of the ideal ‘smart citizen’ as
ed for to ensure that the readiness of c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
56
individuals to adopt technology within
opportunities to add value and have
the city isn’t overestimated. A part of
a part to play in developing the city.
ensuring that the city is ready for such
As industries face increased
innovations, it is equally important
demands for transparency and
to provide accessibility to both the
accountability, particularly when it
internet and the devices to utilities
comes to the environment, open
online capabilities, as well as having
data has emerged as a cost effi-
the technological skills to utilise the
cient way to improve transparency,
capabilities of a smart city.
accountability, efficiency and re-
Building a smart workforce is an-
sponsiveness. However, to best
other aspect of ensuring that smart
utilise this technology, it is important
city initiatives are adopted. A holistic
to not only have the technological
strategy ensures that all ages have ac-
skills for effective use, but also to
cess to technology, education and the
establish open data policies.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ D eploying a range of applications to the best reasonable extent could cut emissions by 10 to 15%, lower water consumption by 20 to 30%, and reduce the volume of solid waste per capita by 10 to 20%” — McKinsey a larger variety, volume, and quality of insights, ideas, and feedback to establish the most cost-effectively and
3. CO-CREATION AND SHARED KNOWLEDGE VIA DISTRICTS AND CONFERENCES
functional smart city.
“We have observed a ready willingness
geographically-concentrated inno-
for many of the top-ranked cities in
vation ecosystems.” This approach
our study to accept that they may not
develops an ecosystem of shared
have all the answers,” comments the
knowledge and well connected
Eden Strategy Institute. In order to
capabilities to drive innovation that
really drive innovation and ensure that
is tailored to local needs. Smart dis-
the city is striving to connect, protect,
trict models have been successfully
and enhance the lives of its citizens,
developed in two ways: top-down
cities should look to involving outside
strategies, which are decided and
stakeholders - businesses, startups,
led by the government or local au-
students and the public - to develop
thorities, or bottom-up ones that are
Currently, “cities around the world are increasingly experimenting with
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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
initiated and driven by the private sector. This results in an innovative culture at the heart of the city. When it comes to shared knowledge via conferences and expos, 86% of the top ranked cities in the Eden Strategy Institute’s report are hosting these types of events as well as
“ We have observed a ready willingness for many of the top-ranked cities in our study to accept that they may not have all the answers” — The Eden Strategy Institute
other shared knowledge mechanisms such as joint ventures, collaborative S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y T ECHN O LO GY - WAT ER AN D WAST E 58
Leak detection and control: leveraging sensors, cities can remotely monitor pipe conditions and control pump pressures to reduce or prevent leakages. Smart irrigation: cities can optimise irrigation by analysing information such as local weather, soil conditions and plant types to eliminate unnecessary watering. Water consumption tracking: providing information on tracked residential water consumption to increase awareness and encourage conservation. Water quality monitoring: harnessing real-time capabilities to monitor the quality of water to S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
warn the public and provide more informed information to cities and utilities in order to manage the problem. Digital tracking and payments for waste disposal: using digital payment methods for ‘pay-as-youthrow’ solutions to increase awareness and reduce waste. Waste collection route optimisation: installing sensors in bins to measure the volume of waste to direct the routes for bin lorries, providing a more efficient route for lorries to travel minimising visits where there is not much waste. Source: McKinsey
planning, and developing specialised
responsibilities across departments,
knowledge and industry clusters.
as well as forming partnerships with the public and private sector.
4. LEADERSHIP MODEL
leadership model. Some of the most
HOW SMART CITIES CAN DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY GOALS AND ENERGY EFFICIENCIES
successful cities it has seen have
Having the capability to advance
used a single dedicated office for their
Sustainable Development Goals by
initiative with flexible pathways for
70%, smart cities can deliver a cleaner
leadership to evolve naturally. However,
and more sustainable environment.
other successful smart cities have
With increased urbanisation, industri-
also used models that distributed
alisation and consumption comes the
When establishing a smart city framework it is important to have a clear
59
Deloitte c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
addition of increased environmental challenges. While technology is only one element that can help to address these challenges, overall analysis by McKinsey highlights that “deploying a range of applications to the best reasonable extent could cut emissions by 10 to 15%, lower water consumption by 20 to 30%, and reduce the volume of solid waste per capita by 10 to 20%.�
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS For cities that find structures as a major 60
source of emissions, McKinsey reports that building automation systems can
ability to make more informed deci-
lower emissions by just under 3% in most
sions. McKinsey reported that Beijing
commercial buildings and 3% in resi-
reduced its deadly airborne pollutants
dential homes. Other technologies that
by 20% in under a year by closely
can significantly impact emissions are
tracking the source of pollution and
dynamic electric pricing, ride-hailing and
regulating traffic and construction.
demand based microtransit, intelligence
In addition, sharing real time air
traffic signals and congestion pricing.
quality information provides the public with the capability to take protective
AIR QUALITY
measures to reduce negative health ef-
While some of the above can improve
fects by three to 15% depending on the
air quality, to directly address this chal-
current levels of pollution.
lenge requires implementing air quality sensors. While this does not automati-
WATER CONSERVATION
cally solve pollution, the technology
Harnessing water consumption
can identify the source, providing the
tracking technology paired with
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“ Done correctly, smart cities have the potential to transform the character and liveability of a city, rejuvenate its economy and heritage, enhance its resilience and sustainability, and even tighten the social compact with the government and among citizens� — The Eden Strategy Institute 61 advanced metering and digital
volume of un-recycled solid waste. An
feedback messages can reduce
example of this could be to harness
consumption by 15% in higher income
digital tracking and payments, however
cities where residential water is high.
this should be considered alongside
However, McKinsey notes that its ef-
other policy initiatives particularly
fectiveness depends on whether it is
for developing economies with tight
paired with a pricing strategy.
household budgets.
In developing countries, the biggest source of water waste is leaking pipes. Utilising sensors and analytics can help to cut the loss by up to 25%.
SOLID WASTE REDUCTION With low-tech recycling reaching its limits, McKinsey reports that technology could help to further reduce the c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
ENGINEERING
62
Digital manufacturing revolution in the construction industry WRITTEN BY
HARRY MENEAR
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
kreo.net 63
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ENGINEERING
Construction Global examines the ways in which digital manufacturing can benefit the industry
D
igitisation is the megatrend that has
shaped the past decade, and will con
tinue to transform the shape of our soci-
eties as we progress towards the future.
In every market and vertical, digital transfor64
mation is reimagining the way we gather and interpret information, organise and deploy resources, and perform complex tasks. However, in spite of the radical changes that have completely reformed the entertainment, healthcare, logistics and many more industries, the con-
mckinsey.com
struction sector remains relatively far behind the curve when it comes to digital adoption. In some ways, this isn’t at all surprising. The construction industry is almost as old as human civilisation itself, and has played a central role in the identity of those civilisations over thousands of years. “Despite its fundamental impact on our way of life, our approach to construction has changed little over the ages,� notes a report by The B1M. Construction is an industry steeped in tradition, from organisational techniques to building supplies. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
mckinsey.com
65
“ Despite its fundamental impact on our way of life, our approach to construction has changed little over the ages” — The B1M
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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As Industry 4.0 takes an increasing-
sector is not for lack of awareness.
ly firm grip on other verticals around
Another report by global consultancy
the world, the construction sector is,
Roland Berger (this time focused on
by and large, a follower. A 2019 report
the German construction industry -
from construction firm Kreo noted
which is one of the most advanced in
that construction technology and
the world) asserts that: “Clearly, the
productivity have been flat for ages,
industry is aware of the importance
and that fewer than 10% of the re-
of the megatrend toward digitisation.
spondents from a recent survey in the
The problem lies rather with imple-
US believed their construction com-
mentation,” and notes that “according
panies’ technology to be cutting edge.
to one study by the Association of
However, the relatively slow pace of
German Chambers of Commerce and
digitisation across the construction
Industry (DIHK), 93% of companies 67
kreo.net
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ENGINEERING
68 agree that digitisation will influence
millennia, and many markets still rely on
every one of their processes.”
cheap, low-skill manual labour as an al-
This month, Construction Global
ternative to more modern solutions. The
explores the key reasons behind slow
nature of construction projects and the
adoption of digital manufacturing
way that they’re typically organised also
technologies in the construction sector,
creates problems, as we’ll explore. In
and examines the ways in which digital
short, in addition to the usual problems
manufacturing can benefit the industry.
that can plague a digital transformation (like unclear goals, failed integrations,
BARRIERS TO CHANGE
uncooperative workforces) there are el-
In many ways, the global construction
ements of the construction sector itself
industry has operated in much the
that are uniquely opposed to sweeping
same ways for hundreds of years. The
digital transformation, which go a long
world’s most common building materials
way towards explaining why the sector
have been a part of our structures for
is stuck in an analogue age.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
twi-global.com
“ 93% of construction companies agree that digitisation will influence every one of their processes” — Roland Berger, Digitisation in the Construction Industry apply repeatedly. Limited R&D budgets prevent businesses from spending as much on digital as companies in other sectors do. And construction work often takes place in remote, harsh environments that are not well suited to hardware and software developed for Global consultancy McKinsey also re-
the office. It is no wonder, then, that many
leased a report last year, which claimed
businesses end up with little to show for
that the construction (and engineering)
their technology investments.”
sectors were some of the least digitised
These challenges can be broken
in the world. However, the report also
down into four major factors which
noted that the difficulties are under-
obstruct digital adoption: fragmentation,
standable. “The typical construction
which refers to the fact that construc-
project involves a multitude of independ-
tion projects are usually highly siloed
ent subcontractors and suppliers, which
along the value chain, with many small
have little incentive to embrace new
groups of contractors working on pro-
methods during the brief periods when
jects without too much regard for the
they are on the job,” the report’s authors
larger organisational structure; unique-
observed. “Projects vary greatly, so
ness, reflecting the old adage that
construction companies often struggle
no man steps in the same river twice,
to develop tools and methods they can
meaning that construction projects are c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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ENGINEERING
almost always one-of-a-kind due to the number of contextual variables in play; transience, which refers to the fact that most construction projects bring together a team of diverse specialists which then go their separate ways
“ Projects vary greatly, so construction companies often struggle to develop tools and methods they can apply repeatedly” — McKinsey, Decoding digital transformation in construction
upon completion, making continuity and long-term training a challenge; and decentralisation, which is an internal
70
reflection of the fragmentation across
need to be addressed. “Higher profit
construction projects, meaning most
margins, reduced cost, time efficiency,
construction companies are “highly fed-
better collaboration, and productivity
erated”, with multiple internal siloes.
– digital technology does influence the
If construction companies are to re-
construction industry in a way it never
alise the kind of sweeping, sustainable
did before,” concludes the report from
digital transformations that will pro-
Kreo. “Implementing it is not a choice;
duce long-term value, these pain points
it’s slowly becoming a necessity.”
BI M
One of the core technologies driving transformation across the construction industry is Building Information Modeling (BIM). Simply put, BIM is an intelligent, model-based process that allows architects, engineers and construction professions to work collaboratively on 3D rendered models of building projects. The
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
fact that the functional and aesthetic components of a design can be present in the same model, with input from professionals and companies fulfilling different functions, goes a long way towards demolishing the siloed methodology that prevents many construction projects from fully utilising digital tools.
What is BIM (Building Information Modeling)? CLICK TO WATCH
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DIGITAL MANUFACTURING IN CONSTRUCTION
approach to manufacturing throughout the production process.
Digital manufacturing is a growing
In construction, digital manufac-
trend that isn’t confined to the con-
turing’s primary benefit is the ability
struction space. In fact, its biggest
to move elements of construction
impact so far has been further up
off-site and into controlled environ-
the supply chain in the materials and
ments. These controlled spaces allow
equipment manufacturing industries.
for the introduction of manufacturing
Digital manufacturing is a broad term
lines, AI-powered automation and
describing the application of computer
more stringent quality control. Off-site
systems to the manufacturing pro-
assembly also reduces the amount
cess, with the aim of linking together
of time that a project spends on-site,
systems and processes in order to
which cuts down on overhead costs
create an integrated, end-to-end
and helps minimise environmental c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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72
Construction’s Digital Manufacturing Revolution CLICK TO WATCH
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K REO
UK and Belarusian-based software developer Kreo was founded in 2017 and has spent the last three years creating solutions for the Architecture, Engineering and Contractor industries to better collaborate and visualise the construction process. Using AI-powered automation technology, Kreo’s cloud-based BIM solutions allow multiple enterprises with different goals
and areas of expertise to work together on building designs and pre-tender offers. Kreo is split into two main platforms, Kreo Plan and Kreo Design. Kreo Design is a tool to help companies create BIM models at the concept design stage. Kreo Plan analyses existing BIM models, fixing them and generating detailed reporting, information and project predictions. 73
“ Implementing digital technology is not a choice; it’s slowly becoming a necessity” — Kreo, How digital technology is changing the construction industry
projects. The concept of off-site prefabrication is by no means new to the industry, but advances in automation and digital manufacturing technologies are pushing the practice to the fore, in response to skilled labour shortages, rising populations and the growing need for urban residential
disruption. One method in particular,
and commercial development.
centred around a component-based approach to prefabricated construction elements, allows construction operators to draw from a pre-designed kit of parts that helps increase standardisation across multiple c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY
74
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The case for integrating AI into construction WRITTEN BY
MARCUS LAWRENCE
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
TECHNOLOGY
76
AI and its derivatives stand to offer enormous benefits to the construction industry, and adoption looks set to rocket in the coming years
A
rtificial intelligence (AI) has
industry’s long history. Environmen-
become all but an inevitability
talism, space limitations, ethics and
for the vast majority of indus-
human rights, health and safety, and
tries, and construction is no different.
efficiency and productivity summarise
It stands as one of humanity’s oldest
the bulk of the challenges that modern
disciplines, refined over millennia and
construction faces, and AI appears
swayed in new directions by every civi-
poised to address each of them whilst
lisation and major cultural shift to reach
fulfilling that most essential of business
the job sites of today. Construction on
needs: cost reduction.
the scale of the modern day, growing at
Loosely defined and operating as
pace as globalisation and urbanisation
a banner for machine learning, deep
have accelerated over the past cen-
learning, robotics, automation and
tury, is replete with challenges that will
more, AI in broad terms is technology
define our own epoch’s chapter in the
capable of performing processes and
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77
completing tasks that traditionally require human input. With additional data pooled from myriad, relevant sources, AI can also become incrementally better at its job, opening up new avenues for efficiency, productivity, safety, and reliability. The Internet of
Research Dive highlights the following as leaders in the AI in Construction space: • Building System Planning (BuildingSP) • Autodesk
Things (IoT) and sensory equipment can
• Smartvid.io
be combined with AI to actively monitor
• Volvo AB
conditions on-site, catch overlooked
• Komatsu
elements of risk, observe the productiv-
• NVIDIA
ity and compliance of workers, forecast
• Doxel
overspending and late completion, and
• Dassault Systèmes
improve a building’s efficiency from
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
Digital Transformation. Made real every day. Find out how big advances in AI have made it easier than ever to unlock the power of data, create value, insights and a new level of intelligent security. From Individuals, to small organizations, to the Global Fortune 100, AI and machine learning are improving businesses and lives everywhere.
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“ Adjacent industries, such as transportation and manufacturing, are already in the process of breaking down the barriers between one another and operating more as ecosystems” —McKinsey planning through to post-construction.
analysis that stand to enhance AI’s
It can also use information, such as
capabilities even further. McKinsey’s
budget, dimensions, and proposed
article said that, while AI adoption
materials, to generate workable
in the engineering and construction
construction plans to specification.
industry would prove to be modest
Elsewhere, automated robotics can
in the immediate future, there is an
produce the structural elements of
additional driver of the industry’s shift
a building for assembly by human
towards intelligent solutions. “Indeed,
workers on-site, while on-site robotics
adjacent industries, such as transpor-
could be deployed for physical con-
tation and manufacturing, are already
struction with calculable precision.
in the process of breaking down the
In 2018, McKinsey’s ‘Artificial intelli-
barriers between one another and
gence: Construction technology’s next
operating more as ecosystems (for
frontier’ highlighted AI as becoming
example, solutions, tools, and algo-
increasingly important at an end-to-
rithms that were industry-specific
end level in the industry, and since then
are more likely to become effective
the advent of 5G has blown open new
having impact across industries)—
possibilities for data collection and
increasing the threat of competition c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
79
TECHNOLOGY
Artificial intelligence and its derivatives offer a broad range of potential benefits for the construction industry, including: • P roject planning • Productivity monitoring • Cost reduction • Risk mitigation • Generative design • Cost and time overrun prevention • Enhanced safety
80
• Off-site construction • Post-construction and building management • Labour shortage mitigation • Building efficiency and sustainability
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
from market entrants that have not traditionally been capital project players,” McKinsey explained. The case for AI in the industry, as with any looking to maximise efficiency, safety, accuracy, and productivity whilst cutting costs, is clear. In terms of limiting factors, Research Dive’s ‘Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Construction Market Insights, - 20192026’ report found that the greatest is the skills gap that must be bridged for successful implementation. The complexity of the construction journey stands to be streamlined by AI as it’s trained to answer tricky questions and solve problems at a greater pace than a team of people, but that pre-existing complexity is, in itself, a wall against such far-reaching technological change. With the very real pressure of being left behind, this is a challenge that enterprises in the industry are increasingly willing to face. Research Dive predicts that the AI in Construction, as an industry in itself, will generate cumulative revenues of over US$2.6bn by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.3% between 2019 and 2026. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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TECHNOLOGY
When it comes to the leaders in this
KOMATSU
apparent race to become AI-ready,
Industrial equipment manufacturer
more specifically those leading the
Komatsu launched its SMARTCON-
charge with AI-powered software
STRUCTION solutions business
designed for construction, Research
in 2015, focusing on data-driven,
Dive highlighted several. Here is a
machine learning-enhanced
selection of those leaders, and the
analysis and strategy. KomConnect,
work they’re doing to drive AI adoption
the keystone of the SMARTCON-
in construction.
STRUCTION model, intelligently assesses data derived from sensory
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BUILDINGSP
equipment (such as drones, cameras,
Clash detection, the art of finding
and smart machinery) in real-time
instances of conflict between two
to provide accurate and up-to-date
models of the same building (for example, walls and electrical cabling), has long been a vital element of the construction process that stands to be simplified and accelerated by AI. BuildingSP’s ClashMEP is an intelligent plug-in for Autodesk’s Revit, a leading building information modelling (BIM) platform, which detects clashes in realtime with minimal latency and without the need to export files to other platforms. Testimonials on the company’s product page highlight the acceleration of operations that real-time clash detection enables, as well as the minimal training required to incorporate ClashMEP into existing workflows. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
analyses of project and site conditions. The result is a considerable improvement in efficiency, accuracy, and quality in the final build thanks to actionable insights derived from reliable automated systems.
DASSAULT SYSTÈMES Regarded as a world leader in 3D modelling solutions, Dassault Systèmes’ EXALEAD and NETVIBES incorporate AI to drive enhanced operations in construction.
“ Automated robotics can produce the structural elements of a building for assembly by human workers on-site, while on-site robotics could be deployed for physical construction with calculable precision” 83
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TECHNOLOGY
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“ Environmentalism, space limitations, ethics and human rights, health and safety, and efficiency and productivity summarise the bulk of the challenges that modern construction faces” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
EXALEAD actively aggregates data from multiple sources and presents it in an effective, actionable fashion in real-time, while NETVIBES actively accrues data from social media, news articles and more with tailorable pertinence to an organisation’s operations. Both stand to offer fresh, intelligently analysed and delivered information for construction professionals to more accurately define and execute their strategies.
AI in Construction Can Streamline Tasks, Improve Insights, Even Save Lives CLICK TO WATCH
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AUTODESK
goals and specifications. The soft-
Renowned construction and architec-
ware also delivers performance data
tural solutions leader Autodesk has
for each design it concocts, enabling
supplemented its offering through
the designer to examine trade-offs
Autodesk Research, an arm dedicated
and benefits comparatively. This is
to exploring new ways to boost effi-
an elegant example of the utopian
ciency, productivity, and creativity for
ideal of AI’s integration: a marriage
designers and strategists. Project
of human ingenuity and a software
Dreamcatcher is perhaps the most
freeing that ingenuity from time and
prominent brainchild of Autodesk’s
effort-based impediments.
research, capable of generating thousands of designs that meet a designer’s c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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TALLEST BUILDINGS IN THE WORLD For more than a century, engineers, architects and investors around the world have battled it out in a race towards the sky. Today, skyscrapers dominate the skylines of our cities, standing apart as some of the great engineering marvels of the age. This month, Construction Global breaks down the world’s 10 tallest buildings.
WRITTEN BY
HARRY MENEAR
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T O P 10
10
CITIC TOWER, BEIJING – 527M
Completed in 2018, CITIC Tower (also known as China Zun) dominates the Beijing skyline with its distinctive swooping shape coated in glass that shimmers across the Chaoyang District. Standing 527 metres tall, the CITIC tower is a rare creation, in that it hasn’t accentuated its total height with an antennae or spire. In fact, only the final 14 metres of the building are unoccupied by offices. The tower has 109 floors above ground and eight 88
below, which are serviced by 100 elevators. The next-tallest building in Beijing, the China World
10
Trade Centre Tower III, is a full 190 metres shorter than CITIC.
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09 TIANJIN CTF
FINANCE CENTRE, TIANJIN – 530.4M
The Tianjin CTF Centre was completed last year and is the tallest in the city of Tianjin (or at least it will be until the Goldin Finance 117 building is completed). Standing 530.4 metres tall, the structure
89
09
has an elegantly fluted, all-glass
design that increases its resist-
ance to seismic activity. The
tower’s carved glass exterior is made entirely of flat glass pan-
eling, a major feat of engineering,
while strategically placed, multistory wind vents combined with
the tower’s aerodynamic shape reduce vortex shedding, which
in turn minimizes wind forces.
Tianjin CTF has 97 floors above
ground and four below, serviced by 80 elevators, making it the
world’s tallest building with fewer
than 100 floors.
By BD2412 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Between hope and possible there’s a bridge. 90
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08 CENTRE, GUANGZHOU -530.4M GUANGZHOU CTF FINANCE
With its sweeping angular lines, the building’s form is sculpted at four major transition points: office to residential, residential to hotel, hotel to crown, and crown to sky. One of the most interesting features of the 530.4 metre-tall tower is the amount of terracotta used in its construction which, in practical terms, makes a lot of sense – terracotta has a lower level of embodied energy than aluminium, steel or glass, is self-cleaning, corrosion resistant and readily produced throughout China. The building is currently owned by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises and is divided into office space, 355 apartments and 251 hotel rooms across its 111 floors (plus an additional five below ground). c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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07
O NE WORLD TRADE CENTRE, NEW YORK – 546.2M
Standing 546.2 metres tall, the One World Trade Centre in New York City is the tallest building in the Western World. Also nicknamed Freedom Tower, the project was proposed back in 2005, four years after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Construction began in 2006 and was completed in 2014. The tower sits beside the Ground Zero memorial to the 9/11 attacks, and serves as a point of commer-
07
92
cial pride, and a memory of the city’s loss. With its sweeping v-shaped front, the
building rises from a cubic base, its edges chamfered back, resulting in a faceted
form composed of eight elongated isos-
celes triangles that creates an effect that
is symmetrical and random, like a kaleidoscope. The One World Trade Centre is made up of 94 floors above ground and five beneath. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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06 LOTTE WORLD TOWER, SEOUL – 555.7M
The Lotte World Tower stands 555.7 metres tall and has 123 floors above ground, with an additional six below. Its exterior design draws influence from Korean ceramics, porcelain, and calligraphy. Its tapered design points from its location in the Songpa-gu district towards the old centre of the city in Myeongdong. Inside, the building is divided into a number of commercial and public functions, including retail spaces, offices, a 7-star luxury hotel, and an officetel: a common feature of South Korean real estate which offers studioapartments for people who work in the building. The tower’s top 10 stories are earmarked for extensive public use and entertainment facilities, including an observation deck and rooftop café. Construction on the Lotte World Tower began in 2011 and was completed in 2017. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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T O P 10
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T O P 10
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95
PING AN FINANCE CENTRE, SHENZHEN – 599.1M
The Ping An Finance Centre is the second-tallest building in China and the tallest in the country’s tech and industrial centre of Shenzhen. Standing 599.1 metres tall, its design is both aesthetically striking and practical, as the streamlined shape of the tower improves both structural and wind performance, reducing baseline wind loads by 35%. The building is designed to be hyper-dense, and intrinsically connected to the surrounding commercial and residential properties, as well as nearby high-speed rail links. According to the Skyscraper Centre, the tower is adorned by the largest stainless steel façad in the world to date, using a total of 1,700 tons of stainless steel. The Ping An Financial Centre has 115 floors above ground and five below. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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04
MAKKAH ROYAL CLOCK TOWER, MECCA – 601M
The 601 metre tall Makkah Royal Clock Tower in Mecca, Saudi Arabia sits at the heart of Islam’s holiest city. The tower was
developed as a component of the King Abdulaziz Endowment Project and provides temporary accomodation for millions of
Muslims that make the journey to the city every year during the Hajj period. It is located directly beside the grand mosque, which sees an average of two million visitors during its busiest periods. The building has a total of 858 hotel rooms in the central tower, spread across 120 floors above ground, with an additional three 96
floors below. Four gigantic clock faces are mounted near the top of the tower, and hold the record for both the largest and highest clocks in the world. At night, the clock faces are illuminated by one million LED lights.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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4
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03
SHANGHAI TOWER, SHANGHAI – 632M
Completed in 2015, Shanghai Tower is the tallest building in all of Asia, and the crown jewel of the city’s Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone. Standing a full 632 metres tall, the tower’s twisting glass design appears remarkably fluid for something so large and is said to symbolise the dramatic emergence of modern China. Its dynamic outline has a practical purpose as well, as wind tunnel tests confirm a 24% saving in structural wind loading when compared to a rectangular building of the same height. The building has 128 floors above ground with an additional five beneath, and is serviced by 106 elevators. These elevators travel at an average of 20.5m/s, making them the fastest in use anywhere in the world. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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Meet Oren.
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02
BURJ KHALIFA, DUBAI – 829.8M
Still technically the world’s tallest structure, the
Burj Khalifa is expected to lose its decade-long record some time this year. However, the 829.8
metre tall megastructure, with its 163 floors and distinctive sail-like shape, remains for now the tallest man made structure in the world. The tower and the neighbourhoods that surround
it are some of the most densely populated in Dubai and offer keen insight into the future of
hyper-densified urban living. The exterior of the 100
Burj Khalifa is clad in aluminum and textured stainless steel spandrel panels, designed
to withstand Dubai’s extreme temperatures during the summer months by using a low-E
glass to provide enhanced thermal insulation.
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Jeddah Tower 2020 Update Timelapse 1000m+ World’s Tallest Building CLICK TO WATCH
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KINGDOM TOWER, JEDDAH – 1,000+M Rising through sky and clouds to heights in excess of 1,000 metres, the Kingdom Tower in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah will be the tallest structure to ever have existed when finished. The building’s jagged, needle-like design is intended to evoke a bundle of leaves shooting up from the ground, meant to emanate the growth, prosperity, and regional emergence of its homeland on the global stage. Upon completion the Kingdom Tower will have 167 floors above ground, with just two below, and be mixed use. At the very top, a massive penthouse will allow a tenant to reside at the crown of the building, which could very well end up being the most expensive penthouse in the world. Jeddah tower is expected to top off this year.
By S.Nitzold – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0 c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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TRANSFORMING OPERATIONS THROUGH DIGITISATION WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
GLEN WHITE
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations at McDermott, discusses the impact of COVID-19 in the oil and gas industry
M
cDermott is a premier, fully-integrated provider of technology, engineering and construction solutions to the energy indus-
try. Operating in over 54 countries, McDermott’s locally focused and globally integrated resources include more than 42,000 employees, a diversified fleet of specialty marine construction vessels and 106
fabrication facilities worldwide. Mark Lowman is Vice President of Operations at McDermott. Having spent his early career as a Submariner in the Royal Navy, Lowman worked his way through the ranks to advance to Lieutenant Commander, before spending a further four years with the Royal Australian Navy. In 2000, Lowman left the Navy and joined the oil and gas industry and, over the next few years, gained experience as a Project Manager delivering projects in the Subsea, Offshore and Onshore business segments. In 2012, he joined McDermott to oversee company fabrication operations in Asia and to manage the Batam Fabrication yard. Two years later, he stepped into his current role as Vice President of Operations and is now based in Houston, Texas. “I loved my career with the Royal Navy, but I always knew I was S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
— Makes operations and asset optimization easier than it looks ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite In today’s trying times, we need every angle to solve business challenges faster. Analyzing data can give us an edge. But deciding which data and how is a whole different game. As a leader in digital technologies that help customers improve operations, we developed the ABB Ability™ Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. Genix takes data from distributed control systems and devices, and combines it with data from information and engineering systems to provide multidimensional analytics that help you increase production, optimize assets and streamline business processes. Artificial Intelligence helps you produce predictive and prescriptive actions to improve. The Genix platform is augmented with easy-to-use applications and supplemented with expert ABB services to help you find the right solution to solve business challenges faster. abb.com
ABB: accelerating digitalisation with McDermott ABB is a leading global engineering company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. Heather Cykoski is the Group Vice President at ABB. Having worked for the organisation since 2005 in several different leadership positions, she has a comprehensive understanding of the industry and has observed her organisation’s digital transformation journey first-hand. “It’s incredibly interesting to be where we are today. Digitalisation has been at the core of what we do for many years; however, the acceleration of implementation today is truly transformational,” explains Cykoski. “Now is the time for those who lead in this space to transform and deliver digital value to both our own operations and to our customers. Today’s challenging economy makes this more urgent than ever. There is so much more to deliver, and we need to deliver fast.” Rajesh Ramachandran is the Chief Digital Officer for ABB’s Industrial Automation business. He joined ABB in February 2019 and brings over three decades of experience in technology and business leadership to ABB, having helped to transform world-class multinational organisations such as Oracle, Siemens, PayPal and more.
ABB Partner Video
“Having established a key, strategic business relationship with McDermott, Cykoski affirms that this collaboration is influential to mutual success. “The partner ecosystem has changed. The combination of a technology provider like ABB, and an EPC like McDermott, supporting the end user, is the trifecta that creates the perfect project,” says Cykoski. “We know how important an EPC is: 80% of large projects go through an EPC. When you look at digitalisation and partnerships, what it truly means is that you trust one another and collaborate to provide value. McDermott and ABB both have very similar outlooks and values, and that is key.”
“With the future in mind, Ramachandran has a clear idea of what the partnership with McDermott could hold. “We’re actively working on how to build solutions together that have a “Different customers are at different points of lifecycle value for customers, from design through their digital transformation journeys,” says operations through continuous improvement,” he Ramachandran. “This is even true with the solution says. “The trusted relationship that we have with providers as they are learning along with the McDermott is important to ensure projects are customers on what the real value of digital is to delivered on time at the right cost. There is now a drive business outcomes. In today’s highly new normal in the industry following the pandemic. competitive landscape, industries are able to It’s the right time for partners to come together embrace digital technologies to address their core and develop, test and implement new technologies — challenges, while striving for operational excellence that challenge traditional ways of working. We’re Makes operations and asset and output of the highest quality. Digital confident that by working together, we will ensure transformation has becomeoptimization a high priority due easier safer, than smarterit and more sustainable operations looks to its promise of addressing strategic business across the industry. “It’s a great opportunity to ABB Ability™ Industrial Analytics andknowledge AI Suite imperatives. Many companies are struggling withGenix bring the combined power of domain how to leverage this potential. We believe the and leading technology to our customers. We’re In today’s trying times, we need every angle to solve business challenges faster. Analyzing data industry must adopt a clear can roadmap of how to confident this jointgame. value will help our give us an edge. But deciding which data and how is a whole different As a proposition leader in technologies that help customers improve operations, we developed the ABB Ability™ address digitalisation, from digital enabling it to customers succeed today and tomorrow .” Genix Industrial Analytics and AI Suite. Genix takes data from distributed control systems and implementing it through focused solutions, devices, and combines it with data from information and engineering systems to provide multidimensional analytics that help you increase production, optimize assets and streamline keeping in mind the longer digitalisation journey. business processes. Artificial Intelligence helps you produce predictive and prescriptive actions to improve. effectively The Genix platform is augmented with easy-to-use applications and supplemented At ABB, we can help our customers with with expert ABB services to help you find the right solution to solve business challenges faster. these challenges.” Learn more abb.com
M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
“MCDERMOTT HAS CREATED AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE EMPLOYEES ARE ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE AND PROMOTE THEIR IDEAS AND WE HAVE A MANTRA TO ‘TAKE THE LEAD” 110
Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott
going to move jobs eventually because there comes a time when you can no longer serve at sea,” explains Lowman. He studied at Deakin University and was awarded an MBA in Law, Finance, Human Resources, Economics and Marketing in 2001. He points to that experience as vital in providing a network of like-minded individuals. “That programme had a big influence on me as I got introduced to a number of senior executives from other companies and those conversations about opportunities really drove me to switch my career.” Lowman believes the oil and gas industry has been slower to adopt new technology than other industries, but recognises that digitalisation is beginning to have a greater influence on operations. “When I started, digitalisation was in its infancy in the industry,” he explains. “McDermott was still working in the same way it always had with adequate systems and processes while not fully understanding the benefits of digitalisation. We have created our Digital and Project Innovation Group who are supported by resources across the organisation. This allows us to educate our employees and the leadership as
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Ship-to-Ship Motion Measurement System CLICK TO WATCH
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111 we prepare to evolve to a digital culture.
we can find. Going forward, our focus
Digital disruption is very likely to upend
is heavily on technologies which help
the way we operate.” Pointing to his
us improve collaboration, expand our
organisation’s ongoing digital transfor-
project predictability through analytics
mation journey, Lowman acknowledges
and automate repetitive activities to free
that there has been a combination of
up our people.”
small point solutions as well as longer
With the COVID-19 pandemic
running programmes. “We’re leveraging
impacting businesses across the globe
cloud technology in certain areas, such
during the first half of 2020, Lowman
as our ERP and utilising technology
recognises how difficult the challenge
platforms like PLM from the aerospace
of transforming operations rapidly was.
and automotive industries,” he says. “We
“There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has
have tried to ensure that we don’t have
had a significant influence on the way
an ‘only invented here’ mentality and are
businesses operate now,” he explains.
always looking to leverage the best that
“Almost overnight, we had to switch c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
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“THE KEY IS UNDERSTANDING THE CUSTOMER’S DRIVERS” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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ServiceNow: driving digitalisation with McDermott Kevin Galloway, Director of Enterprise Sales, and Sunny Mahato, Advisory Solution, Consultant at ServiceNow discusses their firm’s partnership with McDermott. ServiceNow is an industry leading SaaS provider, helping to make the world work better for people and has a mission to improve the overall employee experience. ServiceNow has formed a key, strategic relationship with McDermott and helps the organisation with their digital strategy. Kevin Galloway is a Director of Enterprise Sales at ServiceNow. Having been with the company since February 2019, he has operated in the oil and gas industry over the past decade and has observed the rise of digital transformation first-hand. “Before McDermott brought in ServiceNow, they had a very manual process,” he explains. “If there was an issue, it would have to be passed around different employees until it reached the right person. With ServiceNow, we automate that process.” Sunny Mahato is an experienced technology leader with experience in strategic account software sales cycles, advanced enterprise software applications, business process optimisation, solution development and consultancy. He believes that ServiceNow’s solution is of significant value to McDermott as it streamlines the process considerably. “McDermott doesn’t have to worry about maintaining or managing the servers or having people go into the office to look after it. It’s all driven from the cloud.” Prior to joining forces with ServiceNow, McDermott had no way of tracking inventory or streamlining their HR processes. Galloway believes that upon the beginning of the partnership with his organisation, the cost savings have been considerable. “McDermott went from 100% manual intervention and spreadsheets to now running our platform which they now use as ERP,” he says. “They track millions of dollars of assets automatically through our platform and their onboarding process has transformed from a manual process to a workflow which streamlines that process. Sometimes, people don’t realise
ServiceNow
the cost involved with some of these manual processes and the cost savings are in the millions.” Mahato affirms the importance of displaying a compassionate and understanding approach to customers and employees alike. “Our mission is all about showing compassion to not just employees but also our customers, particularly in the current challenging environment,” says Mahato. “We want our employees and customers to know that we stand with them.” Looking to the future, Galloway has a clear idea of the next stage of the partnership with McDermott. “As we continue to grow our relationship with McDermott, we want to begin to leverage AI into our platform and machine learning to help McDermott further automate their environment,” explains Galloway. “The world is going more mobile, particularly because of COVID-19. Working from home isn’t going to go away so being a cloud-based mobile platform provider has become more important than ever. The ability to connect mobily and through an automated fashion is vital.” Mahato adds that he believes in an agile and lean approach in order to drive success in the market. “We’re hopeful we can continue to help McDermott with project management and introducing greater technology such as AI and ML,” adds Mahato. “It’s crucial to be as proactive as possible instead of reactive.”
M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
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from a normal office environment to
reassurance,” says Lowman. “We have
virtual working. Travel restrictions meant
fabrication operations where we have
that we haven’t been able to visit our
thousands of staff that work in close
customers face to face and as we’re a
proximity to one another and we need
global operation, travel was an essential
to be able to communicate and reassure
element to remain connected. COVID-
them, while ensuring they understand
19 has forced us to make the switch
the evolution post-COVID-19.” Despite
to online communications as well as
the unprecedented challenge of the
encouraged us to find innovative ways
coronavirus, McDermott managed to
of working together.” Lowman rec-
keep all sites fully operational glob-
ognised the importance of reassuring
ally. “From the beginning, our QMW
employees while undergoing significant
Fabrication operation on the Qingdao
disruption and change to everyday
coast, Shangdong province, Central
operations. “Our employees needed
China, was able to respond quickly and
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E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Mark Lowman Title: Vice President of Operations Industry: Oil & Energy
Company: McDermott
Location: Texas, USA
Mark Lowman is an accomplished, highly resourceful Executive Management professional with a wealth of experience in managing multi-billion dollar construction projects in the Oil and Gas industry from inception to delivery. Prior to his career in the oil and gas industry, Mark had a successful naval career moving from the ranks to Lieutenant Commander. Mark has been with McDermott International Inc. for seven years in a variety of roles, including as the Director of Fabrication in Batam, Indonesia, Senior Director of Commercial Asia Pacific, and Vice President of Project Execution in both Asia Pacific and in Houston. Prior to McDermott, Mark held leadership positions at Technip Oceania Pty Ltd. Marks holds a Master of Business from Deakin University and has degrees in Nuclear Engineering, Naval Science and Operational Studies, from Britannia Royal Naval College and Royal Naval College Greenwich. Mark has a proven track record leading global operations, building business and setting up operations in new geographical areas and countries. He is a results-driven business leader who creates shared vision and leads from the front, to build, empower and motivate multi-cultural, cross-functional teams to achieve goals.
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M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
O N E MCDERMO T T WAY
Customers rely on McDermott to deliver certainty to some of the most complex projects, from concept to commissioning. To help provide consistency and assurance of delivery, McDermott has established the “One McDermott Way” which means the same vision, values and processes are always observed.
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“This particularly helped when we combined with CB&I as we put a huge amount of effort in working as coming together as one team,” says Lowman. “McDermott has created an environment where employees are encouraged to engage and promote their ideas and we have a mantra to ‘take the lead.’”
Our Vision is One CLICK TO WATCH
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1:53
119 proactively by introducing control and
McDermott currently has a backlog
mitigation measures well in advance
of US$16bn worth of projects to execute
of Government restrictions,” explains
over the next few years. “This is a great
Lowman. “This has also been the case
position to be in, particularly at a time
for all our fabrication yards including
when market conditions are so uncer-
Dubai, Indonesia and Mexico, as well as
tain,” affirms Lowman. The projects
our project construction sites in the US
in question include BP Cassia – Cassia
and across the world.” McDermott took
C Greenfield and Gulf Coast Joint
the pandemic seriously from the outset
Ventures – MEG project. “In terms of BP
and quickly established global and local
Cassia, McDermott is undertaking the
area Crisis Management Teams. “We
procurement, construction and fabrica-
very quickly and efficiently developed
tion of a 7,250 MT topsides and a 3,400
procedures and processes to manage
MT four-legged jacket and piles. That
our response to the pandemic, but more
project is progressing well and our fabri-
importantly to keep our employees safe.”
cation yard in Mexico has remained open c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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27,000 Tons delivered in 17 months
“WHEN I STARTED, DIGITALISATION WAS IN ITS INFANCY IN THE INDUSTRY” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott
you can’t do it as a one- man band. You need a series of experienced, industry professionals whom you can trust to build the team and empower them to align to the project goals.” McDermott places considerable value on sustainability and has established several CSR initiatives. McDermott holds an Annual Batam International Golf Tournament which has been able to raise over US$1mn to fund the build-
during the pandemic and has responded
ing of orphanages in Batam Island in
with remarkable productivity,” explains
Indonesia, providing health kits to chil-
Lowman. “With the MEG project, we’re
dren, digging wells for a nearby island
fabricating large modules in two of our
and offering a range of other events.
global fabrication yards. The first mod-
“We have a series of sustainability goals
ules were delivered in early April and they
that we’ve been developing over time,”
are now in Texas where the construction
explains Lowman. “We like to engage
site is putting together and creating the
with the communities to ensure we
plant.” Despite the seismic shift in the
provide the support that is needed and
scale of projects, Lowman believes the
make sure that McDermott as a busi-
core foundations remain the same. “The
ness is conscious of the worldwide effort
key is understanding the customer’s
to reduce carbon footprint.” Those goals
drivers,” explains Lowman. “This will help
that Lowman mentioned centre around
execute the project successfully and
developing sustainable solutions that
provide a level of assurance to the cus-
support energy transition, contribut-
tomer. As a project director, I would want
ing to sustainable growth, reducing
to build a project management team with
operational environmental footprint and
a high-level of experience. With some of
promoting workplace and community
these larger multi-billion dollar projects,
wellbeing. Having previously focused on c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
developing natural gas power technology that produces low cost electricity while providing zero carbon emissions with NET Power, Lowman says that McDermott remains well placed to keep sustainability at the fore. “Everyone understands that climate change is an area that needs to be considered in planning,” he says. “Clean Fuels and NET Power have generated interests and we’re still providing customers with the opportunity to become engaged.” Lowman recognises the importance 122
of partnerships and believes developing key, strategic business relationships are vital to success in the oil and gas industry. “Due to the sheer size of some of the projects, it means that you have to share the risk and one partner may have a higher level of expertise in a particular area
“DIGITAL DISRUPTION IS VERY LIKELY TO UPEND THE WAY WE OPERATE”
than another,” he explains. “However,
Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott
as particularly important. “We’ve been
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
by working together, this allows for more confidence in delivery and we rely on partners and vendors across the globe.” Lowman points to McDermott’s relationship with Baker Hughes and ABB working together on Subsea production solutions in conjunction with Subsea
123
umbilical rises and flow lines (SURF)
Onshore and Offshore business and
and by collaborating we’ve been able
is extremely supportive. They’re also
to offer solutions to the market that can
involved in some of our management
deliver savings to the customer that are
discussions with customers in terms of
potentially in the millions,” says Lowman.
providing the best lower cost solutions
“ABB is a great supporting company
that the customer is always looking for.
that provides technical solutions to help
The relationship is really built on aligned
us position ourselves to win work. ABB
goals and the ability to communicate
offers switchboard equipment for our
and work together effectively.” c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
M C D E R M O T T I N T E R N AT I O N A L I N C
Striving to make the world better, for everyone To help solve the biggest flow-control challenges, customers worldwide rely on the product brands, engineering, project management and service expertise of Flowserve. We help our customers lower operating costs, optimize performance, prolong equipment life, mitigate risks and drive higher productivity.
“I BELIEVE WE WILL EVOLVE AND BECOME A DIFFERENT KIND OF COMPANY, BUT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HERE TO DELIVER PROJECTS TO OUR CUSTOMERS” Mark Lowman, Vice President of Operations, McDermott 125 Having been around for almost 100
the forefront of technology and the
years, McDermott has significantly
ability to continue to offer project
evolved over the years. Following the
concepts to final delivery to our
merger of McDermott and CB&I in
customers both upstream and down-
2018, the organisation has matured
stream from Petrochemical and LNG
into a company that has a presence
plants, Storage Tanks and Offshore
both Onshore and Offshore. “Despite
and Subsea. I believe we will evolve
the challenges, we’ve adjusted and
and become a different kind of com-
grown,” affirms Lowman. “We con-
pany, but we will always be here to
tinue to be a company that prides
deliver projects to our customers.”
itself on technology-led solutions and we have secured a partnership with Lummus Technology for the longer term. This relationship will enable McDermott to remain at c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Bentley Systems’ cloud offering drives business resilience WRITTEN BY
MARCUS LAWRENCE
PRODUCED BY
ARRON RAMPLING
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BENTLEY SYSTEMS
Jeff Richardson, CDO at Bentley Systems, discusses the state of the art cloud infrastructure that benefits internal and external stakeholders
T
he global business community has responded to the coronavirus pandemic with considerably more focus on remote
working than has ever been seen before. For every industry, from media to construction, demand 128
has rocketed for technological solutions that will enable continued operations with minimal disruption. Bentley Systems, a world-leading software solutions developer serving major infrastructural construction projects around the world, has long been a proponent of this breed of tech, and today boasts a cutting edge cloud infrastructure whose benefits are more apparent than ever. In normal times, its end-to-end suite of software solutions for such large projects ensures a seamlessness of delivery for its users while cutting-edge telemetry capabilities mean development and subscriptions are current, flexible, and fair. All of that remains true during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global crisis has revealed that Bentley’s greatest strength is perhaps in the flexibility it offers both external and internal stakeholders. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Jeff Richardson, CDO, Bentley Systems
129
1984
Year founded
$700mn Revenue in US dollars
3,800 Number of employees
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
BENTLEY SYSTEMS
“ We use the rules of compliance as foundational guidelines, and we always try to exceed those guidelines by orders of magnitude” 130
— Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems
Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer at Bentley Systems, has been with the company since 2004, rising through the ranks from an SAP developer to the head of the firm’s data lifecycle and data strategies. In Richardson’s view, ‘global mobility’ is 2020’s key trend, and it has certainly become the undercurrent for business in a world where face-to-face contact is being kept to a minimum. “Businesses have quickly tried to adapt to global mobility now that face-toface culture is out the window, and we instead need to have a culture of ‘can you do your job globally, but remotely to where you are?’” he says. The scope of the construction projects that Bentley facilitates means the capability required goes way beyond the collaboration tools and Zoom meetings that have come to pervade many industries. Building a 100-storey skyscraper, for example, comes with immense data requirements, with file sizes spanning gigabytes and terabytes. “A single BIM model, made of the structural elements of the building, could be many, many gigabytes of data. The question is: how do remote workers seamlessly
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Bentley Systems: ProjectWise Components Center Overview CLICK TO WATCH
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131 access files of that size to make edits,
on integrating a robust and industry-
updates and run analyses?”
leading cloud security platform. Along
Bentley’s state-of-the-art
with instituting a security office, we
ProjectWise 365 tools provide the
have beefed up our security staff and
answer, with distributed file sharing
infrastructure by around 800% in
and caching technology that enable
the past five years, we’re constantly
workers to easily operate within the
running penetration exercises on our
cloud regardless of where and when
cloud infrastructure, and we are just
they are, all with the confidence that
now implementing mock data breach
the system is secure and continually
scenarios with our larger cloud infra-
stress-tested against potential threats.
structure compliance and data teams.
“Living in a cloud-focused world,
As we store more and more of our
security is huge for us. Our CIO, Claire
users’ data in the cloud, it is both our
Rutkowski, came on board in October
responsibility and desire to be as safe
2016 and has been heavily focused
and resilient as possible.” c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
BENTLEY SYSTEMS
132
During this period of business
‘ELS contracts’, Richardson explains:
instability and uncertainty, Bentley’s
“We were selling contracts like that as
protections for its customers have
far as back as 2006 - I’ve never heard
extended beyond its cybersecurity.
of another company that was doing
Owing to the business disruptions, the
the same that far back in time. With
company has waived the pay-what-you-
the light telemetry we had available
use subscription fees for ProjectWise
to measure usage, we were able to
through to 30 September 2020; a
do that.” Data gathered from across
measure that ties closely with Bentley’s
software suites has not only enabled
mantra that its success is measured
reactive and incisive development of
by that of its users. The firm has been
successive products, but has made
a pioneer of this payment-by-usage
the pay-for-what-you-use model the
subscription model, known internally as
norm for Bentley for over a decade.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Jeff Richardson Jeff Richardson is a seasoned data and analytics executive leader with a cloud-first focus on evolving technology and trends. Over a 17-year career, he has crafted a results-driven strategy for growth and delivered outcomes which have helped Bentley achieve a leading position in cloud technology, record revenue and user growth.
Today, the latest data measurements are even more precise and complex, making for a robust service model that is accurately proportionate to the user’s needs. Not only does each contract have an unlimited potential value ceiling for Bentley, they also ensure users are never encumbered with a subscription that they don’t need and actively use. The tech also paints a
A prolific speaker on the topics of cloud, data and analytics, Richardson can often be found at conferences and networking events in the Greater Philadelphia and mid-Atlantic area. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Providence College, where he was also a Division I swimmer, a master’s degree in Statistics from Central Connecticut State University and recently completed a business capstone program at Yale University.
picture of the usage increase that has come with vaster proportions of workforces working from home during the c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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BENTLEY SYSTEMS
For an open relationship with your data.
Multi-cloud Data Integration & Analytics | qlik.com
135 COVID-19 pandemic. “When the crisis hit, many companies who were using other, server-based products in offices became stuck and couldn’t access those resources. For our customers, the users of our distributed cloud products, the transition was seamless and we can actually see that in the telemetry. It shows us that our work-sharing products had no disruption in usage during the country-based shutdowns resulting from the pandemic. In fact, our collaboration tools actually saw an 8-13% increase in usage, year on year,
“ A single BIM model, made of the structural elements of the building, could be many, many gigabytes of data. The question is: how do remote workers seamlessly access files of that size to make edits, updates, and run analysis” — Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems
from last year.” c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
BENTLEY SYSTEMS
Partners enabled us to build an analytical suite in conjunction with our Microsoft Azure partnership.”
136
“Bentley tends to partner with software vendors very tightly to build solutions for things that work for us and can be fed back into the larger software development ecosystem. SAP is a great example, and we’ve been a tight partner with them since about 2005. We use SAP for all of our internal applications, such as ERP and CRM systems, to run operations internally along with its people management and success factors. We work very closely with SAP to develop products that we’re going to use, and I’m positive that development is used to enhance SAP’s only products too.”
“Over the past ten years, Qlik has been a great software vendor and partner for Bentley. We’re using the most recent release of its cloudfocused Sense technology, and it has S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“I have a close relationship with a lot of the guys that started the company. As an analytics and data storagefocused cloud developer, Thoughtspot is positioned to be the market leader in cloud-based analytics.”
“We recently partnered with Snowflake to support our cloud-first approach, and it is rapidly growing to become the leader in data warehousing and storage technology. We’re going to use Snowflake internally to store our featurelevel data, which consists of huge amounts of highly detailed telemetry data. Their pricing structure is very elastic, with a fair billing model focused on pay-what-you-use, just like Bentley.”
The sheer capability and flexibility
develop solutions in collaboration with
of Bentley’s cloud infrastructure, which
its key vendors to solidify its leadership
has in recent years been a huge invest-
in the market. Not only that, but cloud-
ment focus for the firm, has been
based operations have made Bentley
predicated on CEO Greg Bentley’s
enormously flexible in how it operates,
insistence that its operations are
meaning that, of its 3,800 staff world-
cloud-first and cloud-forward wherever
wide, Richardson says that only 73
possible. This pioneering approach
were unable to dive into the working-
to cloud, dating back to the launch
from-home scenario of the coronavirus
of Microsoft Azure and the subse-
pandemic from day one.
quent close partnership that the two
Across such global operations, this is
firms have shared since, has enabled
a great indicator of Bentley’s flexibility
Bentley to both seize the opportunities
at work. As the coronavirus pandemic
of cloud-centralised operations and
gathered pace, Senior Leadership of
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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BENTLEY SYSTEMS
138
“ Living in a cloud-focused world, security is huge for us. Our CIO, Claire Rutkowski, came on board in October 2016 and has been heavily focused on integrating a robust and industry-leading cloud security platform” — Jeff Richardson, Chief Data Officer, Bentley Systems S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
IT meetings were held to workshop worst case scenarios, and the preparation that resulted has ensured what Richardson calls a “totally seamless” shift to the new normal. Questions of access to vital resources from home, including licences, hardware and software were answered promptly in a show of remarkable preparedness in such unprecedented times. “We use the rules of compliance as foundational guidelines, and we always try to exceed those guidelines
139
by orders of magnitude; comply-
the next decade.” This sentiment is
ing whilst building infrastructure
reflected in Bentley’s continued ability
that supports those guidelines in a
to serve its clients and continue as nor-
best practice sense, and exceeding
mal internally, a powerful indicator that
those standards as far as possible,”
Bentley’s cloud software will retain its
Richardson enthuses, highlighting
market leadership long into the future.
the strategic focus that has ensured Bentley Systems is ready for anything. To close, Richardson shares the ethos at the heart of Bentley’s operations: “We don’t want to build cloud software that’s reliable for today, we want to build cloud software that’s reliable for c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
BUILDING OUT CHINA’S DATA CENTRE INFRASTRUCTURE 140
WRITTEN BY
JOHN O’HANLON PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
C H AY O R A
Chayora has a unique approach and unparalleled expertise when it comes to establishing new, world class data centres in China
A
s China opens its expanding economy to global businesses to meet the growing demands of its 1.4 billion people, it
presents a compelling market to global retailers, manufacturers and service companies. Starting up or growing in China is not like starting or scaling up in any western-style economy. A partner that understands the need of businesses in the wider 142
world to gain a presence within China, and offer that access from within and at scale, is essential. Chayora was conceived and launched nine years ago to provide just that bridge into China, a secure and carrier-neutral base for transactional data and operations. Founded by Oliver Jones, Jonathan Berney and Steven Cao, respectively CEO, COO and China Chairman, its focus is entirely on using the unique know-how, expert team, licensing and corporate structure it has created to develop and operate data centre campuses in China. Conceived on a scale that will make Chayora a major player even by China’s standards, the sites are strategically located and truly hyperscale developments, covering typically more than 30 hectares and with over 300MW of gross power
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143
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
C H AY O R A
“ I was approached by a large global bank looking for an innovative way into China – and I quickly realised that the other major banks had the same problem” — Oliver Jones, CEO, Chayora
load. Sites this large have all the expansion capacity needed, and customers can be accommodated on a flexible funding basis, from being fully funded by Chayora to being self-funded by the customer. There are very few international data centre operators that hold the necessary IDC (Internet Data Centre) licences needed to enter China’s market, says Jones. “The potential opportunity was highlighted originally when I was approached by a large
144
global bank looking for an innovative way to handle their data storage in China – and I quickly found out that the other major banks had the same problem.” Understanding both the opportunity and the formidable difficulty of grasping it, the founders put their heads together and set about gathering talent. “We needed the best, so we identified extremely collaborative and competent people to join our team.” The Chayora team is very strong today, well-balanced in global presence, gender mix and relevant professional backgrounds enabling it to deliver a unique proposition to its customers. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Chayora Introduction CLICK TO WATCH
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1:56
145 Jones and Berney are both Hong Kong based, the latter responsible for creating Chayora’s ability to
delivering for customers. We work in the space where these converge.” Chayora’s key attraction for custom-
deliver and execute its strategy. In
ers is reliable speed to market. This
China, all land is government owned,
is achieved by having pre-approved
with long-term leases acquired by
designs that satisfy national regula-
auction. The first site in the Tianjin
tory requirements. Where a customer
Beijing corridor was acquired in 2017
needs to vary that design the team
as part of an investment agreement
is in place to obtain approval very
with the local government.
quickly. The first facility on the Tianjin
“We have three main business driv-
site, known as TJ1, will accommodate
ers,” Berney explains. “To align with
3,000 racks in six data halls at rack
the China Five-Year Plan and its poli-
densities up 30kW per rack to the
cies, secondly, the objectives of our
customer requirements. Construction
shareholders and, most importantly,
of the first phase shell is complete, c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
C H AY O R A
146
equipment is being installed and it is
A customer can come in at a mod-
due to come on stream in September –
est level and scale up to tens or even
the first of nine data centre facilities
hundreds of megawatts. “Hyperscale
on this campus.
generally means over 10MW of IT load
A second campus in Shanghai, which
and is built to suit in our cases,” says
has a population of nearly 25 million,
Jones. “We are able to deliver that now
is at an advanced stage of planning.
to the largest companies in the world,
It will be fully permitted and licensed
which is rare if not unique in China.
and, like Tianjin which serves greater
The large cloud companies coming
Beijing, will be carrier-neutral with
into China have had to start small
enough power available for any
compared to their typical requirements
future expansion offering low-latency
while they build demand but growth
ultra-high-speed connections at
has been constrained due to lack of
a competitive TCO.
facilities at scale and performance.”
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Though the core team is built of expe-
stimulating. “I have never encountered
rienced developers, operators and
anything as exciting or as rewarding
entrepreneurs with more than 100
as the progress Chayora has made.”
data centres under their belts, Jones says they find this venture the most
In every sector, customers appreciate Chayora’s ability to help them
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Oliver Jones Title: Co-Founder & CEO
Company: Chayora
Industry: Technology industry Location: Hong Kong Oliver Jones is the co-founder and Chief Executive of Chayora. Oliver originally qualified as a chartered surveyor after graduating from Kingston in 1983 and after completing his MBA at London Business School in the late 1980s, specialised in corporate finance and the fast-growing management areas of property and business services outsourcing. Oliver specifically focuses on complex outsourcing transactions and property operating related investment deals. His experience in public partnerships has its roots in the UK in the 1990s when market testing and PFI models were developed. During this time, Oliver advised the UK Government’s Cabinet Office through his role on the UK PFI Panel Property Group and various industry professional bodies. He has worked extensively in real estate and service operator businesses internationally and has a particular insight into the Middle East and Asia through past business interests specifically the UAE, where he was a founder director of Emrill when with Carillion; Hong Kong and China with Citex and EC Harris; and Australia with Symonds. c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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C H AY O R A
148
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
149
“ We took up this challenge because despite it being such a massive market none of the major international tech firms had an effective strategy for accessing it” — Oliver Jones, CEO, Chayora c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
C H AY O R A
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Yali Liu
150
Title: EVP — Network & Strategy
Company: Chayora
Industry: Technology industry
Location:Hong Kong
Ms. Yali Z. Liu joined Chayora in 2020 as Executive Vice President responsible for network connectivity products and solutions, as well as business strategy, being a member of the management board of Chayora, supporting delivery of large scalable high performance data centre campuses in China. Yali has over 15 years of strategic and operational leadership experience in global internet, cloud and data centre development, driving transformation and supporting business and customer demands worldwide. Yali was Executive Director at Verizon, responsible for global network planning, engineering and network product development, leading large geographically dispersed global teams to provide development and operational support for innovative product portfolios while aligning technology strategy with business and financial objectives. Between 2014-19, Yali was Vice President of ChinaCache responsible for global business development. She was instrumental in driving carrier-neutral data centres and building the first internet exchange (CHN-IX) in mainland China for more effective regional connectivity among cloud and data service providers and ISPs. Yali holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Peking University, an MBA from University of Dallas, and an M.S. in Computer Sciences from University of Texas in Dallas. Yali has a US patent in internet technology, and is an advisory board member of the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC). S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ It’s exciting to be developing truly carrier-neutral data centres – something entirely new to China” — Yali Liu, EVP – Network & Strategy, Chayora
to data centre capacity needs. “It’s exciting,” she says, “to be developing truly carrier-neutral data centres – something entirely new to China.” China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) announced that from July 2020 the fee charging model between three big indigenous operators China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile
formulate a business plan and decide
(which has 950 million subscribers)
whether to choose a wholesale build-
shall be scrapped and internet back-
to-suit data centre or go for racks
bone peering introduced.
within their “colo” to get their services
This is a very important step for-
started. They can expand as their
ward and will significantly improve
business grows.
network performance and user
The buzz around Chayora attracts
experience once fully implemented,
vibrant talent, typified by the recent
Liu affirms: “I am happy that the
appointment of Yali Liu as EVP of
government has opened the way to
Network and Strategy. Liu has one
seamless connectivity to the internet
foot in Texas and the other in Beijing,
backbone in China. Chayora now has
an ideal international background
a colocation partnership agreement
for working with key stakeholders.
with Telstra, under which Telstra will
Formerly Executive Director at Verizon
also be the campus’ network man-
and responsible for global network
ager offering carrier neutrality. Our
planning and VP for ChinaCache, one
customers can now come in with the
of the largest content delivery net-
carrier of their choice. Connectivity
works (CDN) providers in China, she
to international standards is a big
has a rare understanding of both the
focus for us. Customers need to
American and Chinese approaches
know that though we’re China-based c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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C H AY O R A
“ Our drivers are threefold, to comply with the political and regulatory environment, secondly ROI, and finally delivering for customers” — Jonathan Berney, COO, Chayora
the US West Coast and specifically in the Bay Area of San Francisco, which is where Karen Kesner, EVP and Head
we have international expertise,
of Americas is based. She leads key
so transparency is a hallmark of
go-to-market and growth acceleration
our business.”
activities for Chayora customers in
Having a strong presence in China 152
the US.
and also in western markets sets
Each of the leaders we spoke to
Chayora apart. Many of the biggest
emphasised the importance of cultural
global tech players are situated on
sensitivity when coming into China.
Chayora – Enable Access CLICK TO WATCH
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1:57
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Jonathan Berney Title: COO Company: Chayora Industry: Technology industry Location: Hong Kong With over 30 years of international business experience, in technology, finance and property, before creating Chayora along with his two fellow founders, Jonathan worked as an analyst with Cazenove in London, was CEO of .com, Head of Implementation of an early mobile commerce platform and, more recently, was a regional managing partner with EC Harris. Here he helped organisations with business-critical assets transform and outsource, including the development of mission critical data centres across Asia. He oversaw the mobilisation and operation of Hong Kong’s first Tier IV equivalent data centre. As well as working in the investment banking and asset worlds, Jonathan spent three years with Gemini Consulting as part of the cap gemini group focusing on helping organisations transform their people, technology and physical assets, and was part of the leadership team for delivering the world’s first public sector e-procurement platform. Jonathan is passionate about the confluence of physical assets and technology developing the new world of digital infrastructure and enabling business through it. He sees himself as a closet entrepreneur bringing an entrepreneurial, transformational approach to often traditional industries. Prior to moving back to Asia 12 years ago, he led a number of development and asset organisations through significant transformations in order to maximise their development and operational performance. These included BAA, Land Securities, London and Continental Railways, American Express, Rail Procurement Agency and the Grosvenor Estate. c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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C H AY O R A
154
2011
Year founded
20+
Number of employees
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“Business relationships are much more
She is inspired by her work with advisory
relational, and that relationship has to be
councils in America, China and Europe
built,” says Kesner. “For example, one
and connecting these organisations
of our co-founders, Steven Cao worked
globally to help young people under-
with MIIT in many different projects when
stand their options within technology
he was senior manager in China’s State
and the wider STEM environment.
Grid Corporation and he has a great
“Chayora is extremely supportive of
understanding of Chinese business
that work through a variety of different
compliance. Having people like him and
mechanisms and programmes.”
Yali Liu on the networks side within the business is indispensable.”
The Chinese market is one of the most predictable stable markets, but
Employing great people from diverse
is characterised by a very different set
backgrounds is a core value for Chayora,
of parameters to a typical free market.
and Kesner is deeply involved in the
The current Five-Year Plan talked
advancement of women in technology.
about localisation and innovation.
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Karen Kesner Title: Head of Americas and Executive VP
Company: Chayora
Industry: Technology industry
Location: USA
Karen Kesner is based out of Palo Alto, USA and leads multiple aspects of Chayora’s go-to-market and growth acceleration activities, including strategic partnerships, marketing, branding and communications for China entry and expansion. Kesner has more than 20 years of experience in the technology industry, having held senior positions across sales, alliances and business development at several of world’s leading IT businesses, including Tata Communications, CenturyLink and Oracle, among others. c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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C H AY O R A
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“ Business relationships [in China] are much more relational, and that relationship has to be built” — Karen Kesner, Head of Americas and Executive VP, Chayora
Its successor, the 14th Five-Year Plan running from 2021 to 2025, will be a crucial element in shaping the new era, both for China and for the world. Understanding this and aligning your approach with it is a prerequisite to doing business within China. “One of the biggest barriers to entry is the regulatory structure around telecoms and the internet, but China represents almost 20% of the world online market, which means that people need to find
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157
a way to overcome this challenge,”
gas to levels never seen before—an
reiterates Jones. “We took this up our-
increase of $200bn over two years in
selves because despite it being such
just one (if the largest) global market.
a massive market many international
Chayora is not only able to navigate
firms still have to develop effective
the maze of regulation, it is completely
strategies to access it.” According to
aligned with helping China fulfil its Five-
the WSJ the first phase of the US-China
Year Plan and deliver its international
trade deal signed earlier this year lays
trade targets.
out an aggressive schedule for ramping up China’s purchases of American farm products, manufactured goods, business services and oil and natural c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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Indosat Ooredoo: modernising legacy infrastructure WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
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I N D O S AT O O R E D O O
Farizul Ahsan, Vice President, Network Programs and Solutions, VP (A) Network CME Infrastructure for Access and Data Centres, discusses his organisation’s challenges in the industry
I
ndosat Ooredoo (IO) is a leading telecommunications company in Indonesia with around 60 million subscribers. IO
is the largest operation of Ooredoo Group and 160
operates in 10 countries. With a focus on human growth, IO strives to improve the quality of life through the digital world. Helping to achieve that is Farizul Ahsan, Vice President, Network Programs & Solutions as well as Acting Vice President of Network CME (Civil, Mechanical & Electrical) Infrastructure for Access Sites and Data Centres. Upon arriving full-time at the organisation in 2016, Farizul helped oversee the deployment of Indonesia’s first state-of-the-art high density (13 kW per rack) data centre and Ooredoo Group’s first data centre using DRUPS (Digital Rotary Uninterrupted Power System) technology. IO subsequently built two more new data centres, all of which successfully passed the Uptime Tier III Design and Built certifications. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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I N D O S AT O O R E D O O
“ There is a real focus on uplifting and modernising many dozens of our legacy data centres that can support the new generation high density equipment” 162
— Farizul Ahsan, Vice President, Network Programs and Solutions, VP (A) Network CME Infrastructure for Access and Data Centres, Indosat Ooredoo
IO not only possesses modern data centres but also has legacy data centres across many regions of Indonesia. “The company was established in 1967 and has subsequently owned the current infrastructure for a considerable length of time,” Farizul says. He has an ambitious drive to modernise IO’s legacy data centres infrastructures but understands the challenges of doing this while still operating legacy systems and processes. “Currently, there is a real focus on uplifting and modernising dozens of our legacy data centres that can also support the new generation high density ICT equipment,” he adds.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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163 Farizul understands the importance of treating each location separately and catering to individual
and -48VDC power and distribution infrastructure.” In the past, most telecommuni-
requirements. He points to several
cation equipment were based on
key challenges that IO faces. “We
-48VDC equipment, however IO has
assess our needs and validate which
now ensured that all telco nodes
data centre location can support and
are transitioning to a cloud-based
which can’t. It’s about re-engineering
infrastructure and use 380/230
available capacity while coping with
VAC equipment generally. “We have
network growth. Generally, we are
decided to phase out the -48VDC
agile enough to upgrade. However,
power and distribution infrastructure
it’s not always possible if the utility
which will contribute to dramatic cost
company has limitations in some
reduction as well,” explains Farizul.
areas. There are also challenges
“Cable infrastructure is another chal-
to maintain both 380/230 VAC
lenge that we face. To combat this, c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
I N D O S AT O O R E D O O
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“ If we’re building a new data centre or upgrading existing ones, we take input from our subsidiaries and we all have our own part to manage” — Farizul Ahsan, Vice President, Network Programs and Solutions, VP (A) Network CME Infrastructure for Access and Data Centres, Indosat Ooredoo
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Learn More
LEARN MORE
we’ve introduced a backstop which
to have a strong foothold in a host-
will allow us to expand in steps. We
ing/colocation business utilising
also now design the upstream and
existing data centers. Lintasarta has
downstream at optimum capacity
been receiving international awards
and therefore no longer need to
and accolades such as “best data
change the cables every time we
centre provider” due to its vast certi-
need to upgrade.”
fied personnel, who are adhering to
IO is not only one of the largest telecommunication providers but also a provider of a full range of digital
the highest level of operation and maintenance standards. One of IO’s modern data centres is
services including satellite commu-
located right at the heart of Jakarta’s
nication along with its subsidiaries,
commercial and financial business
Indosat Mega Media (IM2) and
district, attracting banks and other
Lintasarta, which have enabled IO
large entities. “We have strong
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Farizul Ahsan Title: Vice President (Acting), Network CME Infrastructure for Access and Data Centers
Location: Qatar
Farizul has been working in Telecommunication industry for over 15 years in various technical and management roles. He is a subject matter expert for Cellular site and Data Center infrastructure solutions. He is one of the key members among all the Ooredoo Group Operations to transform to high density mission critical facility infrastructure strategy. He is very passionate in finding ways to introduce innovative solutions to drive down the total cost ownership while improving resiliency. Farizul holds Electrical Engineering and Computer Science degree from Texas Tech University, USA. He received various professional certifications for Data Center facility infrastructures from UK as well. Prior to Telco industry, Farizul acquired experiences in custom circuit design for automotive, avionics and communication technology.
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I N D O S AT O O R E D O O
1967
Year founded
29.8tr+
Rp 
Revenue in rupiah
168
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synergy despite working in different areas within the business,” explains Farizul. “For example, if we’re building a new data centre or upgrading existing ones, we take input from our subsidiaries and we all have our own part to manage. Collaborations such as this are very important.” IO spends millions of dollars every month on its energy bill due to its vast number of cellular sites and data centers. “There is a strong drive to reduce energy spending, not only for cellular sites but also for data centres without compromising resiliency and agility to grow quickly to meet the business needs. We are laser focused now to improve PUE (Power
“ There is a strong drive to reduce energy spending, not only for cellular sites but also for data centres without compromising resiliency and agility” — Farizul Ahsan, Vice President, Network Programs and Solutions, VP (A) Network CME Infrastructure for Access and Data Centres, Indosat Ooredoo c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
169
I N D O S AT O O R E D O O
ALL-IN-ONE CONTAINERIZED DATA CENTER SOLUTIONS Quick deployment for edge computing in the IoT world Learn more
171 Usage Effectiveness) for all legacy
partnered with these big players in
data centres,” says Farizul.
power and environmental infrastruc-
To build new and upgrade exist-
ture because they possess sound
ing cellular and data centre sites, IO
technical competencies with an ade-
entered into strategic partnerships
quate product portfolio and required
with Huawei, Delta/Eltek and Vertiv.
implementation capacity to support
Huawei has built our first 2 state-of-
group wide strategy with agility.”
the-art high density data centres in record time. Farizul believes a solid partnership is extremely essential to have a successful outcome. “That’s why these partners had undergone competitive assessments by Ooredoo Group and its operating companies,” explains Farizul. “We’ve c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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MIRCOM GROUP’S DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF REAL ESTATE WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
PRODUCED BY
ARRON RAMPLING
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MIRCOM
JASON FALBO, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, MIRCOM GROUP, DISCUSSES HOW THE COMPANY USES TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE BUILDINGS SMART FOR THE BENEFIT OF TENANTS AND OCCUPANTS
“W 174
e work hard every day to modernize the real estate industry, which from a technology standpoint hasn’t changed as much
as other industries in the last 50 to 100 years,” says Jason Falbo, Chief Technology Officer at Mircom Group, a Canadian leader in the smart building space. “Our goal is to make buildings safer, smarter, and more livable.” Tracing its origins back to the 1960s with founder Tony Falbo’s involvement in predecessor company Mirtone, today Mircom remains a family business that nevertheless competes with the largest corporations. “We’ve seen great consolidation amongst the competitors in the market and we now find ourselves one of only a handful of global players in the fire and life-safety industry. Our competitors are behemoth companies, all multi-billion-dollar, multinational firms. Fire is a very small part of their business, whereas, it’s our primary focus and the biggest part of what we do on a daily basis.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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MIRCOM
Mircom offers a broad range of products and solutions for the modern smart building. From a long-established core of fire detection sensors and alarms, to security solutions such as perimeter protection, intercoms and access control, the company rounds out its offering with building automation products covering heating, ventilation and cooling, lighting and power metering. Since 2010, it has also offered its flagship OpenGN building intelligence product, based on a prediction 176
that building control systems were only going to become more integrated in the future. “We developed award-winning 3D facility management software called OpenGN, which ties
“ W E SEE OURSELVES of hardwired or wireless building sensors in a way that’s simply beautiful and easy AS THE DIGITAL to navigate,” says Falbo. “It’s a software CONSULTANT FOR THE package that is scalable for the modern smart building and supports both PEOPLE PUTTING UP Mircom and third-party products through interfaces and open standards such as BUILDINGS TODAY” together the monitoring and visualization
Modbus. Recently, we’ve been prototyping the next generation OpenGN, which
will be cloud hosted and available as a subscription software offering” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
— Jason Falbo, Chief Technology Officer, Mircom Group
That level of flexibility is important when considering the different vintages of technology employed by its customers, as Falbo explains. “It’s very important for us to maintain legacy wiring and communication options for many of our products, in addition to offering IP and POE solutions, because we understand not all of our users are cloud ready today. Although it’s becoming increasingly popular, we have to be able to migrate along timelines that are comfortable for them.” Nevertheless, Mircom’s cloud offering is robust and comprehensive, from mobile apps to a
Mircom: Corporate Video CLICK TO WATCH
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MIRCOM
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service known as the Unified Building
connected service bus that pulls data
Solution (UBS). “We partner with sev-
from different edge devices covering
eral companies to deliver this service
the domains of fire, security and auto-
to our end users in the real estate and
mation within buildings and campuses.
property management market,” says
The previously siloed system data is
Falbo. “Microsoft, Dell, and Arrow
then pushed to tools like OpenGN for
Electronics are all considered key part-
enterprise monitoring manifested as
ners and they’re helping us to deliver
visually stunning dashboards.”
on our smart buildings as a service
Data is the lifeblood of smart
model. We’ve modified, enhanced
buildings, with the data produced
or adapted existing products and
by sensors being fed back into the
solutions that we’ve been offering for
building to drive efficiencies and
almost 30 years now. We’ve developed
optimization. Consequently, the data
an enterprise solution that uses a
Mircom collects runs across all the
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
areas its products cover. “We collect environmental data, especially on the fire and life-safety side, looking for things like smoke, heat and gas levels that might create a hazardous issue for building occupants. On the security side, we’re collecting data that tells us who is in the building, where access has been granted or denied, who let the visitors in, at what time, which doors are open, which doors are locked, whether there’s an intrusion alarm going off in the building. Then there’s general building performance
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Jason Falbo Title: Chief Technology Officer Location: Canada Jason is the Chief Technology Officer at Mircom, Canada’s most successful intelligent building solutions provider. Jason is a software engineering graduate from Western University in Ontario, Canada, and has obtained his MBA at a joint program offered by “Bocconi University” in Milan, Italy and “UCLA” in Los Angeles, USA. Jason has led the design and development of multiple successful products in the domains of fire, security, and automation. Mircom designs, manufactures and distributes smart building products to over 100 countries around the world in addition to a branch network for sales and service across North America. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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“ EMPLOYEES SHOULD NOT BE LEFT ALONE TO DEAL WITH THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION” — Jason Falbo, Chief Technology Officer, Mircom Group
data. Things like the temperature of different zones, the humidity levels, power consumption, light levels. All of those pieces of information can be used to optimize building comfort for the occupants and to keep the operating costs down for the management companies.” Gathering this data typically involves a hybrid cloud architecture wherein edge devices act as gateways, promoting data to the cloud for monitoring systems. Securing that data, meanwhile, are bestin-class Microsoft cloud services, with all data written to Azure Storage being encrypted and access tightly controlled.
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MIRCOM
With such a volume of data, there are many opportunities to use AI to gain insights into a building’s performance. “AI plays a really important role for our end users,” says Falbo. “The building data that we collect allows operators to lower the total cost of ownership of their properties. AI can support the implementation of energy strategies based on consumption data, with predictive analytics to tell you, for instance, the best time to turn off the lights automatically.” 182
Aside from the technology it offers to customers, Mircom has experienced its own digital transformation, with cloud-based technology at the core of its systems. “We have a number of servers that were previously deployed on-prem that are now moved entirely to the cloud. Things like an active directory for our account credentials management, our email server, which is now completely on the Office365 platform, a corporate intranet site for data storage and sharing. We use SharePoint as well, which is also hosted on the cloud. Then we also have several areas where we’ve leveraged cloud, not necessarily for primary S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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“ OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE BUILDINGS SAFER, SMARTER, AND MORE LIVABLE” — Jason Falbo, Chief Technology Officer, Mircom Group
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application delivery, but for either scalability or backup purposes.” Alongside the introduction of new technology, Falbo emphasizes the intertwined consideration of culture. “Our opinion is that employees should not be left alone to deal with the challenges of digital transformation. Executive leadership should be involved from the CEO’s office to the front line. Digital transformation is more of a business strategy than an IT strategy these days. As a smaller player in the industry, we recognize the need to be nimble and S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
1991
Year founded
$100mn+ Revenue in US dollars
500+ Number of employees
185
quick to help our people adapt to new
considerations you should have, not
business models and tools. That’s one
only for providing application specific
of our advantages we have versus our
solutions, but also ensuring those
bigger, more bureaucratic competition.”
solutions form a cohesive, integrated
Due to such an approach, Mircom has positioned itself as a go-to part-
environment for the needs of your occupants and tenants.”
ner for the real estate industry. “We see ourselves as the digital consultant for people putting up buildings today,” says Falbo. “If you’re looking for financial advice, you find a financial advisor. If you’re looking for building advice, we’re the people that you can count on to guide you through the c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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INNOVATION IN COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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S TA R 2 S TA R
Michelle Accardi, President and CRO, explains why Star2Star’s industry-recognised communications solutions are so popular and why remote working is the company’s 2020 focus
W
ith the new paradigm of remote working suddenly becoming a necessity for many businesses stemming from the COVID-19
(coronavirus) pandemic, having a solid communications network with the latest technology has taken on global importance. It is arguable that few companies are poised to remedy the situation quite like Star2Star. 188
Having recently enhanced its remote work solutions with extended features and capabilities, the company understands the current challenges that businesses face when transitioning to a remote environment. Star2Star’s bespoke communications solutions factor in the size, operational scope and technical requirements for businesses of various operational models and industry backgrounds. Relatively unique in the industry, all of Star2Star’s enterprise solutions are developed in-house, meaning they are seamlessly compatible with each other and able to be scaled up or down depending on the customer’s requirement. It was this aspect of the company which attracted Michelle Accardi, President and Chief Revenue Officer, to join Star2Star in 2013. Having previously worked in a range of different roles at companies such as S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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“ I can relate to the challenges of my partners and my customers because as a business leader myself I now fully understand what they are facing” — Michelle Accardi, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Star2Star
This expertise also helps Accardi focus on how to direct Star2Star’s efforts in developing solutions that meet and answer a market need. When the subject of her being recog-
190
CA Technologies, Accardi states
nised by CRN as a Channel Chief – an
that these experiences have created
endorsement of an individual’s effec-
her holistic approach to working at
tive management and high standing
Star2Star. “I’ve been in all areas of
in the business community – for the
the technology and communications
sixth year consecutively is mentioned,
business, whether that’s development,
Accardi is modest and states that
operations, marketing or sales. I can
she is simply happy to play a part in
relate to the challenges of my partners
Star2Star’s mission. “It means a lot and
and my customers because I fully
to be recognised for building a busi-
understand what they’re facing.”
ness that enables other companies
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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191 to be successful,” she explains. “Being
communications system. Possessing
recognised as a Channel Chief means
a portfolio that includes solutions
that you’re truly impacting a greater
for voice, video, instant messaging,
ecosystem of people and reaching
mobile, fax, collaboration, integration
more customers. So, I think it’s quite
and communications management
an honour.”
tools, Star2Star’s comprehensive
The breadth of Star2Star’s expertise and the crafted integration of
solution set is designed to meet every business need.
its platform are, for Accardi, vital. Its
When asked what trends she sees
cloud-based business phone and
as important, Accardi has a simple and
communications facilities, includ-
prescient answer: the cloud. “There
ing VoIP (voice over IP) services and
are still some companies that aren’t in
its enterprise solutions platform
the cloud and that is something which
deliver the reliability, flexibility and
will either drive transformation, or, if
integrity required of a corporate
they don’t adapt, could result in them c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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DESK PHONES
CONFERENCE
MOBILITY
S TA R 2 S TA R
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“ It means a lot and to be recognised for building a business that enables other companies to be successful” of a ‘complete cloud communications’ — Michelle Accardi, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Star2Star
platform.” The importance of the cloud for Star2Star cannot be overemphasised, as it is the environment from which the company’s vision of a com-
going out of business.” She goes on
plete integrated platform sprang; it was
to address Star2Star’s new position-
by leveraging the inherent potential of
ing, saying, “We’re changing how we
the cloud that the company is able to
talk about our platform. We previ-
offer its scalable and seamlessly inter-
ously called it a full spectrum solution
woven solutions.
because it offers end-to-end applica-
For Accardi, it is the company’s in-
tions, but now I’m envisioning it as more
house development capabilities which
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Michelle Accardi Title: President & Chief Revenue Officer
Location: United States
As President and Chief Revenue Officer, Michelle’s mission is to inspire and maintain growth for the company and its partners and ensure that customers get significant value from Star2Star’s products and services. Michelle works with the executive leadership team of Star2Star to define long-term vision and operational strategy to assure that growth and market potential are achieved. In pursuit of this goal, Michelle sees as a primary function of her role to engage and listen to employees, partners, and customers to gather information needed to keep Star2Star on the optimal strategic path. In this way, customer success is assured as employees and partners are inspired to deliver an excellent product and experience with every interaction. In her previous position as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Michelle used these same methods to develop new processes and systems to streamline business interactions. She grew departmental leadership and expanded Star2Star’s support capabilities to better serve customer and partner needs. Michelle is also regarded a technical thought leader on next-generation marketing and communications strategies. Her book, Agile Marketing, chronicles her experiences applying agile methodology to the marketing process for better results and faster time to value. She brought her substantial executive-level and tech industry experience with her to Star2Star, having driven innovative, agile, revenueproducing field and channel marketing programs for one of the world’s most relied upon technology companies, Computer Associates. In 2016, Michelle was named to the CRN 2016 Power 100 – an elite subset of CRN’s prestigious annual Women of the Channel list – for the second year in a row. In 2015, she was named a CRN Channel Chief, an annual list representing select leaders in the IT channel who hold direct responsibility for driving growth and revenue through the reseller channel. In 2014, Michelle was honored to be named Businesswoman of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. Michelle holds an MBA from American Intercontinental University and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida.
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S TA R 2 S TA R
Tour de Star
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2006
Year founded
99.4%
Customer retention rate
250+ Number of employees
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“ Our mission this year is to help other companies that are going to struggle” — Michelle Accardi, President and Chief Revenue Officer, Star2Star
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
distinguish it from its competitors. “The technology we’ve built ourselves enables really great call quality and capabilities for a good price, whereas other companies, because they’re dependent on third-party products, whether it’s video or contact centre, it drives their costs up,” she states. “Because our competitors only have the ability to work with third-party products, they don’t have something that’s built specifically for their network
With the need for reliable communication networks growing rapidly as more workforces settle into working from home, Accardi views remote working and business continuity as paramount to the company’s vision for the rest of 2020. “Thankfully, Star2Star is a very financially healthy organisation. Our mission this year is to help other companies that are going to struggle,” she says. Identifying the assistance of other businesses and organisations is characteristic of Accardi’s approach and representative of Star2Star overall. Its flexibility, diversity and tech expertise packaged with a highly customer-oriented approach has already earned it acclaim and is sure to to ensure call quality.” This end-to-end
build a strong reputation in the North
development forms the crux of what
American communications sector. “We
makes Star2Star so valuable in today’s
have solutions for every business, big
market: it’s a company that wants to
and small,” Accardi concludes. “We
provide great value to its customers by
believe what we offer is far better than
bundling services together and scaling
what customers could get piecemeal or
the product to suit their business needs.
even in bundles from other competitors.
And its approach seems to be working:
We’re focused on doing everything we
Star2Star has an impressive 99.4%
can to help companies as they deal with
customer retention rate amongst its
the new challenges of remote working.”
thousands of clients, a sure indicator of the perceived quality of its services. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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200
DC BLOX: SERVING LOCALLY, CONNECTING GLOBALLY WRITTEN BY
WILLIAM SMITH PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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DC BLOX
JEFF UPHUES, CEO OF DC BLOX, DISCUSSES THE COMPANY’S GROWTH IN UNDERSERVED MARKETS AND HOW IT EMBEDS ITS TIER 3 DATA CENTRES INTO THE LOCAL COMMUNITY
D
C BLOX was established in 2014 to provide data centres to markets with a distinct, but unfulfilled, need for them.
“I’ve been the CEO of DC BLOX for about three years now,” says Jeff Uphues. “I originally joined as 202
a supervisory board member and then was asked by the board of directors to come into the role and lead the company in its expansion, placing these data centres in underserved yet growing markets throughout the Southeastern United States.” Fulfilling this vision has required a focus on a few core fundamentals. “There’s three things that we do and stay focused on,” he says. “One is providing in-market colocation, meaning the housing in a safe, secure environment of servers as well as other technology infrastructure. We provide robust connectivity across our platforms with connections to other cloud service providers, connections to the internet, connections to other major markets. Then we provide cloud services ourselves. Not all data is created equal, and it’s critical to be able to store it close to where it’s actually being consumed.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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2014
Year founded
HQ
Atlanta, Georgia USA
35
Number of employees c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
DC BLOX
“ WE HAVE ONE VISION WHICH IS TO SERVE LOCALLY AND CONNECT GLOBALLY” 204
— Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
There are currently four such locations of consumption catered to by DC BLOX, with data centres in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia. All are growing markets, as Uphues explains. “We see a significant migration of population and businesses in the US from northern cities down into the Southeast. What’s driving them there is the cost of living or quality of life and just good weather.” What these diverse cities share, apart
DC Blox: Connected datacenters for digital business CLICK TO WATCH
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1:47
205 from a relative geographic proximity, is a burgeoning technology scene. “Many of these markets are not known as technology hubs, but they see the benefits of the growth and they need the core infrastructure such as the data centres and network services which we provide. Generally, our target markets are below the radar of some of the major national markets where you find a lot of competitors, so they really embrace us.” DC BLOX’s data centres are all built to Tier 3 standard, signifying a high level of reliability. That’s achieved firstly c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
DC BLOX
206 with quality infrastructure. “Our data
connectivity, it’s a question of how we
centres have to be highly resilient in
build these facilities to be Tier 3-rated.
terms of network architecture and the
It comes down to being concurrently
type of equipment that we use. We use
maintainable, meaning that if any one
premium products, driven by premium
system in the building fails, there is a
service level agreements. We build
backup system that can take over. It’s
our own private network across the
part of the design, it’s in the materials
Southeastern US and then we connect
and the type of vendors that we use.
that back into exchanges and public
It’s in the architecture for how we con-
cloud providers. We really look at that
nect them together.”
connectivity and the uptime of our
The pace of DC BLOX’s growth has
facilities as the core value that we bring
been steady, having launched a data
to our markets.” Achieving DC BLOX’s
centre each year since 2017. That’s
high standards also requires a high
not engendered any complacency,
standard of construction. ”Beyond the
however, with the organisation looking
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
to accelerate its growth. “We’ve spent a lot of time looking at where we can expand and how we can grow even faster. There are 16 markets we’ve identified, and we’ve lined up roughly the next five to six locations. We’re picking up our pace to put in at least two to three data centres per year.” The choice of a new location is only arrived at after significant investigation, however, as Uphues explains. “To help us determine the size and scope of the facility we’re looking to build, we look 207 E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Jeff Uphues Title: Chief Executive Officer
Location: United States
Jeff leads DC BLOX as a proven C-Level executive with deep expertise in data centre infrastructure, hybrid cloud services and the operation of communication networks. He is responsible for setting and leading the company’s strategy in driving the growth and profitability of best-in-class infrastructure for digital services. Prior to DC BLOX, Jeff held numerous C-suite leadership positions in sales, marketing and operations for Liquid Web, Cbeyond, Bandwidth, ACSI Network Technologies and MCI. Jeff graduated from the Harvard Business School, Rice University’s Jones School of Business Executive Education program and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Texas at Arlington.
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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“ IT’S CRITICAL TO BE ABLE TO STORE [DATA] CLOSE TO WHERE IT’S ACTUALLY BEING CONSUMED” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
at the size of the market, the amount of fiber, the number of businesses headquartered there. Then we look at markets that are underserved but growing. What does the competitive landscape look like? How well would we be received with our vision of serving locally and connecting globally? And then, finally, we work with state and local governments and corporate leaders to confirm the need for and the advantages of what we do. Each market takes us about a year and a half to really get to understand it.”
DC Blox holds Birmingham grand opening CLICK TO WATCH
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3:38
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DC BLOX
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“ WE LOOK AT MARKETS THAT ARE UNDERSERVED BUT GROWING” — Jeff Uphues, CEO, DC BLOX
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DC BLOX
212
It’s not just its technological capabili-
we’re serving the community and
ties that have led to DC BLOX’s growth.
understanding their challenges and
The company also prides itself on its
their needs. We’re a part of the fabric
integration with the local community.
of the community when we come in as
“The one thing that I know sets us
well as contributing to the technology
apart, because I hear it all the time, is
environment.”
our community focus,” Uphues empha-
For the industry as a whole, Uphues
sises. “When we come into a market,
anticipates the importance of edge
we have one vision which is to serve
computing, where facilities are built
locally and connect globally. That
close to where they’re needed, to only
means we’re serving local businesses,
increase. “For us, the edge is where
we’re serving with our time through
the application meets the network.
volunteering, we’re serving nonprofits,
Trends like 5G, IoT and gaming mean
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
213
we need to push compute closer to
business. It’s a great time to be doing
consumers. That’s going to require
this across underserved markets. We
more local and regional data centres to
can become a strong partner for the
handle all the data and best connect it
community, both in our ability to serve
to the network.” As for DC BLOX itself,
locally and connect globally as DC
the focus has been on edge markets
BLOX continues to expand across the
and the goal is to increase the pace.
Southeast United States.”
“We know that gets harder and harder as you get bigger,” Uphues says, “but we’re a company that is doubling revenue every single year and doubling the size of our footprint of where we go. It’s a great time to be in the data centre c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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HONG KONG’S MTR MAKES NAVIGATING OUR CITIES SMARTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND MORE DIGITAL THAN EVER WRITTEN BY
RACHAEL DAVIS PRODUCED BY
KRISTOFER PALMER
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
MTR
Renowned for its efficient, reliable and tech-optimised railways, MTR is making travel smarter than ever. CEO Dr Jacob Kam tells how technology enhances integrated, streamlined and sustainable public transport
V
enturing into a new decade, a crucial and pertinent question in urban planning revolves around how to make our cities
smarter. A pivotal aspect of more intelligent city 216
living is public transport, ensuring residents can navigate their daily lives efficiently, reliably, and increasingly more sustainably. MTR operates Hong Kong’s railway services, and is also a key property developer and manager in the city. It additionally invests, or takes part in O&M contracts for rail services in eight other cities globally: Beijing, Hangzhou, Macao, Shenzhen, Melbourne, Sydney, Stockholm and London. In Hong Kong, the railway is the backbone of the city’s transport. Public transit is the most used mode of transport: 90% of citizens use public transport in their daily lives. Train travel is the most efficient way of moving large amounts of people through the compact city, and MTR has made social and environmental friendliness a priority.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
217
Advanced digital technologies are enhancing MTR’s asset management and customer service c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
Intelligence that perfects travel door to door Countries, cities and transport operators rely on Thales’ ground transportation solutions to adapt to rapid urbanisation and meet new mobility demands – locally, between cities and across national frontiers. Our expertise in signalling, communications, fare collection and cybersecurity gives people and goods the connected journey they need to move safely and efficiently. And no matter how challenging the project, we stay by your side, committed to helping you creating the digital railways of the future.
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Keep Hong Kong Moving: How Thales and MTR Corporation Drive Digitalisation of Metro Systems Thales and MTR are entering their 25th year of collaboration. Since first cooperation on the Lantau Airport Railway, MTR has trusted Thales to assist in the rapid expansion and digitalisation of its metro systems. As a central contributor to this project, Thales’ systems in the OCC have played a key role in its success. Driven by data, the multiple systems control components of the MTR ranging from power supply, electromechanical equipment, and the environment facilities within the network. This helps to ensure smooth train services and optimizes power consumption, making the network greener and more efficient while consistently providing an excellent passenger experience. Through early localisation of its Hong Kong business, Thales garnered a deep understanding of the customer requirements allowing to quickly support local needs. This has been a crucial step in building trust with local partners and establishing a long-standing and robust relationship with MTR. The partnership now focuses on digitalisation. Thales has been committed to digital technology for many years and has been supporting the MTR’s transformation by advancing the rails’ connectivity and smart capabilities. The Hong Kong MTR will soon employ Thales’ predictive maintenance facilities to anticipate technical faults in trackside equipment. Leveraging Big Data and AI, this warning system can pinpoint in advance exactly when and where equipment failure will occur, enabling corrective maintenance to correct it before its failure. This is critical to the continued improvement of services. MTR is taking its expertise in railway operations worldwide. In 2019, Thales extended the scope of its partnership with MTR to the expansion of the Central Control and Communication Systems for the Sydney Metro to City & Southwest. Thales continues to be proud partners with MTR, supporting their ambitions to provide its exemplary service both at home and abroad, and keep cities across the world moving.
Learn more
See the world from a new perspective At Otis, we’re dedicated to helping you see the world in new ways. Learn more about Otis technology, service and expertise at otis.com.
Made to move you
Digitalisation is at the heart of
“We believe that the only way to
MTR’s drive to enhance public trans-
push beyond the current high perfor-
port for the masses, says CEO Dr
mance is through better digital
Jacob Kam. Utilising smart technology
technology,” says Kam, and utilising
facilitates enhanced customer ser-
this technology in asset management
vice, improved asset management,
is an important step. “One aspect is
and a more efficient and reliable ser-
discovering how best to predict fail-
vice. MTR’s trains already run at an
ure, so that we can act on that failure
on-time performance of 99.94%, but
before it happens. This predictive
customers want better. Through its
maintenance relies on image and
ongoing digital transformation, MTR
data analytics supported by artificial
aims to enhance the reliability, effi-
intelligence and helps us to regularly
ciency and integration of their
inspect our equipment and detect
services, not only in Hong Kong but
any problem early and consistently,”
in its other global cities of operation.
Kam explains.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
DI D YO U K N OW?
• On-time performance is at 99.94% • 90% of Hong Kong’s residents use public transport
221
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Jacob Kam Title: Chief Executive Officer Location: Hong Kong Dr Jacob Kam joined the Company in 1995 and had held various management positions in Operations, Projects and Mainland China and International Business Divisions. He was appointed as the CEO on 1 April 2019, and has been a Member of the Board since then. Before the CEO appointment, Dr Kam was the Operations Director between January 2011 and April 2016 and the Managing Director – Operations and Mainland Business from May 2016. As CEO, Dr Kam is responsible for all performances of the Company and its group companies both in and outside of Hong Kong. c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
Your Trusted Digitalization & Automation Experts Roctec Technology Limited was found in 1987 and is a leading solution provider and system supplier in Hong Kong while our footprint covers Asia-Pacific area. We have over 30 years of experience in implementation of large-scale data communications, multimedia, IOT and IT projects in railway & transportation industry. Over the years, we have positioned as a technology leader in delivering multimedia & communications systems, network & security solutions and various communications applications.
Experts at - One - Stop Solutions for Communications, IoT, Networking Security, Public Address, Multimedia Display and Simulation System - IT Infrastructure and ELV Engineering Consultation - Expertise in Cyber Security and Data Network solutions - Tailor-made complex railway and transportation solutions - Hardware design and software development
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Roctec Technology Limited E: info@roctec.com.hk W: roctec.com.hk
Trans.Ad Solutions Co. Limited is a leading digital signage solutions provider in Thailand. Our solutions are specially designed and aims to serve different market to meet their unique business environment. Our Mission is ensuring the effective flow of information throughout all levels of customers and providing the most optimal solutions, innovative technologies and professional services to the best benefits of our customers.
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Shaping connected mobility With a comprehensive and on-demand digital portfolio globally, Siemens Mobility not only creates values for partners sustainably over the entire life cycle, but also enhances people’s seamless travel experience every day
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AI is also used to assist with planned construction and maintenance on MTR’s railways. Using AI to optimise planning, it is possible to maximise the usage of the line when it is not in service to minimise the disruption when unavoidable planned construction or system upgrades are
1975
Year founded
$53.9bn Revenue in HK dollars
necessary, and ensure that ongoing works do not disrupt the functional rail lines. AI-enhanced driving is a tool which goes hand-in-hand with more reliable operations. MTR’s trains already have
47,327 Number of employees
automatic operation, but sometimes the fail-safe principle will slow operations. By introducing artificial intelligence into the driving of trains,
Intelligent Inspection Robot
Big Data Studio
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
225
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“ To use public transport is, in itself, a way of making travelling more efficient and environmentally sustainable — but of course we have ongoing energy saving schemes which we invest a significant amount of money in” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
227
MTR’s state-of-the-art Operations Control Centre is at the heart of Hong Kong’s heavy rail network
MTR will be able to mitigate this risk
meet a customer demand. Furthermore,
when every second counts in train
MTR is providing real-time service
operations.
information to their customers, such
At the heart of these applications
as when the next train is due to arrive,
of technology is the drive to improve
and plans to expand its offerings to
the customer experience. Advanced
include how crowded trains will be and
data analytics are being used by MTR
which carriages have space available.
to predict customer movements and
This real-time information is even
demands to better plan its service – in
available for very frequent services,
due course, the same technology will
Kam explains. “On many of our lines,
be used even to respond in real-time to
our train service frequency is already c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
FOR BETTER RAIL TRANSPORTATION Traffic Control Technology (“TCT”) is the most innovative and customer centric player in the rail transit industry, formed a close partnership with HK MTR – the world’s leading transit rail service provider to develop state-of-the-art systems, including big data analytics in supporting real time track side equipment performance monitoring and analysis, intelligent detection system as “the independent and additional robotic intelligent driver’s eye” to improve operation safety under manual or degraded modes.
LEARN MORE
MTR Global Brand Video CLICK TO WATCH
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3:30
229 at a few minute intervals. However,
accessible on demand. By investing
our customers still want to know
its assets into the concept of MaaS,
when the next train is coming,” he
MTR is subscribing to the cohesive
says. This use of data not only allows
concept of a door-to-door transport
MTR to help its customers plan their
system, aiming to provide a “total
journeys, but also allows the opera-
solution” to its customers’ transport
tor to assess demand and improve
needs, Kam says.
availability, frequency and reliability in the long term. Reliability and maximum conveni-
In practice, this would mean that when customers need to use a variety of modes of transport — for example
ence are two of the core values of
taking a taxi to a train station, taking
Mobility as a Service (MaaS), an
an MTR train, then taking a bus to
industry-wide initiative which aims to
their final destination — MTR can
integrate various modes of transport
have a hand in arranging every aspect
into a single mobility service,
of this service to make it as consistent c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
MTR
C OM PA NY PARTNERS
Kone “The new Kone escalators and lifts are equipped with a digital controller to view a status and fault log for troubleshooting, and to remotely control ON/OFF to pave for smart station operation.”
230
Roctec “Roctec is an Information & Communications Technology solution provider for MTR. They provide Integrated Speed and Position Supervision System (iSPS) in Light Rail, Smart Tunnel for location tracking, and Infotainment & Advertising Systems.”
Traffic Control Technology Co.,Ltd “TCT provide advanced S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
technological alternatives to enable a wider spectrum for smart metro operation options in MTR, including the trial of a Train Intelligent Detection System on one of our metro lines.”
Hyundai Rotem “Rotem is currently working on the incorporation of a digital track inspection system onto the new FAO train for a new line, and they are also actively working on the technical proposal on automatic wheelset maintenance centre using robots.”
Siemens “There are several asset condition monitoring data analytics projects which MTR is conducting Proof of Concepts together with Siemens. These systems include Platform Screen Doors, Signalling system, Main Control System, etc.”
OTIS
Arup
“OTIS has provided strong support to MTRCL in conducting studies on innovation initiatives for escalators, including Escalator Comb Object Identification, Escalator Step Vibration Monitoring and Automatic Speed Change Systems. These aim to enhance passenger safety, escalator reliability and customer service.”
“We have worked with Arup on some initial concepts of applying technologies to our Smart City initiatives, focusing on sustainability initiatives such as driverless modes of transport, use of drones and innovations in operation of shopping malls and initiatives on energy saving concepts. We are also looking at possible collaboration on applying more digital technologies for project and construction management.”
Thales “Thales started early collaboration with MTR on smart operation in pilot implementation of full automatic control in Disneyland Resort Line. They continued various provision of advanced train control systems in our network for both greenfield and brownfield application.”
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
231
Transforming connectivity Combining our deep technical expertise with advanced digital technology, Arup helps to realise the vision for next generation urban rails that connect people and places, improve lives and enables sustainable growth.
We shape a better world | www.arup.com
“ Our on-time performance is already one of the highest in the world — but our customers want even better” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
as possible. Its analysts will gain access to enhanced user and demand data, leading to new opportunities to serve unmet demand. MTR is able to take this concept a step further, as its ventures include a property business run under the same umbrella as its railway. MTR properties, which incorporate not only railway stations but residential and commercial buildings as well as luxury, regional and neighbourhood shopping malls, “creates a better, 233
MTR has achieved financial and environmental sustainability by integrating rail and property c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
more integrated living and travelling
together. Consolidating the supply
environment for our customers,”
chain of multiple industries, and
Kam says.
thinking macroscopically about soci-
“Theoretically, customers could
ety as a whole gives MTR an edge
travel from their home — a property
in building customer trust and retain-
managed by us, to an MTR railway,
ing loyalty across different markets.
to their office block which is man-
Naturally, the various innovations
aged by us, have lunch or meet
and initiatives are supported by a
friends in a shopping mall managed
range of partnerships. MTR works
by us,” he expands. This synergy
closely with Kone, Rotec, Beijing
not only retains custom and builds
Traffic Control Technology, Hyundai
trust within the market, but creates
Rotem, Siemens, OTIS, Thales and
an integrated society where loosely-
Arup to deliver its services efficiently
related aspects of daily life are
and sustainably by employing pio-
connected to run seamlessly
neering technology.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ The only way to push beyond the current high performance is through better digital technology” — Dr Jacob Kam, CEO, MTR
MTR actively encourages the use
analytics to push efficiency to a new
of public transport by making the
level, MTR fulfills its mission to “Keep
process streamlined, efficient and high-
Cities Moving” with a sustainable finan-
functioning: an essential stance not
cial model, upgraded assets, and an
only as the world’s cities become more
intelligent approach to public transport.
populated, but also as a defence against unsustainable, environmentallyhazardous travel habits. Using electric trains and energy-saving schemes, reducing waste and employing data c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
235
236
DATA CENTRE IS THE EPICENTRE OF CLOUD AND DIGITAL TSUNAMI WRITTEN BY
DAN BRIGHTMORE
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
237
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SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
HOW SIFY TECHNOLOGIES HAS TRANSFORMED FROM BEING A STANDALONE NETWORK AND DATA CENTRE-HOSTING SERVICE PROVIDER TO A FULLY-FLEDGED DIGITAL ICT SOLUTIONS AND SERVICES COMPANY
238
S
ify Technologies (Sify) was founded in 1995, as India’s first private internet services provider (ISP). Driving the nation’s consumer
internet revolution was the main focus during the late
1990s and through the company’s fledgling years as a consumer services focused business offering hubs across the country to handle cyber traffic. At the turn of the millennium, Sify launched the country’s first commercial data centre (DC) and first MPLS network, beginning a transition towards enterprise services as India’s first commercial internet provider. The country’s emerging network requirements saw the business enter its third phase (from 2006-12), undergoing a full transformation into an enterprise services company. During this period, Sify moved out of the consumer broadband services space, focusing instead on internet-as-aservice for businesses and the launch of its cloud services offering. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
239
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
“It has been a fruitful journey across
“ WE HOST AND BUILD DATA CENTRES FOR OUR CUSTOMERS ALONG WITH THE IT, NETWORK, SECURITY AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE THEY NEED. WE’RE MAKING IT EASIER FOR THEM TO MANAGE THEIR IT REQUIREMENTS WITH ONE PARTNER” 240
— Kamal Nath, CEO, Sify Technologies
25 years of transformation,” confirms CEO Kamal Nath, who joined Sify in 2012. Overseeing the transformation of the company from a standalone network and data centre hosting service provider to a fully-fledged digital ICT solutions and services company, Nath’s stewardship heralded a fourth transition in 2017. The addition of further portfolios to Sify’s data centre and cloud offering set the framework for the company’s “Cloud@Core” approach, which began in 2018.
INDIAN EXPANSION Looking back at Sify’s genesis and how the company became a major force in the Indian market, Nath recalls a time when most of the data centre players were telco service providers operating data centres at their point of presence (POP). “It was a natural extension of our telco business,” he says. “However, we didn’t follow the traditional path as we thought it was important to develop data centre hubs in major cities like Mumbai, where we set up our first commercial data centre in 2000. This was the key to our S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Sify Hybrid Multi Cloud with Cloud Adjacency CLICK TO WATCH
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2:55
241 expansion across India. Today, we
to diversify its suite of services is
have nine DCs across the country:
part of the Sify philosophy. “Over
four in Mumbai, and five spread
time,” he adds, “the data centre has
across Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi,
become the epicentre of Cloud and
Hyderabad and Kolkata. And we’re
Digital transformation.”
planning more in the near future.” Sify now offers a host of man-
When Nath joined in 2012 the network to non-network revenue
aged, migration, assessment and
was approximately 80:20. Today it’s
security services for DCs. “We’ve
50:50. “We’ve grown the DC and
interconnected 48 DCs across the
DC-centric IT services business
country, not only our own but third
beyond simply being an IT services
party DCs,” adds Nath. “We’re creat-
provider,” he notes. “Both areas of
ing more value by offering extended
the business have grown, with our DC
service portfolios on top of our DCs
offering triggering a range of services
as a platform.” The constant quest
including, hybrid IT and multi-cloud.” c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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DRIVING DATA CENTRE GROWTH
need to expand existing IT networks.
Sify’s Head of Data Centre and Cloud
Similarly, the growing use of social
Services, Sushant Purushan, notes
media and online platforms demands
that India’s DC market is currently
that the needs of high compute net-
pegged at $2bn and expected to grow
works be met to support the likes of
22% to 24% CAGR. “This includes
content providers and gaming portals.
hyperscale DC, managed colocation at
Elsewhere, the rise of elearning and
service provider location, captive DC,
the country’s growing insurance sector
DC offshoring, disaster recovery-as-a-
is increasing its investment in IT, while
service, DC managed services and DC
regulatory compliance across indus-
applications implementation,” he adds.
tries is ramping demand for the digital
Driving that demand across India is
backup and archiving of information
the rise in ecommerce and digital pay-
sensitive services. Collectively, this
ment solutions. Banking services such
drive towards digital is aligned with gov-
as ewallets and payment gateways are
ernment initiatives such as the Smart
increasing transactions, triggering the
Cities programme and Digital India with
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Kamal Nath Title: Chief Executive Officer
Company: Sify Technologies
Industry: Information Technology & Services
Location: India
An Electronics and Communications graduate from a premier Technology school in India, Kamal has the enviable distinction of building business from their infancy or turning the corner in others. The architect of Sify’s digital transformation journey, Kamal prefers an entrepreneurial approach to engaging with industry verticals. This disruptive, zealous methodology has seen him build a billion dollar business in his earlier organisation. Going by the reception that Sify is receiving in the market, he is on track for an encore. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
243
SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
public sector companies, especially across the energy and manufacturing verticals, aggressively adopting digital. “Under the Indian government’s National Digital Communication Policy, the three pillars – Broadband India, Secure India and Connect India – aim to connect the country’s villages and rural communities via local institutes while targeting fixed line broadband services in 50% of households, along with 10 million public WiFi hotspots,” explains Nath. India’s digital economy is expected to reach $1trn by 2025. An entire 244
ecosystem of primary and associated services is benefiting from this Tsunami of change. This applies to core DCs, DC interconnection, edge DCs and network services for both enterprise and consumers. “In the near future, technologies in their infancy in India – IoT, AI and machine learning applications, Big Data, analytics and their application ecosystems – will see an upward associated consumption,” reasons Purushan.
EVOLUTION Sify has evolved in anticipation of this rise of digital to offer a mix of services. “We build and host data S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ SIFY HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON ADAPTING TO THE CUSTOM NEEDS OF HYPERSCALE USERS, CREATING A COMPLETE ECOSYSTEM OF CLOUD PROVIDERS, INTERNET EXCHANGES, CONTENT PROVIDERS, CDN PROVIDERS, ISPS…” — Sushant Purushan, Head of Data Centre and Cloud Services, Sify Technologies centres for our customers along with the IT and network infrastructure they need,” confirms Nath. “We’re making it easier for them to manage their IT requirements with one partner. We’re replacing legacy service providers for customers who want managed services (on-site or remote) addressing all the required models with a hosted data centre plus cloud. And through our network portfolio we not only provide data services to our clients, but also transform their network landscape influenced by adoption of cloud. They don’t need to look elsewhere, we offer c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
245
GROWTH
Colocation providers see faster
with lower risk.
EcoStruxure™ for Cloud and Service Providers brings efficiency to any site, on time. • Lower total cost of ownership with efficient, sustainable CapEx and OpEx management. • Achieve higher operational performance while reducing energy costs up to 60%.* • Get support throughout your data center’s lifecycle — from design to construction and operation.
#WhatsYourBoldIdea se.com/colo * Based on previous data, 2017. This is not a guarantee of future performance or performance in your particular circumstances. ©2019 Schneider Electric. All Rights Reserved. Schneider Electric | Life Is On and EcoStruxure are trademarks and the property of Schneider Electric SE, its subsidiaries, and affiliated companies. 998_20607840_GMA-US
Galaxy™ VX UPS EcoStruxure IT
it in a full stack – from DC hosting to
capacities were server hall floors in
custom-build and cloud services, we
buildings. Selection and deployment
can manage the whole piece. This is
criteria then changed to dedicated
how we’re evolving into a converged
buildings, POD-based design fea-
ICT ecosystem player offering hybrid
turing power substations within DC
IT and DC with integrated security ser-
premises offering multiple fiber paths
vices to meet the needs of businesses
for adaptive approaches to security
across verticals.”
and safety requirements. We now
The philosophy behind Sify’s DC
focus on creating DC campuses hous-
business has evolved to support the
ing multiple towers.”
changing market. Sushant elaborates: “Sify has been focusing on adapt-
DC DESIGN-BUILD AND OPERATIONS
ing to specialised custom needs of
Sify’s Head of Project Design,
hyperscale users, creating a complete
Roopesh Kumar, explains that the
ecosystem of cloud providers, internet
company’s design philosophy is flex-
exchanges, content providers, CDN
ible and hybrid to cater to the needs
providers, ISPs etc. Our initial DC
of all requirements: “Both IT and
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Sushant Purushan Title: Business Head Datacenter and Cloud Services
Location: India
A veteran IT professional, Sushant has been in the thick of the evolution of the Indian IT industry from a provider focused on application to one that evolved into infrastructure for the DC and the Cloud. He wet his feet with some of the big names in the industry donning roles across sales, operations, service lines & practice management, strategy and presales. At Sify, he puts a combination of these roles to play, architecting some of the unconventional solutions to Enterprise problems. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
247
SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
non-IT facilities are catered to in a way
key criteria including the availability
that enterprise and retail customers
of quality power, physical connectiv-
can partake of the same colocation
ity and telecom infrastructure. “The
facility.” Sify’s approach to design has
platform to innovate is centred around
moved on from low density retrofits
the design philosophy of our infrastruc-
in shared IT spaces to purpose-built
ture,” says Roopesh. “The modular and
facilities and now a third generation of
scalable backplane design can grow
custom designed and built greenfield
with the business and also multiply
projects following an inside out design
capacity in a single floor to meet high
where the whole building is based on
demand customer requirements. The
the server hall design to support large
design allows us to increase the power
hyperscale colocation requirements.
density in a single floor by adding com-
Physical site selection is driven by 248
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
ponents without disturbing the working
backplane infrastructure. The SCADA
flexibility to use this total power in multi-
based building automation system is a
ples of standard POD configuration. We
new initiative we have implemented in
have floors supporting 800KW for very
the past year.”
low density to 4800KW for high density
Roopesh highlights that Sify’s DCs
customers. These flexible PODs are
are built to accommodate scale and
defined during the initial master design
flex. “Each facility may have an overall
stage, allowing the business flexibility to
capacity limited by infrastructure space
design products accordingly.”
for transformers, generators and chilldesigned, this total capacity is defined
CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE CONNECTING THE FUTURE
and accordingly the base building infra-
Sify is responding to a maturing
structure is planned. The design allows
Indian market demanding hyperscale
ers, but when a new facility is identified/
249
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Roopesh Kumar Title: General Manager
Location: India
Roopesh Kumar leads the data centre engineering and projects. Having built a number of large data centre facilities for Sify in the past, he is working on their “new generation” data centre facilities projects now. He brings over 20 years of experience in handling network and data centre infrastructure and projects. A technology enthusiast, he is keen to explore new technologies and products focusing on efficiency in energy and operations. Roopesh is a computer engineering graduate and an executive MBA in information technology management. He is well acquainted with data centre standards and technologies and certified under various industry modules like uptime institute ATS, PRINCE2 project management, ITIL v2 service delivery, CCNA network basics and more.
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
DCs. “Moving forward from being a service provider, India has become the offshore destination-of-choice for DCs for multiple players,” reveals Purushan, highlighting that Amazon, Walmart, Oracle, Microsoft, Alibaba and a diverse cohort of other content providers and software companies are building their cloud infrastructure in India. “The availability of disparate business segments across different seismic zones, a proactive government approach to remove the gremlins in builds, a back-office-to-the-world 250
environment, along with abundant land and power have proved to be great
“ THE PLATFORM TO INNOVATE IS CENTRED AROUND THE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY OF OUR INFRASTRUCTURE” — Roopesh Kumar, Head of Project Design & Operations, Sify Technologies S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
inducers for the largest hyperscale DC players globally.” Purushan notes that, both on the government and private enterprise side, there is a concentrated effort to build data farms within networked distance of the specific business. This has helped build a secondary market of DC and infra specialist providers around the facilities. “Prospective buyers are being driven by the urgency to adopt digital forms of doing business in order to retain their
251
customers in the face of increased
workload from enterprise to hyper-
threats from new age startups,” he
scale, Nath explains Sify is partnered
adds. “By themselves, startups at the
with AWS, Azure and Oracle, while in
top of the consumption chain for DCs
negotiations with Google to broaden
are the drivers for large scale automa-
the support it is able to offer custom-
tion and hence the increasing demand
ers who need to boost the digital
for hyperscale DCs. Sify has been
literacy of applications in sectors like
closely following these demands and
banking and eCommerce and main-
quickly ramping up the availability of
tain 100% infrastructure availability.
infra specialism across the country.”
“We are the only ISP who started
In creating services capable of
out in the 90s in India, survived the
managing hyperscale clouds, and
Dotcom bust and completely reen-
helping customers migrate their
gineered the business,” says Nath c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
SIF Y TECHNOLOGIES
252
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
1995
Year founded
$312mn Revenue in US dollars
2,700 Number of employees
253 proudly. “Today, with every passing quarter we are more relevant to the market than ever before. We now compete against international technology companies with a complete digital portfolio built to meet the future demands of the Indian market and beyond.�
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
254
NORDEX GROUP: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN ENERGY WRITTEN BY
SEAN GALEA-PACE PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
255
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
NORDEX GROUP
John McComas, Head of Project Management at Nordex North America, discusses the impact of digital transformation in the energy space amidst the launch of a new wind turbine platform
A
s one of the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturers, Nordex Group provides high-yield, cost-efficient wind turbines
under the Acciona Windpower and Nordex brands. Nordex has production facilities in Germany, Spain, Brazil, the US, Argentina, Mexico and India 256
and produces nacelles, hubs, rotor blades and concrete towers across its offices in 25 countries. Following its acquisition of Acciona Windpower in 2016, Nordex became a major player in the energy space. John McComas is Head of Project Management at Nordex North America. Having originally joined Acciona Windpower North America in August 2007 as a Supply Chain Analyst, McComas worked in several different positions before moving into his current role in May 2017. Having achieved considerable success over the past few years, McComas points to his company’s product line as a driving factor. “Our product line between the Nordex and Acciona turbines is flexible, cost effective, and client driven,” explains McComas. We’re not afraid of entering into markets where other organisations feel uncomfortable.” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
257
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
NORDEX GROUP
“ WE CAN’T HAVE JUST ONE WAY OF DOING THINGS ACROSS A DIVERSE RANGE OF MARKETS. IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE ADAPT TO WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE” — John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America
A key area of priority to McComas is the company’s client approach. “We have an approach with our clients which is quite the opposite of ‘take it or leave it’,” he says. “It’s about trying to foster a relationship
258
and learn what the constraints, challenges and economic model inputs are in order for the projects to be successful.” Having worked in several different markets, McComas acknowledges that every individual sector has its own unique challenges. “What makes us successful is our approach,” he explains. “We can’t have just one way of doing things across a diverse range of markets. It’s important that we adapt to what the requirements are.” Another important area of focus to McComas is the introduction of new technology. He understands the growing impact digitalisation is S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Delta4000 Series Start: N149/5X & N163/5X (ENG) CLICK TO WATCH
|
3:13
259 having on the energy industry and
Since its purchase of Acciona
beyond. “Digital transformation
Windpower in 2016, there has been
is one of the biggest opportunities
a noticeable shift in operations.
facing most markets at the moment,”
“Acciona Windpower product technol-
says McComas. “We used to spend
ogy was typically deployed in large
lots of time and effort collecting,
wind farms cost of energy focused
analyzing and correcting information
markets, in comparison to the Nordex
and data that came to us from paper-
technology which was deployed at
based sources. We’re flooded by
smaller wind farms in Europe that
the onset of tools, techniques, pro-
had specific requirements,” says
cesses and data, so it’s important
McComas. “Those requirements
that we use it in the right way. With
were prevalent primarily in Germany,
increased efficiency comes the
Scandinavia and the UK and that
opportunity to be safer, more quality
technology was very successful
centered, and strategic.
in those markets. However, since the c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
NORDEX GROUP
260
“ DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES FACING MOST MARKETS AT THE MOMENT” — John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America
to launch a turbine platform with
merge a few years ago, we have put
strategy. The Delta4000 turbine
in considerable effort to combine that
adapts to the grid operators’ individ-
technology into one platform.”
ual needs, local wind conditions as
a flexible rating as part of its core design philosophy and operation
That platform is the Delta4000. The
well as noise constraints. Through
Nordex Group was the first company
the platform, the Nordex Group relies
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
on tried-and-tested series production
to create a platform that best serves
technology. The primary aim is to
the needs of our clients,” explains
reduce the cost of energy by design-
McComas. “This product line is a sig-
ing turbines which provide much
nal to the marketplace that the merger
higher yields from any given site. Its
between both organisations has been
Delta 4000 portfolio demonstrates
finalised and our recent commercial
the N155/4.5, N133/4.8, N149/5.X
success with it proved that we are
and N163/5.X wind turbines.
here to stay.”
McComas believes that the new
McComas believes in the value of
platform delivers a clear message
partnerships. Nordex has established
to the marketplace. “What we set out
key, strategic relationships with Appia
to do was take the best parts from
Wind Services, DSV Air & Sea and
both the Nordex and Acciona plat-
ATS, in addition to collaborations with
forms and merge them together
global energy leaders such as Engie,
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
John McComas Title: Vice President of Project Management North America Industry: Renewables
Location: United States
John McComas is a results-orientated, strategic and bi-lingual manager with experience in a range of wind farm supply and construction. McComas has a verifiable track record in four different countries for the successful completion of utility scale projects ranging from 45 to 304.5MWs. He manages site teams, maintaining the site P&L and creating positive working relationships with colleagues, contractors, suppliers and clients. He has been in his current position since May 2017. c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
261
Appia Wind Services is a company dedicated to blade maintenance and repairs in the composite wind energy field. We provide rapid deployment of experienced technicians to complete tasks at hand.
Learn More
Powering your logistics to the next level When your needs are out of the ordinary, trust the DSV experts. www.dsv.com/project-transport
1985
Year founded
6,800 Number of employees
263
Announcing N163/5X CLICK TO WATCH
|
0:32
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
NORDEX GROUP
WIND PROJECT SERVICES
• Asset-based project management solutions
• Continental U.S., Canada, Mexico, Alaska, Hawaii & Caribbean
• Hands-on, multi-modal services
• More than 65 years of experience
• In-house route surveying and technical services team
• Reliable turnkey solution for your next project
ATS Projects | Putting your projects together piece by piece Call 1 800 MEET ATS | Visit ATSinc.com | Email Projects@ATSinc.com
Enel, Duke, Acciona Energy, and others “We want to work hand in hand with our clients in order to generate collaborative solutions,” he says. “It’s important that we meet our commitments and ensure that we’re transparent and are working together in a collaborative manner to resolve issues. We understand that if we make a mistake then being open and honest is essential. We don’t try and hide; we strive to learn from our mistakes. Being open and honest with 265
NXG Service Technicians EN V1 CLICK TO WATCH
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0:28
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
NORDEX GROUP
“ Being open and honest with every partnership is essential and if we want to foster long-term growth, we understand we have to work collaboratively and transparently”
266
— John McComas, Head of Project Management, Nordex North America
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
every partnership is essential and if we want to foster long-term growth, we understand we have to work collaboratively and transparently.” With the future in mind, McComas has a vision of where he expects Nordex to be over the next few years. “We’ve almost doubled the growth of the overall organisation in just a few years and we aim to continue in that vein,” he says. “Moving forward, our plan is to focus on the execution of our commitments and make sure we deliver on the projects that we’re undertaking.” McComas also harbours ambitions of transforming The Nordex Group to being considered a leader in wind turbine supply construction and commissioning. “It’s a pivotal year for us,” summarises McComas. “We’ve already established ourselves as a top tier supplier globally for wind turbines and we want to continue to scale.”
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
267
268
WRITTEN BY
DANIEL BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
269
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
How Great Southwestern Construction is training its teams to offer expertise in EPC project delivery across a range of substation, transmission line and distribution system projects
S
ince 1977, Great Southwestern (GSW) has successfully completed hundreds of substation, transmission line and distribu-
tion system projects throughout the United States. 270
During the 1980s company founder and Vietnam War veteran Robert Martinez established the company’s reputation on a series of power delivery projects, securing government contracts with the Western Area Power Authority and Bonneville Electric while performing a substantial role in the Central Arizona Irrigation Project. Expanding into utilities projects, GSW became an operating subsidiary of MYR Group in 2000. MYR Group provides management expertise, resources and financial backing that has allowed GSW to achieve new levels of performance and the ability to take on larger and more complex projects. This led to GSW’s involvement in MYR Group’s largest single project to date – the 235-mile, 345kV Cross Texas Transmission Line, part of Texas’s US$7bn Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ). S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
1977
Year founded
$1.6bn
MYR Group revenue in US dollars
600+ Number of employees
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
“ We want our employees to feel as though they’re part of a large team, in a family where their interests are looked out for, that they’re valued” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
“The acquisition by MYR helped out a lot because it added the capital resources needed to grow, supporting the ability to buy equipment and bond projects with capital backing,” recalls President Brandon Lark. “Shared resources throughout the group gave us the opportunity to grow rapidly from being a project focused organisation that bounced around the country focusing on single projects all won through competitive hard bid, to an organisation that is now regionally
272
focused with long-term MSA agreements in multiple different regions across the US.” Lark explains GSW is focusing on overall market saturation from a regional aspect and keeping crews local to an area. “In the past our crews would travel nationwide, so this helps with our recruitment and our employee development.”
RECRUITMENT & TRAINING Since 2005, GSW has focused on increasing the pace of its EPC (Engineer-Procure-Construct) delivery method. “We’ve prioritised developing project management skills and capabilities throughout our organisation,” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Great Southwestern Construction, Inc CLICK TO WATCH
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4:10
273 confirms Lark. “We have an in-house
foundation of GSW and the organisa-
development programme to develop
tion’s expectations. Employees receive
solid project managers across the
industry training through MYR Group
board. This has paid dividends in our
going through the OSHA (ET&D) best
ability to communicate in a timely and
practice course to ensure safety is
effective way with our clients. We
paramount across all of GSW’s sites.
really like to have a very transparent
The continuous improvement of its
approach and, in order to do that, you
employees is important for GSW.
have to have a solid means and meth-
“Our employees have the opportunity
ods of communication through project
to take three paid Department of
management practices.”
Labor Bureau-accredited appren-
Training is a key part of the pro-
ticeship programmes,” adds Lark.
cess at GSW where new hires will go
GSW’s Transmission Lineman and
through a week-long orientation to give
Distribution Lineman Apprenticeship
them a grounding in the values and the
Programmes are provided through c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
BUILDING AN ENERGIZED FUTURE DynaGrid provides nationwide, industry leading civil construction solutions in the Electrical Substation and Transmission sector including sitework, foundations, grounding and conduit installations.
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“ When we’re working towards turnkey delivery methods with our clients we want to have sub-contractors, vendors and staff that are working with us repeatedly rather than going out for the lowest bid on every project” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
“Despite the fact we’ve grown tremendously since the 1980s, we’ve tried to maintain a family feeling, we do that through our people first focus,” says Lark. “We want our employees to feel as though they’re part of a large team, in a family where their interests are looked out for, that they’re valued. We do that by ensuring everybody has a voice and understands it’s not only a right, but an expectation, that if they have questions they get the support
T&D Power Skills, and are geared to
they need. We’re committed to helping
instruct electric utility line workers
them improve their skill set to move
with up-to-date, safety-related work
forward and grow as employees from
practices and technical skills related
one day to the next.” Lark believes this
to the installation, maintenance and
approach has helped GSW develop its
removal of transmission and dis-
reputation as a solid organisation to
tribution systems. The company’s
work for. “The transmission distribu-
Substation Technician Certification
tion industry is a relatively small one,
Program is provided through the
word is spreading and people are
Northwest Lineman’s College
seeking us out.”
(NLC) Power Delivery Program, is most commonly used as the curriculum
TURNKEY SOLUTIONS
component of apprenticeship leading
GSW’s clients are increasingly looking
to journeyman certification, and is ideal
at outsourcing for the kind of special-
for adoption or endorsement by utility
ised expertise unavailable elsewhere
company associations and state-wide
or over-committed in-house. “We must
organisations. A third course focuses
be prepared to deliver turnkey solu-
on distribution alignment.
tions to answer their call,” pledges Lark. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
275
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
Great Southwestern Construction: Apprenticeship Program CLICK TO WATCH
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3:10
276 Delivering these turnkey solutions often
that are working with us repeatedly
comes in the form of EPC agreements,
rather than going out for the lowest bid
prevalent on more complex projects.
on every project. The best way to show
EPC agreements allow owners to share
steady improvement over time with a cli-
more risk and lower overall costs by
ent is by having a complete team that’s
transferring a project’s engineering
all in and understands their key drivers.”
design, procurement of equipment and
GSW’s in-house construction capa-
materials, and construction activities to
bilities secure the turnkey approach,
a single contractor.
offering the opportunity for early stage
To achieve this, Lark explains that
constructability analysis and the chance
GSW takes an approach of partner-
to optimise value and enhance efficiency
ships across the board. “When we’re
to deliver the best overall design. By
working towards turnkey delivery
directly managing all stakeholders GSW
methods with our clients we want to
enhances communication to minimise
have subcontractors, vendors and staff
impact on project schedules.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Brandon Lark Title: President
Company: Great Southwestern Construction, Inc.
Industry: Construction
Location: United States
From Superintendent then Project Manager to Vice President and now President, Brandon Lark’s breadth of experience at Great Southwestern has given him a raft of hands on expertise engaging with all facets of the organisation from the ground up. “It’s given me an invaluable perspective on being able to understand the challenges and the lifestyle that our folks lead out in the field,” confirms Lark. “I understand the problems they face day in and day out, and I’m always keen to get their input on how we can improve. Our senior leadership team are here to help ensure they have what they need to succeed every day they go to work.” “My hope is that the young folks out there considering their careers and looking into the trades can see from my career path that you don’t necessarily have to jump into a four-year degree and go down that path right off the board. Actually, you really can move into a trade and take that route and it’s by no means closing a door to the future opportunities that you thought maybe your college degree would offer you; there are other ways of doing that and still achieving the highest level of success within an organisation.”
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
SUPPORTING SUSTAINABILITY As an industry-leading provider of electrical construction services, GSW delivers optimal value while ensuring sustainability that depends on its ability to prioritise economic, social, cultural, ethical and environmental considerations generated throughout day-to-day operations. “When we look at how Great Southwestern promotes sustainability and energy efficiency, it’s through supporting renewable energy projects,”
PROVIDING SOLUTIONS IN WIND, TRANSMISSION, AND SOLAR FOR 20 YEARS STRONG We are a full service fiber optic network and electrical collection system contractor.
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279 confirms Lark. “We seek out and
of a 34.5kV underground collection
partner with renewable energy devel-
system and a new 138kV substation
opers to help bring solar and wind
including two 138kV breakers, eight
energy projects to market. We come
34.5KV breakers, all related steel, bus,
into play to get their green energy
conduits, grounding, foundations, cable
projects connected to the grid. We’ll
trench, control building and site work.
work on the high voltage side, and
“We’re seeing a huge drive on the
the interconnection with the host util-
energy delivery front,” says Lark,
ity.” Driven by client expectations and
highlighting the chance for GSW to
specifications, GSW has constructed
capitalise on its expertise. “There’s a
substations, transmission lines and
big push to move away from coal and
collector systems for solar and wind
towards more renewable, sustainable
farms throughout the US. The Magic
energy. With that, there’s a lot of differ-
Valley wind farm in Texas (completed in
ent complexities that come into it. One
2013) was an EPC project consisting of
of the areas we really want to focus
the construction of 258,000 circuit feet
on is that these renewable projects c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
Great Southwestern Strengths Cohesive Crews that Remain Together from Project to Project A crew works best together only when given the opportunity and time to do so. This continuity results in better performance, greater efficiency and increased safety – all factors that contribute to the success of your project.
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A Project-Based Focus on Every Job Our leadership and project management teams are skilled in all aspects of project controls and reporting systems required to efficiently and successfully execute projects on-time and on-budget. We have extensive experience in design-build and Engineer-Procure-Construct (EPC) methods of project delivery, and can also provide an array of pre-construction services. Our Attract, Train, Retain & Grow Philosophy
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
We attract and retain good people because we offer attractive recruitment packages and provide a firm foundation for professional growth within the organisation. Industry-Leading Apprenticeship, Training, Orientation and Safety Programs Our apprenticeship programs are accredited by the Department of Labor’s Office of Apprenticeship. Great Southwestern dedicates significant time and effort to ensure our training, orientation and safety programs provide employees with the latest, most comprehensive and accurate information possible. Extensive Resources As part of MYR Group, Great Southwestern possesses the technical, financial and managerial resources to install multiple projects of virtually any size and type.
generally drive much tighter timeframes and therefore a higher degree of need for solid project management. We’ve got to be much more flexible, be able to think out of the box and accelerate projects to a pace that are outside of normal utility delivery. We really see an opportunity to be the bridge between the developer and the interconnecting utilities to help make that happen.”
GROWTH MINDSET “We’ve experienced steady and sustainable growth,” says Lark proudly. “Through that growth, we’ve been able to offer opportunities for our employees to grow too and improve their positions within the organisation. We’re in a growth mindset, which allows our teams to set high goals and ultimately go and achieve them.” Lark believes that this mindset, coupled with GSW’s commitment to safety and the value that individual employees can bring, has contributed to the company taking an industry-leading role to become best in class. “We’ve got a solid team of very dedicated leaders across the organisation and to me that’s a huge success.” c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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G R E AT S O U T H W E S T E R N C O N S T R U C T I O N
“ We seek out and partner with renewable energy developers to help bring solar and wind energy projects to market. We come into play to get their green energy projects connected to the grid” — Brandon Lark, President, Great Southwestern Construction
2020 VISION “Projects like the Cross Texas 282 Transmission Line are huge undertakings and show the industry what we’re capable of,” says Lark. “When you look at where we’re at today, we’re excited about utilising those capabilities to develop long-term relationships with the likes of Oncor Electrics in Texas. “We’re one of their primary contractors and we have several hundred employees on their system supporting them day in and day out. It’s alliances like these that we’re looking forward to forging across the US.” Looking to the future, Lark believes the EPC model is going to be crucial in bridging the gap to ensure deliverable timeframes are met across a range of S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
projects, especially renewable energy. “This not only helps from a developer perspective, so they’re successful in making sure that the timelines are met; but also when dealing with the interconnecting utility and ensuring all the studies and standards of construction are also met.” “We’re reaching a point where a lot of utilities don’t have the same in-house capabilities that they used to have, due to recruitment issues and staff retiring. They’re looking at the EPC model as a method of augmenting their project delivery for their own capital projects. That’s the other area where we’re looking to fill the needs across the board, and a lot of that is ensuring that we’re bringing on that expertise in-house to meet client expectations. We’re aiming to balance the needs of both sides of the fence and I think we are in a very good position to be able to do that moving forward.”
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PCL Construction: transformation through people and culture WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY
JAKE MEGEARY
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PCL CONSTRUCTION
Mark Bryant, CIO at PCL Construction, describes how the company’s vision and “innovate or die” philosophy is helping to shape the modern industry
F
ounded in 1906 in Stoughton, Saskatchewan, PCL Construction is a construction company operating primarily
in Canada, the US, Australia and the Caribbean. Now headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, the 100% employee-owned company currently 286
employs over 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople. Operating primarily on heavy industrial, civil and building construction, PCL has attained consistent results and broad geographic diversity to ensure its continued success. The company works on 700-800 projects each year, and is the largest contracting company in Canada and the seventh largest in North America overall. Mark Bryant, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at PCL, joined the company seven years ago with the aim of helping the business understand how IT-based solutions could bring benefits and drive efficiencies. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology,” he explains. “I’m one of those guys that’s always bridged IT
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PCL CONSTRUCTION
“ There’s a lot of opportunity for change. If you’re open to change, it’s a pretty cool place to be right now” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction
and business, even when I started at Toronto Dominion Bank, where I spent the first nine years of my career.” Having the fortune and talent to work for some of the largest, primarily Canadian, companies in the market — Davis & Henderson, and WSP — Bryant found that one thing consistently attracted
288
him: great work culture and great colleagues. Regarding the honour of being named the 2019 ‘Canadian CIO of the Year’ by ITAC, Bryant was clear on what he regards as the key to his success. “It’s a pinnacle award for me from a career perspective,” he says. “But if you don’t have an amazing team around you, you don’t win ‘CIO of the Year’. My team at PCL has been instrumental in executing the vision that I’ve had.” For PCL, that vision meant making a fundamental shift away from ‘legacy IT’ and towards becoming an integrated business technology group. “Initially, IT was focused on keeping the lights on,” S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
PCL’s Digital Transformation CLICK TO WATCH
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289 says Bryant, describing the limitations
management applications, the com-
of the previous tech culture’s scope.
pany has striven to be an active
“One of the things that I’m most proud
participant in the change, rather than
of is my team’s transition to realise our
merely reacting to it. According to
new strategic vision.” More specifically,
Bryant, there is a reason for this. “The
Bryant has spearheaded a new range
construction industry historically has
of products and services for PCL to
been underserved by the software
drive productivity, efficiency and safety.
development community. As one of the
This approach has proved crucial
oldest industries in the world, a lot of
in an industry that is typically slow to
practices in construction haven’t
adopt the latest trends in digitisation.
changed.” Due to the nature of the work,
Bucking the trend, PCL has been
which requires a vast amount of manual
focused on developing this aspect of
processes to function, cvonstruction
its operations for over 30 years. From
has been among the last industries
homegrown estimating software to staff
to embrace the digital revolution. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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PCL CONSTRUCTION
However, with investment capital
292
for efficiency, as was integrating its
starting to flow into the industry,
technology more intelligently to allow
a huge influx of new thinking has
innovations a quick gateway into daily
opened doors for IT and business
operations. “If something new comes
professionals. “There’s a lot of oppor-
along that’s better, faster, or makes
tunity for change. If you’re open to
more sense for our business, we can
change, it’s a pretty cool place to be
rip out the incumbent technology and
right now.” The digital transformation
plug another one in. An integration
for PCL began with what Bryant calls
framework allows us to be very agile.”
the ‘four pillars’: cloud, integration,
This shift away from a ‘waterfall
mobility, and data analytics. Shifting
development cycle’ also means that
the company’s large volumes of data
applications and services can be
from its hundreds of yearly projects
brought out in weeks or months,
to the cloud was a significant move
rather than years.
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Mark Bryant Title: Chief Information Officer Location: Canada As CIO, Mark is responsible for the strategic and innovative advancement of information technology (IT) within the PCL family of companies. Mark has over two decades of IT expertise, having served in the financial services, software, manufacturing, and AEC (architecture, engineering, and construction) industries. Prior to joining PCL, he led the technology operations at a century-old financial services firm and was CIO at a leading planning, engineering and consulting firm. Mark received his business administration accreditation from Sheridan College in Ontario and additional credentials related to ecommerce from the Ivey School of Business. He completed his CIO MBA at Boston University. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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Mobility and the ability to collect
and utilised in fascinating new ways,
data from the field is also crucial to
such as monitoring conditions at the
PCL’s operations. With the advent of
work-face of construction. “The IoT
smartphones and tablets, the company
platform is 100% data driven, enabling
was able to find a way to gather this
real time alerts to anomalies and is
information more simply. More data
extremely extensible, allowing for the
also meant that an overhaul of the way
addition of new capabilities quickly.
the company performed data analysis
It allows us to make better decisions
was crucial. The launch of PCL’s smart
because now we’re doing something
construction platform Job Site Insights™
with data that wasn’t historically avail-
— a key Internet of Things (IoT) based platform and one of the core focal
able.” says Bryant. Another great example of data
points for the company in 2020 —
being an enabler is a hazard inspection
meant that data could be collected
safety application exploiting AI c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
PCL CONSTRUCTION
“ PCL Construction is a juggernaut of innovation in the industry” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction
294
Taking Safety into the Digital Realm CLICK TO WATCH
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PCL CONSTRUCTION
technology to scan photographs and identify hazards. PCL has been able to reduce the time and labour spent on a crucial task — safety inspections — without sacrificing quality. His goal is nothing short of the total digitisation of the construction industry, including how it measures quality, safety, financials, work schedules, performance and more. Data is the essential element of the large-scale
“ Our people and our culture really are the difference. I am passionate and excited about what we’re doing. I couldn’t find a better company to do it at” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction
improvement PCL is striving towards, as are close relationships with the
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Providing Project Insight CLICK TO WATCH
|
2:24
297 partners and suppliers with which
a partner with a vested interest
the company works. Emphasising the
in helping us drive efficiencies.”
collaborative nature of the construc-
Microsoft will also be instrumental
tion industry, Bryant believes that
in PCL’s integration of blockchain into
PCL’s business relationships in 2020
its logistical operations, as well as
are going to be of paramount impor-
billing and receiving.
tance. “I’m really focused on continuing
Similarly, Pype has a special
to build a partner ecosystem of compa-
relationship with PCL; the company
nies that want to share our vision and
leverages Pype’s ‘AutoSpec’ product
success as we digitise construction.”
to enhance operational efficiencies.
“We have a fantastic relationship
“They’re a great example of a startup
with Microsoft,” he explains
in the construction industry that is
(Microsoft provides PCL’s cloud-
using artificial intelligence (AI) to
based services). “They’re not
review submittals and show us areas
a supplier to us, frankly. They’re
that we should focus on.” c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
PCL CONSTRUCTION
298
D I D YO U KN OW ?
• The IoT platform is 100% data driven. • PCL work on between 700-800 projects each year . • 4,000 full-time professional and admin staff and more than 10,000 hourly tradespeople.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
“ I’ve always had an entrepreneurial vibe and a big interest in technology” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction
Another partner offering exciting solutions to PCL is Australian company Willow, providing ‘digital twin technology’ to create a virtual model of assets, processes, systems, and other entities. “The concept of a digital twin has been in the airline and automotive industries for years,” says Bryant. “It has not been applied to construction, so Willow will be a significant partner for us in their smart building strategy.” Even though he has established an exciting technological vision, Bryant hasn’t forgotten that changes in the construction industry are not easy to introduce. With new technologies being introduced at breakneck speed, it’s possible that staff will reach a saturation point in their ability to adapt. However, it is by fusing the knowledge c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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PCL CONSTRUCTION
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“ Digitisation is not an option. Digitisation is an absolute necessity” — Mark Bryant, CIO, PCL Construction S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
and experience of its field staff and technology staff, who have been working on-site for 40+ years, with the latest IT tech that PCL hopes to gain a major advantage in the market. Adopting a ‘crawl, walk, run’ philosophy of introduction, Bryant is confident that PCL will add new digital aspects at an appropriate pace. “It blows my mind how complicated our business is and how our people do such an excellent job,” he states.
1906
Year founded
$6.95bn Revenue in US dollars
4,000+ Number of employees
This represents the crux of PCL’s
difference between those companies
digital transformation for Bryant: “Our
that realise this and those that don’t.
people and our culture really are the
PCL Construction is a juggernaut of
difference. I am passionate and excited
innovation in the industry and, to me,
about what we’re doing. I couldn’t find
that’s super exciting.”
a better company to do it at.” Thinking about the journey that PCL is embarking upon, Bryant considers the upcoming change to be inevitable. “Digitisation is not an option. Digitisation is an absolute necessity. You’re going to see a big c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
301
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Stockholm Data Parks: making the modern sustainable city WRITTEN BY
WILL GIRLING PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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S T O C K H O L M D ATA PA R K S
Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks and Open District Heating, explains how data centres may be the key to creating a sustainable digital city
S
tockholm Data Parks (SDP) represents an advanced infrastructure offering to the data centre industry; a partnership
between it, district heating/cooling provider Stockholm Exergi, electricity distributor Ellevio, dark fibre provider Stokab and the City of 304
Stockholm. Collectively driven by a vision of creating a sustainable, waste-free city that’s entirely free of fossil fuels by 2040, SDP’s contribution lies in the unique opportunity presented by the rapidly expanding data centre sector. Focused on making Stockholm as attractive to the industry as possible, the initiative believes that the waste heat expended by data centres may hold the key to making the city a beacon of sustainability. Erik Rylander, Head of SDP, knows the energy sector well and put his insights to good use when the idea was first launched. “My career has been a mixture of very different fields within energy and it has been mostly centred on heating and cooling, but also gas. With SDP, we really took the initiative to make the data center industry more sustainable.” Although heat recovery is now widely accepted by S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
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the European industry, this was
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“At that time, the industry was very sceptical. It didn’t really see the need for it; people saw it as a problem and didn’t want to start implementing new solutions” Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks and Open District Heating
not always the case. Spotting the opportunity relatively early (circa 2014-15), SDP anticipated the global shift towards the widespread adoption of eco-friendly measures in business, though others were left perplexed. “At that time, the industry was very sceptical,” explains Rylander. “People didn’t really see the need for it; they saw it as a problem and didn’t want to start implementing new technology.” Adding to the opposition was a customer base that was seemingly indifferent, and a paucity of environmental initiatives on the global stage. “Now, it’s really different: many things have happened to help us move into the position we are in. For example, Greenpeace started to publish the Click Clean Report and then the Paris Agreement came around in 2016,” says Rylander. With industry heavyweights like Microsoft now edging towards carbon-negativity and Jeff Bezos of Amazon pledging US$10bn to fight climate change, SDP is truly a pioneer in promoting sustainability schemes that are taking more widespread precedence in 2020.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Stockholm Data Parks CLICK TO WATCH
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307
Also the Head of Open District
temperature). “If we can buy heat from
Heating (ODH) at Stockholm Exergi,
someone at a price lower than it would
Rylander explains that the whole
have cost to produce it, that’s the real
process actually starts with ODH,
business behind heat recovery: we
which provides the business model
are saving money and companies will
of the venture. Taking advantage of a
be paid for something that is generally
2,800km network of district heating/
regarded as waste,” Rylander states.
cooling pipes that snake underground
By establishing a market for waste heat
around Stockholm, a scheme was
in Stockholm, ODH is playing an essen-
started in 2014 wherein businesses
tial part in helping Stockholm reach
were approached and asked if they
its goal of using 100% renewable or
were willing to sell their excess/
recovered energy for its district heat-
wasted heat energy on a fluctuating
ing by 2030, as well as being totally
price scale (depending on the outside
carbon neutral by 2040. “Currently, c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
S T O C K H O L M D ATA PA R K S
308
we are 90% carbon neutral, so that
data centre investments to Stockholm
remaining 10% will need to be offset
and, by extension, a greater pool of
and one way to do that is to increase
heat recovery potential. “Our purpose
the use of heat recovery.”
remains to make this city more sustain-
After several pilot studies were
able because we, as the providers of
launched in 2016 to identify how heat
heating and cooling in the city, have a
recovery could best be utilised, it was
responsibility to furthering sustainabil-
discovered that the data centre indus-
ity,” says Rylander. “It’s really important
try provided the most effective source.
that we make the City of Stockholm
With the global data industry’s total
fit for the future.” With its focus on the
consumption of electricity estimated
rapidly growing data centre sector,
at a huge 416.2 TWh (the entire UK’s
which is also highly compatible with an
consumption is roughly 300 TWh),
urban environment, SDP provides the
SDP was established to attract more
catalyst for scaling up this vision.
S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Favouring an approach which
adjusted its product portfolio to fit
establishes trusting and long-lasting
the heat recovery concept, Rylander
connections with partners and sup-
affirms that Carrier put its trust in heat
pliers, the collaboration with heat
recovery and took a chance to help it
pump supplier Carrier is an example
succeed. “Without them, we wouldn’t
of co-operation morphing into endur-
have been able to get as far as we
ing synergy. “Carrier has been an
have,” he says.
important partner to the heat recovery
Success might be inevitable for
concept,” explains Rylander. “From
the SDP initiative, as it ties in with a
an early point, it showed a strong
growing global movement: the circular
commitment and belief in the idea;
economy. Seeking to eliminate ‘one
Carrier also believes that heat recovery
use’ methodologies in business, cir-
will become increasingly important.”
cular economic ideas revolve around
Stating that the company actually
the principle of minimising ‘inputs’ and
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Erik Rylander Title: Head of Stockholm Data Parks
Location: Sweden
Erik Rylander, MSc. Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, is the head of Stockholm Data Parks at Stockholm Exergy (former Fortum Värme). Mr. Rylander has a long career within Fortum in different managerial positions. In recent years he has played a leading role in the development and deployment of Stockholm Exergi’s business model that allows data centers to turn costs for cooling into revenue from recovered heat.
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S T O C K H O L M D ATA PA R K S
maximising the reusing, remaking and recycling of waste products. “It’s really about reusing whatever you can again and again so that you are not wasting anything,” Rylander explains. “Heat is generated whilst running data servers, which we can then capture and reuse as energy to heat Stockholm. Technically the included components are well established, but, for some cities, installing a decent heating system might be an issue.” This is the main benefit of Stockholm’s infrastructure
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HOUSING
AND GREY WATER DATA CENTER
ADMINISTRATION
AquaForce, at the heart of smart city, providing both natural and wasted heat sources to multiple applications.
311 - 95% of the buildings in the city are connected to a heating system that can be utilised for heat recovery. It is a testament to SDP’s innovative concept, which, whilst not relying on cuttingedge technology, demonstrates an intelligent usage of existing infrastructure to make it work. Sweden’s low power cost (approximately €0.05 per kWh) and low national carbon footprint (20g of carbon per
“If we can buy heat from someone at a price lower than it would have cost to produce it, that’s the real business behind heat recovery: we are saving money and companies will be paid for something that is generally regarded as waste”
kWh, as opposed to the EU average of 450g) provide additional incentives to data centre companies scouting areas for investment. The country’s
Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks and Open District Heating
c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
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S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
CO MPAN Y FACT S
• Currently, we are 90% carbon neutral, so that remaining 10% will need to be offset and one way to do that is to increase the usage of heat recovery
strong stance on combating climate change could make it very attractive to tech industry hyperscalers - such as Facebook and Google - who are looking for effective ways to simultaneously expand their business and mitigate their carbon emissions. Validation of SDP’s concept was given in 2017 when the Kista data park was established north of Stockholm. “The first milestone we had to reach was international investment coming into Sweden on this platform. That is what we achieved with the Kista site,” Rylander says. “As data centres grow, we will be able to recover approximately 40MW of heat from them, enough to heat around 80,000 modern residential flats.” This was followed in 2019 with c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
313
S T O C K H O L M D ATA PA R K S
314
the launch of the Brista site as an opportunity for data center invest-
“Our purpose remains to make this city more sustainable because we, as the providers of heating and cooling in the city, have a responsibility to furthering sustainability” Erik Rylander, Head of Stockholm Data Parks and Open District Heating S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
ment, with plans to launch a third site in Skarpnäck, south of Stockholm, currently underway. An added benefit of Stockholm is its wide-spread optical network connecting practically all buildings in the city. Further, the city is exceptionally well connected to the rest of Europe with more than 350 million end-users reachable with 30 milliseconds of round-trip delay.
315
Looking forward to 2020, Rylander
scientists have been able to identify
is keen for SDP’s signed contracts to
which will allow us to reach the targets
materialise into construction projects.
of the Paris Agreement globally without
Now that the initiative’s concept has
carbon capture and storage,” he claims.
been proved, SDP will continue to push
“The data centre industry already
for Stockholm to be a truly modern city:
understands that this is the next phase
sustainable, low-carbon and digital.
to move into. We have a good start-
However, not satisfied with merely
ing point for applying carbon capture
achieving carbon neutrality, Rylander’s
technology that will eventually bring
company - Stockholm Exergi – will
negative emissions into the market.”
also be exploring taking sustainability to the next level with carbon capture technology. “There is no scenario that c o n s t r u c t io n gl o b a l . c o m
316
STAGING THE DRAMATIC RENAISSANCE OF ADELAIDE’S HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE WRITTEN BY
DANIEL BRIGHTMORE PRODUCED BY
TOM VENTURO
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HANSEN YUNCKEN
HOW HANSEN YUNCKEN’S REDEVELOPMENT OF ADELAIDE’S HER MAJESTY’S THEATRE HAS BALANCED A HERITAGE DESIGN WITH A 21ST CENTURY TRANSFORMATION
H
ansen Yuncken (HY) was awarded the contract to redevelop Adelaide’s landmark Her Majesty’s Theatre and
revitalise an iconic Tivoli Theatre, which originally opened in 1913. The $66mn redevelopment includes retaining the building’s heritage façade 318
and eastern wall, along with the construction of a reimagined auditorium capable of seating an audience of 1,467, over three levels. Modern foyers, new backstage facilities, and a redesigned front entrance and canopy make up the rest of a project, which has provided a unique opportunity for HY to showcase its unrivalled skill in meeting the challenge of delivering a 21st century transformation while respecting this theatre’s storied past. HY was able to take the learnings from its redevelopment of the Sydney Coliseum Theatre in NSW, which was completed late 2019. “It’s a D&C contract for the state government,” explains Scott Brumfield, Project Director of Adelaide’s Her Majesty’s Theatre Redevelopment. “We’ve got a fantastic vision from Cox Architecture, and with heritage specialists on board we’ve paid S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
1918
Year founded
$1bn+ Revenue in Aus dollars
650
Number of employees
c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
319
HANSEN YUNCKEN
“ WE IMPROVED SAFETY, AVOIDED REWORK AND MINIMISED ON SITE FABRICATION, TRANSFORMING THE WAY WE APPROACHED THIS BUILD” — Scott Brumfield, Project Director, Hansen Yuncken 320 close attention to how we’ve designmanaged that process – it’s not about watering down the outcomes, it’s about maintaining the vision of those architects, but ensuring constructability including time, cost and safety, while keeping that integrity in the design. Our Design Manager, Stuart Warnes, has been key to HY building an iconic landmark building we can all be proud of.” Working in partnership with consultants Mott MacDonald and Aurecon, the design pays homage to the theatre’s history both inside and out. S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
Hansen Yuncken: Her Majesty’s Theatre Redevelopment Timelapse CLICK TO WATCH
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321 Cox aimed to incorporate aspects of
rooms and modern rehearsal rooms.
the original heritage design into the
The purchase of a neighbouring prop-
interiors inspired by the original Tivoli
erty has allowed for further expansion
concepts. “Maintaining the theatre’s
to deliver an improved front-of-house
original façades was a key part of the
experience with heightened flow rates
redevelopment,” explains Brumfield.
for attending audiences to better
“Along the way we’ve uncovered herit-
access all the theatre’s amenities.
age artefacts such as the old friezes
The use of BIM (Building Information
and signage; we’ve also gained an
Modeling) has supported the con-
understanding of original colour
struction deliverables from the offset.
schemes - all of this has been used to
“Cox started with a point survey and
inform the new interiors,” he adds.
completed a scan of the interiors,
The design will deliver a very much
enabling them to create a design that
improved backstage experience for
interfaced properly with the existing
the performers, with new dressing
heritage facades, giving us a design c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
HANSEN YUNCKEN
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T HE STAT S
• At peak approx. 150 people on site • Over 80t of waste removed during soft demo, 96% of that was recycled • 80 piles across site, the deepest reaching 14m • 54.6t of steel required for façade retention bracing • Just over 400t concrete required for façade retention bracing • Approx. 950t of steel used to create building’s framework HI ST O RY
• Opened as the Tivoli Theatre in 1913 • Last surviving Tivoli Theatre in the country • During the 1960’s and 70’s the theatre was completely gutted, destroying the original architectural features
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process that actually worked to
of stability and developing an under-
the fabric that remained,” explains
standing of how all of those pieces
Brumfield.
went together - like a big Meccano set.
The design management process was augmented through BIM with
and minimised on-site fabrication,
the creation of models for all the
transforming the way we approached
steel and prefabricated components
this build.”
ensuring they interfaced smoothly
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We improved safety, avoided rework
Working in a tight city site such
with the building’s heritage façades.
as Her Majesty’s Theatre in central
“We were able to sequence the build
Adelaide, technology was a major
by grabbing slices of the BIM model
factor in managing the projects
to develop a truly informed process,”
stakeholder management. “We had
Brumfield confirms. “This helped
to consider our neighbours,” says
with our temporary works in terms
Brumfield. “With a car park down the
“ WE’VE GOT A FANTASTIC VISION FROM COX ARCHITECTURE… IT’S ABOUT MAINTAINING THE VISION OF THOSE ARCHITECTS, BUT ENSURING CONSTRUCTABILITY INCLUDING TIME, COST AND SAFETY, WHILE KEEPING THAT INTEGRITY IN THE DESIGN” — Scott Brumfield, Project Director, Hansen Yuncken S U M M E R /A U T U M N 2 0 2 0
road, a pub on the corner, and an apartment block next door, detailed planning of the schedule of works was vital. We required high-level planning for road closures – which happened almost daily – so had to be mindful of the effect on traffic flow. Being able to arrange the placement of the tower crane within the building so that it misses all of the critical elements of structural steel and services, while minimising local disruption was very important. Optimising the location 325
in this way would have been almost
E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :
Scott Brumfield Title: Construction Manager Location: Australia With over 25 years’ experience in the construction industry working for the likes of Brookfield Multiplex and Built Environs, Scott Brumfield has benefited from working on a vast range of projects, from desalination plants and hospitals, to shopping centres and prisons. “Working on Her Majesty’s Theatre was all about understanding our client’s vision, and producing an outcome aligned with their needs,” he confirms. Brumfield’s client-centric approach sees him focus on building teams that share his vision and can deliver spectacular outcomes for legacy projects and new builds alike. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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impossible without a 3D BIM model.” HY utilised Autodesk’s BIM 360 for quality control, using iPads in the field to record all outcomes. “Our team also used HYway which interfaces with Power BI to track manpower and safety observations along with quality outcomes,” adds Brumfield. “The ability for real-time monitoring to help the site team collaborate and then to allow for monitoring further up the chain to the corporate governance at state and national levels is just incredible.”
WACO KWIKFORM Proud to supply Her Majesty's Theatre Renewal Project
1300 333 113 | wacokwikform.com.au WACO KWIKFORM SCAFFOLDING AND FORMWORK SPECIALISTS Waco Kwikform was proud to provide its expert access scaffolding services - including design, supply and labour - during the recent redevelopment of the iconic Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. Working closely with the Hansen Yuncken on-site team, Waco Kwikform designed and installed a bespoke scaffolding solution for this complex project, with particular attention given to the intricate birdcage scaffold in the auditorium. Waco's expert engineering team and skilled, on-site labour force worked collaboratively with the customer's personnel and other trade teams to ensure the scaffold was erected efficiently and quickly, adhering to site specific, as well as our own stringent OHS requirements. Waco Kwikform has the capacity and proven experience to provide design, product and technical support to projects of all shapes and sizes.
we’re moving into the behavioural space with safety,” he says. “With company campaigns like ‘You See It - You Own it’, we are aiming to reinforce the message that we all get to influence the safety outcome; and it’s about individual ownership. Working with subcontractors who are exposed to different sites routinely, it can be a challenge to get them aligned with our own culture and fully engaged with our strategies. It’s working really well, and we’re seeing our operatives starting to understand that their own HYway (its forward-looking in-house management platform) allows HY to achieve a corporate overview in real-
behaviours are creating the positive outcomes we want.” The theatre’s end user, the Adelaide
time, delivering insights that inform key
Festival Center, has been “incredibly
decision-making. “I can interrogate the
engaged” with the design process.
project’s progress, at any stage, from
Working alongside the Government
home, the boardroom, or my desk,”
of South Australia’s Building Project’s
adds Brumfield. “I can get access to
management arm, DPTI (Department of
site diaries and look at all of the cost
Planning, Transport and Infrastructure)
reports to ensure we remain on track.”
and Department of Premier and
In such a confined space and with
Cabinet, HY is delivering the first new
a large workforce, safety on the pro-
theatre built in the state for many years.
ject has been paramount. Brumfield
“It might be smaller in scale than some of
believes that HY’s systems have
our projects, but the levels of complex-
matured to provide industry best
ity and the quality of the finishes are on
practice. “To compound that progress
another level,” marvels Brumfield. c o nst ruc t i o ngl o b a l. com
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P R O J E CT S TAT S
• $66m redevelopment Theatre will re-open mid-2020 • The redevelopment will preserve the Edwardian façade and Eastern wall Auditorium over three levels, increasing the capacity of the theatre 1,467 seats • Restoring the grand circle 328
High specification acoustics and spacious back of house New auditorium and foyer designs inspired by original interiors • Redevelopment extends footprint of theatre west on Grote St to include modern, accessible facilities, bars and lifts • Improved access including better disability access Entrance restored to the centre with a new canopy incorporating modern technology
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“Her Majesty’s Theatre has been a part of the local community for over a century. We’re proud to be preserving it for future generations,” says Brumfield. “Adjacent to Adelaide’s Central Market, without it the area would be greatly diminished. It offers a beacon for the arts and local commerce – they’re desperate to get it back so we’re pleased to be on track for the theatre’s reopening in mid-2020.” Across the country, HY has a myriad of impressive projects across leisure and entertainment. From The Hedberg in Tasmania and the Home of the Arts (HOTA) in Queensland, through to the recently completed Sydney Coliseum Theatre in New South Wales, each project brings a unique taste of creativity and initiative, topped with HY’s enduring reputation for quality.
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