Having been to Digital Construction Week (DCW) for many years now, I have always gone with a keen excitement to connect with my industry peers, but also to see what is changing that likely has been outside of my field of view in the last year. Focused on people and roles, incumbent culture changes, emerging innovations and technological updates from the main players.
The great thing about DCW is that you also get to see this from the lens of planning, designing, construction and the operations perspective with a broad spectrum of professional services in their field.
My name is Andrew Victory and I lead Digital Transformation from a global perspective at Arcadis. I focus on digital topics that relate to Design and Engineering that have an impact on future skills and competencies, service excellence and change management relevant D&E technologies to adopt and scale.
Ready for change
My key reflection from this year’s DCW is that the opportunities and potential for transformation are already in place – waiting for the spark to ignite change. That spark is more likely to come not from a technological breakthrough, but from a sense of urgency when barriers to entry are lowered.
Once change does find a way, I think it will be very much the “hockey stick” approach to this change. Slow at first – then very fast! It was clear that some market sectors in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) are going to get there sooner than others, with the supply chain well organised through people, process and technology. Others will be slower to change but reap the benefits of the lessons learned from others.
The power of panels
I was fortunate enough this year to be invited to a panel put together and chaired by Lucas Cusack from Glider Technologies. Glider is well positioned to be part of catching the next wave of change when the large change does come.
Lucas, along with colleagues in the industry, had been focused on a digital soft landings approach, which I think also played well around the lowering of the barriers of entry for change to happen.
It was clear that everyone on the panel had very deep long-term knowledge within their area of expertise, understanding what the opportunities for improvement around the flow of data and information could be for clients, supply chains and end users of assets, while also finding that the issue is there: different areas for improvements, which might not link up.
This was further reinforced when I was part of a roundtable where client-side stakeholders also spoke about some of the challenges even if aware of the digital tools already available.
Key DCW takeaways
Those working in the digital construction phase are well placed to help close the gap between design inception and delivery. In both discussions I took part in, the split between CAPEX and OPEX – beyond just finance and procurement – also showed up in how stakeholders understood different project phases. It felt like project realisation is where real change could happen, especially in how information and knowledge are passed on.
Disruption in the tech landscape
The technology landscape is also potentially poised for disruption. While I saw many impressive technological advancements at DCW – from traditional big tech players to innovative startups – some of these companies will undoubtedly play a major role in the future.
If I were starting a business and looking to build out my organisation’s software portfolio for projects, it would be difficult to know which tools to select over others. This could lead to workflows being driven by chance encounters rather than strategic decisions. This is especially intriguing as the AI landscape for AEC continues to mature.
When digital disruption arrives, many familiar faces will remain. Many people I’ve met at DCW over the years are already embracing the change, along with newcomers eager to be a part of it.
With emerging roles and responsibilities in projects, the “People and Change Theatre” featured presentations from industry leaders discussing evolving trends and career development. It was inspiring to see those already recognised with MBEs supporting newcomers to the industry.
Looking ahead
I felt Digital Construction Week in 2025 arrived very swiftly and left just as quickly. A lot can happen in a year, and, at the same time, some things don’t change as much as one might think.
At the core of this event is people. I don’t doubt that the yearly network of people in our industry that come together year on year to share, learn and debate will be there in 2026.
I am looking forward to DCW 2026 already!
The views expressed in this article are my own, and not that of my organisation or employer.