Buildings 2.0
In this episode of Buildings 2.0, Jose speaks with Bill Seery, Prefabrication Director at Consigli Construction, to explore how prefabrication is shaping the future of the construction industry. Bill discusses the transformative potential of industrialized construction, including saving time spent — and sometimes wasted — on waiting for delivery or making various adjustments.
He highlights how modern technologies like AI, drones, and video capture can significantly enhance safety and productivity on construction sites. Bill also emphasizes the critical role of long-term partnerships and collaboration between general contractors and subcontractors for sustainable success.
Topics discussed:
- The shift towards industrialized construction and its potential to revolutionize efficiency and quality in the building industry.
- The integration of technologies like AI, drones, and video capture to enhance safety, efficiency, and productivity on construction sites.
- The importance of fostering long-term partnerships and collaboration between general contractors and subcontractors for sustainable project success.
- The advantages of prefabrication in construction, including reduced on-site labor, improved quality control, and faster project timelines.
- Transitioning from traditional project-based methods to a productization mindset to streamline construction processes and improve outcomes.
- Comparing traditional economic models with those suggested for industrialized construction to highlight potential cost savings and efficiency gains.
- Addressing the challenges of skilled labor shortages and how industrialized construction can mitigate these issues.
- Considering the regulatory, social, and economic impacts of adopting industrialized construction practices in the industry.
- The future of housing, especially in urban areas like New York, and how industrialized construction can meet growing demands efficiently.
Guest Quotes:
#1.)
”But it's been a cool journey to have put modular and prefabricated components into so many projects over the years. And now at Consigli, I get touch, at any given time, I'm working on ten different projects and figuring out what the right prefab strategy is for each one. So it's just continue to be that evolution of adding value and seeing the built world kind of rise around you type of thing.” (3:01-3:26)
#2.)
“So, now, AI can look at your video camera and say, ‘oh, as you walked around today, Jose, on the job site, the drywall wasn't up in that section of the building or the headwalls didn't go up there. That was on the critical path for today.’ So as the contractor, it makes my job tomorrow easier because it can flag me in the morning and say, ‘hey, the head walls didn't go in yesterday or the gypsum didn't go up. You need to go look at that and figure that out.’” 9:03-9:30
#3.)
“I always, I preach on every job, and I would say this is to the whole industry, there's no reason not to be doing single-trade prefabrication on every project, on almost any scope.” 13:26-13:40
#4.)
“This is the only industry, this is the largest industry in the world that has no R&D budget. Think about that for a minute. Right? The drug companies are spending billions, the AI companies, the chip companies, they spend billions getting faster, better, cheaper. And here we are not willing to even try a robot that would lay brick down for me.” 30:25-30:44
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