Podcast

Building Tomorrow: Partnerships Drive Construction and Property Tech

Digital tech and AI are transforming construction and property. Nordic leaders from OBOS and Skanska share how startup partnerships boost efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

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Digital technologies and artificial intelligence are shaking up the construction and property sectors. In this episode of Shaping Sustainable Places, host John Ambrose is joined by two leading figures in the Nordic property industry: Daniel Kjørberg Siraj, CEO of OBOS Group, and Christoffer Hernæs, Chief Digital Officer and Director of Skanska Digital with Skanska Norway.

They discuss how their respective companies are partnering with and investing in startups to drive efficiency, improve safety, reduce costs and lower carbon emissions in an industry seen as traditionally slow to adopt new technologies. The conversation highlights the urgent need for smart solutions to address declining productivity and increasing project complexities.

Driving Efficiency and Speed Through Collaboration

Daniel Kjørberg Siraj outlines their approach to technology integration, categorizing it into two main areas:

Back office and planning: He emphasized the importance of drawing inspiration and new ideas from startups and partners to increase efficiency in the planning process. This includes early development phases and core back-office functions.
Construction sites and projects: A second focus is on applying new learnings and technologies directly on construction sites to improve productivity and sustainability, and ultimately to create better products for their customers.

Christoffer Hernæs highlights the critical aspect of speed, acknowledging that the construction industry isn't typically known for being an early adopter of technology. He stressed the importance of partnering with the wider ecosystem, including customers like OBOS, and challenging startups, to keep pace with technological development.

Key Takeaways

Problem-driven innovation: Investments in startups are most successful when they address identified core business problems.
Diverse areas of innovation: From climate adaptation and digital twins to operational efficiency and site safety.
Measuring success professionally: Treat investments as financial endeavors demanding sound corporate governance.

Addressing climate and sustainability: Data-driven insights are crucial for climate resilience and emission reductions.
Pitfalls to avoid: Lack of scalability, misaligned growth ambitions, reluctance to say no, and insufficient focus on being a good, active owner.

Guests in this episode:

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