Transformational Approaches to Construction
To solve the biggest challenges in construction, we need to fundamentally rethink how we build
The big issues with construction are well known: labor shortages, heavy environmental impact, and large amounts of waste, to name a few. Too often companies attempt to fix these problems by simply tacking on more technology—flying drones over the site, implementing a new cost control system, adding some robots. But true transformation requires bigger thinking. According to Lindsey Rem, VP of Business Transformation at Barton Malow, we need to rethink our processes, reimagine roles and responsibilities, apply technology to supercharge those processes, and then train and inspire the people who will do the work. She shares the efforts of her team to implement a shared digital platform for design and construction, allowing all the trades to participate from the early stages of conceptualization. She describes an initiative to make design management as important as construction management. And she shares the work of LiftBuild, a new approach to construction from Barton Malow in which teams do all the structural and MEP work for each floor of a building at ground level, then lift it into place for finishing and conditioning. It is currently being used for the 16-story Exchange Building in Detroit, Michigan.
About the speaker
Lindsey Rem is the Vice President of Business Transformation at Barton Malow, where she seeks to fundamentally change how we build with new technology and new business models. She received her B.A. in Law, Letters, and Society from the University of Chicago. She also has completed the Strategic Leaders program at the University of Michigan, and the Leading with Finance program at the Harvard Business School.
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