Time: the final frontier

I’ve always been into science-fiction and its fascinating depictions of futuristic cities, modes of transport and communication. For me, Isaac Asimov’s 'Foundation', Greg Bear’s 'Eon' and the Star Trek franchise offered a tantalising glimpse into what the world may one day look like, and much of this early science fiction has become science fact, with gadgets used by those on the Starship Enterprise to make video calls or scan landscapes to gather data ('Tri-corders' for those in the know) now a reality. ?

?The legendary motivational writer William Arthur Ward once said: “If you can imagine it, you can achieve it”, and I believe this mindset should shape how we think about tomorrow’s infrastructure and how we drive social inclusivity and a net zero future while creating new environments for people to live, work and play.

?Today I still enjoy the escapism of science-fiction, the read across into our world (look at the similarities of the future cities of Eon and Neom) but find myself just as fascinated by the direction our industry is taking as it looks to transform infrastructure delivery.?

?For some time now, SNC-Lavalin has been exploring - and realising - the possibilities that digital transformation brings. By connecting people, data and technology we’re increasing project predictability, boosting resilience, achieving sustainability goals and helping clients improve commercial performance.

?As an engineer and a business leader, I’m very impressed and proud of the work SNC-Lavalin is doing right now for our clients across the world. ??We’re ambitious and we want to lead the industry in changing the way infrastructure is designed, delivered, operated and maintained.?

?It’s at this point I could talk about how a digital twin of the rapid transit Canada Line in Vancouver is reducing asset failures and corrective maintenance hours, or how Decarbonomics – our data-driven solution to decarbonising the built environment– has already been used to asses 2,000+ buildings for clients in the UK, US and Canada, identifying opportunities to reduce CO2 by 160,000 tonnes, while realising savings of $22m.

And it’s also very tempting to explain why I firmly believe that we are on course reduce overall project costs by at least 10% and increase on-site productivity by over 25% through design re-use, automation and data-driven collaboration.

?But there’s another element of digital transformation which perhaps isn’t talked about enough – a bi-product of increased productivity that should allow us to think beyond immediate efficiency gains.

?I’m talking about the creation of ‘time’ – something which is perhaps even beyond the realms of possibility across Asimov’s Galactic Empire.

?Time allows our engineering talent to flourish and to be more imaginative. It allows our engineers to focus more of their efforts on macro challenges and creative problem solving, knowing that many “traditional” problems can be taken care of if we employ the right technology, share common data standards, and collaborate across data ecosystems where information is stored and managed appropriately.

For me, digital transformation can give us the time, space and intelligence to look at that bigger picture, and do what engineers do best: solve problems. Technology is an enabler to think in different ways and to revaluate the art of the possible.?Artificial intelligence and machine learning can only do so much ‘thinking’ for us and most certainly won’t give us all the answers; but they free up time – that most precious commodity in a world which moves and changes so quickly.

?Engineers are at the forefront of the global response to rapid urbanisation, climate change and resource scarcity - issues which are already impacting the entire planet and its people. We will be leading the charge, drawing not only on talent and instinct but on data and technology to solve problems of a size which mankind has not faced before. ?

?For SNC-Lavalin, digital transformation is a platform from which to change not only the way the industry delivers projects today but to imagine and realise solutions that eclipse what was previously thought possible in an analogue world – to boldly go where no-one has gone before….