Wesley Benn of Digital Built Environment Institute with Ruud Janssen onsite at #IMEX24 on the #DESIGNtoCHANGE PODcast

In the #DESIGNtoCHANGE PODcast" at IMEX Frankfurt 2024, Ruud Janssen, DES, CMM of the Event Design Collective interviewed Wesley Benn Chairman of Digital Built Environment Institute about the role of the Digital Built Environment Institute (DBEI) in improving productivity, efficiency, and sustainability in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC).

Benn highlighted the AEC industry's poor productivity and its significant environmental impact, with 32% physical waste, 34% airborne pollution, and 52% of global energy consumption. He discussed the potential for a 1% productivity improvement to significantly reduce energy usage and the importance of design in achieving operational efficiency.

The conversation also drew parallels between the events industry and AEC, emphasizing the value of learning from past failures and the importance of the design phase in both fields. Benn and Janssen touched on the need for structured research to identify failures and successes, with Janssen noting Google's findings on the benefits of event design methodologies. The podcast concluded with an agreement to revisit the topic in a year to assess progress on these issues.

Wesley Benn - Digital Built Environment Institute #DESIGNtoCHANGE #IMEX24 PODcast IDEA CLOUD and AI recap provided by Snapsight powered by Gevme Link for interactive view -> https://www.snapsight.com/live-channel/b29b289c-ea90-4868-8737-11453f180496/6dd50dbe-1c94-466c-a95a-7eb21e0855ab/attendee?tab=ideacloud

?? The Power of Data in Enhancing Industry Practices

Data collection and analysis are essential for recognizing failures and successes, which can lead to improved practices in both the AEC and events industries.

"In the design industry, you've got the same sort of thing of going, spending the time to go back and analyze that data, to take results out of it."

?? Recognizing Failure to Drive Improvement

Identifying and learning from failures is key to making strategic improvements, and the lack of recognizing failure can have detrimental effects on the success of an industry or project.

"The sooner we can analyze what we're doing, figure out that we're failing, and look for a new way to go forward, the more successful we're likely to be in the end."

?? Parallels Between Event Design and Construction

Both the events industry and the AEC industry share the challenge of learning from past projects to improve future ones, often neglecting the design phase which can lead to failure.

"There's not enough of the lessons taken away because again you're rushing into whatever the next thing is."

?? Compressing Design Time Affects Operational Costs

Shortening the design phase to save costs can paradoxically lead to increased expenses during the operational phase, a principle applicable to both construction projects and events.

"The compounding of impact from shortening those stages is quite extraordinary."

?? Sustainability and Waste in the Built Environment

The AEC industry has a significant environmental impact, being responsible for a substantial portion of physical waste, airborne pollution, and energy consumption, which is why even small productivity improvements can have a huge impact.

"We as an industry generate 32% of physical waste... 34% of airborne pollution... and we use 52% of energy production around the world goes into our built environment."

??? Long-Term Cost Impact of Design Decisions

In the lifecycle of a building, most costs are incurred during operation rather than design or construction, thus highlighting the importance of investing more in the design phase for long-term savings.

"Where is most of the cost in operation? Where can we most affect that cost in design?"

?? The Impact of Design and Productivity in Construction

In the AEC industry (architecture, engineering, construction), enhancing productivity and sustainability through process change and technological innovation is crucial due to its historically low productivity rates.

"In that industry, what we're working to do is trying to improve productivity, efficiency, sustainability through process change and technological innovation."

?? Addressing the Least Productive Industry Challenges

The AEC industry's lack of productivity stems from the one-time build nature of its projects, unlike industries like automotive where economies of scale allow for repeated production and refinement.

"If you look at the automotive industry, they will design a car once and build it 600,000 times. In design, in construction, generally speaking, you're going to design something once, build it once, start over again."

?? The Importance of Legacy and Sustainability in Events

Creating a lasting impact and working towards legacy is crucial in the events industry, particularly for those that are transient in nature, such as conferences that move locations annually.

"Starting to work towards legacy becomes a very important thing that we can do."

?? The Need for Research and Documentation in Event Success

There is a lack of structured research and documentation on the reasons for event failures, which is necessary for the events industry to learn and improve from past experiences.

"Without undertaking that kind of structured research and development, it's entirely possible that people don't even recognize when they are failing."

Topic highlights include:

Building Information Modeling in Construction

Analysis and Utilization of Data in Event Designs

The Role of Associations in Professional Development

Productivity in Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC)

Legacy and Sustainability in Event Planning

Measuring Event Success and Failures

IMEX Frankfurt as a Global Event Hub

Event Design and Construction Industry Synergies

Conversation Impact on Change

Energy Consumption and Efficiency in Buildings

The Parallel between Event Industry and Construction

Event Failures and Industry Reflection

Sustainable Design and Construction Processes

Technological Innovations in the Built Environment

Event Design Methodology and Operational Efficiency