18 Jun 2025
A look at the impact of digital transformation on the built environment industry now, and into the future.
Structural engineers in New Zealand are facing significant challenges, with a sizeable infrastructure deficit, economic headwinds, significant natural hazards and a climate emergency. Digital transformation presents an opportunity to equip the engineering and construction industry to address these challenges, driving efficiency, innovation, coordination and quality. Connected design, construction and operations can support the industry to imagine, create and build the structures and cities of tomorrow.
At the biennial Structural Engineering Society (SESOC) conference in Wellington in June, a panel with representatives from the architecture, advisory, construction and research sectors will explore aspects of the impact of digital transformation on the built environment industry.
Alex Hampshire of WT Partners took a whole-of-life approach to the digital delivery of the Heke Rua Archives project. The project team brought its wide range of skills in building operations, facilities management, sustainability and design to ensure the country’s new Archives building was constructed with a holistic view for long-term, resilient operations over the building’s lifecycle. The development pioneered the use of digital twin technology to capture construction documentation. The digital twin will ultimately be used as an operational system to manage the building and its assets, improving the owner’s asset and facilities management maturity.
HERA is leading a range of projects focused on AI applications for quality management, compliance monitoring, inspections and circular design. CEO Dr Troy Coyle is Impact Leader for the $10.3 million Endeavour supported research project focused on Construction 4.0. She believes the application of AI for automation of consenting and monitoring processes has huge potential to revolutionise the industry. Current processes are slow, inconsistent, prone to human error, and can cause delays and add cost during construction. The potential needs to be cautiously weighed against the risks. Rigorous testing and validation of automation will be essential prior to adoption. Troy will discuss how the HERA research programme will focus on implementing digital technologies while improving quality and consistency.
Construction company Naylor Love is moving to digital-by-default construction, which means defaulting to a practical and accessible digital approach. Modern Methods of Construction Manager Ben Wanklyn is passionate about unlocking efficiencies by acting as a connector between designers and builders. Naylor Love employs simple, user-friendly digital tools such as Cupix, cmBuilder and Revizto to make a real difference in construction. Ben finds that a digital-by-default approach is helping project teams collaborate, reduce administration, track progress and improve construction monitoring, while not overcomplicating the process, nor scaring people away.
Widely adopted in the building and construction industry, BIM provides a digital representation of the physical and functional characteristics of a building and can be leveraged to enhance collaboration, improve accuracy and reduce costs through better project visualisation, planning and early coordination. Anton Shaw, Automation Lead at architecture firm Warren and Mahoney, is a leader and trailblazer in the built environment sector, driving innovation, collaboration and efficiencies through the application of digital technologies and automation. He says having the right team with the right digital strategy is key to why complex and technical projects like Archives New Zealand are getting delivered on time and on budget.
Implementing digital change presents a challenge and an opportunity. To successfully adopt digital technologies, we need to address challenges such as quality, risk management, skills training and initial investment. Embracing digital transformation while understanding the inherent risks and challenges will set up the structural engineering community to transform to successfully meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Tessa Beetham CMEngNZ CPEng and Dr Charlotte Toma MEngNZ are Organising Chairs of SESOC Conference 2025.
This article was first published in the June 2025 issue of EG magazine.
