Lamont feels we need to slow down to go faster here, deploying simple, smart construction technology solutions to unlock sites.

In essence, we need someone to take the brakes off, overcoming the friction and constraints.COVID-19 facilitated that to a certain extent, with companies forced to transition to digital very quickly and managing to do so successfully.

However, while every other sector has experienced disruption to their business model creating major changes, construction is very risk averse and the implications are long-term.To get a digital thing slightly wrong has, in a sense, a transience that doesn’t matter.However, there are bigger implications for not building a building correctly..

In terms of where the construction industry is heading in the near future, Professor Glass says that in addition to prioritising our climate change issues, she’d like to see an end to the use of Return on Capital Employed for all of the major contractors.If this unsustainable situation were to change, so that we instead faced a scenario whereby Tier 1 contractors were being judged on Return on Investment, it would likely mean that these key players had disrupted their businesses, understood where change was necessary, were investing, doing more R&D, and creating net zero businesses.

In other words, the change the industry is looking for will happen with Tier 1.

As such, we must continue on our current trajectory towards innovation, change and forward progress.As at Reading, our primary focus was on the quality of the user experience for patients and staff, as well as the efficiency and usability of the building..

In 2012 we won the Best Patient Experience Award for Circle Reading at the Building Better Healthcare awards.. Hospital Design for flexibility and change.We also worked hard to make sure that the design of the hospital was flexible and adaptable.

One recurring issue with hospitals is that the technology they house develops at pace and, as we have seen this year, the demands hospitals face can change very quickly.Both of these mean that traditional approaches to hospital design and construction come with obsolescence as standard.. Our intelligent design, on the other hand, had future-proofing and flexibility built in.