Joining us is Thai Nguyen, Director of Innovation with Hensel Phelps, the construction management and GC firm that recently launched Diverge, an investment company specializing in construction innovation and technology. Topics include:
- In terms of working with innovation partners and tech startups, how will Diverge be different from what Hensel Phelps had already been doing for the past decade?
- How many of Hensel Phelps’ employees are involved in Diverge, and what is Diverge’s vetting process, in terms of requirements of applicants and the time it takes for evaluation and approval? And what is your firm’s financial commitment to Diverge in its first year?
- There are quite a few accelerators and incubators in the ConTech space. How is Diverge’s mission different?
- Hensel Phelps is, on one hand, looking to be an industry disruptor, and on the other hand looking to influence technology that would be specific to your firm’s business. Is the company looking to get in on the ground floor of innovations that, ultimately, would be proprietary, or will new innovations and technologies be shared with the broader industry?
- Can you give me a few examples of where Hensel Phelps might see near-term benefits from Diverge?
Related Stories
Resiliency | Apr 18, 2023
AI-simulated hurricanes could aid in designing more resilient buildings
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have devised a new method of digitally simulating hurricanes in an effort to create more resilient buildings. A recent study asserts that the simulations can accurately represent the trajectory and wind speeds of a collection of actual storms.
AEC Tech | Mar 14, 2023
Skanska tests robots to keep construction sites clean
What if we could increase consistency and efficiency with housekeeping by automating this process with a robot? Introducing: Spot.
AEC Innovators | Feb 28, 2023
Meet the 'urban miner' who is rethinking how we deconstruct and reuse buildings
New Horizon Urban Mining, a demolition firm in the Netherlands, has hitched its business model to construction materials recycling. It's plan: deconstruct buildings and infrastructure and sell the building products for reuse in new construction. New Horizon and its Founder Michel Baars have been named 2023 AEC Innovators by Building Design+Construction editors.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 3, 2023
HUD unveils report to help multifamily housing developers overcome barriers to offsite construction
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, in partnership with the National Institute of Building Sciences and MOD X, has released the Offsite Construction for Housing: Research Roadmap, a strategic report that presents the key knowledge gaps and research needs to overcome the barriers and challenges to offsite construction.
AEC Tech | Jan 27, 2023
Key takeaways from Autodesk University 2022
Autodesk laid out its long-term vision to drive digital collaboration through cloud-based solutions and emphasized the importance of connecting people, processes and data.
AEC Tech Innovation | Jan 24, 2023
ConTech investment weathered last year’s shaky economy
Investment in construction technology (ConTech) hit $5.38 billion last year (less than a 1% falloff compared to 2021) from 228 deals, according to CEMEX Ventures’ estimates. The firm announced its top 50 construction technology startups of 2023.
AEC Tech Innovation | Jan 14, 2023
CES recognizes a Dutch firm’s wearable technology for construction management
The firm’s TokenMe product offers construction managers a real-time crowd- and asset-tracking solution via low-power, location-aware radio and RFID tags and multiple sensors through which data are processed with cloud-based artificial intelligence.
Virtual Reality | Dec 12, 2022
Supplementing workplace connections through digital knowledge networks
Zachary Wassenberg of Burns & McDonnell breaks down three applications for digital knowledge networks: training, libraries, and instructions.
Digital Twin | Nov 21, 2022
An inside look at the airport industry's plan to develop a digital twin guidebook
Zoë Fisher, AIA explores how design strategies are changing the way we deliver and design projects in the post-pandemic world.
Giants 400 | Nov 14, 2022
4 emerging trends from BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report
Regenerative design, cognitive health, and jobsite robotics highlight the top trends from the 519 design and construction firms that participated in BD+C's 2022 Giants 400 Report.
