Category: Features
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Why we need good (digital) leaders
As with all aspects of our personal and professional lives, digital transformation is a prevalent force for change in the AEC industry. Digital innovations can help us create a built environment fit for today’s societies. The competitive imperative for firms to embrace digital change is now unquestionable. But while the forces and inevitability of digital…
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What Was Most Exciting at WDBE 2022?
The World of Digital Built Environment, WDBE 2022, took place in Helsinki and Tallinn on September 28-29. The summit offered inspiration and insights, and a chance to network in person after over two years of remote interaction. During the Tallinn day, I had a chance to ask five attendees what they thought of the event.…
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Meet Shehzan Mohammed, Director of 3D Engineering and Ecosystems at Cesium
Shehzan Mohammed is Director of 3D Engineering and Ecosystems at Cesium. Aarni Heiskanen interviewed him on the innovations in geospatial technology, game engines, and the value of open standards to the developer community. Shehzan is a keynote speaker at WDBE. Shehzan grew up in India and did his undergraduate studies there. He moved to the…
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Meet Per-Erik Åstrand, Business Development Executive at SoftwareONE
I had the pleasure of talking with Per-Erik Åstrand, Business Development Executive at SoftwareONE. We discussed construction sector digitalization and how to succeed in it. Per-Erik is a keynote speaker at WDBE in September. Per-Erik has a background in the AEC industry, like many construction digitalization specialists. He has a master’s degree in civil engineering,…
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Meet Achim Menges, Architect, Professor, and Innovator
Achim Menges is a world-renowned innovator in the field of new architectural expression and digital fabrication and a keynote speaker at WDBE in 2022. He shared his views on architecture and construction in an interview with Aarni Heiskanen. Achim is a registered architect in Frankfurt, Germany, and a professor at the University of Stuttgart, where…
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Meet Reid Senescu, Vice President of Product Management at Doxel
I sat down with Reid Senescu, Vice President of Product Management at Doxel, an AI-powered construction tech company. We discussed his professional life, the use of AI and data in construction, and looked into the future. Reid has a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and his work history includes companies like SOM, Arup,…
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Meet Ben Guy, CEO of Urban Circus
The evolution of digital 3D visualization is allowing everyone to experience and participate in urban planning in unprecedented ways. That’s the topic of Aarni Heiskanen’s interview with Dr. Ben Guy, head of Urban Circus and a keynote speaker at the WDBE. ”Communication is everything,” argues Ben. “Communication happens every day, and it can make or…
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Meet Damon Hernandez, Founder of the AEC Hackathon
I sat down with Damon Hernandez in Helsinki at Urban3, the home base of the Finnish digital built environment ecosystem. We discussed the AEC Hackathon and Damon’s passion for connecting the digital and physical worlds. I initially met Damon Hernandez in November 2015 at the first AEC Hackathon in Finland. The hackathon followed the trademark…
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Meet Niknaz Aftahi, the CEO and co-founder of aec+tech
Aarni Heiskanen recently chatted with Niknaz Aftahi, a keynote speaker at the WDBE 2022 conference. She touched on her path to becoming a construction technology advocate, her Big Why, the reason she started her own company, and so much more. Niknaz went against all odds to become an architect. For context, she received her Bachelor…
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Meet Jacqueline Rohrmann, the Tesla Gigafactory BIM Expert
Aarni Heiskanen had the pleasure of meeting with Jacqueline Rohrmann, a keynote speaker at the WDBE 2022 conference. She talked about the digitalization of the construction sector, her experiences as a design manager at Tesla, and the industry’s future. If you’re a designer learning to use Revit, a BIM tool, you might have watched some…