Q&A with Peter Hentschel, principal,Tecton Architects, Hartford | Designers’ virtual world

Q. University of Hartford’s Construction Institute is hosting its second annual Visionaries Forum, part of the A/E/C Issues series, “A Visionary Approach to Design and Construction” on Jan. 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Crowne Plaza Cromwell in Cromwell. What is the purpose of the forum?

A.  The purpose of the Visionaries Forum is to start the Construction Institutes’ new year with a thought provoking look at the rapid rate of change that is impacting our membership (the design and construction industry) and to bring this change into focus for our audience (members and guests) in a format that may allow the audience to re-fashion their individual strategic approaches to the upcoming year – resulting in increased competitiveness and innovation.

Q. What are some visions of the construction industry’s future that people can learn about at the forum? 

A.  This year we expect to hear more about the technical revolution in “virtual design and construction” which increasingly allows AEC (architects, engineers and constructors) teams to virtually model building designs and construction processes in all dimensions — 3D space, time, cost, etc. In this virtual world all aspects of the design and construction process can be carefully studied before projects become realities (and before obscured issues become real issues). The consequences are fascinating and revolutionary.

We will also hear more about the changing roles that both designers and constructors are embracing as a result of the many revolutions in technology and communication that empower each to significantly broaden the range of activities they engage in their professions.  Designers are using robotic tools to actually build prototypes (or actual elements) of the projects they are designing and constructors are utilizing “virtual modeling” tools to become a key team member in the detailed design of the buildings they will construct.

I expect that we will also hear about how the communications revolution (with mobile cloud computing and communication devices) is changing the actual process of design and construction — especially as it impacts creative teamwork and problem solving.

Q. Promotional material says the speakers will share how they are creating competitive advantages for their companies using innovative approaches to building design, project management, and communication. What are some things they may touch on?

A.  I expect that each speaker will touch in some way on the measurable results that their individual forays into these “new worlds” has had on their success and the their business through the noteworthy results and degree of attention that their innovation has drawn.

These “visionaries” will offer the audience a look into the future; describe the long term benefits of doing things differently, and outline a creditable new approach that ‘can and does work’ in order to get to the next level and succeed in the ‘Bold New World’ that lies ahead!

Q. What is the short-term future for the construction industry in Connecticut? Where does it see growth?

A.  Personally, I expect that the business climate in our region will be improving this year but slowly and without drama. Government spending at the state level will continue to lag. Massachusetts may see an uptick in spending on K-12 schools but not in other areas of government. The senior and long term care markets will slowly improve, as will, to a lesser degree, the general health care facility market. Retail construction should continue to be slow, but we should see an improvement in the development of facilities for research and some industries.  

Q. How does the forum help fuel that growth?

A.  The factors that will fuel growth in our region are largely outside of the control of the AEC community; however, the AEC businesses that fully embrace the spirit of the changes in the current wind and adjust their business practices to incorporate as much of those changes as possible will be the businesses that survive and prosper in the next few years.  The “nature” of the changes that we explore this year will have significantly altered next year; therefore, the process of keeping “ahead of the curve” is a never ending one — hence, the Annual Visionaries program of the Construction Institute.

Q. What came out of last year’s forum in terms of ideas?

A.  Last year’s Visionaries Program gave the audience an eye-opening look at new forms of collaboration between architects, engineers, and constructors that have resulted in a design and construction process that is less wasteful, more efficient, less costly, and of higher quality than the industry as a whole is currently providing.  “Integrated Project Delivery”, as it is generally referred to, has been applied with these measurable improvements by some innovative teams around the country.

Last year’s program also gave an eye-opening look at a variety of new technologies that the AEC industry is exploring, and frequently employing, to measurably enhance their capabilities and the metrics of the projects they design and construct.  Most of these ideas have become central during the past year to the processes that the more successful AEC firms in the country employ in the delivery of their services.  Many of these, and more new ones, will be touched on by this year’s Visionaries.

Note:  This Program is unusual for the Institute in that it does not have a pre-determined theme and is not intended to target a defined topic of conversation.  By its nature we are looking to be surprised by our speakers, to have our thoughts pushed in directions we did not anticipate, and to be energized by new ideas.  The speakers are selected for their innovative work and thought provoking presentation abilities.

This year’s presenters are well represented by the younger generation of practitioners who have broken in many ways from the methodologies of their predecessors.