a16z Podcast a16z Podcast: Construction Under Tech -- Info Flows
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Jun 13, 2018 
Join Tracy Young, Co-founder of PlanGrid, Greg Lynn, a cutting-edge architect and UCLA professor, and sociologist Gina Neff from Oxford as they dissect the construction industry's slow dance with innovation. They delve into how technologies like Building Information Modeling (BIM) and robotics are rehauling old practices, leading to better collaboration and efficiency. The conversation highlights the potential of prefabrication and lightweight materials, alongside the weighty challenges that still impede progress in this traditionally resistant sector.
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First Hand: Clunky Field Hardware
- Tracy Young described carrying a seven-pound rugged tablet PC on her first construction project in 2007 and using Excel to track field issues.
- She explained that hardware improvements since then enabled software built specifically for project teams in the field.
BIM Isn't Enough Without Organizational Change
- Gina Neff compared BIM to collaborative docs and said the shared information space isn't developing as fast due to legal and organizational barriers.
- She highlighted that detailed construction planning often happens in trailers near sites, creating separation despite better visualization tools.
3D Models Become Performance Specs
- Greg Lynn described construction as an extreme logistical challenge where 3D models become performance specs rather than direct build instructions.
- Tracy Young added field workers often need simplified 2D facts, not full 3D models, to do their tasks.