Each of our FuturePlace newsletters features an expert interview. We are very appreciative for the insights these experts shared with us over the past year and are looking forward to continuing the conversations in 2025! 

Here are some highlights from our 2024 interviews:

In your opinion, what are the most exciting innovations in sustainable construction that have the potential to revolutionise the industry?

Jessamine Welsh, Senior Sustainability Advisor, Spark: I do not believe there is one particular innovation that will revolutionise our industry, decarbonisation and net zero needs to come from all angles if we are going to achieve our 2030/2050 goals. Continuous development and implementation of materials and methodologies that reduce our emissions is what is going to get us there. To stay ahead of the curve, we need to be engaging with our design and site engineers, talking to other industry professionals and the governing bodies, collectively pushing the limits of what it means to decarbonise infrastructure in construction and operation.

What do you see as the future of AI twins as a strategy?

Sam Yenamandra, Manager, Asset Strategy & Performance, Murrumbidgee Irrigation: Integrating AI twins in business strategy particularly for asset intensive industries will dramatically increase an organisation’s ability to tackle their most pressing challenges and improve outcomes for end-users. The rapid advances in AI/ML methods and cloud infrastructure this will allow for innovation in organisational strategy and evolving business models to meet unmet customer needs in addition to improving on current service levels. Asset management practices will continue to evolve and increasingly pivot around asset performance which will allow organisations to optimally generate value from, manage and operate their infrastructure. In a sense by incorporating AI twins into strategy, organisations in the future will be able to harness innovation, creativity and the collective imagination of their teams to add value to end-users in way that would have not been possible even a few years earlier.

How do you offer tailored experiences to each of your many audiences? 

Joanna Fisher, Chief Executive Officer, ECE Marketplaces:The speciality how we do this is that we see shopping centres not only as pure retail locations but as local marketplaces and social hubs. Those marketplaces and hubs offer much more than just shopping. This means that we are developing a lot of complementary services around and above retail. Retail is all the time the core of our business and of each asset that we manage, but around that we have additional offers like entertainment, gastronomy and especially non-retail offers like, for example, medical services and similar offers which may also include fitness centres, public libraries, or public administration offices. These offerings are growing at the moment across Europe after the pandemic and after the energy crisis and are a perfect addition to the retail offerings. When it comes to the individual centers, both the branch and the tenant mix as well as the further development of the shopping centres are clearly based on the individual strategy for each location. So, for us it’s very important to have the look on the KPIs in the catchment area around the shopping centre or the assets and then to decide together with the investor based on the customer review how the centre has to further develop and what kind of content do we have to put there.

Can you tell us about your EV transition planning process?

Vince White, General Manager, QFleet | President, Australasian Fleet Management Association: The planning process was, and is being, coordinated across the Queensland Government and involved developing strategies for renewable power generation, EV transition, and EV charging infrastructure. The challenge initially was sourcing EVs; now, the challenge is EV charging infrastructure, and yes, it is as difficult as people claim! Supply chain issues aside, the buildings themselves are proving to be incredibly challenging. Building owners are reluctant to invest, there are power supply and capacity issues, insurance risks associated with perceived issues around fire safety, access issues, and surrounding infrastructure challenges.

How will innovations such as edge computing, AI, and IoT impact the design and operation of data centre facilities?

Paul Dwyer, Head of Data Centres, LOGOS Property: AI is the needle mover here. It will create new products and applications that will be used at the ‘edge of the network’ so as a product type it will mould the rest of the market to fit its needs, one of those being at the Edge of the network. Additionally, it will also be active in conjunction with existing cloud deployments and applied in a learning and generative fashion to do with the real time data collected from IoT devices which will lead to added security measures. This will lead to adoption of specific build types and technologies to enhance all aspects of the Data Centre build cycle to support and reliance on new technologies which will lead to a shift in design to support distributed infrastructure, optimised operations directly through AI management of maintenance, and enhanced security measures.

What innovation and technologies do you see having a positive impact upon construction?

James Cameron, Executive Director, ACIF: As part of desire for greater productivity and competitiveness, ACIF wishes to ensure that the Australian construction industry is internationally competitive, is on the forefront of the latest technology and is growing for the benefit of all stakeholders in the industry.

ACIF would like to see:

• Requirements for Digital Twins (as built) on large-scale government projects to, on an “if-not-why-not” basis.
• Lean construction principles to be incorporated into a new standard form contract.
• Incorporation of BIM information and data into asset/facility management operations for all new builds.
• Whole of life approach to the construction and then operation of government assets (buildings and civil infrastructure).

Can you tell us what role sustainability has played in the Cross River Rail Deliver Project and if you’re happy with your commitments towards net zero construction in relation to the project? 

Graeme Newton, Chief Executive Officer, Cross River Rail Delivery Authority: I’m very proud to say that our project is setting a new standard for major infrastructure delivery, with innovative and best practice designs and construction. Our commitment to sustainability was recently recognised with one of our major works packages achieving a ‘Leading’ Infrastructure Sustainability design rating from the Infrastructure Sustainability Council, which is the highest possible rating you can achieve. Some of the innovations that helped us achieve the rating included using ‘Envirosand’ made out of crushed recycled glass instead of natural quarry sand, station entrance designs that use natural ventilation and natural light to reduce energy demands and Industry first training programs.

Where do you see Australian parking operators being in 10 years’ time regarding EVCI strategies? How does this issue rate against other issues they are considering?

Angelique Mentis, President, Parking Australia: I really think that parking operators are just a small component of how the parking industry is working collaboratively with EVCI strategies. The property and asset owners wherever there is a parking space are just as important as the operators. And they are all actively assessing, reviewing, and rolling out EVCI in their sites. And as with any old site that needs to be retrofitted there are a host of different considerations and physical challenges that they need to work through. I think the key here is that EVCI and parking industry participants work together collaboratively to achieve the best outcomes for the EV driver experience, the asset owner, and that the commercials are balanced and make economic sense for all participants. And don’t forget that technology and innovation in EVCI is moving at an incredibly rapid rate as well. Innovations such as wireless charging, improved battery storage, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities, solar power integration, hydrogen fuel cells, and advancements in autonomous vehicles are shaping the EVCI landscape, making it a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry.

What’s the outlook for the broader Industrial and Logistics property sector for the coming year? 

Luke Petherbridge, CEO, Link Logistics: While we have seen slightly longer timeframes from our customers around leasing decisions given the evolving macroeconomic environment, I am confident that the future is bright for industrial real estate in the coming year and beyond. We continue to benefit from ongoing positive fundamentals, including e-commerce and the onshoring of manufacturing. We also see long-term demand for space created by the clean energy transition from companies manufacturing electric vehicles and EV and solar batteries, among other green industries, as well as spillover space related to those companies’ supplier networks.

How are the big issues of Safety and Sustainability being addressed by new technologies?

Sally Walkom, GM – Innovation & Enablement, John Holland: The use of recycled content in various construction materials continues to be a trend, as does low carbon concrete. We are getting better data on environmental and community impacts through various technologies. And we are reducing impacts on flora and fauna through digital tools, drones and robotics. In relation to our carbon reduction plans, we are using passenger EVs on some work sites, trialling electric plant and investigating carbon abatement for diesel use. We are also trialling biofuels in plant and equipment and using various technologies and methods to reduce concrete and steel use and therefore our carbon footprint. Our safety performance is improving through drone and robotic technologies that remove people from hazardous environments, VR and AR site inductions and online plant inductions, biomechanical safety footwear, bioinformatics for fatigue management, and many more.

What are the largest opportunities that you see for construction procurement professionals over the last year past and looking ahead?

Errol Bellchambers, National Head of Procurement, DT Infrastructure: The past year has highlighted the importance of agility and resilience in procurement. One of the largest opportunities lies in leveraging technology to enhance supply chain visibility and risk management. By adopting digital tools, procurement professionals can access information quicker, enhance collaboration, reduce lead times and minimise their impact on projects. Looking ahead, there is a significant opportunity to drive sustainability initiatives with increasing emphasis on green building materials and practices. Procurement can play an important role in sourcing sustainable materials and ensuring compliance with environmental standards. Another key opportunity is with collaboration and innovation. By working closely with suppliers and stakeholders, procurement can assist to deliver innovation, improve project outcomes, and create long-term value for the clients.