The view from the 30th floor of the USC Building in downtown LA is downright breathtaking. Not only because you can see all of LA, from the iconic Hollywood sign to the Santa Monica Pier, in one panoramic vista, but because of all the construction currently underway. From the skyline-defining Wilshire Grand to the four-tower Metropolis project, Downtown LA News is currently tracking 102 new building projects in the LA city center. And all that activity made the perfect backdrop for the AECX event, held this past spring on that same 30th floor.
AECX is a new kind of event, a "premier tech expo for AEC professionals," which is for industry professionals, by industry professionals. As such, it drew a distinct cross section of architects, engineers, construction professionals and solution providers to talk about emerging technological innovations in our industry. The entire event was charged by the sense of purpose that can only come from having a group of like-minded individuals with a shared vision representing a microcosm of the change our industry is experiencing. AECX allowed us to look at the challenges we know all too well through an entirely different set of lenses—not only focusing on what is, but what will be, and most excitingly, what could be.
Before the event kicked off, I had the pleasure of hosting a thought-provoking group discussion featuring AECX co-founders Cody Nowak and Kameron Burk, as well as noted construction-tech luminaries Digit Group CEO Paul Doherty, IDEAbuilder co-founder Damon Hernandez, and SpectrumAEC founder and CEO Nathan Wood. We filmed this discussion, and I believe it provides deep insight into the current state of the AEC technological revolution by exploring the opportunities, the challenges and the choices we have to face head on in order to make actual progress in the midst of all this technological disruption.
Watch the full video below:
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