The protagonists of our interview on this occasion are Eloi Coloma and Montserrat Armengol, Director and Manager respectively of Coloma+Armengol.

Global Partner of the Barcelona Contech Hub, C+A is a consulting company specialized in digital transformation processes in the construction sector.

1. Could you briefly introduce the company Coloma+Armengol and its role in the construction sector?

Coloma+Armengol is a consultancy specializing in digital transformation processes in the construction sector. What our company does is help all companies in the construction sector to improve their internal processes and the products and services they offer to their customers, through the digitalization of their business model. Our services are the following: Consulting for the implementation of BIM in organizations and projects, development of digital twins, consulting in technological innovation and training.

2. How would you describe your approach to technological innovation in the construction sector? How does your methodology differ from other consultancies in this field?

Our approach is based on the idea that innovation must be tailored to the needs of each organization, especially from the point of view of its business model. Therefore, we always begin the consulting process by conducting a detailed and participatory analysis of the improvement opportunities that each company has and its vision for the future. In this way, we ensure that what we propose and ultimately implement is aligned with the organization’s business vision. On the other hand, we implement each innovation with an iterative and incremental approach, so that the client receives benefits as soon as possible with the minimum investment. And so that the digital transformation can be propagated naturally to all its activities.

3. BIM is one of your most important areas of expertise. What exactly is it? Building Information Modeling and why is its application so important in our sector?

Currently, the canonical definition of BIM is the use of a shared digital representation to manage assets throughout their life cycle. The objective is to improve decision-making by all the agents involved. We fully agree with this definition. We believe that BIM is much more than generating models and using them. It involves managing information and sharing it effectively, establishing decision-making processes, control and monitoring of projects, works, maintenance and operation of buildings and infrastructures. It also involves a cultural change in the sector, moving to working in collaborative environments with the changes it entails in the personal, organizational and technological spheres. It facilitates the shared management of information and knowledge of all the agents involved. However, BIM is another piece of the digital transformation process of the sector. Currently, BIM is already understood as a much broader concept. Precisely thanks to this fact, other digital transformation trends are being adopted in the construction sector. An example of this is digital twins and the use of immersive environments such as the metaverse.

4. In your opinion, what are the main technological trends that are currently transforming the construction sector in the area of ​​continuous process improvement, in which you specialize? What do you think the impact of these technologies will be in the short and long term?

BIM, known as Building Information Modeling , is one of the main technological trends that is improving the sector. Its implementation is highly transformational, since it not only changes certain processes, but also the relationships between the agents involved throughout the sector, as well as the business models they develop. In the short term, this working methodology has an impact on the reduction of inefficiencies and risks at all levels and, in the long term, it will contribute, together with other trends, such as Digital Twining , to enhancing the services currently offered by the different providers in the sector, as well as offering new ones.

5. What role do artificial intelligence and machine learning play? and Internet of Things (IoT) in current construction projects? How are you integrating these technologies into your consultancies?

All these technologies play a very important role in three main areas: One is productivity, as they allow us to automate many tasks that previously had to be done manually. The other is information processing, which allows us to obtain information that was previously impossible or very expensive to obtain through the original data sources. Finally, we have predictability, AI and ML, combined with IoT allow us to create simulation models that have the potential to predict unwanted phenomena in order to avoid them or explore various options before implementing them. We, as a consultancy, are mainly implementing AI to automate the processing of our own knowledge bases, texts and graphic material, since the core of our business model is in the creation and generation of knowledge.

6. How do you assess whether a technology or a ConTech startup has the potential to succeed in the construction industry? What are the most relevant criteria for making this assessment?

For us, a fundamental part is the degree to which the product-service they offer fits with the needs of the market. In other words, we assess the extent to which they have studied the needs of specific users and how they have developed the value proposition around this analysis. Then, we assess the potential for growth and sustainability over time. At C+A, we are more interested in startups that have the potential to maintain their business model over time than those that only focus on experiencing great growth, since we believe that the former contribute more to transforming the sector.

7. Could you share a success story where you worked with a startup or company to implement an innovative technology in construction? What were the main obstacles to incorporating this technology and how did they overcome them?

We have helped many companies implement innovation through BIM in their business models. We have worked with numerous companies of different types (architectural offices, engineering firms, construction companies, developers, owners, maintainers, etc.) and local, regional and state public administrations. The challenge in implementing innovation is always people. In our team we have specialists in the field of psychology, communication and change management. In innovation implementation projects, in this case through the digitalization of the construction sector, it is important to develop activities that help the people who have to implement the change in their day to day. Activities such as the analysis of opportunities that are generated with the implementation of the change, improvements in day to day life and above all, analyzing and helping to make decisions so that the implementation of BIM (in this case) or the innovation that is implemented, helps to improve and grow the organization’s business model. It is necessary to help understand why the organization wants to implement BIM and how digitizing its processes and work methodologies will help it.

8. How do you integrate sustainability and environmental practices into your technology recommendations for the construction sector? Are there specific ConTech technologies that promote sustainable construction?

For us, BIM is a fundamental tool for sustainability, as it allows us to work with sustainability indicators from the initial stages of the project, where the decisions that have the greatest impact in this regard are usually used. It is important to remember that sustainability is not only about the environmental sphere, but also the economic and social. However, to make this possible, it is necessary to specify which parameters we want to control and ensure that those who generate the information models, which are then used to make decisions, provide the necessary information (often in the form of data in the BIM models) so that the different parameters can then be evaluated, in order to find the optimal solution in all aspects.

9. What are the main cultural or structural barriers within construction companies to adopting new technologies? How do they usually address and mitigate these resistances in their consulting processes?

The main barriers would be the following: Lack of room for investment, over-employment of staff and lack of awareness that maintaining a certain degree of constant innovation is essential for any company. We could also mention resistance to change, but we believe that in reality, these factors have a greater impact. To mitigate these factors, we work hard on analyzing demand and identifying opportunities for improvement, because, in the end, people do not find it difficult to implement changes if they are clear that they will solve problems or improve their lives. On the other hand, we do a lot of training and in this activity we always introduce concepts related to innovation. Sometimes, explicitly, as in our Master’s program in BIM Management at the UPC School, and others implicitly, because we provide mechanisms to implement profitable changes in a safe and valuable way. We also participate in several institutional initiatives, where we contribute to changing the culture of the sector.

10. From your perspective, how is the profile of construction professionals changing due to digital transformation? What skills are now essential and how are companies preparing for this transition?

In general terms, what is happening is that professionals are internalizing that digitalization is part of their activities, not only in terms of using more IT tools, but also in seeing their functions from the point of view of what they can contribute and what they require in a digital world. For example, a project manager must think about how the technologies she has at her disposal to organize and follow her team’s tasks can help her in her work, in addition to knowing how to use these tools.

11. How can the emergence of more startups that innovate and bring new technologies to the construction sector be encouraged?

Initiatives like the Contech Hub are essential, because they give visibility to startups, in addition to helping them with their financing and growth. We believe that this is very important, since making them visible encourages more people and organizations to be encouraged to create others, or at least develop innovation projects, as well as to hire the services of those that already exist. In addition, the Contech Hub creates an innovation ecosystem, where startups and other companies and organizations can create synergies for improvement for both parties. At C+A, we have been running a master’s degree in BIM Management, digital transformation and new business models for 10 years, jointly with the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya). Eloi Coloma has a doctorate in architecture and published his doctoral thesis in 2009. It was one of the first doctoral theses published on BIM worldwide. He is also a professor at the UPC and this direct relationship with the academic world allows us to create interesting and enriching synergies between the two areas (professional and academic / research). In the master’s degree in BIM Management at the UPC, students learn to implement innovation in organizations and projects and develop a startup proposal as a TFM (Master’s Final Thesis). At the end, they present themselves to the Annual Award for the best startup and the winning team receives expert advice to be able to develop and carry out their project. We have believed for years that with this proposal from the academic world and the creation of the award, through the companies of the Advisory Council of the Master’s Degree in BIM at the UPC, we are doing our bit in promoting and promoting the implementation of innovation in the construction sector.

12. What does participation in the Barcelona ConTech Hub as one of its Global Partners mean for COLOMA+ARMENGOL ?

Coloma+Armengol was born with the motivation to contribute to improving the construction sector through digital transformation and, therefore, supporting the ConTech Hub has been a direct consequence of our mission and values. On the other hand, belonging to the ConTech Hub allows us to meet startups that can help us meet the needs of our clients. We are a consultancy and, as such, what we seek is to find the best solution to their needs and, often, these solutions are not consolidated in the market. Meeting and collaborating with startups helps us a lot in this regard.