Leading the future: 3 top AIA conference insights every AEC leader must embrace

Hey! 👋🏻

You've been trying over and over to figure out how the future of the AEC industry will look, but you're just not clear on what your next strategic move should be.

Maybe you even attended the AIA conference to see if you could find clues...

...but you are still unsure about the direction to take.

You're starting to wonder... 🤔

"What should I do next?"

I'll be honest with you - there is a lot of nonsense out there about company growth and what’s next in the AEC industry regarding #technology. 

But architects and leaders like us don't have time to engage 3 hours a day to review what’s next in the industry. 

We have companies to run.

👉🏻I grew /slantis, together with Mercedes Carriquiry, IA. AIA , from 0 to 100 people using the latest technologies available and by being experts in #collaboration culture. 

So in this article, I'm going to share my top 3 insights from the AIA Conference 2024 with you to better understand where our industry is going next.

Simple, short and snappy - you’ll only need 5 min read. 

Leverage these powerful insights to take your architecture firm to the next level. There are 3 top insights from the AIA conference about the future of the AEC industry:

1. Happiness for business growth.

2. Get your AI strategy together.

3. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” 

Let's break each of these down step-by-step. 🚀

Top Insight 1: Happiness for business growth

Your people are your greatest asset as a professional services company.

This is true for every architectural firm out there. 

And counting with happy individuals within our company’s is even more important.

Through AIA, my first highlight was Arthur Brooks keynote on DAY 1 - Thursday 6/6 -  about happiness.

💡→ First, Happiness is not a feeling. It’s not something that happens outside of you. It's inside you.

Everyone wants to be happy. 

Arthur Brooks emphasized the importance of happiness in his talk, highlighting three “macronutrients” needed for happiness:

• Enjoyment: Not the same as pleasure. Pleasure is something that happens to you. Enjoyment is an elevation.

• Satisfaction: The great question of life: we try to get something, once we get it, what? Satisfaction is that feeling’s reward.

• Sense of Meaning: Requires suffering. Happiness requires unhappiness to find meaning. 

The great news is that you can develop all of these, but you need to go contrary to your nature: “If it feels good, do it” IS WRONG. 🚫

There is a simple equation to get satisfaction in your life:

Actionable steps for cultivating happiness:

1. Reverse bucket list: Identify and eliminate the things you no longer want or need in your life. This helps you focus on what truly matters.

2. Divorce from cravings: Strong individuals detach from constant desires, focusing instead on what genuinely brings them fulfillment.

To achieve happiness, this is what Arthur Brooks suggests: 

😃Four Pillars of Happiness:

1. Faith: Find experiences that help you feel part of something greater. This isn’t necessarily about religion, but about feeling small in the grand scheme of the universe.

2. Family: Build deep, mystical relationships, show care and love consistently.

3. Friends: Distinguish between real friends and transactional "deal" friends.

4. Meaningful work: Seek work that not only earns success but also serves others.

✨One step further as a leader and bringing this to our organizations: Becoming a model of happiness and passing these principles to others is crucial for true leadership. Leaders should actively foster these elements within their organizations to create a thriving team! ✨

MY practical takeaways for leaders:

1. Promote enjoyment: through company culture, create opportunities for team members within your organizations to find joy and elevation in their work.

2. Achievements: regularly celebrate achievements, help the team find true satisfaction.

3. Balance: help the team manage their emotions and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

4. Foster meaning and purpose: encourage team members to find purpose in their work and personal lives.

For me, personal happiness and business growth are completely interrelated and both can develop by creating a positive, productive, and fulfilling workplace environment.

>>>>>If you want more insights - check out Arthur Brook's TED talk here.<<<<<

Top Insight 2: Get Your AI Strategy Together

The AI buzz talk, right?

That’s what I think every time someone speaks about AI in the AEC industry.

Most people discuss AI and hope it won’t affect their daily lives as architects.  

But hope is not a strategy.

💡To leverage AI and use it to drive measurable business results, you need a system.

Here's 2 leading experts at the AIA conference that discussed this with actionable systems: Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D. and Phil Bernstein at the Technology Symposium on Wednesday 6/5.

1. Mehdi’s Pyramid of AI Strategy. 

2. Phil Bernstein’ reflections on AI and AI Strategies for the AEC.

1️⃣Mehdi’s Pyramid of AI Strategy. 

First things first. Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D. is an author, speaker, and the CEO of YegaTech , a technology consulting company. He's devoted to helping CEOs, CTOs, innovation directors, and executives to grow their business and differentiate themselves and their companies via #AI technology and innovation.

He presented a practical framework, known as the Pyramid of AI Strategy, which breaks down the process into easy steps:

• Foundation: Understand the basics of AI, how it works, and its potential impact on your industry. For more on this, check out Medhi’s book as a good start: Augment IT. 

• Integration: Identify key areas within your firm where AI can add value, break them down into actionable inputs. Quick tip here - AI is really bad at open-ended problems, but really good at well defined problems. Frame the problem correctly and AI will be your best friend.

• Execution: Develop a clear plan for implementing AI tools and technologies.

Creating a robust AI strategy is essential for staying competitive in the rapidly evolving AEC landscape.

2️⃣ Phil Bernstein’s reflections on AI and AI strategies for the AEC.

Phil Bernstein is the Associate Dean and Professor Adjunct at Yale University, licensed architect, technologist in the building industry, educator of professional practices, and author of "Machine Learning".

‘The advent of machine learning-based AI systems demands that our industry does not just share toys, but builds a new sandbox in which to play with them.’ - Phil Bernstein

The profession is changing.

“A new era is rapidly approaching when computers will not merely be instruments for data creation, manipulation, and management, but, empowered by artificial intelligence, they will become agents of design themselves. Architects need a strategy for facing the opportunities and threats of these emergent capabilities, or risk being left behind.”

Phil's proposed strategies for using AI in the AEC industry include:

1. Data: Using AI for data collection to directly impact how spaces are used and designed, such as healthcare, incarceration spaces, first response, and housing. This can change how we design these spaces.

2. Production: Speeding up the development of drawings for tasks involving duplication, memorization, classification, location, and translation.

3. Provocation: Utilizing AI platforms like Midjourney to produce thought-provoking images, although these tools don’t fully understand the implications of a 3-dimensional space.

4. Analysis: Applying AI to impact building performance, life safety, occupancy, and epidemiological implications.

5. Forecasting: Using complex models to anticipate what’s next in design and construction processes.

Reflection and action items.

“Our profession is, at its core, a creative enterprise valued for its ability to define and solve problems uniquely and beautifully. Using AI should extend, not exterminate, this obligation to our clients and the public.”

Actionable takeaways:

1. Educate yourself: Begin by understanding the basics of AI and how it can impact your work. Resources like Mehdi Nourbakhsh, Ph.D. ’s Pyramid of AI Strategy can be a great starting point.

2. Identify opportunities: look within your firm to identify where AI can add value. This could be in data collection, production processes, or performance analysis. Also, I strongly recommend reading Phil’s book “Machine Learning”. 

3. Develop a strategy: create a clear plan for implementing AI tools and technologies. Ensure this strategy aligns with your firm's goals and objectives in the long-run.

4. Agility is key: the AI landscape is constantly evolving. Stay informed about the latest advancements and be ready to adapt your strategy as needed.

5. Talk to experts: connect with industry leaders like Mehdi and Phil to gain deeper insights and practical advice, they’ve been out there on YouTube, TED talks - engage with their content and learn. 

My BIG takeaway: Opportunity vs. Threat.

Embrace AI not as a threat, but as a powerful tool that can enhance your creativity and problem-solving capabilities, ensuring you remain at the forefront of the AEC industry.

Top Insight 3: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

You want to know what will change for the AEC industry?

Well, let me tell you one thing - there are certain things that won’t change.

💡At least not for a long time, and that is: people.

Leveraging AI and other technologies to impact our industry is only half the battle.

The other half is establishing a firm culture that supports your strategic goals, especially when aiming for integrated, sustainable, and high-performing design outcomes.

🥐🧇🥯My last highlight is from a session I attended led by Daniel Stine, AIA, IES, CSI, CDT, Well AP , Ashley Luten Mulhall , Ellen Mitchell Kozack and Keith Hempel, FAIA called “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

Besides the obvious cool naming and marketing mastery - the session was awesome! AND put people at the very center of our practice, which is exactly what needs to be done.

For me, this session overall has 2 big takeaways:

1. Reinforcing once again that culture and the people aspect of our businesses is what ultimately drives success in architecture companies.

2. Learning new ways, tools and strategies to foster a great organizational culture that can align with strategic goals for the company. 

The session developed over a “choose your own adventure” theme - which is always a win!

And the audience needed to choose among these topics for the speakers to share first:

I condensed all the information shared and my 3 big highlights that you can apply straight from here are:

1. Positive firm culture - absolutely key - as an action item: conduct regular workshops and team-building activities to reinforce company values and foster a collaborative environment.

2. Shift away from traditional design processes: this usually limits our ability as architects to grow. Establish cross-functional teams to collaborate on projects, breaking down silos and encouraging a culture of continuous improvement, learning and doing things better every time.

3. Change management for sustained initiatives: Assign change champions within each area or team to drive and support the implementation of new initiatives. (thanks Keith Hempel, FAIA for the awesome tip!). Also, develop a clear change management plan that includes stakeholder analysis, communication strategies, and continuous feedback loops.

Now, because this is the busy architects leaders' guide on what’s next in the industry, I'll give you a tip - invest more time in developing culture - culture is not HR, culture is who you are.

To sum up: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" hits the nail on the head.

Sure, having a solid strategy is important, but it’s the #culture of your firm that really makes things happen! 💥

Culture is what shapes how your team works together, tackles challenges, and drives towards your goals.

When your team feels connected, motivated, and aligned with the company’s values, everyone succeeds! 😃

Conclusion

It’s always great to join the AIA Conference!

>>>By focusing on these 3 insights—happiness for growth, developing an AI strategy, culture at the very center —you can position your architecture firm for long-term success.

I've spent countless hours learning from the best in the AEC industry, and I've distilled these insights into actionable steps for your firm.

Here’s how you can apply these insights:

1. Identify clear strategies from these insights.

2. Reverse-engineer these strategies into actionable plans.

3. Implement these plans and adjust as necessary to fit your firm’s needs.

In no time, you can create a thriving, future-ready firm! 

Well, that's it for me today. Hope you found this helpful.

Let's win together 🥇

Andy

PS. Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: Ready to transform the AEC industry with amazing technology and team-driven collaboration? Let's discuss how slantis can help you.

>>> Click here to schedule your chat with our team!

#2: Have you visited the slantis LinkedIn page ? We're sharing insights and tips to revolutionize your approach to AEC projects. Check out our latest posts and don't forget to like and follow us.

#3: Elevate your BIM standards by partnering with slantis. Reach out to [email protected] and let's take your technology capabilities to the very next level.