The inaugural World Construction Leadership Forum (WCLF), held in Cambridge from 24-26 September 2024, gathered senior executives and industry experts from around the world for three days of groundbreaking discussions aimed at transforming the future of construction. This exclusive, invitation-only event included seven inaugural members and welcomed an additional five leading technology companies invited to showcase their innovations, including ALICE Technologies Inc., Converge, VisiLean Ltd, Buildots and Aiforsite. These key industry players collaborated to explore cutting-edge solutions and best practices that will shape the path forward for the construction sector.
Day 1: Performance & Productivity
Presentations from Tidhar Group, Fira, Buildots, and Aiforsite showcased innovations in performance measurement, modular planning, and AI-driven productivity tools. Cambridge’s academic team shared research on UK construction productivity, sparking discussions on data-driven efficiency and best practices in project control.
Day 2: Digital Design and Planning
Delegates explored cutting-edge digital planning and virtual design approaches, with insights from Laing O’Rourke, DPR Construction, Andrade Gutierrez, and VisiLean Ltd. The day featured expert discussions on BIM, Lean integration, and digital twin construction, with a focus on data ownership and value.
Day 3: Data Science & AI
Pioneering applications in robotics, IoT, and AI were presented by Takenaka Corporation, Pomerleau, ALICE Technologies, and Converge. Key discussions centred on practical AI applications in construction, with a focus on creating business value and enhancing efficiency.
Looking Ahead
As a key outcome of the Forum, participants agreed to establish the WCLF Productivity Taskforce. This initiative demonstrates how global collaboration between leading organisations and academia can drive transformation by leveraging performance and productivity data whilst addressing the critical challenges highlighted during the Forum.
- The primary objective of the Taskforce is to agree on and implement a standardised Productivity Measurement Framework across the seven participating construction organisations. This effort aims to:
- Showcase the value of consistent performance data in unlocking opportunities for improvement.
- Lay the foundation for data-driven transformation across the construction sector.
- Support industry-wide change through evidence-based industry research.
The Taskforce will follow a structured approach to deliver actionable insights:
- Selection of Pilot Projects: Identify representative projects from the seven founding organisations.
- Data Collection: Utilise the University of Cambridge’s Performance and Productivity Framework and templates to ensure consistency.
- Data Analysis and Insights: Focus on the automation of data integration and processing.
- Presentation of Results: Share outcomes with prominent public and private sector clients at the WCLF 2025, demonstrating the tangible impact of the initiative.
