AT’s latest Business Breakfast explored how game-changing digital technologies, combined with fresh thinking on modular construction, have the potential to reinvigorate architectural practice and the wider construction industry.

The latest AT Business Breakfast, in partnership with Total Synergy, took place on 30th October in the historic former banking hall of 1 Lombard Street, City of London. Leading movers and shakers from the architectural profession gathered to discuss how game-changing digital technologies, combined with fresh thinking on how we design and procure buildings, have the potential to reinvigorate architectural practice and the wider construction industry. The event comprised inciteful presentations from Dale Sinclair, Director, Head of Digital Innovation at WSP; and Daniel Cran, Chief Operating Officer at Total Synergy. The individual talks were interspersed with questions and comments from the attendees, which were held under the Chatham House Rule.

Daniel Cran, Chief Operating Officer at Total Synergy.

Maximising efficiency within practice
Daniel Cran kicked off by discussing how Total Synergy can help architects and engineers streamline their business processes, manage projects more effectively, and make data-driven decisions. The principal aim is to free up architects’ time, allowing them to focus on creative work and client engagement, while alleviating challenges around project management, profitability, and business operations.

Cran identified the software’s four key objectives. The first was to reduce wasted effort and inefficiencies, such as missed bids and redundant tasks, by optimising office-based processes. Second, was boosting project health through data analytics – the aim being to  foster better decision making, especially for practice principals. Third, was to strengthen client relationships; the software includes built-in tools for relationship management, allowing practices to oversee client interactions from bidding to project completion. Last but not least, was ensuring profitability, which entails assisting practices in tracking project finances closely to achieve desired financial outcomes.

Overcoming current challenges
Exploring current challenges within practice, Cran said that many architectural firms struggled with spreadsheets or generic project management software that failed to address industry-specific needs, such as resource planning, earned value management, and S-curve analysis. For larger firms, expensive and inflexible ERP systems often resulted in implementation and management problems.

Cran explained how Total Synergy’s software solution is organised around three pillars: project management, including resource planning, document management, and work breakdown structures; project financials for managing costs, invoicing, and timesheets; and project analytics, which provide an overview of business performance overview, as well as benchmarking tools for comparison with industry standards.

Cran concluded his presentation by saying that Total Synergy was committed to supporting its customers in getting the most out of the software. Monthly review calls are part of a personalised approach, aimed at sharing best practice and industry insights. Reassuringly, the company remains committed to ‘real’ human support and a highly knowledgeable team, despite recent advancements in software and AI.

Asked by an event attendee if benchmarking data on processes and efficiencies within architectural practice could be made more widely available as a business resource, Cran said that Total Synergy was working on ways of anonymising and compiling the data so that it could be shared for mutual benefit. He said that this would help architects to know if they were ‘heading in the right direction’, rather than having to ‘reinvent the wheel’ each time. Cran thought that AI would assist in this endeavour, making the process even quicker.

Dale Sinclair, Director, Head of Digital Innovation at WSP.

Back to the future
Dale Sinclair began by reflecting on the evolution of architecture, and how significant shifts in the profession have frequently emerged from technological innovations. In the 15th century,  for example, the invention of large-scale paper enabled architects to separate design from construction, which fundamentally altered practice. However, despite modern advances, architecture still relied heavily on traditional methodologies, such as scale drawings, which limited its potential for innovation. By evolving beyond these conventions, argued Sinclair, architecture could fully embrace the power of data and live modelling, enhancing the design process and improving outcomes.

Sinclair said that the relatively recent relegation of architecture to a mono-disciplinary role had limited its influence over integrated project delivery. Moreover, the introduction of project management in the late 20th century, alongside the pre-eminence of design-and-build contracts, had further fragmented the profession’s scope, shifting control away from practitioners.

Looking to the future, Sinclair outlined three emerging trends that could redefine the industry: a shift from individual projects to programmatic thinking, industrialised construction, and artificial intelligence. Adopting a programmatic approach would allow architects to tackle larger, more complex initiatives, addressing issues at a broader scale, he explained. Industrialised construction – building components in factories instead of on-site – would provide environmental and efficiency benefits, particularly in reducing material waste. Meanwhile, AI has the potential play a transformative role in terms of data processing, design automation, and decision making.

Paving the way for mass customisation
Sinclair made the point that the current construction paradigm involves taking literally ‘thousands of really small things to site, which it why it is invariably slow, cumbersome, and long’. The solution in simple terms was to make things bigger. Drawing an analogy to Tesla’s streamlined production model, he envisioned a future where architecture would make use of standardised and simplified components, reducing the overwhelming choice that complicates most building projects. In his opinion, this would not only lower costs, improve efficiency, and support mass customisation, but also benefit clients, while maintaining architectural quality.

Central to this approach was ‘left-shifting’, which involves integrating technical and fabrication details earlier in the design process in an effort to reduce inefficiencies and potential delays. By designing with modular or prefabricated elements in mind, architects could streamline project timelines and minimise costly changes on-site. This shift would also reduce the need for excessive detailed drawings and RFIs, which often complicate construction processes.

Rethinking procurement
Procurement was another area identified by Sinclair as a significant barrier to innovation. Traditional procurement methods, which focus primarily on cost, inhibit architects from developing low-carbon, highly efficient buildings, he explained. If procurement were reformed to emphasise sustainability, quality, and long-term value, architects could use modern technologies and manufacturing to create more sustainable buildings. Sinclair envisioned a system in which clients or even government bodies could take ownership of supply chains, transforming contractors into assemblers of pre-determined components. This in turn would allow architects to drive environmental and social value, while also addressing key issues, such as construction waste, labour conditions, and economic disparities.

AT Editor and chair person Isabel Allen, and Dale Sinclair.

Reflecting on broader societal impacts, Sinclair proposed that offsite manufacturing at a national scale could drive social value by creating job opportunities in underdeveloped regions. By relocating production facilities to economically disadvantaged areas, the industry could contribute to social equity, creating a kind of ‘ultimate levelling up’. By embracing new methodologies and collaborating with manufacturers, architects could play a significant role in creating a sustainable future. Additionally, by adopting constraints within the design process – contrary to the fear of ‘cookie-cutter’ designs – architects could potentially achieve greater creativity and efficiency.

Food for thought
The event attendees were fascinated by Sinclair’s thought-provoking presentation, and in particular his vision for radically reducing the constituent components of buildings through advanced design and manufacturing solutions. This led one attendee to question the relevance of DfMA and MMC for small practices. Sinclair said that in many cases it was small practices that were driving innovation, employing vertical integration to bridge procurement issues, and potentially re-positioning themselves as ‘master builders.’

Another attendee asked how the architectural profession could drive transformational change within the industry. Sinclair responded by urging architects to take control of fabrication information as a means of industrialising the manufacturing process. He said that this process would have to be driven by designers, not management consultants.