Digital Builder

In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas sits down with Arnoud van der Heijden, Project Manager Digital at BAM Netherlands, and Jelle Schweigmann, BIM Manager at Royal Heijmans, to discuss the NL5, a coalition of the five largest construction companies in the Netherlands. Together, they share how the group is tackling industry-wide challenges around digital transformation, sustainability, standardization, and emerging technologies by focusing on problems that no single company can solve alone.
On this episode, we discuss:
How the NL5 was formed after construction leaders realized they were facing many of the same challenges around technology adoption and digital transformation
Why collaboration gives contractors a stronger collective voice when working with technology vendors and industry partners
How the group prioritizes initiatives by identifying common challenges across thousands of employees and multiple organizations
The role of sustainability, standardization, and data interoperability in the future of construction
How the NL5 helped accelerate product improvements during the industry's transition from BIM 360 to Autodesk Construction Cloud
Why emerging technologies like robotics may require industry-wide collaboration to address regulatory and adoption challenges
How the group balances competition with collaboration by focusing on shared technical challenges instead of commercial interests
Advice for organizations interested in building similar industry coalitions in their own regions or markets

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

Construction teams collect an enormous amount of information every day, but much of that data never makes its way into decisions that improve project outcomes. This is especially true for materials and waste data, which is often scattered across paper slips, photos, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems.
Recorded live at DevCon in Amsterdam, this episode of Digital Builder features Brittany Harris, CEO and Co-founder of Qualis Flow, also known as Qflow, and Marta Bouchard, Director of Sustainability Solutions at Autodesk. Together, they discuss how capturing jobsite data at the source can help teams reduce rework, improve accountability, support sustainability reporting, and create more valuable assets long after construction is complete.
The conversation explores why material data so often falls through the cracks, how owners can set clearer expectations around performance and documentation, and what becomes possible when trusted project data supports digital twins, circular economy initiatives, and more informed decision-making. Brittany and Marta also discuss the practical role of AI in helping teams access and evaluate information more efficiently, while still relying on human expertise, curiosity, and judgment.
Key Topics Covered
Why materials and waste data often gets trapped in paper slips, photos, spreadsheets, and disconnected systems
How Qflow helps teams capture jobsite data at the source and turn it into usable information
Why better material tracking can reduce rework, improve compliance, and support invoice verification
The growing burden of sustainability, safety, carbon, and regulatory reporting on project teams
Why owners play a critical role in setting expectations for data, performance, sustainability, and handover
How trusted materials data can support digital twins, adaptive reuse, circular economy efforts, and long-term asset value

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.

Construction teams have more technology options than ever, but making those tools useful in day-to-day project work is still a major challenge.
In this episode of Digital Builder, recorded live at DevCon in the Netherlands, host Eric Thomas speaks with Josha van Reij, Product Manager of Data & AI at Arcadis, about how his team connects emerging technology with real project needs.
Josha shares how Arcadis approaches AI, standardization, automation, and software decisions by starting with business challenges rather than tools. He explains why effective AI assistants depend on quality data, project context, and connected systems—and why project teams are more open to change when new technology solves problems they already understand.
The conversation also explores how standardization can reduce rework, support better data, and create a stronger foundation for AI, as well as how Arcadis evaluates whether to buy, customize, or build software.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why AI and automation efforts should start with real project challenges, not technology trends
How Arcadis builds AI assistants using connected data, project context, and internal standards
Why standardization is essential for better data, stronger workflows, and more useful AI
How listening to project teams can reduce resistance and improve technology adoption
What to consider when deciding whether to buy, customize, or build software

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas of Autodesk.

Extended reality (XR)—including Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)—is no longer just a visualization tool. In this episode, Gary Cowan, Head of Digital Construction at Kane Group, explains how his team is using immersive technology to solve real problems across design, coordination, and field execution.
Gary shares how a dense, highly prefabricated project pushed his team to adopt VR for design reviews—and how that early experiment evolved into a full XR technology stack. Today, Kane Group uses immersive tools to improve collaboration, reduce rework, and connect the model to what’s happening on site in real time.
The conversation also explores what it actually feels like to step into a model, why detail and data quality matter, and how XR is changing the way teams make decisions before anything gets built.
In this episode:
How XR helps teams catch missed details and close the gap between design intent and field reality
What immersive design reviews look like in practice—and why they speed up coordination
How Kane Group connects VR (design) and AR (field) to create a continuous model-to-field feedback loop
Why XR adoption depends on workflows, data quality, and collaboration—not just the technology

Gary also looks ahead at where XR is going next, including how AI could transform immersive coordination and decision-making.
This episode offers a practical look at how XR is being used today—and what it could enable in the near future.
Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.

At Autodesk’s Digital Builder podcast, we often explore how technology is shaping construction—but this episode focuses just as much on the people and coordination behind the work.
In this episode, Eric Thomas sits down with Woody Benisek-Beal, Director of Construction at The Kraft Group, to talk about what it takes to build and renovate inside Gillette Stadium while it continues to host games, concerts, and events year-round. With no downtime, every project depends on constant communication across teams to keep operations running and the fan experience intact.
The conversation also touches on how The Kraft Group is evolving its use of technology—from model-based workflows to a growing digital twin—and how visualization tools are helping bridge the gap between design intent and real-world experience.
This episode offers a practical look at how construction teams keep projects moving while everything else around them keeps moving too.
On this episode:
What it takes to manage construction in a venue that never shuts down
How teams coordinate across operations, security, and events to avoid disruptions
Why communication is critical when balancing construction and live experiences
How models, visualization tools, and virtual reality help align stakeholders
The role of centralized platforms and digital twins in improving access to information

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.