Inventing Construction

If you read the headlines, you might think data centres are the problem. They use energy. They take up space. They create “just a few jobs.” They’re described as grey, windowless boxes that quietly sit in industrial zones, consuming power and giving little back.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
If you switched them off tomorrow, modern society would end.

In today's podcast episode, we sit down with Merima Dzanic Chief Operating Officer at the Danish Data Centre Industry, to discuss one of the most misunderstood sectors in construction and infrastructure today.

What you'll learn from today's episode of Inventing Construction:

- Why data centres are so critical
- Why Denmark became a data centre hub
- The grid problem
- What makes data centre construction unique?
- Why AI is disrupting the data centre industry
- The industry branding challenge

You can also listen to Inventing Construction on these platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aAxc0iqOe2JJly3jCh9jV?si=8db208888a9a4e4c
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inventing-construction/id1629403210
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmFqJlVzEa6Lc_7LOTjvac2oTbRRk9HdK

We would love for you to continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn:
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-griffin-kosmos/
Elia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaarquitectatecnica/
Merima: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merima-dzanic-86048938/
KOSMOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kosmos-dk

Thanks for listening!

The construction industry is moving faster than ever. Digital twins. Information management frameworks. AI-assisted workflows. Data-driven decision-making. Asset-focused delivery. Clients demanding structured data, not just drawings.
Meanwhile, universities operate in three- to five-year curriculum cycles, shaped by accreditation requirements, professional standards, and institutional governance. So the question isn’t provocative for the sake of it. It’s necessary:

Can academia keep up with a rapidly changing construction industry?

That is the topic of today's episode. We've invited Professor of Information Management Sarah Davidson from the University of Nottingham to help us answer this question.

What you'll learn from today's episode of Inventing Construction:

- Information as a deliverable
- Academia vs. Industry: What’s actually different?
- Is academia out of date?
- Can curriculums change fast enough?

You can also listen to Inventing Construction on these platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aAxc0iqOe2JJly3jCh9jV?si=8db208888a9a4e4c
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inventing-construction/id1629403210
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmFqJlVzEa6Lc_7LOTjvac2oTbRRk9HdK

We would love for you to continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn:
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-griffin-kosmos/
Elia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaarquitectatecnica/
Sarah: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-davidson-a6378334/?originalSubdomain=uk
KOSMOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kosmos-dk

Thanks for listening!

The construction industry has a people problem. 
Across markets, firms are struggling to hire and retain building surveyors, quantity surveyors, project managers, and estimators. The demand for construction is growing, regulation is increasing, risk is rising, and yet more people are leaving the industry than entering.

In today's episode we're talking to Phil Chell, CEO and Co-founder of Chiron.ai, to explore a controversial but necessary question:

What if the solution isn’t hiring more surveyors, but replacing parts of the role altogether?

What you'll learn from today's episode of Inventing Construction:

- Where have all the surveyors gone?
- Why AI is needed in these professions
- Efficiency vs hiring more people
- How far behind construction really is..

You can also listen to Inventing Construction on these platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aAxc0iqOe2JJly3jCh9jV?si=8db208888a9a4e4c
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inventing-construction/id1629403210
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmFqJlVzEa6Lc_7LOTjvac2oTbRRk9HdK

We would love for you to continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn:
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-griffin-kosmos/
Elia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaarquitectatecnica/
Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philchell/
KOSMOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kosmos-dk

Thanks for listening!

Thinking about concrete as a sustainable material might sound a bit weird. But when you look past the headline statistics regarding its carbon impact, you start to see a material that is undergoing a quiet, chemical revolution.

In this episde we explore this topic with Andrea Charlson, a Senior Sustainability Specialist and Circular Economy Lead at The Concrete Centre in the UK. With a career spanning major infrastructure projects and strategic policy roles, Andrea brings a wealth of experience to the conversation about how concrete is evolving to meet a net-zero future.

What you'll learn from today's episode of Inventing Construction:

- Why is concrete everywhere?
- The sustainability story of concrete
- Concrete and the circular economy
- Carbon/concrete benchmarking
- The future of concrete

You can also listen to Inventing Construction on these platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aAxc0iqOe2JJly3jCh9jV?si=8db208888a9a4e4c
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inventing-construction/id1629403210
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmFqJlVzEa6Lc_7LOTjvac2oTbRRk9HdK

We would love for you to continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn:
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-griffin-kosmos/
Elia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaarquitectatecnica/
Andrea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-charlson-aaa55520/
KOSMOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kosmos-dk

Thanks for listening!

The real competitive advantage in construction isn’t technology, contracts, or delivery models. It’s people. It's highly competent people that enjoy and experiences meaning in the work they do everyday. 
In this episode Elia is joined by Antonio, Director at KOSMOS, to a conversation about why he joined KOSMOS and how construction companies can stop offering “jobs” and start building careers – and why that shift can be business critical.

What you'll learn from today's episode of Inventing Construction:

- Why Antonio chose KOSMOS
- What it's like being a quantity surveyor in Denmark
- Why everyone should seek a mentor
- How to overcome the challenge of bad employee retention
- How standardisation can change your projects

You can also listen to Inventing Construction on these platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2aAxc0iqOe2JJly3jCh9jV?si=8db208888a9a4e4c
Apple podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inventing-construction/id1629403210
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmFqJlVzEa6Lc_7LOTjvac2oTbRRk9HdK

We would love for you to continue the conversation with us on LinkedIn:
Ross: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-griffin-kosmos/
Elia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eliaarquitectatecnica/
Antonio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-contegiacomo-msc-frics-73a8951b/
KOSMOS: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kosmos-dk

Thanks for listening!