Bridging the Gap: Insights & Innovations in Construction

Prefabrication has moved beyond proof of concept.

In this kickoff episode of Prefab, Unfiltered, recorded live at Advancing Prefabrication, Todd Weyandt explores what it really means to enter the execution era of prefab.

The debate is no longer about whether prefabrication or modular construction works. It’s about scale, repeatability, and partnership. From data centers driving massive MEP prefabrication growth to owners rethinking procurement and risk models, the industry is shifting from experimentation to operational maturity.

In this episode, we unpack:

Why data centers are accelerating prefab adoption

How scale changes the economics of modular construction

What true construction partnership actually looks like

Why culture and contracts may be the next barriers to innovation

If you care about prefabrication, offsite construction, BIM-to-fabrication workflows, or the future of construction innovation, this conversation sets the tone for what comes next.

The execution era has begun.

MEET OUR GUEST
Amy Marks is a leading voice in prefabrication and industrialized construction, with more than a decade of experience advancing offsite construction, modular strategies, and large-scale MEP prefabrication.

She has played a significant role in helping owners, contractors, and manufacturers move beyond transactional project delivery and toward scalable, repeatable partnership models. Her work has been especially influential in mission-critical sectors such as data centers, where standardization and scale are reshaping how projects are delivered.

Amy focuses not only on components and assemblies, but also on the culture, procurement models, contracts, and executive alignment required to make prefabrication successful at scale.

 

Todd Takes
Prefabrication Has Entered the Execution Era
For years, the industry focused on proving that prefabrication works. That debate is over. Prefab works. Modular construction works. Offsite strategies work.

The real question now is whether we can execute consistently and at scale. Can we repeat results across projects? Can we move from isolated success stories to operational maturity?

The future of prefabrication is no longer about experimentation. It is about discipline, ecosystem alignment, and getting better with every project.

Prefab is no longer experimental. It is professional.

Partnership Is a Business Model, Not a Buzzword
The construction industry talks about partnership often, especially in prefabrication and modular construction. But there is a difference between transactional vendors and true partners.

If five companies are bidding every project, that is procurement. It is not partnership.

Real partnership involves shared risk, shared reward, executive-level communication, transparency when challenges arise, and a long-term commitment to scale together. In data center construction and other high-volume sectors, partnership is becoming structural, not optional.

When both sides are fully invested, prefabrication scales.

Scale Changes Everything
Scale is the unlock for industrialized construction.

When companies move beyond living project to project, they gain the breathing room to invest in systems, standardization, workforce development, and repeatable prefab workflows. Data centers are currently driving that scale, especially across MEP prefabrication and modular assemblies.

The lessons being learned in data center construction today will influence healthcare, semiconductor, commercial, and even housing in the years ahead.

Scale creates maturity.
Maturity creates repeatability.
Repeatability drives the future of prefabrication.

 

More Resources 
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Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Bridging the Gap YouTube

Todd’s LinkedIn

Amy’s LinkedIn

Compass Datacenters

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Graitec North America

Graitec North America LinkedIn

Autodesk’s Website

Prefab, Unfiltered | The Execution Era Begins (Series Preview)
Prefabrication is entering its execution era.

Recorded live at Advancing Prefabrication, this special Bridging the Gap series explores what’s actually working in prefab, modular construction, and offsite construction and what still needs to change to scale successfully.

In Prefab, Unfiltered, host Todd Weyandt sits down with owners, VDC leaders, fabrication experts, and construction executives to discuss the real state of prefabrication today. These candid conversations dive into:

How owners evaluate prefab and modular strategies

Where BIM and VDC workflows break down between model and manufacturing

Closing the gap between shop and field execution

Standardization, repeatability, and scaling prefab programs

Aligning construction leadership around offsite construction strategy

This series moves beyond theory and buzzwords. It focuses on execution from digital coordination to fabrication planning to jobsite integration.

If you care about prefabrication, modular construction, BIM, VDC, or the future of construction innovation, this series delivers real-world insight from leaders operating at the front lines.

The execution era has begun.

Join Hari Sunderraj and Rachel Tuller for a candid conversation on how Autodesk is advancing AI, automation, and connected construction—and what those investments mean for the future of the AECO industry.

Recorded during Graitec Innovate2Build, this episode explores how Autodesk is shifting from point solutions to a platform-driven approach—and why culture, data, and ecosystem thinking are critical to making that shift successful.

From the power of integrated platforms to the evolving role of partners in driving adoption and outcomes, this conversation focuses on what it really takes to move from vision to value in a connected construction world.

You’ll Learn:

Why culture—not technology alone—is the biggest unlock for connected construction

How Autodesk is embedding AI and automation across the project lifecycle

What “power in the platform” really means for customers and partners

Why starting with why leads to better adoption and business outcomes

How the channel helps translate innovation into real-world productivity gains

What leaders can learn from other industries that have already gone through digital transformation

 

MEET OUR GUEST
Hari Sunderraj, Vice President of Sales, Autodesk
Hari leads Autodesk’s emerging business sales globally, focusing on high-growth areas including construction, manufacturing, and infrastructure. He brings a platform-first perspective on how data, AI, and automation can drive safer, more efficient, and more sustainable project delivery.

Rachel Tuller, Vice President, Global Channels, Autodesk
Rachel leads Autodesk’s global partner ecosystem and plays a key role in shaping how partners help customers adopt and scale connected construction solutions. With deep experience across industries, she brings a strong point of view on outcomes-driven transformation and the power of the platform.

TODD TAKES
Culture unlocks the platform
The shift from point solutions to an integrated platform isn’t a technology problem—it’s a culture one. Connected construction only becomes real when organizations align leadership, teams, and mindset around shared data, shared outcomes, and a willingness to evolve how decisions get made.

There’s real power in the platform
AI, automation, and connected data only deliver value when they work together as part of a unified platform. When data flows across design, build, and operations, teams stop reacting and start predicting—unlocking safer, faster, and more scalable outcomes powered by platforms like Autodesk.

Start with the why—and stay curious
The most successful transformations begin by understanding real pain points, not by pushing tools. Leaders and partners who start with why, stay naturally curious, and learn from other industries are the ones turning innovation into repeatable, measurable impact.

 

More Resources 
Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts.

Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Bridging the Gap YouTube

Todd’s LinkedIn

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Graitec North America

Graitec North America LinkedIn

Autodesk’s Website

Being proactive in AEC has always been the goal but until now, it’s been hard to achieve at scale. In this episode of Bridging the Gap, host Todd Weyandt is joined by David Spergel of Graitec to explore how AI is reshaping workflows to help project teams anticipate risk, surface intent earlier, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle.

The conversation dives into how shared project artifacts, like drawings and PDFs, are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design teams, project managers, and the field. Rather than reacting to issues after they appear, AI-powered workflows help teams reduce ambiguity, improve communication, and move work forward with greater clarity and confidence.

This episode offers a hopeful, practical look at how AI supports people, not by replacing expertise, but by enabling more proactive, aligned, and predictable project delivery.

You’ll Learn:

How AI workflows are helping project teams shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive decision-making

Why shared project artifacts like drawings and PDFs are evolving into intelligent layers that connect design, construction, and the field

How surfacing intent and context earlier reduces coordination gaps, RFIs, and late-stage surprises

Ways AI improves communication and collaboration without replacing human expertise or forcing new workflows

What proactive, AI-enabled project delivery looks like and why it leads to more predictable outcomes

 

MEET OUR GUEST

David Spergel is an AEC technology leader with deep experience helping design and construction teams improve how they collaborate, communicate, and execute projects using digital tools. His background spans software enablement, workflow optimization, and customer-facing strategy, with a strong focus on how platforms like Bluebeam support real-world project delivery. David brings a practical, people-first perspective to emerging technologies, translating AI and data-driven workflows into clear, adoptable processes that help teams reduce risk, break down silos, and make better decisions across the project lifecycle.

TODD TAKES

AI isn’t a threat. It’s a force multiplier for people.
In AEC, AI isn’t replacing expertise. It’s removing the tedious, time-consuming work that pulls teams away from judgment, creativity, and problem-solving. When the noise is reduced, people can focus on decisions that actually move projects forward.

The industry’s real opportunity is turning shared artifacts into shared understanding.
Drawings, markups, and documents already hold enormous intent and context. When that information becomes easier to interpret and act on, teams spend less time searching for answers and more time aligning across design, construction, and the field.

Better data leads to better conversations and better outcomes.
When information is surfaced proactively instead of reactively, collaboration improves. Fewer misunderstandings, fewer late surprises, and clearer accountability create momentum toward predictability, trust, and stronger project delivery.

 

Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts.

Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Bridging the Gap YouTube

Todd’s LinkedIn

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Graitec North America

Graitec North America LinkedIn

Autodesk’s Website

 

Other Relevant Links:

David Spergel’s LinkedIn

Prefabrication only reaches its full potential when it’s treated as a system, not a shortcut. In this episode of Bridging the Gap, we explore what it really takes to scale prefab beyond one-off projects and into a repeatable delivery model.

The discussion dives into how standardization can unlock flexibility, why prefab strategy must be defined early, and how digital tools like BIM, automation, and emerging AI capabilities can enable more predictable outcomes. We also unpack one of the biggest challenges facing industrialized construction today: owning and managing data across the full lifecycle.

If you’re thinking about prefab as a long-term strategy—not just a construction tactic—this episode offers a grounded, practical perspective.

You’ll Learn:

What “systematizing prefab” means beyond standardizing components

Why repeatability is the key to scaling prefab successfully

How early decisions shape prefab outcomes downstream

Where digital tools truly add value in prefab workflows

Why data ownership and lifecycle continuity remain major gaps

How standardization can support customization rather than limit it

 

MEET OUR GUEST
Our guest is a leader working at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and industrialized construction. With a background spanning marketing, IT, systems engineering, and modular delivery, he brings a unique perspective on how prefabrication can improve speed, quality, and predictability—especially in highly standardized environments like healthcare. His work focuses on building the process infrastructure required to make prefab repeatable, scalable, and digitally connected.

TODD TAKES
Prefab Only Scales When You Stop Treating It Like a Project
Prefab falls short when it’s approached as a one-off solution instead of an operating model. The real breakthroughs happen when organizations step back and think in terms of delivery strategy, repeatability, and long-term systems. When prefab becomes infrastructure rather than an experiment, speed, predictability, and quality follow.

Standardization Doesn’t Kill Flexibility, It Enables It
There’s a persistent myth that standardization leads to cookie-cutter outcomes. In reality, a strong standardized foundation creates more flexibility, not less. When the core system is consistent, teams can adapt interiors, workflows, and use cases to real-world needs without reinventing the wheel every time.

Digital Tools Matter, But Ownership Matters More
Construction has no shortage of powerful digital tools. The real gap is ownership and continuity of data across the lifecycle. Without clear responsibility for the digital thread from design through manufacturing and operations, handoffs break down and value gets lost. Technology enables scale, but systems thinking makes it sustainable.

 

More Resources 
Thanks for listening! Please be sure to leave a rating and/or review and follow up our social accounts.

Bridging the Gap Website

Bridging the Gap LinkedIn

Bridging the Gap Instagram

Bridging the Gap YouTube

Todd’s LinkedIn

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

Graitec North America

Graitec North America LinkedIn

Autodesk’s Website

 

Other Relevant Links:

Grant Geiger’s LinkedIn

EIR Healthcare Website