Architecture Engineering and Construction hackathons bring AEC professionals together with technology developers to turn ideas into proofs-of-concept. All this happens in a weekend of focused collaborative effort. This “hacking” philosophy and approach is a powerful tool to enable the AEC industry to learn how to innovate, by focusing limited resources to quickly develop ideas and solutions. To maximize our hacker approach to innovation, Balfour Beatty tested the concept through several internal and external hackathon-style events and initiatives.
Externally, our teams compete at AEC Hackathons, including the most recent AEC Hackathon 1.2 – Seattle, where we collaborated with fellow hackers from Microsoft, Newforma and IrisVR to create apps leveraging virtual reality, 3D modeling and productivity technologies. Internally, we continuously refined our virtual Idea & Innovation Management process-driven methodology to make innovation a sustainable part of our company’s path forward.