Construction and engineering are among the top five industries ripe for disruption according to research by PwC<\/a>. Will innovation come from tech companies and startups, or could established firms be proactive? For Granlund, founded in 1960, innovation is a strategic essential and a core competency.<\/p>\n Granlund<\/strong> is a Finnish design, consultancy, and software services firm specializing in energy efficiency. It employs more than 800 people in 20 locations in Finland and in its offices in Shanghai and Dubai. The company is known internationally for being in the vanguard of building information modeling and for real estate management software development.<\/p>\n \u201cThe best way to evolve in the long run and to do it sustainably, both locally and internationally, is through continuous innovation. If we can do things smarter and more efficiently than others, we gain a clear competitive advantage,\u201d says Pekka Metsi<\/strong>, CEO of Granlund*. During its previous strategy cycle, the company invested seven to eight percent of revenues in innovation and development.<\/p>\n Granlund has an organization and processes for internal innovation, and it collaborates systematically with startups. But to ensure that the inventive spirit remains its guiding force, the company has created an innovation and development strategy.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve helped Granlund devise this strategy twice, this time for 2017\u20132021. My task was to plan and facilitate the process, help organize concepts, and create presentations of the outcome.<\/p>\n The strategy is based on the company\u2019s customer proposition: wellness for the property and the user. Hence, the use and users of buildings drive Granlund\u2019s development efforts. \u201cUser orientation and collaboration are at the core of the strategy, and in that spirit, we involved the whole staff in creating the strategy,\u201d says Tuomas Laine<\/strong>, Director of Innovation and Development.<\/p>\n It\u2019s evident that digital technologies like AI, machine learning, and the IoT will change how we interact with buildings and how we design and manage them. Granlund believes that by the 2020s, at the latest, the interface between machines and people\u2019s activities will change the industry. Bots and machine learning will liberate designers from much of the routines. Professionals will be able to concentrate on more strategic issues and customer and partner services.<\/p>\n During the strategizing process, we identified four key arenas for innovation:<\/p>\n Even though almost all property- and design-related information is in digital form, human processing and interpretation is still needed. Granlund already uses algorithmic optimization for certain tasks, but design automation will increase in the future. That idea led us to making a tongue-in-cheek visualization of a Granlund \u201cdesigner robot\u201d shaking hands with a customer.<\/p>\n In the fast-moving world of digital technology, it is difficult to be precise in strategic planning. However, Granlund wanted to articulate its vision for the future and set development stages that would logically lead to achieving that vision: built environments where users and buildings communicate with each other. A cognitive facility is the materialization of that concept.<\/p>\n The innovation roadmap is a visual representation of the strategy. The map has three lanes, reflecting Granlund\u2019s business sectors: consulting, design, and software. The five stages of the cognitive building are:<\/p>\n Real estate\u2013related data will increase almost exponentially and provide the raw material for new platforms, services, and products. \u201cWe can learn from the car industry about the rules of consumer business, production automation, and mass customization,\u201d says Pekka Metsi. \u201cThe automotive industry is rapidly developing driverless cars. For operating properties, even if they don\u2019t move that much, you need a lot of human work.\u201d<\/p>\n Intelligent technology is an enabler, but the user experience is paramount in the innovation and development strategy. A good user experience means, for example, that a property improves its user\u2019s well being, productivity, and even health.<\/p>\n Also read: The Most Innovative Company Will Win<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n *) The quotations are my translations from an article by Sanna Karppinen<\/strong>\u00a0in Granlund\u2019s <\/em>\u00bd Done Magazine, January 2017. Read the article in Finnish<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n The illustrations are by Aarni Heiskanen<\/strong>, AE Partners<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nGranlund thinks strategically about innovation<\/h2>\n
Making clients and users happier with the help of technology<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nCreating cognitive and communicative buildings<\/h2>\n
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