Innovation In Construction Episodes

For over 20 years, the construction industry has discussed prefabrication, modular construction, and industrialized construction as solutions to labor shortages, productivity challenges, and project inefficiencies. Yet, adoption has been slower than many expected.Why?In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Josh Mensinger, President of Integrity Built Texas and Prefab, to reveal a hard truth often overlooked:The biggest barriers to prefabrication aren't tech...

Construction Productivity: Reframing the Real ChallengeIn this episode of Activating Curiosity™, we confront a critical reality within the construction sector: the challenge isn't solely a lack of labor, but a profound issue with productivity. While the industry may appear busy, projects are increasingly falling behind schedule, exceeding budgets, and proving more difficult to complete. This discussion probes beyond the superficial, highlighting how the industry often engages in 'firefighting'...

What happens when architects and construction leaders stop accepting the limits of traditional building materials—and start asking better questions?In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Allison Dring, CEO and Co-Founder of Made of Air, to explore how discomfort drives curiosity, innovation, and change in the built environment. Explore how biochar is becoming a key tool for sustainable building practices and climate action in the construction industry.With the...

Construction leadership development today requires more than toughness—it demands a human-centered approach to leading change.In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ed DeAngelis, CEO and Founder of EDA Contractors, to explore how trust, emotional intelligence, and curiosity are reshaping leadership in the construction industry.As the AEC industry faces workforce challenges, change resistance, and increasing complexity, Ed shares why “humanity as a strategy” is...

Affordable housing isn’t just about building more homes—it’s about whether people can actually sustain a place to live.In this bonus episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Nneoma Albert-Benson, founder of BEFA Women and Child Care Foundation, to explore how construction leadership and change in the AEC industry must go beyond supply and into the systems that determine long-term stability.This conversation challenges a common assumption: that homelessness is the proble...

The housing crisis isn’t just a policy problem—it’s a production problem hiding in plain sight. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ryan Smith, Co-Founder of ModX, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to address housing affordability at scale. This conversation challenges a common assumption: that better policy alone will solve the housing crisis. Instead, Ryan Smith breaks down why housing affordability is...

Mass timber isn’t just a material shift—it’s a mindset shift critical for construction leadership development.In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Kristen Slavin, founder of Conifer Advising, to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry must evolve to explore how construction leadership, change management, and modular construction in the AEC industry must evolve to successfully adopt innovative building systems like mass timbe...

In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Ali Salman of Workspace Modular Structures to explore how prefab and modular construction can help solve some of the construction industry’s biggest challenges.This conversation challenges a common assumption: that the industry’s current methods are sufficient. Instead, Ali reframes the opportunity—highlighting how modular construction offers a scalable path to address infrastructure, housing, and labor shortages.Together...

Friction slows down decision-making in construction—but removing it doesn’t mean replacing expertise. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Scott Reynolds, Co-Founder and CEO of UpCodes, to explore how construction leaders can reduce friction in decision-making while maintaining control, judgment, and expertise. This conversation reframes a critical challenge in the AEC industry: too much time is spent searching, verifying, and stitching together fragmented inform...

Efficiency in construction isn’t just about speed—it’s about how teams work together. In this episode of Activating Curiosity™, Ryan Ware sits down with Brian Skripac of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) to explore how construction leadership and change management in the AEC industry are evolving through collaboration, technology, and design-build delivery. This conversation breaks down a critical shift: moving from fragmented workflows to integrated teams. From early BIM adoption...