Available for "Workshops + 2 Day General Admission" ticket holders ONLY.

Available for "Workshops + 2 Day General Admission" ticket holders ONLY.

The Innovation Showcase, is a fast-paced and practical session designed to show you exactly how cutting-edge technology is solving real-world industry challenges. Moving away from traditional speaking sessions, this segment features a series of concise, 10-minute, project-based presentations focused entirely on real implementations, key outcomes, and honest lessons learned. Each participating company will break down the specific challenges they faced, the digital processes they applied, and the tangible benefits achieved. It is a unique opportunity to gain actionable insights and see proven technological solutions in action—all in one high-energy session.

Kick off the East Coast Summit 'Rising Tides of Innovation: Embracing Change in AECO' with an informal evening of connection and conversation.

Join industry peers for light refreshments, drinks, and networking in a relaxed setting. This reception sets the tone for the days ahead—bringing together builders, designers, technologists, and owners to spark ideas, meet new collaborators, and reconnect with familiar faces.

Arrive, check in, and enjoy a light breakfast while connecting informally with fellow attendees before the program begins.

Opening remarks outlining the objectives of the event, key themes for the day, and what participants can expect from the sessions ahead.

Many experts see Atlantic Canada at the leading edge of an unprecedented construction boom. Sustaining population growth of 1–2% annually will require the region to deliver thousands more homes each year than it has historically built, alongside significant expansion in industrial, commercial, and institutional construction. Major investments in energy infrastructure and emerging industrial opportunities are accelerating this demand. Yet these opportunities arrive amid real constraints: nearly one‑third of the construction workforce is 55 and older, productivity (particularly in residential construction) lags other sectors, and digital and emerging technologies have yet to deliver the gains seen in manufacturing, agriculture, mining, etc. David will explore how Atlantic Canada can harness innovation in construction to unlock productivity to support economic growth across the region over the next 15–20 years.

The Atlantic Science Enterprise Centre is a project where DSA has been collaborating with PSPC and Pomerleau on its delivery. As part of the project mandate, the lead appointed party was to develop a strategy leveraging Integrated Design Processes leveraging BIM to support project delivery during de and construction. As part of collaboration with multiple offices located in various provinces around the country, we are delivering a multi-million project where collaboration is a critical piece. ISO 19650 was key piece of the puzzle where guided the project team on developing and documenting all processes workflows to ensure all users were aware of the project needs. Being a federal project, a huge effort w also put in place to define security guidelines and protocols to ensure information produced by the de team was following all federal requirements for classified information. The presentation will also go th the processes on how we supported the client on the development of the AIR and EIR for the project, ensure information being produced would allow the users of the building to leverage the BIM models t support their Facility Management systems.

Over the past two decades, Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) and Design for Manufacture and  Assembly (DfMA) have transformed the UK healthcare sector, reshaping how hospitals are designed, procured,  and delivered. BDP has been a central driver of this transformation, evolving from early CAD-based workflows to  fully integrated digital design ecosystems that enable manufacturing-led delivery, enhanced collaboration, and  greater certainty in cost, programme, and quality.
BDP’s digital journey began with pioneering adoption of BIM Level 2 and active involvement in shaping national  standards. This early leadership established the foundations for a data-driven approach to healthcare design,  where information flows seamlessly across multidisciplinary teams and directly into fabrication. Over 20 years,  BDP has refined a design methodology that aligns clinical requirements, digital modelling, and contractor expertise to maximise the benefits of MMC.
Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool marked a step-change in the application of MMC in UK healthcare.  Through early engagement with Laing O’Rourke, the project team aligned design intent with manufacturing  strategy from the outset. BIM was used for precise cost planning, logistics sequencing, and direct model-to factory workflows. More than 15,000 off-site manufactured components—including pre-glazed façade panels,  MEP modules, bathroom pods, lattice floors, and twin walls—were integrated into the scheme. The result was a  delivery programme 20% faster than traditional methods, with improved quality, reduced waste, and safer construction.

Every complex project starts with the same goal: one connected, reliable dataset for room data. Then milestones hit. Room numbers change in the planning tool but not in Revit. Equipment lists live in spreadsheets no one told the BIM team about. The planner, the architect, and the owner each work fr different version.
This session tells the story of what causes room and equipment data to drift, why it keeps happening even well-run projects, and what a practical governance framework actually looks like to prevent it. W cover how to connect Functional Program data, Room Data Sheets, and equipment lists to BIM eleme through clear data ownership and version control, how AI can flag inconsistencies and support autom compliance checking, and how to use milestone-based QA checkpoints to catch problems before they become delivery issues.

Every complex project starts with the same goal: one connected, reliable dataset for room data. Then milestones hit. Room numbers change in the planning tool but not in Revit. Equipment lists live in spreadsheets no one told the BIM team about. The planner, the architect, and the owner each work fr different version.
This session tells the story of what causes room and equipment data to drift, why it keeps happening even well-run projects, and what a practical governance framework actually looks like to prevent it. W cover how to connect Functional Program data, Room Data Sheets, and equipment lists to BIM eleme through clear data ownership and version control, how AI can flag inconsistencies and support autom compliance checking, and how to use milestone-based QA checkpoints to catch problems before they become delivery issues.

The Centre Block project is exceptional in scale and significance, but the construction challenges  it presented are not unique. Confined-access underpinning, segmented pile installation, tight  movement tolerances, and the need to keep a building operational throughout a major below- grade programme are conditions that arise on heritage retrofits, dense urban sites, and occupied  institutional buildings across the country.  The principal lesson from this project: When standard methods do not fit the space, the answer  is not to force them — it is to develop something better.

The demand for faster and more efficient housing development in Canada has created a need for innovative systems. Prefabricated precast concrete construction offers a practical solution that can shorten construction timelines by 20–50%. In addition to accelerating project delivery, prefabrication improves quality control, minimizes material waste, enhances site safety, and enables year-round construction independent of weather conditions.This session will present lessons learned from a 16-storey precast concrete building project in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. Key topics will include the evolution of the design concept, structural and connection detailing, manufacturing considerations, transportation logistics, and installation sequencing.In addition, the session will highlight the sustainability benefits of precast concrete systems through findings from recently published life cycle assessment (LCA) studies on precast building solutions. Attendees will gain insight into how modern precast concrete systems can support accelerated project delivery while contributing to improved construction efficiency, reduced waste, and lower environmental impacts.

An executive-level keynote followed by a moderated panel discussion, bringing together diverse viewpoints to explore critical issues and encourage audience reflection.

The AEC industry operates within a uniquely complex digital environment, where  expanding toolsets and evolving project demands have produced fragmented  ecosystems, interoperability challenges, and persistent data silos. Off-the-shelf  platforms rarely align with the operational realities of a design studio, leading to costly  add-ons, inefficient workflows, and institutional knowledge that is difficult to access or  reuse. This session, led by Turner Fleischer’s Principal and CTO, Brent Mauti and Manager of  Digital Practice, Artyom Savin, will explore how Turner Fleischer addresses these  challenges by building deep internal digital capability with dedicated software  development expertise. Rather than starting with technology alone, the Studio begins  with business processes, data integrity, and how teams actually work—then develops  custom tools aligned with that foundation. Bridging data strategy and in-house software  development closes gaps left by commercial platforms and creates adaptable  solutions that support both studio-wide workflows and project delivery.

As the AECO industry accelerates toward digital-first project delivery, engineering firms  face increasing pressure to standardize their processes, modernize their data, upskill their  workforce, and integrate emerging technologies like automation, reality capture, and AI. Yet  many organizations focus on tools rather than transformation, leading to uneven adoption  and missed opportunities. This presentation explores why a structured digital roadmap, anchored by foundations but  designed for future-readiness, is now essential for organizations. Drawing on practical  implementation experience and insights from large-scale digital strategies – such as digital  delivery roadmaps, ISO 19650 initiatives, digital twin readiness programs, automation portfolios, and AI in delivery – the session will illustrate how firms can move from digital  experimentation to integrated, mature digital delivery.

Oftentimes, use of technology in the construction process focuses on one discipline only. We  will examine how cloud-based platforms can remove the silos that exist between design,  manufacturing, and construction by seamlessly linking critical data from varied software tools  into a complete data set.

The delivery of large-scale institutional infrastructure increasingly relies on Building Information  Modeling (BIM) not only for design coordination and construction efficiency, but also for long-term  asset management. The Dalhousie Event Centre (Oulton-Stanish Centre) represents a  comprehensive implementation of BIM across the full project lifecycle, culminating in a structured  digital handover to support facility operations. This presentation examines how BIM was leveraged from early design development through  construction and into asset management integration. Focus is placed on the deployment of a  structured asset data strategy, enabled by Summit BIM and executed by EllisDon, to meet the  operational requirements of Dalhousie University’s facilities management team.

Implementing Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) alongside BIM technologies demands integrated collaboration across financial, contracting, design, and client teams. While industry discourse typically emphasizes construction scheduling, logistics, and economics, the architectural impacts—specifically the beauty, flexibility, and livability of these environments—are frequently overlooked.This presentation analyzes lessons learned from four regional applications: BIM integration (Richmond Yards), panelized glulam (Cunard Street), panelized CLT (Cabot Cliffs Clubhouse), and volumetric CLT (Modular Mass Timber Housing Prototype). Evaluating these projects offers insights into how teams can balance systemic technical efficiency with high-quality, dignified human experiences in the built environment.

A dedicated networking reception designed to foster meaningful connections, peer-to-peer discussions, and relationship building in a relaxed setting.