The Future of Design and Construction: An Immersive Innovation Showcase Experience
Building Transformations concluded its 2026 U.S. Summit on April 22 in Phoenix, Arizona. Hosted at the Diverge Innovation Center, the event brought together over 250 AECO professionals for "The Future of Design and Construction: An Immersive Innovation Showcase Experience." True to its "anti-conference" identity, the Summit focused on active executive dialogue and hands-on technology adoption rather than passive presentations.
The Summit opened on April 21 with a private Executive Forum for 60 senior industry leaders. KP Reddy, Founder and CEO of Zero RFI, delivered a keynote on bridging information gaps to improve project predictability. The keynote set the stage for a focused executive panel on Developing a Sound AI Roadmap and Strategy for the AEC Industry. Moderated by Thai Nguyen, Director of Innovation at Hensel Phelps and a Director of Building Transformations, the panel brought together six senior leaders to explore the realities of implementing AI within complex organizations: Josh Kanner, Senior Director of Product and Strategy, Analytics & AI at Oracle; Jit Kee Chin, Chief Technology Officer at Suffolk Construction; Lindsey Rem, Senior Vice President, Business Transformation at Barton Malow; John Cerone, Principal at SHoP Architects; Mark Schwartz, Senior Vice President, AECO Software at Trimble; and Michael Perry, Director, Product Management at Autodesk.
The discussion surfaced candid perspectives on strategic frameworks organizations use to integrate AI responsibly. The forum continued with roundtables examining AI’s impact on the software landscape and project delivery processes. Day One concluded with a Welcome Reception attended by 180 participants, providing a vital opportunity for networking and community building.
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The second day welcomed 250 attendees for a full day of programming. The day’s keynote was delivered by Mike Sewell, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Gresham Smith. His presentation, Designing for What’s Next: A Smarter, Faster, More Connected Approach to Design, offered practical strategies for digital transformation. A second executive panel followed, focused on AI, Automation, and Machine Learning in the Construction Industry. Moderated by Alice Leung, Principal at Brick & Mortar Ventures, the panel explored emerging trends with panelists Briston Blair, Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategy at Comfort Systems USA; Mike Sewell, Chief Digital Transformation Officer at Gresham Smith; and RJ Reed, Vice President, Project Delivery Innovation at The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.
The afternoon featured a signature showcase of live technology where more than 40+ demonstrators traveled from across North America to present solutions in robotics, drones, and VDC platforms.
The main stage hosted a focused discussion bringing together Alex Belkofer, Senior VDC Director at McCarthy Building Companies; Hammad Chaudhry, Principal, Strategic Ventures at Cupix; Mark Cichy, Principal and Director of Design Technology at HOK; and Aaron Toppston, Managing Partner at GS Futures. This group transitioned the day’s most pressing conversations into the final session, led by Mitch Cornelius, Chief Technology Officer at Fortis Construction. This session broke attendees into seven facilitated "Think Tank" groups covering Asset Lifecycle, BIM, VDC, Labor, Prefabrication, Risk Management, Trades, and Innovation. The Summit concluded with an outdoor social gathering, allowing attendees to decompress and solidify new connections.
Attendees and industry peers took to LinkedIn in the days following the event to share their reflections. The response underscored both the quality of the programming and the distinctive culture Building Transformations has built.
“It was a true pleasure catching up with the leaders whose vision and hard work are shaping what lies ahead in the construction industry.”
— Tomislav Zigo, CEO, BEXEL USA
“Great event at the perfect location with the best ConTech leaders in the industry.”
— Brian Skripac, Director, VDC, Design-Build Institute of America
“The conversations are shifting from ‘what’s possible’ to ‘what’s actually working.’”
— Suni Dorairajan, Industry Innovator
“What made this event stand out was how genuinely different it felt—no sales-driven presentations, just real discussion, practical innovation, and a highly engaged, thoughtful crowd.”
— Patrick Lalonde, Sr. Director Project Delivery, EllisDon
“The event has been a tremendous success... a truly collaborative, unbiased, for the people by the people group of innovators who are transforming the industry together.”
— Hannu Lindberg, Chair, Building Transformations | Construction Technology - Project Planning and Execution, DPR Construction, DPR Construction
“This was a fantastic event with an all-star group of speakers and attendees. This is definitely a conference everyone in contech should attend.”
— Paul Hedgepath, Principal Product Specialist, Procore Technologies
“Change happens when people come together to share their ideas and perspectives. The conversations held during the 2026 Building Transformations U.S. Industry Summit was one of those moments where you could sense change in motion.”
— Kyle Tomak, Senior Innovation Manager, Diverge
The momentum generated at the 2026 U.S. Summit does not end with the event. Building Transformations will continue to share insights, session outcomes, and resources with its membership in the weeks ahead.
Building Transformations extends its sincere gratitude to the event’s sponsors, whose support made the Summit possible: United Rentals, Trimble, Milwaukee, FieldAI, Silicon Valley Bank, Fieldwire, Hilti, Autodesk, and Salus. Special recognition is also due to Diverge, a Hensel Phelps company, for providing a venue that truly supported the spirit of collaboration and open exchange.
The Summit would not have been possible without the dedicated work of the 2026 Event Planning Committee: Hannu Lindberg, DPR Construction; Thai Nguyen, Hensel Phelps; Kyle Tomak, Diverge; Mihir Somalwar, Diverge; Alex Belkofer, McCarthy Building Companies Inc.; Mitch Cornelius, Fortis Construction Inc.; Alice Leung, Brick & Mortar Ventures; Dustin Ridley, DPR Construction; Angelo Lago, Hensel Phelps; Cliff Cole, The PENTA Building Group; and Brandon Searle, UNB Off-site Construction Research Centre.
