Construction, COVID-19 and Collaboration

What we are currently experiencing through Covid-19 is breathtakingly unprecedented, surreal and unimaginable in living memory. Who would have thought that a nationwide lockdown could have become a reality in an era whereby we do not have enough time in a day to complete our tasks but here we are! This extraordinary event is certainly challenging the status quo in our traditionally conservative industry. We are dealing with a situation that we have not encountered before and hard to accept the magnitude of the impact.

On 11thFebruary 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced an official name for the pandemic disease that is causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, first identified in Wuhan China in late 2019. The new name of this disease is coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19. In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease.

The Covid-19 outbreak has had a profound impact on the entire construction industry in a variety of ways, from staff absenteeism, delayed overseas materials to mothballed construction projects. The effect of Covid-19 is being felt right across the planet. A wise man once said: “In construction, something goes wrong every day and it is how a company deals with this that differentiates it and determines success.”

It is only through the combination of human ingenuity, a culture of engineering excellence and the use of advanced technology that we can help built environment professionals emerge from this global pandemic disease and embrace new ways of working to solve some of the most complex challenges. During the past few days, the use of digital platforms has skyrocketed as multi-disciplinary teams explore for new ways to collaborate and interact in the current climate to maintain a seamless service as far as practicably possible whether it is within pre-construction activities or construction activities. No doubt, technology has opened up immense opportunities for collaboration through remote working with focused thinking and reflective time.

We need to think on our feet, adapt and deviate from traditional thinking where necessary and champion professional artistry to allow scope for greater innovation, reflection and working together for a creative and collaborative future.

In these uncertain and challenging times, game-changing leadership, collaboration and grit are vital in maintaining operations and deliver for clients. No doubt, there will be some great stories and lessons learned that will emerge through this global pandemic.

From an industry standpoint, how we support each other professionally, mentally and collaboratively going forward will be crucial in relation to construction contracts, force majeure, bailouts, cash flow, funding, materials, products, supply chain, mass gatherings and the economic effects.

For now, health, safety and wellbeing are paramount for built environment professionals together with remote working as being the safest option as we navigate through upheaval and uncharted waters.

In times of adversity as COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, resilience is paramount! As Howard Schultz put it “in times of adversity and change, we really discover who we are and what we're made of.”