Digital Builder

Construction has long prioritized getting the job done, often at the expense of the people doing the work. In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas sits down with Henry Nutt III, a Preconstruction Executive at Southland Industries, to explore how leadership, empathy, and intentional people management can reshape jobsite culture—and why these shifts are critical as the industry confronts a growing mental health crisis.
Drawing on nearly four decades in construction, Henry shares lessons from his own leadership journey, including why managing people requires a fundamentally different skill set than managing projects, and how trust, vulnerability, and consistency can drive stronger teams, better retention, and healthier workplaces.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
Why construction has historically struggled with people management—and the cost of maintaining the status quo
How empathy and vulnerability show up in real jobsite leadership, not just policy statements
The connection between leadership behavior, mental health, and performance in construction
Why saying “I don’t know” can be a strength, not a liability
What leaders can do to create safer, more human workplaces where people want to stay
How intentional mentorship and leadership development help rebuild trust across teams

Henry also reflects on difficult conversations, second chances, and how leaders set the tone—whether they realize it or not. The result is a candid conversation about responsibility, mindset, and what it takes to lead people well in one of the industry’s most demanding environments.

We talk a lot about AI in construction, but much of it still lives behind a screen. Robotics changes that. In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas sits down with Tessa Lau, CEO of Dusty Robotics, to explore how robotic layout is helping construction teams bridge the gap between design intent and field execution. From creating a single shared truth on site to rethinking long‑standing workflows, Tessa shares how “physical AI” is changing how buildings get planned, coordinated, and built.
Drawing on her background in artificial intelligence and robotics, Tessa explains why the real value of robotics isn’t the robot itself—but the new ways of working it enables.
On this episode, we discuss:
Why robotics represents “physical AI” and how it brings digital plans directly into the field
How creating a single shared truth on site reduces rework, coordination risk, and uncertainty
Why layout is a critical moment where digital design meets real‑world construction
How robotic layout enables earlier multi‑trade coordination and shifts problem‑solving upstream
The productivity gains unlocked by reordering work and parallelizing construction activities
How layout precision supports prefabrication and paperless, model‑driven workflows
Why many contractors adopt robotics using a crawl‑walk‑run approach to manage risk and build trust

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.

It’s easy to throw around buzzwords like AI and innovation. But in construction, those ideas only matter if they change how work actually gets done—on the jobsite, not just in theory.
In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas is joined by Steve Long, Director of Innovation and Learning at Dome Construction, for a grounded conversation on what innovation really means in construction and how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape day‑to‑day work across the field and the office.
With nearly 30 years at Dome, Steve brings a long‑term perspective on how innovation in construction has evolved—from paper plans and manual workflows to mobile tools, BIM, and now AI. Rather than chasing shiny tools, he emphasizes innovation as a steady, intentional process focused on impact: improving outcomes, reducing friction, and giving people more time to focus on building.
The conversation explores how AI is already being applied in practical ways, from helping superintendents stay mobile and reduce administrative burden to supporting office teams with document analysis, scheduling insights, and faster coordination. Steve also shares why over‑automation can be risky, how Dome is creating guardrails for safe experimentation, and what it will take to develop the next generation of construction leaders in an AI‑enabled world.
At its core, this episode is about using technology to get back to building—and keeping people, judgment, and collaboration at the center of the work.

On this episode, we discuss:
What innovation really means in construction—and why impact matters more than tools
How AI is being used differently in the field versus the office
Practical AI use cases for superintendents, project managers, and preconstruction teams
Why over‑automating can backfire and how to preserve critical thinking
Dome Construction’s long‑term innovation journey
Creating safe guardrails for AI adoption and experimentation
Using AI to reduce admin work and strengthen collaboration on projects

Digital Builder is hosted by Eric Thomas from Autodesk.

Across the United States, the housing crisis is no longer abstract. Wildfire rebuilds, rising costs, workforce shortages, and long permitting timelines are colliding at a moment when demand has never been higher. If the industry continues building the way it always has, the results will stay the same.
Recorded live from Greenbuild in Los Angeles, this episode of Digital Builder explores what it will take to deliver housing that is affordable, resilient, and scalable—without treating those goals as tradeoffs.
Host Eric Thomas is joined by Edie Dillman, CEO and Co‑Founder of B.Public Prefab, and Vamsi Kumar Kotla, Founder of ReMo Homes, for a candid conversation about what’s broken in residential construction and where meaningful progress is happening today.
Together, they examine how panelized and modular approaches can reduce soft costs, speed delivery, and improve long‑term performance—while still respecting the expertise of builders and the realities of the jobsite. The discussion also looks beyond construction itself, touching on workforce development, wildfire recovery, digital twins, and the role of building science in creating homes that perform over decades, not just at handover.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Why the housing crisis is driven by more than just build costs—and why operational costs, resilience, and long‑term ownership matter just as much
How modular and panelized construction can help balance affordability, sustainability, and scalability without forcing a “pick two” compromise
Where the biggest cost savings actually live in residential projects, and why soft costs are a critical lever for change
How offsite construction succeeds when builders are treated as partners
Different perspectives on technology in housing, from digital twins and IoT to passive building science and material‑first resilience
Why solving the housing crisis will require multiple approaches—and broad collaboration across the industry

This episode offers a grounded, honest look at the future of housing, and why innovation paired with collaboration—and a little joy—matters more than ever.

As AI and cloud computing continue to scale, data centers are becoming some of the most important infrastructure of the digital age. With that growth comes increased attention on energy use, water consumption, and embodied carbon—but also a powerful opportunity to rethink how we design, build, and operate these facilities more sustainably.
In this episode of Digital Builder, host Eric Thomas is joined by Sara Neff, General Manager of Sustainability and ESG at Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation, for a live conversation from Greenbuild in Los Angeles. Together, they explore how rapid data center expansion and ambitious climate goals can move forward in parallel—and why the moment ahead is full of possibility.
In this episode, we discuss:
How Microsoft is scaling data center development while staying firmly committed to its 2030 goals to be carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste
Why cooling systems and HVAC equipment are a major opportunity for reducing embodied carbon—and how smarter design choices are already making a difference
Practical, “right now” uses of AI to reduce carbon, water, and energy use, from leak detection to optimizing low‑carbon concrete mixes
What radical collaboration across owners, designers, contractors, and suppliers looks like—and why it is essential for sustainability at scale
How shared standards, policy, and better measurement can help accelerate progress across the industry
Why growing AI fluency across the AECO ecosystem could unlock faster, more durable climate solutions

Rather than framing AI as a tradeoff, this conversation highlights how thoughtful planning, collaboration, and targeted use of technology can turn growth into a catalyst for positive change. The result is a clearer picture of how the built environment can support both digital innovation and long‑term sustainability.