Trailblazers: The Empire State Building, New York, USA

This project demonstrates why digital, BIM and automation of construction are not the answer to the core problem. There was no IT when it was delivered, but it took only 410 days to build, and was completed less than two years after the architect was appointed. By comparison, the 2013 One World Trade Center was finished 11 years after the first architect was appointed and took over 3,000 days to build. I am not anti-BIM. Most of the proposed steps to improve project performance will make some difference. However, until the industry addresses the core systemic problems of how project teams are set up and managed, then trying to make major improvements using BIM, offsite manufacture or connected technology will make only marginal improvement.