Menno de Jonge, director of digital construction at Royal BAM Group, offered a lecture about the digital technologies being adopted by top construction companies around the world on November 15, 2019, in Tijuana. The closing discussion was moderated by René Peralta, the Division of Architecture‘s Herb Greene Teaching Fellow.
The lecture was part of the fundraising efforts of Fundacion Esperanza, a nonprofit in Tijuana, Mexico, that promotes the development of low-income communities interested in improving their quality of life, with assisted self-built housing, volunteer participation, and environmental awareness programs.
According to Menno de Jonge, “There is an urgent need to transform the way we shape our built environment and Royal BAM Group is taking a leading role in the digital transformation of the industry. We are building the present while we are creating the future. We make it before we build it, in other words: we built it digital-first before we built it physically.”
After a brief introduction to Royal BAM Group, Menno de Jonge shared the “why, how and what” of digital construction technologies, including examples of using digital technologies in real projects. The “why” focused on the needs of the digital transformation for the construction industry, showing that the world of construction is changing. The “how” looked at Royal BAM Group’s vision and strategy on the digital transformation was entailed. In the final part, the “what,” illustrated actual examples from BAM’s daily practice. A Q&A session moderated by Rene Peralta concludes the lecture.
With the support from the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, 10 local architecture students from Tijuana were invited to attend the lecture at no cost.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture assistant professor Amy Leveno and Mark Leveno, co-founders of OFFICIAL Design, have received a 2026 AIA Central States Region Design Award for the firm’s Granger Annex Community Center project in Garland, Texas.
Construction Industry Speaker Series welcomed Stephen Evans from the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum to give a lecture on better conversations and relationship building.
The University of Oklahoma Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture Hall of Fame recognizes a select number of high-character individuals who have made a significant and lasting positive impact on Gibbs College, its students, staff, faculty, alumni and/or to communities across the globe. The impact may have been, or continues to be, in the form of service and mentorship, sustained professional excellence, and/or advancement and financial support. Joseph Edgar Smay is part of the 2025 Hall of Fame class.
