City Grill

Abdul Aziz Zoua 
Director of California Project Operations
Giroux Glass Inc.

“Inflation is impacting both materials and staffing, leading to added costs, particularly in education-related projects, where these escalations are not adequately acknowledged,” Zoua says. “This sheds light on the specific hurdles that the industry must navigate, highlighting the need for strategic responses to these economic pressures.”

Other trends include the rapid spread and adoption of artificial intelligence. The responsible integration of AI into existing workflows could offer significant value to the AEC industry moving forward, he observes.

“Additionally, the emerging use of wheeled robots for layouts and photo documentation is showing a lot of promise despite being in the early stages,” Zoua adds. 

Another issue he sees impacting local firms are requirements of the Buy Clean California Act, which specifies limits on the embodied carbon of construction materials used in public works projects.

“It’s currently at the forefront of our efforts as we diligently work to ensure we have the necessary data for compliance,” Zoua says.