The hybrid construction profiles (and roles) of the future
Watch the episode on YouTube right here!
When we talk about the future of construction, we often focus on carbon goals, modular design, or project delivery speed. But there’s a quieter crisis growing behind the scenes: we lack the people who both understand construction and speak the language of data, programming, automation, or AI.
It’s not just a skills gap. It’s a profile gap. And if we don’t start building bridges between domains, we risk holding back the digital transformation that construction desperately needs.
In our latest podcast episode, Elia sat down with Aske Strandberg, a professional whose career spans hospitality, construction, and IT. His story is less about job titles and more about mindset, curiosity, creativity, and the courage to shift. Him, and many others, are also behind the AEC Hackathons – now, what is a hackathon, and why is it relevant to this industry challenge?
In the following article, we’ll discuss:
- Why construction needs hybrid profiles
- Hackathons: innovation pressure cookers
- Real problems, real potential
- Join the next hackathon
Why construction needs hybrid profiles
Construction is generating more data than ever. But knowing what to do with it? That’s where things get stuck.
Data scientists who don’t understand how a building is built, will have a hard time modeling useful solutions. Construction professionals who don’t know what AI can do miss huge opportunities for efficiency and quality.
What we need are hybrids. People who understand construction workflows and stakeholder pain points, and who can also structure, process, and interpret data. People who can code just enough to test an idea, or who can bridge the gap between a site engineer and a backend developer.
But these profiles don’t exist in abundance. And they’re not being produced by traditional education or recruitment pipelines.
So how do we grow them?
Hackathons: innovation pressure cookers
Enter the hackathon.
At first glance, a hackathon might sound like something reserved for Silicon Valley tech nerds. But in construction, they’re becoming a very exciting platform for building future-ready talent.
So what is a hackathon? It’s an event where people from different disciplines, construction professionals, coders, designers, data nerds, and curious minds, come together for two or three intense days to solve real problems.
No prior experience in programming is required. Just curiosity and a willingness to learn.
You, or someone else, pitch an idea or challenge and you team up. You build a prototype or test a concept. And you walk away with something more valuable than a prize: real experience, new connections, and a taste of what’s possible.
Real problems, real potential
Aske describes hackathons as safe spaces for creativity and experimentation. They’re informal, collaborative, and often full of surprises. He’s seen big-name competitors sit down at the same table, realizing they need each other’s perspectives more than they thought.
Construction won’t solve its talent shortage overnight. But events like AEC Hackathons are showing us a way forward.
They accelerate learning. They connect people across silos. And maybe most importantly, they help us prototype the hybrid roles we need before we have formal names for them.
Because let’s face it: we can’t wait for universities or job titles to catch up. We need builders who can code. QSs who understand AI. Architects who think in systems. And we need them now.
Join the next hackathon
The next AEC Hackathon in Copenhagen takes place in March 2026 at BLOXHUB. Whether you’re a contractor, designer, developer, student, programmer, CEO, or someone still figuring it out, you’re welcome.
You might not walk away with the next unicorn startup. But you will walk away with new skills, new friends, and maybe even a new version of yourself.
Construction is evolving. Will you evolve with it?