Celebrating its 25th birthday in 2025, CitA looks to the future as it continues to play a central role in promoting the benefits of new technology in construction.
The momentum began in late 1999 with a conference held in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Bolton Street, focusing on Harnessing the Potential of Information Technology in the Irish Construction Industry. Following the conference and encouraged by the then Dean of the Faculty Professor John Ratcliffe, Dr. Alan Hore (DIT) collaborated with Dr. Ken Thomas (Waterford IT) and a small number of tier one construction companies, and the Alliance was formed.
A quarter of a century on and CitA remains very active with over 200 members, a figure it hopes to grow significantly in 2025. The network has evolved and is now recognised as a key player in the industry through its development and delivery of an extensive range of training courses, seminars, conferences, research and other learning services aimed at encouraging the use of the latest IT tools to reduce cost, increase productivity and promote sustainability in construction.
CitA ran a number of construction IT-related events in conjunction with Bolton St. in the years following its establishment before striking out on its own in 2005 when it became formally incorporated into a company limited by guarantee. In 2008 it began its long association with Skillnet Ireland to provide subsidised tailored training courses to the construction industry that continues to this day.
“In those early years of CitA activities it was an exciting time to be involved in construction innovation,” CitA Co-Founder and Director Dr. Alan Hore remembers. “It was the height of the dot-com boom, there were lots of new Construction IT businesses being formed, including BuildOnline which emerged from within DIT, and the industry was just beginning to exploit the potential benefits of IT. We have continued on that journey as digital technology has now become an integral part of how modern buildings are designed, constructed and managed.”
Dr. Hore added “We are really excited about what is in store in 2025, which includes a vibrant CitA Skillnet training programme, our new Automation Series, the return of the CitA BIM Gathering conference later this year and our newest project – Skillnet MMC Accelerate Scheme.”
CitA Skillnet
With courses delivered either in person, in-house or online, over 400 companies availed of CitA training last year alone. “We delivered over 7,000 days of training in 2024, making CitA one of the largest providers of Skillnet-funded subsidised learning to the construction industry in the country,” Dr. Hore explained. “We noticed quite an emphasis on softer skills last year with good uptake of Health & Safety, ISO, Excel and AutoCAD courses along with Environmental Management, Project Management, Leadership and Critical Thinking courses amongst others. It was a very successful year for us and we have secured funding again for this year to continue our work.”
Skillnet MMC Accelerate Scheme
Launched in August, the new Skillnet MMC Accelerate Scheme is a collaboration between CitA and workforce development body Skillnet Ireland to provide construction businesses with the upskilling resources needed to facilitate the adoption of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) into their day-to-day working practices.
In addition to creating a new online national platform for MMC expertise and learning, the programme also aims to connect employees, businesses and other bodies in their locality through a series of roadshows. Four were held between September and December last year with a further eight planned throughout the country for 2025. Hosts for the 2024 events included CPAC Modular in Dunshaughlin, Co. Meath; IKON Centre in Kingspan, Co. Cavan; Midland Steel, Portlaoise, Co. Laois; and Vision Built in Tubbercurry, Co. Sligo.
BIM Gathering
The BIM Gathering, the seventh to be held since its launch back in 2013, returns to Dublin this year. To be followed by a gala dinner, the theme for 2025 is ‘25 Years of Digital Construction: Realising Visions, Advancing Automation’ and will broadly follow on from last year’s focus on AI and automation. Combining keynote speakers, industry presentations, case studies and research papers, the conference will celebrate 25 years of innovation in digital construction and will examine the continued evolution of Building Information Modelling (BIM) standards, automation and AI integration.
The conference will also examine how Ireland has been at the forefront of digital transformation in construction and has helped to shape global BIM practices. A discussion on the future of automated workflows and AI-powered solutions will be followed by practical demonstrations of BIM and various automation tools and AI-driven processes in action. Other topics up for discussion include generative design, modular construction and green BIM before proceedings conclude with a panel debate on the lessons learned over the past 25 years and the challenges that lie ahead between now and 2050.
Automation Series 2025
Launched in response to member demand, the new Automation series will empower construction professionals, particularly SMEs, with practical insights into leveraging automation, digital tools, and AI to enhance efficiency, quality and sustainability across all phases of construction, according to Dr. Hore. “The series provides actionable strategies for integrating cutting-edge technologies into everyday workflows without overwhelming teams or increasing complexity,” he says. “It will enable people to work smarter rather than harder in the future.”
The series will also demonstrate how automation can improve accuracy and reduce errors. It will demystify the perceived high costs and complexity around the adoption of automation tools and offer a roadmap for upskilling employees to adapt and maximise the potential of the new technology.
The themes for the three initial seminars in the series are ‘Automate to Elevate: Construction Automation, a Path to Efficiency and Quality’ which will cover the basics of construction automation and its benefits for SMEs with case studies demonstrating improved project quality and efficiency through automation; ‘Smarter Blueprints: Automating the Blueprint, Generative Design and BIM’ which will demonstrate how automation can enhance design solutions and facilitate BIM standards compliance; and ‘Plan Success: Enhanced Planning and Costing, Optimising Data for Project Success’ which will look at tools for smarter planning, scheduling and cost estimation.
Seminars four to six include ‘Build Better: Next-Gen Build, Digitising MMC and the Job Site’ covering the benefits of using robotics and automating workflows for modular and prefabricated construction; ‘Green Automation: Streamlining Sustainability, Automating Building Compliance’ which looks at tools for tracking materials and carbon footprints in real time; and. finally, ‘AI Empowerment: Humans + AI, The Future Construction Team’ which includes discussions and demonstrations of everyday AI tools that can enhance workforce productivity plus strategies for reskilling teams to adopt AI-supported products.
CitA’s Contribution
Looking back over the past 25 years, Dr. Hore is proud of the role CitA has played in driving progress on digital construction. “I feel we have made a significant contribution to the conversation around IT systems uptake in the industry,” he says. “We played our part in shaping both the industry and government response to embracing innovation in Irish construction. We contributed alongside Enterprise Ireland and other key stakeholders to the publication of the National BIM Council Roadmap that informed government policy on driving digital adoption in the construction sector in recent years. There are lots of players now involved in this process and we are very happy to contribute to its continued development going forward.”
However, while significant progress has been made, there are still a number of major challenges ahead, Dr. Hore believes, including high IT adoption costs and skills gaps amongst others. “We need to find ways of reducing IT adoption costs or smaller firms will be at risk of being left behind,” he points out. “We also need to ensure that we have the framework in place to address relevant skills shortages in the workforce. At the same time, we need Government regulation to keep pace with the latest innovations to foster a ‘best in class’ tech environment built around safety, ethics and sustainability.”
Next 25 Years
After 25 successful years, what will the next quarter of a century bring for CitA? “It’s an exciting time for the construction sector and we have a lot of plans for the future, Dr. Hore adds. “Our immediate goal is to continue to provide critical expertise and services required to drive the kind of process improvements needed to reach requisite productivity and sustainability goals right across the industry. We believe that our CitA Skillnet training series, the Accelerate programme, our new Automation series and our annual BIM Gathering in 2025 will provide additional momentum in helping to create a more efficient, dynamic and sustainable construction industry in Ireland.
“The next 25 years in construction will be driven by AI, robotics and 3D printing, cutting costs and timelines. Modular building will become mainstream which will help to address labour shortages, while stricter sustainability rules will push for carbon-neutral materials. Smart infrastructure and data analytics will enhance resilience, forcing rapid innovation across the Irish construction sector to meet national and global demands.”
Dr. Hore concluded with a call to action: “25 years ago CitA was founded on a bold vision: to unite the Irish construction industry through innovation and technology. Today, that mission is more critical than ever. As digital transformation accelerates, collaboration, not competition, will define our success. The challenges we face in productivity, sustainability, and skills shortages can only be tackled together. By joining the Alliance members can avail of the collective knowledge, drive industry-wide change and sustain a network that Ireland can be proud of and one that remains at the forefront of construction innovation for all its members. I am excited about the future; I am excited about strengthening the relevance of CitA into the next stage of its development. As we said in 1999, We are Stronger Together than Separately.”
www.CitA.ie
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