Construction leaders come together to push industry boundaries at STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA
⏱️ 3 min read
This year, the Wolf Partners facility in Tampa became an epicentre for construction innovation during STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA.
With a room full of industry trailblazers, and a schedule of rapid-fire talks and free-flowing discussions, STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA marked another step forward as we rethink the way we design and construct the future. 
STEEL HORIZONS TAMPA 2024
From London dream to global movement
What began as a bold idea in London in 2022 has now transformed into a global conversation about construction's future.
As Howick CEO Nick Coubray said after the first STEEL HORIZONS event,
“The whole idea behind it is really to get people to come and sit down and discuss things…. “you are doing that…. I am doing this. Maybe we can put these two or three things together and then come out with a better solution that everybody can use."
It is an idea the industry has embraced, and from the success of London 2022 to Boston 2023, each STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA has built a platform for blue-sky thinking and industry collaboration.
Exploring the full spectrum of construction
This year, STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA was held in Wolf Partners’ 22,000 square foot fabrication facility north of Tampa International Airport. This was an ideal location for what was to be a masterclass on practical applications of offsite manufacturing and modular construction.
The day started with the founding principal of Wolf Partners, Adam Wolf, introducing us to their unique integrated approach and what they call “mass customisation”. By combining development, architecture and fabrication under one roof, they can leverage the advantages of a standardised fabrication process without compromising creativity or architectural expression.
A key theme this year was focus on processes rather than projects. Scott Mitchell of STUD-IO, returning for his third STEEL HORIZONS, explored the balance between simplicity and complexity in construction projects and how “simple processes can manage the inevitable complexity in construction.”
Jim Gabriel of MODLOGIQ looked at the challenge of scalability in traditional modular manufacturing and how they believe the solution lies in taking the modular concepts learned from building highly customised commercial and medical facilities and applying this to a scalable housing solution.
Lorenzo Petrini of M3 Components shared how they combine virtual design and construction (VDC), LEAN manufacturing principles and streamlined shop operations to deliver big projects while cutting the schedule and reducing defects to almost zero.
Dave Cooper returned to STEEL HORIZONS to take us on another world tour of product innovations, this time exploring ‘constructability’ – the ease and efficiency with which a structure can be built. From small robots in micro-factories to Howick’s telescopic framing, he challenged everyone to look at what is changing because that change is happening fast.
David Bernardino of Bernardino Enterprises showed how thinking of marketing as a strategic operation, rather than just collateral, can unlock new opportunities, and Greg Dettwiler of canibuild (pronounced ‘Can-I-Build’) showcased their cloud-based, award-winning proptech solution. Described as “the Google of build-related industries”, canibuild is making “Buy Now” construction a reality by streamlining the pre-construction information-gathering process.
Finally, Howick CEO Nick Coubray closed the day by highlighting how waste—whether in time, materials, or processes—remains a critical challenge in construction. He then showcased how Howick is driving change with new roll-forming technology like telescopic framing systems and versatile solutions like strut and cable tray folders.
From a new customer portal that enables multi-site collaboration and seamless production data integration, to the TIPABIN® material management system, to structural solutions like X-CALIBR™ and SPEEDFLOOR®, Nick demonstrated how Howick is constantly looking for new ways to help you build smarter, faster and more sustainably.
Going behind the scenes at Wolf Partners
On top of the inspiring presentations, there was also an opportunity for those attending to tour the Wolf Partners' facility and see their range of Howick machines in operation. Blending architectural vision with high-tech fabrication, the facility is a prime example of where construction is heading.
As with previous events, STEEL HORIZONS | TAMPA was an invitation-only event and booked out weeks in advance with attendees from as far away as South Korea and Denmark, highlighting its global appeal. Among those attending, more than 80% gave the highest rating of "Very Good", reflecting both the quality of the speakers and the value of an opportunity to genuinely connect with others, share ideas, and imagine new possibilities together.
Missed out? No problem!
Didn't make it to Tampa? No problem! You can still catch all the presentations online. Click on the link below to get a front-row seat to the insights that are reshaping construction as we know it.
STEEL HORIZONS TAMPA 2024 Speakers
January 2025 #Events