How Tech-Driven Innovation Impacts Construction in Hong Kong, India, and Saudi Arabia

A fundamental shift is reshaping the built environment — changing how we work, design, and deliver amid rising complexity.

In cities around the world, rising demand is colliding with tighter timelines, limited space, and increasing climate risks. These pressures are compelling teams to rethink their approach.

In this landscape, innovation is no longer an add-on; it’s defining how projects are designed and built. It’s embedded from the start and essential for building with resilience, speed, and long-term value.

“We don’t just want to design well for today,” said Jason Vollen, global head of innovation at SJ Group (SJ). “We want to design for the uncertainty ahead.”

SJ approaches this with tech-augmented innovation, one that blends digital tools and workflows with human judgment to deliver with greater speed, precision, and foresight.

That mindset is shaping how projects are planned, executed, and scaled across SJ. Whether it’s unlocking faster timelines, lowering costs, or improving design outcomes, the firm’s focus is clear: innovation that works in the real world and leaves an impact.

Precision under pressure: Building beneath a flight path

In Hong Kong, that mindset was put to the test. The Passenger Clearance Building, part of the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facility, had to be constructed under some of the region’s strictest constraints: on reclaimed land, directly beneath a major airport flight path.

Robert Bird Group used off-site prefabrication to build Hong Kong’s Passenger Clearance Building under strict height and safety requirements.

SJ Group

With just one meter of vertical clearance above the roofline, engineers from Robert Bird Group, an SJ company, developed a highly specialized roof erection method to meet tough aviation and safety rules. Off-site prefabrication played a critical role, helping the team to overcome site access issues and deliver on schedule without compromising on quality.

“The constraints led us to think differently and work differently. It was a great example of digital foresight meets practical problem-solving,” said Dustin Lam, regional director, Hong Kong, SJ. “It’s not about designing something impressive. It’s about designing something that works, precisely and reliably.”

Designing for access, equity, and everyday impact

In India, SJ is leading the next phases of the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, which is set to become the world’s longest continuous riverfront development.

The Sabarmati Riverfront’s inclusive design connects communities and supports resilience.

SJ Group

The design reimagines how cities interact with nature and one another, using the river as a social and ecological connector. Stepped terraces, soft landscaped edges, and universally accessible public spaces ensure seamless movement for people of all ages and abilities while improving flood resilience.

“Our goal is innovative design that delivers real human outcomes,” said Abhishek Malhotra, regional director, Buildings + Cities, South Asia. “Designing for vibrant public life, stronger communities and lasting resilience, that’s where our greatest impact lies.”

The project is also expected to unlock new investment, boost tourism, and generate revenue through sports and cultural programming.

What a music festival taught us about modular design

In Saudi Arabia, the challenge looked completely different: Building a high-performance infrastructure for one of the world’s biggest music festivals, Soundstorm.

The site had to accommodate up to 200,000 visitors per day, requiring a blend of scale, agility, and sustainability. Over four consecutive editions, Robert Bird Group delivered more than 50 structures, including five-story modular hospitality buildings, sea container-based stages, and nearly four kilometers of elevated walkways.

Robert Bird Group engineered the modular VIP tower for Soundstorm to be assembled and reused with zero waste.

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“Even the simplest-looking structures were engineered for performance,” said Jovana Lukac, associate director, events lead at Robert Bird Group. “For the VIP tower, we adapted locking mechanisms from the shipping industry. That let us install massive modules in under five minutes — a breakthrough in event engineering.”

Designed for rapid deployment and reusability, these structures allowed for evolving layouts across years while minimizing environmental waste.

Building for what lasts

“The common thread across the breakthroughs for SJ projects isn’t technical,” Vollen said. “They emerge from deep, cross-disciplinary collaboration. That’s the shift: We’re not just solving problems — we’re co-creating the very questions worth solving. It’s this shared authorship that unlocks the full potential of what we build together.”

Whether it’s beneath a flight path, along a historic riverfront, or on a temporary build with tight timelines, SJ’s approach reflects a new kind of innovation — one that’s adaptable and quietly transformative.

“We’ve taken a deliberate, systems-level approach to embedding innovation as a discipline across SJ,” Vollen said. “Every employee, regardless of role or rank, is encouraged to bring bold ideas to the table in a structured way. This openness, supported by rigorous structure, is helping to spark curiosity, impact projects directly, while energizing the organization from the inside out. Perhaps most importantly, it’s imbuing a stronger sense of ownership in shaping our future and amplifying the impact we can have on the world.”

Because in the built environment, innovation isn’t just about what gets built. It’s about how we build — and whether it serves the needs of this and the next generation.

Discover how SJ Group is building smarter, more resilient cities around the world.

This post was created by Insider Studios with SJ Group.

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