https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/ Notes from the Chain Drain research project. https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/flirting-with-oblivion/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/flirting-with-oblivion/ 2026-09-29 Chain Drain interviewee Brad Hargreaves writes on LinkedIn about a surprising takeaway, after attending the Blueprint conference: There's serious appetite for M&A in proptech right now… It felt like every other company I sat down with was looking to buy… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/learning-is-how-a-firm-survives-disruption/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/learning-is-how-a-firm-survives-disruption/ 2026-09-25 Ian Keough, CEO of Hypar, writing on LinkedIn about learning loops as the lifeline of firms in the AECO sector grappling with AI-induced change: “If differentiation begins with the first client conversation, Design Technology has to reach beyond production. Systems… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/rewarding-human-skills-is-a-very-play-scenario-thing-to-do/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/rewarding-human-skills-is-a-very-play-scenario-thing-to-do/ 2026-09-06 Large consultancy firm Ernst & Young is giving bonuses to employees “who show skills like adaptability, innovation and judgment,” according to Wall Street Journal (as well as experimentation with AI). This reads like the big consulting version of what we… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/one-giant-leap-into-the-known/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/one-giant-leap-into-the-known/ 2026-09-04 Speaking to an invitation-only crowd of global investors, founders, and assorted hangers-on on the eve of LEAP — the Gulf’s (if not the world’s) largest tech conference — HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin had a message for attendees hailing from the… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/nyc-launches-circular-construction-hub/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/nyc-launches-circular-construction-hub/ 2026-09-02 New York City unveils its first-ever circular construction hub today called MADE at Bush Terminal. It has been enabled via NYC EDC funding and is explicitly part of the city’s goal to shift the material supply chain for the built… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/survey-of-architecture-firms-using-ai/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/survey-of-architecture-firms-using-ai/ 2026-09-02 Design blog Dezeen asked 53 leading architecture studios about their use of AI. 26 (49%) replied, one saying that they do not allow it and 25 (47%) actively encouraging it. There’s a split between those that are being proactive by… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/where-the-rentals-meet-the-road/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/where-the-rentals-meet-the-road/ 2026-08-27 Congress spent most of this year threatening to lock institutional investors out of single-family rentals before finally relenting. But the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act still bars large-scale owners from acquiring further properties, with the exception of newly constructed… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/respect-my-land-use-authority/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/respect-my-land-use-authority/ 2026-08-27 More than 500 bills introduced in 40 states last year contained clauses pre-empting county land-use authority, according to an analysis by the National Association of Counties, reports Smart Cities Dive. A large minority (38%) explicitly aimed to curtail local control… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/here-come-the-robot-swarms/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/here-come-the-robot-swarms/ 2026-08-27 The EU has funded projects under a call for “autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments.” This video from lead research Sihao Sun and team at TU Delft provides an example: three drones work together to… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/what-if-we-never-built-another-new-building/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/what-if-we-never-built-another-new-building/ 2026-08-24 Great example of the Pause scenario today from Reasons to be Cheerful: If architect Barbara Buser were in charge, “I would stop every project,” she says emphatically, “then review them all through the lens of sustainability. If a project cannot… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/procore-invests-in-reality-capture-to-the-tune-of-845m/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/procore-invests-in-reality-capture-to-the-tune-of-845m/ 2026-07-30 AEC heavyweight ProCore PCOR dropped serious coin on a drone-based reality capture company in a cash transaction. The data DroneDeploy comes with includes 20 trillion (!!!) square feet of site imagery alone, giving the parent company more fuel for training… https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/mckinsey-is-betting-on-fast-forward/ https://www.bryanboyer.com/chaindrain/notes/mckinsey-is-betting-on-fast-forward/ 2026-07-16 McKinsey dropped a new report titled “How AI is reshaping the future of the AEC industry” that lines up pretty nicely with our Fast Forward thesis. Included in their recommendations is a suggestion to focus on workflows or domains rather…