Technology & Innovation
McNab Labs researches, develops and tests new products, materials and delivery solutions designed to solve real problems in construction and property. From modular systems and smarter building products to lower-carbon materials and site productivity solutions, the focus is simple: turn good ideas into practical outcomes.
Construction has no shortage of ideas. The challenge is turning the right ones into solutions that genuinely improve how projects are delivered. McNab Labs gives us a structured way to identify opportunities, work with specialist partners, test new products and systems, and take the strongest ideas from concept through to commercial application.
Our work spans better building products, simpler structural systems and new methods that reduce the materials, labour and time required to deliver a project. This includes integrated building components, vertical modular systems, off-site manufacturing and new reinforcement methods designed to remove unnecessary complexity from construction. By testing and refining solutions in real construction environments, we can improve productivity, quality, cost and resource use.
We develop and apply technology that can improve the way projects are conceived, designed, procured and delivered. From AI and predictive modelling to automation, robotics, digital procurement and new construction technologies, our focus is on practical solutions that improve productivity at every stage, not just construction.
Construction productivity will not be transformed by one piece of technology. It will come from hundreds of improvements across the entire delivery chain. We partner with technology leaders and apply new tools across our own projects to understand what genuinely improves delivery. Modern Methods of Delivery should influence far more than what happens on site, removing manual work, shifting complexity off site and creating more predictable outcomes.
We are using AI, automation and predictive models to help our teams process information faster, identify emerging risks and make better decisions earlier. From market forecasting and feasibility through to estimating, procurement, programme and project reporting, the opportunity is to move from simply reporting what has happened to anticipating what is likely to happen next. Our exploration of emerging technologies includes robotics and automation through Bedrock and RoboStrategy, digital procurement through ProcurePro, and reality capture and site intelligence through DroneDeploy.
McNab Insights brings together market research, industry data and real-world project intelligence to help our teams, customers and partners make better decisions earlier. We track the forces shaping construction and property so we can see risk sooner, identify opportunity and plan with greater confidence.
Construction and property decisions are made years before a project is delivered, so understanding what is coming matters. We analyse construction commencements, population growth, housing demand, infrastructure investment, sector activity and broader economic indicators to understand where future demand is likely to emerge. We also closely track labour, subcontractor capacity, materials, supply chains and construction cost escalation across our markets, helping customers make better decisions around timing, design, procurement and delivery strategy.
Data is most useful when it is connected to what is actually happening on the ground. McNab Insights combines independent market data with intelligence generated across our own projects, customers and supply chain to build a more complete view of the future. Insights from our construction, property, supply, trades and specialist businesses help us challenge forecasts, test assumptions and identify emerging constraints earlier. The value is not another report, but using better information to make earlier, more confident decisions.
Through McNab Ventures, we invest in emerging businesses and technologies with the potential to change how industries operate. We provide capital, industry experience and access to real-world environments, helping promising businesses prove, refine and scale ideas that can create meaningful long-term value.
Our approach is to invest in businesses with strong potential, support their development and connect them with the experience, resources and opportunities needed to grow. We look for ideas that challenge established ways of working, solve real problems and have the potential to deliver measurable improvements, whether in construction and property or other industries.
Our investments have ranged from being founding investors in Century Cricket to early backing of construction technology businesses such as ProcurePro. We also explore new delivery technologies, including innovations such as PARKD's prefabricated multi-storey car park systems, which demonstrate the potential to materially reduce construction time through off-site prefabrication and rapid assembly. The aim is not simply to invest in promising ideas, but to help turn them into commercially viable solutions with the potential to scale.
Our approach
Our ideas start with the challenges facing our project teams, customers and the broader industry. We focus on identifying opportunities, challenging conventional approaches and developing practical solutions that simplify processes, improve productivity and deliver measurable outcomes.
We bring together market intelligence, real-world project data and emerging technology to build a clearer picture of what lies ahead. By identifying risks sooner, testing scenarios and anticipating future conditions, we help our teams and customers make more informed decisions with greater confidence.
We invest in promising businesses, develop new products and technologies, and trial innovative solutions in real industry environments. By combining investment, specialist expertise and hands-on experience, we can prove what works, refine what doesn't and scale the solutions that create meaningful, long-term value.