Episode 113 - How Software Leaders See the Future of Structural Engineering

From The Structural Engineering Podcast by Zach and Max

May 27, 2026 · 28 min · Season 7

About this episode

The episode explores the future of structural engineering software with insights from industry leaders on challenges and advancements.

In this episode, we dig into the future of structural engineering software with the North American CEO and Chief Product Officer of IDEA StatiCa.We talk through why connection design is such a difficult problem to solve digitally, where traditional spreadsheets and simplified checks can fall short, and how engineers can balance speed, analytical rigor, and judgment. The conversation also covers AI, automation, interoperability, software adoption, and what skills young engineers need to build as structural design workflows continue to evolve.Guest Profile:Stephanie Bourgeois Kennard is the North American CEO of IDEA StatiCa, bringing a leadership perspective on software adoption, customer needs, and how structural engineering workflows are evolving across the industry.Vojtěch Chalupa is the Chief Product Officer at IDEA StatiCa, where he helps guide product strategy and development for tools used by structural engineers around the world. His work focuses on improving connection design workflows, interoperability, and practical software solutions for real-world engineering problems.Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by IDEA StatiCa.Download the latest version of IDEA StatiCa…

People in this episode

Hosts: Zach, Max

Guests: Stephanie Bourgeois Kennard, Vojtěch Chalupa

Topics covered

structural engineering
software development
AI
automation
interoperability
engineering education

Keywords

structural engineering
software
connection design
AI
automation
engineering workflows
IDEA StatiCa

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Engineering Podcast

More episodes of The Structural Engineering Podcast

Episode 114 - Yielding for a Better Brace · May 27, 2026 · 1h 0m
Episode 112 – Good Connections Make Great Structures · May 17, 2026 · 53 min
Episode 111 - Can Glass Really Be Structural? · May 17, 2026 · 1h 13m
Episode 110 - Venues Aren’t “Just Code”: Vibration, Rigging & Mall Reuse · May 17, 2026 · 1h 8m
Episode 109 – How Coastal Structures Hold Back the Ocean · May 17, 2026 · 1h 1m
Episode 108 - What LEGO Can Teach Structural Engineers · May 17, 2026 · 53 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Structural Engineering Podcast podcast page.