Dr Alex Torku is the recipient of the 2025 Construction Innovation and Quality Scholarship, which is designed to provide an invaluable professional development opportunity for those working towards a career in construction management. 

I am a Lecturer in Construction Management, a Chartered Construction Manager (MCIOB), and the founder and leader of the Ageing Intervention Development Lab (AID Lab) at the School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds. My research vision is to advance equity, social justice, and inclusivity for ageing individuals within the construction industry and the broader built environment.

It is a genuine honour to collaborate with and receive support from CIOB through the Construction Innovation and Quality Scholarship in pursuit of this research vision. The proposed study, titled “Cultivating Empathy Among Construction Workers to Enhance Intergenerational Collaboration”, seeks to address a critical challenge facing the construction industry by fostering empathy as a means to improve teamwork across generational lines.

This research was proposed in response to a timely and significant demographic shift within the construction industry. As the workforce ages and younger generations enter the construction industry, fostering intergenerational understanding has become increasingly critical. In the absence of empathy and mutual respect, intergenerational teams—characterised by varying functional capabilities in a physically demanding construction environment—may experience friction rather than collaboration. This study aims to enhance intergenerational collaboration by cultivating empathy, a fundamental human capacity to understand and share the feelings of others.

This study explores how embodied age simulation can influence our understanding and feelings toward older construction workers. By immersing participants in a first-person simulation of ageing, the research aims to induce a deeper, more personal understanding of the challenges faced by older workers, thereby enhancing empathetic engagement. The project goes beyond merely simulating the ageing process—it seeks to cultivate a culture of empathy that values contributions across all generations, both on and off the construction site. By helping workers appreciate the lived experiences of their colleagues, the initiative aims to promote safer, more respectful, and more productive construction environments. Ultimately, this research will inform the development of an age simulation intervention programme designed to foster empathy among construction workers.

Interested parties, including construction companies that share this vision and are committed to making a real-world impact, are encouraged to get in touch with Dr Alex Torku ([email protected]) for further information on how they can contribute to this project and other initiatives within AID Lab.