Rather than playing with toys, Joseph Yau spent his childhood taking them apart and reassembling them into his own original gadgets. “I think most people are born with a motivation to build things,” says the managing director of DPR Construction, Asia Pacific. “My father recognised this and guided me towards engineering.” He is living his dream now, heading the regional office of one of the biggest construction management firms in the US. Managing projects in Silicon Valley, including the construction of Palo Alto Medical Foundation, has inspired him to introduce innovative digital technologies and processes to the design and construction industry, thus increasing work productivity. He explains, “If we can begin institutionalising the new digital processes at the foundational stage of design and construction, the digital by-products feed elegantly upwards into the national sustainability and smart nation agendas.” The years spent in the field on construction sites have earned him respect despite being in an industry that traditionally rewards seniority. To counter work stress, Joseph turns to hitting baseballs in the batting cages.