BoKlok Research and Development Manager receives extended professorship at Stanford

BoKlok Research and Development Manager Jerker Lessing has received an extension for his role as adjunct professor at Stanford University.

Jerker Lessing, Research and Development Manager at BoKlok, has had a partnership with Stanford University since 2013. Initially Jerker Lessing was a visiting researcher and lecturer however, since 2017 he has been an adjunct professor within civil and environmental engineering. This new extension of his professorship will run until August 2022.

During his time at Stanford University, Jerker Lessing has created and developed the class Industrialized construction for research and graduate students.Approximately 20 students attend the class every year, with backgrounds ranging from construction management to sustainable design, business school and design school. The students that attend the class are from all over the globe, which creates a very special atmosphere according to Jerker.

- It’s such a privilege to meet all these students and get the chance to teach and inspire them. When I hear back from some of them and I hear that they’ve started companies, or have come up with these amazing innovative ideas in their home countries, it feels great to have contributed a little to their knowledge and ability to change the construction industry. That’s truly an opportunity to spark some change around the world, Jerker Lessing says.

Other than the above class, during his time at Stanford Jerker Lessing has also studied many companies in the U.S. as part of his research. In addition to creating and developing the Industrialized Construction Forum, a global academia-industry conference attracting attendees from across the world.

The very first conference was held in 2014, with a small group in a lecture hall at Stanford. he seventh conference will be held this year as a two-day digital event, with several hundred attendees expected.

BoKlok CEO Jonas Spangenberg is to give a speech at the conference and will be surrounded by great company with representatives from companies and universities worldwide. In attendance will be Michelle Kaufmann (Head of Built Environment at Google) and Zhang Yue (CEO of Broad Construction Group, China) to name a few.

- I hold innovative, industrialised and sustainable construction close to my heart. The Industrialized Construction Forum, as well as my class at Stanford, is a great way to discuss and share knowledge that could lead to a more sustainable construction industry, says Jerker Lessing.

For BoKlok, Jerker Lessing’s professorship and international network has played a significant role in the company’s ambition to be a globally recognised actor within the areas of industrialised, sustainable and innovative construction. Over the years, students and professors from Stanford have visited BoKlok in Sweden to learn more about the business. Student interns have done projects and case studies for and about BoKlok, which are being used at both Stanford Business School and Stanford School of Engineering.

Being connected to Stanford in this way is also a way for BoKlok to be kept updated on innovations that take place in different areas. This is due to the creative nature of the university, which has its base in California and Silicon Valley.

Jerker Lessing has a PhD from the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden, with focus on the strategic aspects of industrialised construction. Jerker has been Head of Research & Development at BoKlok since 2015.