The construction industry doesn't have an innovation problem. It has an understanding problem.
Every conversation on Wired to Build goes deeper than the tool, the trend, or the technology — into the systems behind the project, the humans shaping them, and the friction that makes both of them real.
Nick Caravella is a registered architect and construction technologist who left working in the industry to work on it.
If you've ever stood in the middle of a project and thought there has to be a better way to understand this — you're in the right place.
Wired to Build is powered by Avicado
Why Floating Data Centers Are the Future of AI | Cooling, Brownfields, and Modular Power with Gabe Andrews
Building massive data centers on land is running into a wall.
Campuses sprawl for miles, local power grids are tapped out, and neighbors don't want their water supplies drained.
The practical workaround isn't trying to build even bigger footprints on dirt—it's moving directly to the water.
In this episode of Wired to Build, Nick Caravella (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcaravella/) catches up with Gabe Andrews (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabeandrews/), Chief Delivery Officer at Mousterian (https://www.mousterian.com/).
Gabe brings over 25 years of field experience across combat arms and mission-critical construction, now leading the push for purpose-built floating data centers.
Gabe breaks down how barge-mounted facilities actually work and why fears of "boiling the ocean" miss the mark.
Instead of burning through treated drinking water, these vessels borrow non-potable, brackish water using open-loop heat exchange systems that industrial plants have relied on for decades.
Stacking these systems vertically cuts the physical footprint by 25% and slashes raw materials like steel and copper by up to 60%.
They also dig into borrowing fixes from outside the tech bubble, including how trauma ERs cut patient mortality by adopting Formula 1 pit crew routines.
Gabe explains why designing for predictable failure points makes equipment easier to maintain, how floating assets de-risk abandoned industrial brownfields, and why Small Modular Reactors are the real endgame for clean baseload power.
This is Part 2 of a two-part conversation.
If you missed Gabe’s take on high-risk operational tolerance and his path through critical facilities, check out Part 1 first.
Listen to Part 1 here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/7EUiJjxfY0TLpPxLSLCFKy?si=5c5d595bc3ee4397).
Guest:
Gabe Andrews (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabeandrews/) – Chief Delivery Officer at Mousterian
Resources & Tools Mentioned:
Mousterian – Next-generation digital infrastructure developer pioneering purpose-built floating data centers and sustainable brownfield revitalization.
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) – Next-generation compact nuclear reactors providing dedicated, carbon-free baseload power to bypass grid congestion.
Open-Loop Heat Rejection – Proven thermal exchange technology borrowing industrial/brackish water to cool systems without chemical additives.
15 Oct 2026
25-Years of Data Center Evolution | Military Mindset, High Risk, and Mission-Critical Scale with Gabe Andrews
The infrastructure race has escalated beyond standard builds. Projects that used to measure capacity in 100-kilowatt blocks now demand full gigawatts, pushing grid reliability, land availability, and operational playbooks to their absolute limits.
In this episode of Wired to Build (https://youtube.com/@wired_to_build?si=PPh7GNK-UU8u0XYq), host Nick Caravella (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcaravella?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android) sits down with Gabe Andrews (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabeandrews?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android), Chief Delivery Officer at Mousterian (https://www.mousterian.com/). Bringing over 25 years of hands-on data center delivery experience alongside a combat arms military background, Gabe has guided mission-critical programs across design, construction, commissioning, and operations through every major technological transformation in modern infrastructure.
Gabe breaks down the 25-year evolution of data center delivery, tracking the journey from answering support lines at APC with zero tech background to pioneering modular deployments and early liquid cooling long before they became table stakes. He shares how a combat arms mindset built an exceptionally high tolerance for operational risk, why getting reprimanded for "not overreacting" proved to be his greatest crisis asset, and how leaning into curiosity and asking basic questions uncovers solutions when no playbook exists.
The discussion also dives into Mousterian’s strategy to bypass community backlash and grid bottlenecks by reactivating industrial brownfields—transforming decommissioned mills, petrochemical facilities, and steel plants with existing power and water access into future-proof digital engines. Gabe explains why real innovation demands an agile craft instead of an bureaucratic aircraft carrier, setting the stage for what comes next.
This is Part 1 of a 2-part conversation. In Part 2, Gabe and Nick take on Mousterian’s most controversial and disruptive frontier: floating data centers.
Guest:
Gabe Andrews – Chief Delivery Officer at Mousterian (LinkedIn Profile)
Resources & Companies Mentioned:
Mousterian – Data center developer focused on brownfield site revitalization, cutting-edge cooling systems, and next-generation mission-critical infrastructure.
APC (American Power Conversion / Schneider Electric) – Power and physical infrastructure provider where early modular and transportable data center systems were pioneered.
DICE (Data Center Investment Conference & Expo) – Leading industry summit convening digital infrastructure developers, operators, and capital investors.
Avicado – Founding sponsor of Wired to Build, helping capital project owners and delivery teams connect technology strategy with field execution (visit avicado.com (www.avicado.com)).
2 Oct 2026
Can Robots Actually Dig Dirt? | The Reality of Autonomous Excavators and Field Buy-In with Rachael Ferrera
Most construction robotics look great in a controlled pitch deck, but put them on an active highway project with unpredictable conditions and the illusion quickly falls apart.
Real jobsite autonomy isn't about replacing the workforce; it’s about unlocking capacity in an industry where 40% of the labor pool is retiring within the next five years.
In this episode of Wired to Build (https://www.linkedin.com/company/wired-to-build), host Nick Caravella (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickcaravella/) sits down with Rachael Ferrera (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-ferrera-58b5167/), Manager of Investments and Ideation at Zachry Corporation (https://www.zachrycorp.com/). A civil engineer who spent nearly two decades inside Zachry moving through estimating, enterprise ERP overhauls, and corporate document management, Rachael now connects heavy civil operations with emerging technologies and strategic investments.
Rachael reveals the story of Zachry's deployment of Bedrock Robotics' (https://bedrockrobotics.com/) autonomous excavators—moving from an initial panel meeting to executed agreements and hardware installation on an active machine in under a week. She breaks down why autonomy requires a fundamental shift away from prescribed "Roomba-style" site automation toward true machine learning, LiDAR processing, and Waymo-grade engineering capable of handling complex interactions between autonomous machines and human crews.
We also explore the operational realities of introducing frontier tech to boots-on-the-ground operators. Rachael details why field buy-in cannot be achieved through top-down mandates, sharing how sitting in pickup trucks with skeptical foremen, actively listening to survey teams, and creating rapid feedback loops is the true secret sauce to preventing pilot fatigue and building tech that actually survives the jobsite.
This is Part 2 of a 2-part conversation. If you missed our breakdown of Zachry’s internal systems, operational overhauls, and early-stage startup alignment, make sure to catch Part 1.
Watch Part 1 here: https://youtu.be/3PMQogR_yO8 (https://youtu.be/3PMQogR_yO8)
Guest:
Rachael Ferrera – Manager of Investments and Ideation at Zachry Corporation
Resources & Tools Mentioned:
Bedrock Robotics – Autonomous heavy civil excavation and yellow iron robotics built on advanced machine learning and autonomy systems.
Trimble Business Center – Survey and field data management software used to model surfaces and drive stringless machine control.
Prime Points – AI platform creating knowledge graphs from construction plans and specs to query documents, extract RFIs, and automate submittals.
SmartPM – Automated schedule analysis platform optimizing CPM scheduling performance and project risk management.
Planera – Visual, collaborative CPM scheduling and planning software built for construction project teams.
ALICE Technologies – AI-driven construction optioneering and schedule simulation platform.
Nodes & Links – Project controls and scheduling risk-mitigation tool powered by machine learning.
Ruckit (Pit Ticket Pro / Command Alkon) – Digital ticketing and material-tracking platform streamlining field receipt matching and cost controls.
Avicado – Founding sponsor of Wired to Build, partnering with capital owners and delivery teams to align tech investment with real outcomes (learn more at avicado.com (https://avicado.com/?utm_source=gemini)).
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
17,118
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
73
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
60
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