S1E5 – No Dev, No Problem: How a Civil Engineer Coded His Own Automation Tool for Stormwater Modelling using AI (w/ Sebastian Masset)

What happens when a civil engineer decides to stop waiting for better tools and builds one himself? In this episode, Owen Keenan talks with Sebastian Masset, the creator of HECFlow, a Python-based automation tool for stormwater modelling in HEC-HMS.They explore how Sebastian transitioned from spreadsheets to scripting, what role AI played in the process, and how any engineer can start bridging the gap between domain expertise and software.⏱ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to Engineering Tools00:11 Meet Sebastian Masset: Civil Engineer and Innovator02:21 Sebastian's Journey into Engineering05:01 Challenges in Stormwater Management07:27 The Rational Method and Modern Solutions09:30 Sebastian's Software Journey14:49 Building the Automation Tool17:24 Technical Deep Dive into HECFlow21:42 Experimenting with File Structures22:13 Using AI as a Co-Pilot23:32 Building and Automating HECFlow25:50 Challenges and Learnings in Coding32:16 The Future of AI in Engineering39:13 Advice for Engineers on Building Tools42:11 Conclusion and Final Thoughts👉 Subscribe to the Structural Intelligence Podcast on Spotify and YouTube to stay updated on new episodes.