Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate two current transformation processes in the construction industry: the adoption of a novel material, cross-laminated timber (CLT), and the ...enhancement of digital transformation. This paper depicts the actors and interaction in the business network that is emerging around CLT construction and, in particular, how digital transformation (that is, the deployment of Construction 4.0 solutions) occurs in this business network.
Design/methodology/approach
Digital transformation is a relatively new phenomenon in CLT construction, and the authors, therefore, adopt a qualitative inductive research approach and rely on semi-structured interviews.
Findings
The findings of this paper suggest that it is critical for actors to adopt an interorganizational perspective in CLT construction, instead of only focusing on internal operations. An interorganizational perspective supports successful CLT construction, as well as the deployment of Construction 4.0 solutions. This will bring about the benefits of digital transformation in the construction industry.
Research limitations/implications
This paper investigates the network created around CLT construction in Finland but more generally illustrates the change toward Construction 4.0 solutions.
Practical implications
For managers, this paper explicates the importance of networking, instead of focusing on the internal development of the company, when adopting novel solutions emerging from both construction and information technology-related advancements.
Originality/value
Stability and traditions are characteristic of the construction industry. New technical solutions and materials, together with calls for sustainability, have challenged the traditional ways of constructing, and for example, the development of CLT construction has led to an emergence of new business networks. This material-related process and the ongoing digital transformation of business form an interesting context for an empirical-based analysis of changing interaction and networks. This paper gives the first insights into how digital transformation can benefit the evolution of the network.
Purpose
Based on the systematic literature review, this paper aims to propose a framework of Construction 4.0 (C4.0) scenarios, identifying Industry 4.0 (I4.0) enabling technologies and their ...applications in the construction industry. The paper reviews C4.0 trends and potential areas for development.
Design/methodology/approach
In this research, a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology has been applied, including bibliographic coupling analysis (BCA), co-citation network analysis of keywords, the content analysis with the visualisation of similarities (VOSviewer) software and aggregative thematic analysis (ATA). In total, 170 articles from the top 22 top construction journals in the Scopus database between 2013 and 2021 were analysed.
Findings
Six C4.0 scenarios of applications were identified. Out of nine I4.0 technology domains, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Cloud Computing, Big Data and Analytics had the most references in C4.0 research, while applications of augmented/virtual reality, vertical and horizontal integration and autonomous robotics yet provide ample avenues for the future applied research. The C4.0 application scenarios include efficient energy usage, prefabricated construction, sustainability, safety and environmental management, indoor occupant comfort and efficient asset utilisation.
Originality/value
This research contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a framework of C4.0 scenarios revealing the status quo of research published in the top construction journals into I4.0 technology applications in the sector. The framework evaluates current C4.0 research trends and gaps in relation to nine I4.0 technology domains as compared with more advanced industry sectors and informs academic community, practitioners and strategic policymakers with interest in C4.0 trends.
This paper presents a systematic review of Construction 4.0 in the context of the building information modeling (BIM) 4.0 premise. It comprises a review of the industry in the pre-fourth industrial ...revolution (4IR) age, the current and anticipated development of the 4IR, Construction 4.0’s origin and applications, and the synergy of its main drivers, i.e., the synergy of BIM with the internet of things (IoT) and big data (BD). The main aim of the paper is to determine the Construction 4.0 drivers and to what extent are they initialized by the 4IR, their development and their synergy with BIM, and the direction of BIM’s implementation in the construction phase. It was found that the main drivers of Construction 4.0, which originated from the 4IR, are BIM, IoT, and BD, but with specific implementations. The results of the analysis of BIM with IoT and/or BD revealed that the integrative approaches combining the aforementioned drivers show signs of project enhancement by providing significant benefits, such as improved real-time monitoring, data exchange and analysis, construction planning, and modeling. Furthermore, it was revealed that the main drivers are mostly applied in the project’s preconstruction phase, which is continuously developing and becoming more automated. The state-of-the-art review presented in this paper suggests that BIM is in transition, adopting Construction 4.0 to become BIM 4.0.
Durante el año 2020, la normativa de la emergencia sanitaria obligó a las universidades a impartir la docencia bajo la modalidad de enseñanza a distancia, lo que representó un desafío en el diseño de ...cursos que requieren una alta efectividad. El propósito de este trabajo es presentar las estrategias que se aplicaron con éxito durante la enseñanza y aprendizaje de las herramientas de gestión del diseño de un proyecto de edificación, implementadas en un curso de la maestría en Ingeniería Civil de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú. La metodología consideró el efecto de la Pandemia del Covid-19 y tuvo como objetivo desarrollar habilidades blandas y empleabilidad, para lo cual se propuso un uso equilibrado de plataformas colaborativas virtuales, así como software para videoconferencia y laboratorios. Por otro lado, durante esta asignatura, los estudiantes desarrollaron una propuesta de planificación y gestión integrada de la fase de diseño utilizando herramientas de guías y directrices de sistemas de gestión de proyectos. Bajo este marco, se analizó la participación de los interesados, la toma de decisiones multicriterio, el desarrollo de los entregables del diseño del proyecto y la secuencia del proyecto. El éxito de esta metodología se refleja en la alta calidad de los trabajos y exposiciones finales, el resultado de las encuestas realizadas -eficacia del 99%-, y en las oportunidades de mejora detectadas. Se diseñó e implementó una asignatura no presencial flexible y exitosa, que podría adaptarse a la modalidad Blended Learning.AbstractDuring the year 2020, the sanitary emergency norm forced universities to teach under the remote learning method, representing a challenge of designing courses that require high effectiveness. The purpose of this work is to present the strategies that were successfully applied during the teaching and learning of design management tools for a building project, implemented in a course of the Civil Engineering master of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. The methodology considered the effect of the Covid-19 Pandemic and had as objective to develop soft skills and employability, for which a balanced use of virtual collaborative platforms as well as software was proposed for videoconference and laboratories. On the other hand, during this subject, students developed a proposal for integrated planning and management of the design phase using tools of norms and guidelines of construction management systems. Under this framework, the participation of stakeholders, multicriteria decision making, development of project design deliverables and project sequence was analyzed. The success of this methodology is reflected in the high quality of final papers and expositions, the result of surveys taken - effectiveness of 99%-, and in the improvement opportunities detected. A flexible and successful non-face to face subject was designed and implemented, which could be adapted to the Blended Learning modality.
At present, the smart city offers the most desired state of urban development, encompassing, as it does, the concept of sustainable development. The creation of a smart city is closely associated ...with upgrading the construction industry to encompass many emerging concepts and technologies, such as Construction 4.0, with its roots in Industry 4.0, and the deployment of building information modeling (BIM) as an essential tool for the construction industry. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the current state of the art and development trajectory of the multidisciplinary integration of Construction 4.0, Industry 4.0, BIM, and sustainable construction in the context of the smart city. It is the first attempt in the literature to use both macro-quantitative analysis and micro-qualitative analysis methods to investigate this multidisciplinary research topic. By using the visual bibliometric tool, VOSviewer, and based on macro keyword co-occurrence, this paper is the first to reveal the five keyword-constructed schemes, research hotspots, and development trends of the smart city, Construction 4.0, Industry 4.0, BIM, and sustainable construction, from 2014 to 2021 (a period of eight years). Additionally, the top 11 productive subject areas have been identified with the help of VOSviewer software keyword-clustering analysis and application. Furthermore, the whole-building life cycle is considered as an aid to identifying research gaps and trends, providing suggestions for future research with the assistance of an upgraded version of BIM, namely, city information modeling (CIM) and the future integration of Industry 5.0 and Construction 5.0, or even of Industry Metaverse with Construction Metaverse.
•Making robotic programming accessible to more than just software developers.•Solving problems related to using Visual Programming Languages.•Applying software design patterns to robotic ...workflows.•Reusable, maintainable, stable and performance optimal parametric models.
Visual Programming Language (VPL) is utilized with increasing frequency in Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industries to accomplish tasks relating to advanced geometry and complex designs. In recent developments, VPLs have gained traction in robotic research, where they are being explored as a good tool for robotic programming. While visual programming holds several key advantages justifying this attention, it comes with key limitations for developing commercial-grade robotic applications. Such applications need to be easily maintainable, stable and performance optimal to be able to succeed in the market. In this paper, we argue that the situation with regard to visual programming is similar to that of textual programming from 1960s. The universally adopted strong abstraction mechanisms vastly improved the condition for the latter. We then proceed to propose the utilization of software design patterns as a method to overcome some of the existing challenges faced by adopters of VPLs. Six novel design patterns are introduced, and their application is exemplified by industrial software development case studies.
This study contributes to the understanding of Construction 4.0 (C4.0) adoption in developing countries, with a specific focus on the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Due to a lack of innovative ...methods in construction, developing nations struggle to promote sustainability. To cover this research gap, prior studies have addressed the critical success factors (CSFs) and motivations but neglected the complexity and interconnections of CSFs. This study proposes a Fuzzy Delphi - Analytic Hierarchy Process analysis to discern the most influential factors for successful C4.0 adoption. The results underscore that the motivation to reduce the use of natural resources and establish an effective logistics network supersedes cost-related considerations. Collaboration, information sharing, and strategic management emerge as pivotal CSFs. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners aiming to promote sustainable construction practices through C4.0 technology in a developing context.
On October 29th the workshop corresponding to the mid-term conference of BIM4EEB (Acronym of BIM Based Toolkit for Efficient rEnovation in Buildings, Horizon Project under grant agreement N. 820660 ) ...project was held during the Sustainable Places 2020 event. The main focus of the workshop was a general introduction of the project combined with vertical insights on the single tools that have been developed or are still in development. BIM4EEB grows from simple consideration: according to a BPIE analysis on EPC data, about 97% of building stock, currently not in A level, must be upgraded to achieve 2030 decarbonization objectives. As the biggest energy consumers, buildings consume about 40% of energy and they are responsible for 36% of CO2—they are strategic in order to reach the set of environmental goals and subjected to renovation and refurbishment during their lifecycle according to a specific schedule. Refurbishment becomes the crucial point of sustainability not only in construction but also in the environment in general for the coming years. The BIM4EEB project focuses on implementing a complete BIM (Building Information Modelling)-based toolkit to be adopted in the renovation of existing residential buildings to make the flow of information efficient, to enhance communication and data transfer decreasing intervention working time while improving building performances, quality, and comfort for inhabitants. The platform that controls all the tools developed for the best performance of renovation is BIMMS (Acronym of Building Information Modelling Management System platform), namely a management system linked to an operational and multifunctional toolkit for different AEC stakeholders, offering tools for increasing the adoption of BIM in renovation businesses based on an interoperable flow of information. During the workshop, six development tools have been explored in addition to the BIM Management System: BIM4EEB Fast Mapping of Buildings Toolkit, BIM4EEB BIMeaser tool, BIM4EEB BIM4Occupants tool, BIM4EEB Auteras tool, BIM4EEB BIMcpd tool, and BIM4EEB BIMPlanner tool
Most studies either addressed the technical gaps or adopted technological strategies to enable construction automation and digitalization. However, the cybersecurity implications of such technologies ...received little attention. Existing cybersecurity studies from other domains cannot be directly adopted because examining the overall security, existence, and spread of vulnerability in a construction network requires comprehensive knowledge of the construction participants and processes. To address these gaps, this study a) proposes an agent-based vulnerability assessment framework and b) presents an example focusing on the interactions between a contractor and a 3D printing system to show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed framework. It is expected that the proposed framework and the results from the example will raise more awareness about the cybersecurity implications in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry and construction research community. Future work aims to quantify the vulnerability scores of individual participants and construction networks.
•A framework is proposed to investigate cyber vulnerabilities of construction networks.•It captures dynamic and complex interactions among various construction participants.•Validated through interactions between a contractor and a 3D printing system.•Results could assist construction stakeholders cyber risk and management.•Study will raise awareness in the construction community.
Construction industry nowadays is facing several key issues as the likes of cost and time overruns and unstable business environment which lead to suppressed profitability, quality, and stakeholder ...satisfaction. Studies have suggested, an improved Supply Chain Management (SCM) towards Sustainable Supply Chain (SSCM) could help in this regard, however there are barriers observed to its implementation in the construction industry. Building Information Modelling (BIM) too is considered a positive disrupter in the construction industry due to the potential in its applications, and one of such potential is improving the SCM. However, similar to SCM, adoption of BIM faces several barriers. Preliminary review suggests that some of its barriers could be resolved by integrating with Blockchain, another disruptor stemming from Industry 4.0. Hence, this paper attempts to assess how the synergy of BIM and blockchain would improve the SCM of the construction industry. For that purpose, through a systematic literature review, the paper structures the barriers of SCM, and barriers and benefits of BIM and blockchain in construction industry across the dimensions of Socio-technical, Industrial, Organizational, Financial, Legal and Institutional, and Sustainability, and conceptually maps the barriers and benefits to identify their collective impact on SCM. From this study it was found that with the help of Blockchain integration, there are a number of potential synergies that may solve critical inherent issues in both BIM and SCM, such as reluctance of information sharing and trust, sustainability concerns and safety, leading to positive cumulative impact on SCM. However, it was also recognized that there can be negative as well as neutral cumulative impacts on areas such as cost, and lack of personnel, knowledge and institutional support that can lead to an opposite impact.
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