This article is part of a blog series on Construction 4.0 technologies, exploring how they are changing the way we do business in the construction industry.

The technological revolution in the construction industry is now called construction 4.0. It is all about connectivity to improve the way we do business in the Architects, Engineers, Construction, and Operation (AECO) industry.

The previous revolution stages were:

• mechanization
• electrification
• automation.

What is Construction 4.0?

It shifts the construction industry towards greater digitization.

There is still no international consensus on what the concept of construction 4.0 really means. Here are some of the definitions we found the most relevant:

• the use of connectivity technologies everywhere to help real-time decision-making
• finding consistent and interdependent processes using new technologies in the construction industry
• meeting the industry’s current challenges to mitigate risks and reduce costs
• bringing connectivity between the physical space and the digital world through Building Information Modelling (BIM).

The technologies will gradually change the way we work, reducing waste by mixing the physical environment with its digital representation, to anticipate, at the design stage, the errors we normally discover during the construction stage which implicate costly reworks.

Construction 4.0 is an evolving innovative concept within the industry encompassing:

Prefabrication

To save time and money, more and more projects prefabricate sections of a building in warehouses before delivering them to a construction site.

For instance, using 3D printing allows you to design bespoke parts digitally and print them on a specific part of your construction.

Computing

BIM, laser scanning, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and immersive technologies can change the way you plan and design new structures in your projects.

3D simulations in virtual reality (VR) allow you to visualize, feel the space, and test a building before construction work begins. The information produced before the construction starts will allow you to speed up processes and improve the performance of the structures by easily:

• capturing data
• analyzing them
• storing them.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Construction is using sensors, robots, and drones to automate repetitive and hazardous tasks for higher safety on construction sites, and faster, more reliable processes than the ones in traditional methods.

The adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), allowing data exchange via software, sensors, and other technologies accelerates the completion of projects.

Associated Technologies

Construction 4.0's main technologies are:

• digital twins
• cloud computing
• immersive technology
• BIM.

Construction 4.0 revolution helps you to streamline and automate your entire project life cycle.

BIM models are used as digital twins to:

• replicate the physical product
• determine the constructability and profitability options (BIM 4D and 5D)
• make sure the construction is sustainable using analysis software
• interact with other technologies automating construction site processes.

At the design and construction phases, the interconnectivity of technologies is made of physical processes that manage a virtual counterpart of the physical world. It helps you to make decentralized decisions, using the cloud and the IoT, whilst your machines and your staff communicate and collaborate in real-time.

At the operational phase, BIM, IoT, and sensors help you to monitor the performance of the construction and implement an effective system for preventive maintenance management.

Construction 4.0 ramifications

It implies that a paradigm shift takes place in your organization including:

• integrating information, processes, knowledge, and people
• introducing new technologies, policies, and training.
• considering multidisciplinary prefabrication and Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) techniques
• involving manufacturers at the beginning of the supply chain (no longer at the end) to meet increasingly complex design demands
• opening interconnection to enable decentralized decision-making in a context of greater integration.

Importance of data.

Data production and management is a crucial part of construction 4.0 success and requires new business models.

You cannot only rely on data and information traditionally generated during the design and execution of construction projects. You will have to include the data needed at the operation stage.

The data speed and amount of information coming from sensors and other systems require that you use new platforms to analyze, interpret, and connect them to the existing business platforms.

The above will allow you to provide new services and innovative products that connect your construction site with smart factories, and smart designs, to build smart constructions and cities.

Embracing digitization.

It will depend on the digitalization maturity of your organization to decide which tools you need to implement to complete your transformation.

Innovation comes so rapidly that you need to monitor their evolution closely, to make sure that you are using the right tools and methodologies, and that you are ready to use them.

Before making decisions to move forward you should ask yourself the following questions:

• Will the technology we want to introduce help us to reduce wastage and duplication?
• Will the processes we automate help us to control quality, time, and budget on our projects?
• Will the new management system help us to improve our bottom line as well as our reputation?
• Will we gain in competitivity in such a narrow margins market?
• What security do we need to protect ourselves from cyber-attacks?

What are the benefits of Construction 4.0?

Save time and money

BIM allows projects to:

• be planned adequately
• be scoped appropriately to avoid inefficiencies and delays
• improve decision making
• cut down on waste
• save time and money by reducing error
• improve margins
• increase the speed of output.

Improve standards and productivity.

Process automation using digital technologies brings higher quality results, and production is more consistent and efficient.

Improve sustainability

Constructing smart assets require the use of technology to:

• allow better and more efficient use of resources
• create comfortable, safe, and sustainable spaces with the Internet of Things sensors, building management systems, artificial intelligence
• analyze the weather conditions by collecting real-time data to lower energy consumption by optimizing lighting and air conditioning systems
• avoid wasting water by installing sensors to manage the piping system.
• link decentralized devices and energy sources, such as solar panels and microgrids to reduce power sources.
• reduce waste to enhance energy delivery and efficiency.

For example, you can 3D print entire homes created with all types of different materials. Maine University’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) recently shared details on what it’s calling the world’s first 3D-printed home, entirely recyclable and made of bio-based materials:

• all-natural wood fibers
• bio-friendly resins.

Improve site safety

• automation reduces the number of accidents for workers
• augmented and virtual reality can reduce the dangers of hazardous site inspections
• increase collaboration and improve communication preventing casualties.

Reduce risks

Building a digital twin and reviewing the design progress using VR, before construction starts, make the decision process easier and reduce the risk of costly reworks, decreasing financial and reputational risks to clients and contractors.

Involving facility managers during the design stage will improve the efficiency of your construction and predict future maintenance programs reducing unforeseen malfunction during the use of the building.

What are the challenges facing Construction 4.0?

Some barriers should be removed before construction 4.0 is embraced more widely.

Top 10 construction technology challenges.

A survey in the UK found that system integration issues, out-of-date devices, platforms that are not aligning processes across a company, and outdated software, explain most of the everyday challenges of the construction industry.

This is prejudicial and causes a potential loss of income.

The challenges are:

1. Understanding new capabilities of systems (27%)
2. Out-of-date software (26%)
3. Workload management issues (22%)
4. Manual updates (20%)
5. Technology skills gap (20%)
6. Limited functionality of tools (19%)
7. Software updates (18%)
8. Data accuracy manual entry (18%)
9. Processing speed (17%)
10. Integration issues (16%)

Employment Opportunity

Construction 4.0 will help reduce the repetitive and hazardous tasks, found in the construction industry, replacing many traditional, skilled jobs.

Trade staff will have to be re-trained to concentrate their effort on more rewarding and less dangerous jobs.

The performances of the architects and engineers will be enhanced, so they can focus on more advantageous offsite technologies rather than onsite construction.

Investment

Construction 4.0 requires money upfront to invest in new digital technologies. This could be a barrier to construction companies, especially for the small ones as it could impair their possibilities to compete with the larger ones.

New companies offering “technologies as a service”, to smaller companies unable to afford the initial investment, will appear on the market, to offset this hurdle.

Coaching and Training

Every new technology implementation requires that your staff learn new skills. You will have to train your workforce before you introduce digital modernization in your company.

When the technology is in place you will have to coach them on how to use the new software and machines.

You may also have to recruit new people or provide your existing workforce with education on BIM management and modeling.

Universities and training providers will have to design new programs to respond to these new requirements.

Resistance to change.

Change resistance in the construction industry is a big barrier to implementing a construction 4.0 strategy, so you will have to distinctly spell out the benefits of the new processes you want to implement. You also should describe what is in it for your employees if you want them to adapt to the new improvements as a team.

In Conclusion

2023 appears to be a great year for construction. Be ready to embrace the change and get more opportunities.

The worldwide main requirements are:

• Improving infrastructures
• Reducing the housing shortages
• Creating sustainable buildings and smart cities.

Re-inventing your portfolio offering will help you to respond to the new requirements in construction 4.0.

The improvements you should expect from the implementation of construction 4.0 are:

• increased synergies
• new competitive advantage and knowledge
• higher profitability
• shorter life cycles
• more recurring revenue from non-construction activities.

Investment requirements can be high in your diversification and will involve risks such as the burden of debt so be careful in your venture.

Construction is an industry in constant evolution. So you must:

• continue to invest in technology if you want to survive
• explore new ways to grow
• make strategic decisions in strategic diversification.

Our technology diagnostic looks at the best way to incorporate new technology into your workflows and how to move your organization to cloud computing so you can open up new possibilities for your daily planning tasks and make sure your data never leaves the optimally secured data center.

The technology appraisal report will help you to explore what investment is required to improve your projects’ productivity and collaboration as well as the ROI you can expect.

Implementing BIM can be daunting, but Driving Vision is here to help you at the pace you are comfortable with. Get started by getting in touch now