The construction industry is stuck; digitization offers a solution
New technology, such as AI, is helping the construction sector move forward. But to make a real impact, the new tools must be integrated into existing processes. And that's still tricky.
The challenges the construction industry faces are mounting. More homes need to be built, while the sector can count on fewer workers. Moreover, there are increasingly stringent sustainability requirements for buildings. The standards to be met have to do not only with sustainable construction, but also with sustainable use. “Efficiency is the key word,” says Deniz Tuzcuoglu, lecturer and researcher at the Department of Built Environment at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and member of the Domain Acceleration Team (DAT) Digitalization of 4TU.Built Environment. “We need to improve processes so that we use people, resources, and materials more efficiently.”
Tuzcuoglu researches various technologies that can enhance our work environment in a building. Consider, for example, indoor climate and energy consumption. In doing so, she takes the (individual) preferences of users as a starting point. In her research, she collaborates with the municipalities of Almere, Amsterdam, and Eindhoven, among others.
She also teaches students, not only in the Department of the Built Environment but also in the Department of Psychology and Technology. For example, she looks at how the design of the built environment can be explored through virtual environments. In doing so, she also studies the influence of elements such as spatial layout, lighting and the use of color on people's well-being and their personal perception of space, emotional responses and preferences.
Integrating new tools
Several tools have been developed to improve the construction and operation of buildings, making them more sustainable. For example, Building Information Modeling (BIM) maps the most essential information about buildings. Or the emergence of digital twins that enable the simulation of entire cities. Thus, planning work and calculating the impact of changes before construction begins is easier. That saves time and money.
"The past few years have been all about developing tools to improve the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings. But technology alone is not enough. To make construction more efficient and sustainable, we need to integrate these solutions into existing work processes. That is the biggest challenge today," Tuzcuoglu states.
The integration of various digital tools was a key theme at 4TU.Built Environment's research day on digitization in construction, organized by the DAT Digitalization. 4TU is a partnership between the four technical universities in the Netherlands. Digitization is one of the domains for which a Domain Acceleration Team (DAT) has been established. In addition to the universities, fourteen universities of applied sciences are part of this team. Each year, they organize a research day together to exchange knowledge, set up collaborations, and gain inspiration. This year's research day took place at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen.
Approachable consultation
The researchers examined topics such as sensor technology, AI, digital twins, and virtual reality, among others. Tuzcuoglu: "This day provides new contacts outside your university, and it’s a lot more accessible than large international conferences. By discussing different technologies and perspectives on the built environment, you also come up with new ideas for your research."
Digitalization creates change
Saskia Hesselink was one of the keynote speakers at the annual research day. She is a policy maker for energy transition in the built environment at the Ministry of Housing and Planning (Volkshuisvesting en Ruimtelijke Ordening, VRO) where innovation in construction is a key theme. "We cannot continue in construction as we have always done. This way, we won't achieve the goals (related to housing construction and sustainability, ed.)," Hesselink said. Digitalization is vital in this transition, she argues. “Investing in individual tools is the role of the market; the government plays a role in the area where market mechanisms have a hard time solving it: it's about company and chain-transcending cooperation.”
Digital System Building Environment
The Ministry of VRO is committed to digital collaboration in construction. To do so, it has given a grant to the digiGO foundation to create an agreement system for safe and reliable data sharing in the design, construction, and engineering sectors. "This is a set of agreements to exchange data and collaborate digitally. It should ensure more transparency and therefore innovation in construction," Hesselink clarified. The Digital System for the Built Environment (DSGO) was developed with a €10 million grant and more than €5 million in in-kind contributions from the sector. The system is now in use and embraced by many parties in the sector. “It is not a static product, but is constantly being developed based on the needs of users,” Hesselink said.
According to the policy officer, the input from the sector is essential. "The government can impose certain standards in processing data, but then you often encounter resistance. We want to develop a model that is so obvious that everyone wants to use it. Then, we don't have to impose anything," Hesselink explains. She hopes the data system will be common for data sharing in the industry by 2030.
Increase transparency
Hesselink notes that the government's plan aligns with the researchers' thinking. "For instance, one student presented his research on a common data environment for building owners during the research day. This is a space for gathering all information about a building, from insulation values to power consumption," Hesselink said. “It would be nice if we could also link this kind of data back to a national facility for building data.” Ultimately, this also affects private homeowners and, more broadly, building users. "Now, data on, for example, the creation of your energy label is not insightful for homeowners. We want to change that by making the information accessible and more focused on a specific home."
Both the researchers and the other stakeholders involved thought the event was a valuable day full of new insights. "Considerable steps are being made, but we are not there yet. We can still make improvements in the technological field, and the integration of the innovations into practice could be better. To this end, we want further to grow the community around digitization in the built environment," Tuzcuoglu concludes.