The Disruptive Adaptations of Construction 4.0 and Industry 4.0 as a Pathway to a Sustainable Innovation and Inclusive Industrial Technological Development

Abstract

Construction 4.0 (C4.0) has tremendously impacted construction activities worldwide in recent times. This effect was made possible on account of innovations brought about by Industry 4.0 (I4.0). Industry 4.0 has the potential to create Construction 4.0 through the integration of the design, construction and maintenance of infrastructure through useful component integration for industrial and technological development. Therefore, this study aimed to present a pathway for achieving sustainable innovations and inclusive technological and infrastructural developments. The following parameters were reviewed in this study as part of the goals and objectives set in the survey: identifying the adaptable areas of Construction 4.0 in design, planning, construction and maintenance as part of infrastructural innovation in order to study the industrial application drivers of I4.0 and C4.0 hindrances in achieving C4.0; achieving the automation dream through C4.0, benchmarking the social and economic implications of C4.0 and identifying the issues and challenges in achieving sustainable innovation through infrastructural development and documenting the disruptive tools of C4.0 in achieving a sustainable design through technological development and examining the critical factors influencing the effective adaptation of C4.0 in achieving growth. The authors utilised 200 construction firms for this study using the Cochran and Slovin’s formulas. In addition, the sample size of 150 respondents that constituted the study were construction professionals. The respondents used the simple percentage, relative index, Spearman’s rank, Mann–Whitney U test, Kendall’s Tau test, Student’s t-test, ANOVA and chi-square tools in the data processing. The study found out, among other things, the following as part of the parameters earlier proposed: the introduction of a circular economy by adopting intelligent innovation, engaging new tools, technological innovation diffusion and the vertical and horizontal integration of versatile tools like I4.0 and C4.0 for inclusive technological development. This study recommended the objective and effective adaptation of I4.0 tools to enhance C4.0 for technical development, circular economic integration and a framework for sustainable innovation and a system for the inclusive monitoring of innovations in the design and planning of construction maintenance.