Abstract
The digitalization of the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry leads to new forms of process through which buildings are designed, constructed, and operated, and to new forms of organization through which professionals work and interact. Certain activities of the conventional building process disappear, while others appear, distribution of work is reviewed, and new relationships, roles, and responsibilities emerge. Although many architecture and engineering (A/E) firms claim that they have already undertaken a digital transformation, there is still little awareness of the new forms of process and organization associated with digitalization. This lack of knowledge about the process-oriented and organizational changes makes it difficult to establish a work environment within and between firms that is conducive to digital innovation. Given the above considerations, the main objective of this research project has been to understand the process-oriented and organizational changes that the adoption of digital technologies bring on, as well as the new forms of process and organization associated with the digital transformation of architectural and engineering firms. To achieve this, a case-study analysis of two A/E firms—one in Italy and one in Canada—has been performed.
Highlights
Productivity growth in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has stagnated globally in recent decades (Barbosa et al 2017)
The ‘transition’ state of the design process has been studied through observation, interviews, document analysis, and process mapping of a building information modeling (BIM) pilot project implemented by the Italian firm
Data collection and analysis through the case study of the Italian firm has led to identification of the process-oriented changes that the adoption of digital technologies brought on within the firm, as well as the ones still to be implemented in order to gain the full benefits of digitalization
Summary
Productivity growth in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry has stagnated globally in recent decades (Barbosa et al 2017). Some diffusion areas are missing in these countries This is the case, for example, 1By ‘digitalization’, we mean the transformation of processes, organizational settings, and project delivery methods that need to be coupled with the adoption of digital technologies in order to gain the full benefits of the digitalization of the architecture, engineering, and construction industry. This study shows the predominance of the ‘modeling technologies’ and ‘modeling processes’ diffusion areas, while minor rates are associated with ‘collaboration/integration processes’ and ‘collaboration/integration policies’ These results point out the industry’s tendency to focus more on the adoption of digital technologies and the related modeling processes, and less on the collaboration and integration processes and policies required to gain the full benefits of digitalization. The organizational changes that the adoption of digital technologies bring on within architectural and engineering firms and the new forms of organization facilitating the achievement of the full benefits of digitalization
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