Emerging Technologies and Workflows for BIM and Digital Construction

Dear Colleagues,

The implementation of building information modelling (BIM) processes and technologies over the last 15 years has bought about a signifiacnt enhancement of the digitsation of the industry. This adoption has not been without its challenges with the divide being evident based on global geography (Saka and Chanm, 2023) and individual company size (Turk, 2021). Whilst the adoption of digital technologies and subsequent BIM processes may have been more laboured than other sectors, we are seeing some significant transformations in workflows and applications, not least because of the increased developments in hardware and software technologies.

The progression of hardware and software tools is happening at an unprecented rate. Autonomous vehicles, drones and advanced robotics are some examples of how construction is finding use cases to support a range of site-based activities. In the domain of software, we are seeing the rise in Digital Twin, the increasing use and exploitation of artificial intelligence and virtual and augmented reality tools that blur the line between the physical and the virtual. All of these emergent technologies engage with digital data in various forms and subsequently feed into the digital based workflows at the heart of the BIM process.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide example use cases and recommended novel workflows for how emerging technologies can be implemented within prevailing BIM workflows to further enhance the digitisation of the construction industry.

References

Saka, A.B. and Chan, D.W., 2023. BIM divide: an international comparative analysis of perceived barriers to implementation of BIM in the construction industry. Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, 21(5), pp.1604-1632.

Turk, Ž., 2023. Structured analysis of ICT adoption in the European construction industry. International Journal of Construction Management, 23(5), pp.756-762.

Dr. David Heesom
Dr. Wei Zhou
Guest Editors

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• building information modelling (BIM)
• emerging technology
• digital twin artificial intelligence
• virtual augmented reality
• digital data
• robotics