Digital technologies are being introduced in all areas of the construction industry with the overarching goals of increasing productivity while simultaneously simplifying work and reducing errors. Nevertheless, their use and the associated implementation in construction companies is currently still inhibited. One reason for this is the lack of a holistic implementation process for digital technologies. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to deliver a concept for such a holistic digital-technology-implementation-process which addresses current barriers. For this purpose, a qualitative literature analysis was conducted first, which reveals the current focus of research on digital technologies. In a second step, current barriers regarding the implementation of digital technologies were identified by conducting interviews with experts from German construction companies. The interview concept combined and adapted the survey instruments Technology Commitment by Neyer et al. and Technophobia by Sinkovics. Based on the findings of the qualitative literature research and the expert interviews, a holistic implementation process for the introduction of digital technologies for construction companies was developed, which specifically addresses the currently prevailing barriers. Therefore, the barriers Acceptance, Control and Competence were classified in a temporal context within the implementation process and recommendations for action are presented for the individual process steps of implementing digital technologies.
This paper describes a holistic quality model (HQM) and assessment to support decision-making processes in construction. A graded concrete slab serves as an example to illustrate how to consider technical, environmental, and social quality criteria and their interrelations. The evaluation of the design and production process of the graded concrete component shows that it has advantages compared to a conventional solid slab, especially in terms of environmental performance. At the same time, the holistic quality model identifies potential improvements for the technology of graded concrete. It will be shown that the holistic quality model can be used to (a) consider the whole life cycle in decision-making in the early phases and, thus, make the complexity of construction processes manageable for quality and sustainability assessments and (b) make visible interdependencies between different quality and sustainability criteria, to help designers make better-informed decisions regarding the overall quality. The results show how different quality aspects can be assessed and trade-offs are also possible through the understanding of the relationships among characteristics. For this purpose, in addition to the quality assessment of graded concrete, an overview of the interrelations of different quality characteristics is provided. While this article demonstrates how a HQM can support decision-making in design, the validity of the presented evaluation is limited by the data availability and methodological challenges, specifically regarding the quantification of interrelations.
Über erste Pilotprojekte wird der Ansatz der Integrierten Projektabwicklung in Deutschland bei komplexen Bauvorhaben getestet. Die Projektbeteiligten werden dabei vom Bauherrn sorgfältig ausgewählt und erarbeiten danach gemeinschaftlich, transparent und vertrauensvoll in frühen Projektphasen die Projektziele und die Projektrahmenbedingungen, wie zum Beispiel den Kostenrahmen. Nach der Entscheidung des Bauherrn zur Fortsetzung des Projekts werden diese Ziele in der weiteren Planung und Ausführung mit gemeinsamen wirtschaftlichen Interessen bis zur Fertigstellung weiterverfolgt. Bei komplexen Projekten hat die Anwendung von Lebenszyklusansätzen gezeigt, dass insbesondere die damit verbundene Betrachtung der Betriebsphase zu Effizienzvorteilen und nachhaltigen Lösungen führen kann. Aus diesem Grund können aus der Verknüpfung der Integrierten Projektabwicklung mit der Lebenszyklusbetrachtung weitere Mehrwerte resultieren. Aus dieser Verknüpfung ergeben sich für die Umsetzung der Integrierten Projektabwicklung im Lebenszyklusansatz Fragen, zu deren Klärung die Autoren anregen.
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