The Digital Transformation of the Construction Sector

Fecha de la noticia: 04-10-2024

Digital building

Today, digital technologies are revolutionising various sectors, including the construction sector, driven by the European Digital Strategy which not only promotes innovation and the adoption of digital technologies, but also the use and generation of potentially open data. The incorporation of advanced technologies has fostered a significant transformation in construction project management, making information more accessible and transparent to all stakeholders.

One of the key elements in this transformation are Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs, concepts that are improving the efficiency of administrative processes and the execution of construction projects, and which can have a significant impact on the generation and management of data in the municipalities that adopt them.

 Digital Building Permits (DBP) and Digital Building Logs (DBL) not only generate key information on infrastructure planning, execution and maintenance, but also make this data accessible to the public and other stakeholders. The availability of this open data enables advanced analysis, academic research, and the development of innovative solutions for building more sustainable and safer infrastructure.

What is the Digital Building Permit?

The Digital Building Permit is the digitalisation of traditional building permit processes. Traditionally, this process was manual, involving extensive exchange of physical documents and coordination between multiple stakeholders. With digitisation, this procedure is simplified and made more efficient, allowing for a faster, more transparent and less error-prone review. Furthermore, thanks to this digitisation, large amounts of valuable data are proactively generated that not only optimise the process, but can also be used to improve transparency and carry out research in the sector. This data can be harnessed for advanced analytics, contributing to the development of smarter and more sustainable infrastructures. It also facilitates the integration of technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM) and digital twins, which are essential for the development of smart infrastructures.

  • BIM allows the creation of detailed digital representations of infrastructure, incorporating precise information about each building component. This digital model facilitates not only the design, but also the management and maintenance of the building throughout its life cycle. In Spain, the legislation related to the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) is mainly governed by the Law 9/2017 on Public Sector Contracts. This law establishes the possibility to require the use of BIM in public works projects. This regulation aims to improve efficiency, transparency and sustainability in the procurement and execution of public works and services in Spain.
  •  Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical infrastructures that allow the behaviour of a building to be simulated and analysed in real time thanks to the data generated. This data is not only crucial for the functioning of the digital twin, but can also be used as open data for research, public policy improvement and transparency in the management of infrastructures. These digital twins are essential to anticipate problems before they occur, optimise energy efficiency and proactively manage maintenance.

Together, these technologies can not only streamline the permitting process, but also ensure that buildings are safer, more sustainable and aligned with current regulations, promoting the development of smart infrastructure in an increasingly digitised environment.

What is a Digital Building Log?

The Digital Building Log is a tool for keeping a detailed and digitised record of all activities, decisions and modifications made during the life of a construction project. This register includes data on permits issued, inspections carried out, design changes, and any other relevant interventions. It functions as a digital logbook that provides a transparent and traceable overview of the entire construction process.

This approach not only improves transparency and traceability, but also facilitates monitoring and compliance by keeping an up-to-date register accessible to all stakeholders.

What are Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs? 1. Digital Building Permits: Digitization of traditional building permitting processes. Digital Building Logs: Tool for keeping a detailed and digitized record of all activities, decisions and modifications made during the life of a construction project. Source: own elaboration.

Figure 1. What are Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs? Own elaboration.  

Key Projects and Objectives in the Sector

Several European projects are incorporating Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs as part of their strategy to modernise the construction sector. Some of the most innovative projects in this field are highlighted below:

ACCORD

The ACCORD Project (2022-2025) is an European initiative that aims to transform the process of obtaining and managing construction permits through digitisation. ACCORD, which stands for"Automated Compliance Checking and Orchestration of Building Projects", aims to develop a semantic framework to automatically check compliance, improve efficiency and ensure transparency in the building sector. In addition, ACCORD will develop:

  • A rule formalisation tool based on semantic web technologies.
  • A semantic rules database.
  • Microservices for compliance verification in construction.
  • A set of open and standardised APIs to enable integrated data flow between building permit, compliance and other information services.

ACCORD Project Process 1. Permit application process. 1.1. Fast, transparent and accurate: concept design; building / infra design; construction; renovation / demolition. Single user interface. 2.2.Rule formalization tool and rule repository: machine-readable rules; CDE (Common Data Environment); digital twin; semantic framework // orchestration microservices. 2.1.Cloud-based microservices for automatic compliance checking, calculations, simulations and analytics: affordability; energy; CO2 and circular economy; security; predictive maintenance. Authorities' authorization process. 3.1.Efficient resources: regulation (texts and plans); concept approval; building approval; construction approval; renovation/demolition approval. Healthy, safe and sustainable building environment. Source: ACCORD Project (About - ACCORD Partners (accordproject.eu))

Figure 2. ACCORD project process.Source: Proyecto ACCORD.

The ACCORD Project focuses on several demonstrations in various European countries, each with a specific focus facilitated by the analysis and use of the data:

  • In Estonia and Finland, ACCORD focuses on improving accessibility and safety in urban spaces through the automation of building permits. In Estonia, work is being done on automatic verification of compliance with planning and zoning regulations, while in Finland, the focus is on developing healthy and safe urban spaces by digitising the permitting process and integrating urban data.
  • In Germany, ACCORD focuses on automated verification for land use permits and green building certification. The project aims to automate the verification of regulatory compliance in these areas by integrating micro-services that automatically verify whether construction projects comply with sustainability and land use regulations before permits are issued.
  • In the UK, ACCORD focuses on ensuring the design integrity of structural components of steel modular homes by using BIM modelling and finite element analysis (FEA). This approach allows automatic verification of the compliance of structural components with safety and design standards prior to their implementation in construction. The project facilitates the early detection of potential structural failures, thus improving safety and efficiency in the construction process.
  • In Spain, ACCORD focuses on automating urban planning compliance in Malgrat de Martown council  using BIM and open cadastral data. The aim is to improve efficiency in the design and construction phase, ensuring that projects comply with local regulations before they start. This includes automatic verification of urban regulations to facilitate faster and more accurate building permits.

CHEK

The CHEK Project (2022-2025) which stands for"Change Toolkit for Digital Building Permit" is a European initiative that aims to remove the barriers municipalities face in adopting the digitisation of building permit management processes.

CHEK will develop scalable solutions including open standards and interoperability (geospatial and BIM), educational tools to bridge knowledge gaps and new technologies for permit digitisation and automatic compliance verification. The objective is to align digital technologies with municipal-level administrative processing, improve accuracy and efficiency, and demonstrate scalability in European urban areas, achieving a tRL 7E technology maturity level.

CHEK project process. Current issues: 5.Diversity of municipalities. Fragmentation and technology mismatch 3.Lack of inclusive digital capabilities 2.Interoperability not achieved 1.Rigid document-based processes // CHEK objectives: 5.Show scalability of solutions 4.Improve, align and integrate technology 3.Improve competencies of AECO agents . Interoperability of BIM/GIS services 1. Demonstrate a novel digital permitting process // Cross testing - multi-disciplines - reciprocal feedbacks // CHEK results - CHEK change tools for Digital Building Permit (DBP): modular web-based software; scalable and proven methodology for DBP; BIM and 3D GIS-based compliance testing tools; CHEK process management platform; bSI-OGX best practices; multi-level training (GeoBIM and DBP); virtual assistant for process change management; formal information requirements tools based on open standards for BIM and 3DGIS; “Geo to BIM” and “BIM to Geo” converters // Conclusions of CHEK - Digital Building Permit:80% more efficient processes, 50% faster, higher value of human labor, scalable solutions, transparency and predictability; higher quality of testing processes; accuracy and objectivity; new advanced analytics; digitally driven processes; remote management (less CO2; paper and resource savings; more efficient use of generated data. Source: Ckek Project (Project - CHEK - Change toolkit for digital building permit )

Figure 3. CHEK Project Process. Source: Proyecto CHEK.

This requires:

  1. Adapt available digital technologies to municipal processes, enabling new methods and business models.
  2. Develop open data standards, including building information modelling (BIM), 3D urban modelling and reciprocal integration (GeoBIM).
  3. Improve training for public employees and users.
  4. Improving, adapting and integrating technology.
  5. Realise and demonstrate scalability.

CHEK will provide a set of methodological and technological tools to fully digitise building permits and partially automate building design compliance checks, leading to a 60% efficiency improvement and the adoption of DBP by 85% of European municipalities.

The future of construction and the contribution to open data

The implementation of Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs is transforming the building landscape. As these tools are integrated into construction processes, future scenarios on the horizon include:

  • Digitised construction: In the not too distant future, construction projects could be managed entirely digitally, from permit applications to ongoing project monitoring. This will eliminate the need for physical documents and significantly reduce errors and delays.
  • Real-time digital cufflinks: Digital Building Logs will feed digital twins in real time, enabling continuous and predictive monitoring of projects. This will allow developers and regulators to anticipate problems before they occur and make informed decisions quickly.
  • Global data interoperability: With the advancement of data spaces, building systems are expected to become globally interoperable. This will facilitate international collaboration and allow standards and best practices to be widely shared and adopted.

Digital Building Permits and Digital Building Logs are not only tools for process optimisation in the building sector, but also vehicles for the creation of open data that can be used by a wide range of actors. The implementation of these systems not only generates technical data on the progress of works, but also provides data that can be reused by authorities, developers and citizens, thus fostering an open collaborative environment. This data can be used to improve urban analysis, assist in public infrastructure planning and optimise monitoring and transparency in project implementation.

The use of open data through these platforms also facilitates the development of innovative applications and technological services that improve efficiency, promote sustainability and contribute to more efficient resource management in cities. Such open data can, for example, allow citizens to access information on building conditions in their area, while giving governments a clearer, real-time view of how projects are developing, enabling data-driven decision-making.

Projects such as ACCORD and CHECK demonstrate how these technologies can integrate digitalisation, automation and open data to transform the European construction sector.

Content prepared by Mayte Toscano, Senior Consultant in Data Economy Technologies. The contents and points of view reflected in this publication are the sole responsibility of its author.

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