Building-as-a-Service: The opportunities of service-dominant logic for construction

Abstract

Construction as one of the largest industries worldwide is not necessarily a frontrunner in the application of digital technologies, tools, procedures, and processes. This has been demonstrated in innumerable reports and scholarly work. The industry has a reputation for delivering projects late, over budget and with improvable quality; all of this combined with a certain digital ignorance. Moreover, it is known for having a Goods-Dominant Logic, which is focused on distribution and management of tangible units of output. This is combined with Taylorism resulting in separation of the role of managing the work from the actual execution of work. The planning and erection of a building is cross-cultural, cross-country project setting due to the diverse nature of the industry and its globalised value chain. Building Information Modelling (BIM), a three-dimensional representation of information including its corresponding management in asset’s life cycle is considered as one of the enablers for the digital future of construction. However, the development of service-dominant logic within the construction industry has not kept pace with technological and technical possibilities or is not discernible. This is based on a very traditional approach of money for goods which in this case means money for planned and built assets. Service as a unit of exchange is very rarely considered in the sector. As has been shown in other sectors, this can lead to further (more profitable) business models and further increases in efficiency and effectiveness. The aim of the paper is to show the opportunities that exist if buildings are not considered as amalgamation of materials and goods but as a service model. The paper shows what Service-Dominant Logic (SDL) in combination with BIM could offer to the industry and discusses the term Building-as-a-Service (BaaS) from an SDL perspective.