Construction 4.0: A comparative analysis of research and practice

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the existing literature on Construction 4.0 technologies over the past decade and their most common applications in both research and practice, aimed at achieving three objectives. First, the search for the most relevant articles on Construction 4.0, published in the scientific literature, and small firms that are developing and delivering 4.0 technologies in the construction industry allows to identify the numerous applications associated with Construction 4.0. Second, the applications found in the scientific literature and those identified in practice are classified and compared based on a framework consisting of three distinct axes. Third, the classification framework highlights current research trends and potential areas for future research, which can be summarized as follows: (i) development of hybrid digital solutions; (ii) alignment with effective collection of more structured data, smart interactive web technologies, robotics, autonomous systems, and intelligent built assets; and (iii) strengthen the capacities of artificial intelligence and machine learning.