García de Soto, B; Agustí-Juan, I; Joss, S and Hunhevicz, J (2022) Implications of construction 4.0 to the workforce and organizational structures. International Journal of Construction Management, 22(2), pp. 205-217. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
The counterpart of Industry 4.0 in the AEC/FM industry is known as Construction 4.0. Its essence is the digitalization and automation of the AEC/FM industry. As robots and other technologies make their way into the different phases of the lifecycle of construction projects, the concern about the future of jobs and wages will increase. While the use of robotics has the potential to improve productivity and safety, it should not necessarily reduce total employment in the construction sector in the long run. It is expected that existing roles will evolve, and new roles will be created (e.g., in addition to designers there will be a need for employees with digital skills). Focusing on the construction phase of a robotically built concrete wall, the different roles were evaluated. From this study, it was found that there will be a time in which conventional construction and robotic technologies will coexist, leading to a higher job variability and new roles, both at the managerial and operations/execution levels. Although this study is not meant to be an exact representation of how the AEC/FM roles will change as a consequence of Construction 4.0, it opens the debate and research in this area.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction 4.0; construction automation; digital fabrication; human–robot interaction; industrialized construction; organizational structure; platform-based integration; project delivery and contract strategies; project-based integration; robotic construction |
| Index terms: | wages, digitalization, organizational structure, digital fabrication, construction project, contract strategy, integration, construction sector, industrialized construction, construction 4.0, industry 4.0, platform, productivity, employment, designer, lifecycle, robotics, robotic construction, automation, construction phase, interaction, variability, project delivery |
| Subjects: | contractual arrangements, technology adoption, project delivery, digital technology, construction type, profession, digital engineering, industry analysis, statistical analysis, information systems, behavioral psychology, business economics, organizational analysis, sociology, automation and robotics, production management, digital design, management |
| Topics: | Procurement, Construction Technology, Roles and Professions, Project Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Human Resources, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here