Cargnelutti, Dejan (2025) 4IR technologies within germany’s construction sector to meet fire protection standards and international climate objectives: A multiple-case study. PhD thesis, European Institute of Management, Malta.
Abstract
Scholars argue that more industry knowledge is needed to guide construction sector professionals in Germany on how the adoption of digitalization/Construction 4.0 may augment operational efficiency and productivity in the construction sector, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions through property renovations and consequently improving overall industry output. The purpose of this qualitative, multiple-case study was to explore the views of construction industry experts on how Industry 4.0 technologies can enhance productivity within Germany’s construction sector to meet fire protection standards that align with international safety and climate objectives. This study is framed by three concepts: a) Gledson et al.’s (2024) concept of Construction 4.0, b) Ustinovičius et al.’s (2015) concept of building lifecycle management (BLM), and c) Wang et al.’s (2020) concept of building information management (BIM). To answer the central research question, qualitative data was collected from 16 interviews as a multiple-case study, as well as reflective field notes and archive data. The thematic analysis of the data from the interviews revealed 16 themes, which were organized into six coding categories: (a) digitization within Germany’s construction, (b) demand for 4IR technologies in Germany’s construction industry, (c) challenges of 4IR technology adoption in Germany for fire protection, (d) application of 4IR technology adoption in Germany for fire protection, (e) challenges within the German construction industry in meeting energy efficiency in existing buildings, (f) innovation needed within the German construction industry to meet safety and climate objectives. My study results may contribute to enhancing productivity within Germany’s construction sector to meet fire protection standards that align with international safety and climate objectives, as applied to the specific context of the Bavarian fire protection law of 1 August 2023.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Halkias, D and Neubert, M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | standards; information management; innovation; lifecycle; safety; Germany; energy efficiency; productivity; thematic analysis; case study; renovation; professional; interview |
| Index terms: | construction industry, technology adoption, renovation, lifecycle, productivity, energy efficiency, construction 4.0, efficiency, industry 4.0, case study, construction sector, thematic analysis, Germany, building information management, interview, digitalization |
| Subjects: | Geography, digital engineering, digital technology, innovation and technology management, performance management, management, renovation and retrofit, methods and analysis, information systems, industry analysis, data collection methods, sustainability and energy, project delivery, technology adoption |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Project Management, Geographical Context, Quality Management, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Digital Applications |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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