DT, BIM, and IoTs Contributions and Barriers in Construction PM: A PRISMA

Construction professionals have lately observed distinguished DT tool practicalities to manage construction projects. Opoku et al. (2021) elucidate that DT exhibits multiple chances to proactively overcome construction problems and critical challenges before they may occur. They explain that DT adoption in construction focuses on a single project lifecycle stage. DT can be applied during the engineering and design stages of different construction projects with many digital solutions, like BIM technology. However, till the moment, lower beneficial impacts have been documented and discussed in the available body of knowledge concerning DT at construction sites due to the lower construction pace in adopting digitalization. Figure 4 indicates the corresponding directions and areas of the DT tool in the construction context. Omrany et al. (2023) comprehensively review DT’s current implementations, supportive technologies, and future evolution directions.

Figure 4:

Working principles of the DT in the construction context (Baghalzadeh Shishehgarkhaneh et al., 2022)

Boje et al. (2023) review DT, covering its integration into the LCA and BIM in construction. A novel framework, including both DT and BIM, is formulated to consider social, ecological, and economic sustainability. A case study is investigated, which expresses a real-world facility. Recommendations on critical digital tools are proposed to help enhance the consideration of sustainability in construction. Madubuike et al. (2022) critically revise influential DT applications in construction. They explain that DT exhibits promising opportunities to design, structure, operate and maintain different facilities. The authors review the implementation and development of DT in construction and compare its utilization with other industries. They investigate four critical components to drive DT in facility transformation (Figure 5).

Figure 5:

Four critical components drive DT in facility transformation (Madubuike et al., 2022)

In addition, critical milestones of DT evolution were reviewed throughout history (Figure 6).

Figure 6:

The critical milestones of DT evolution (Madubuike et al., 2022)

Jiang et al. (2024) utilize a PRISMA to investigate the pivotal rationale of DT for construction. The authors analyze the DT technology implementation and its viability for PM. A framework is proposed, indicating the path into enhanced digitalization construction PM journey. The objective is to prioritize stakeholders’ satisfaction and well-being and enhance ecological sustainability and resilience.

Hu et al. (2024) elucidate that construction displays an information-intensive domain in which large databases are analyzed and investigated. The authors express the potential benefits of DT and IoTs integration into BIM to conduct real-time SHM of facilities relying on digital signal processing and building analysis. A network of co-occurrence keywords on DT in construction and FM (2016 and 2022), is shown in Figure 7. This network has been generated by the VOSviewer software package.

Figure 7:

Co-occurrence keywords network on DT in construction and FM (2016 to 2022) (Hosamo et al., 2022)

A review is conducted by Hosamo et al. (2022), shedding light on various viable DT applications in construction, certainly in the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and FM sector. The research reports that many advances in digitalization, namely DT, provide higher-level representations of facilities and their assets through integrating digital and physical worlds.

Teizer et al. (2022) explain that DT has been applied recently in construction, but in construction safety, DT application is still scarce. Correspondingly, they identified three major gaps in information-driven control and management of physical construction systems, including (A) safe design and planning to prevent hazardous issues, (B) risk control to predict and warn construction managers about risks proactively, and (C) permanent performance enhancement related to personalized- and project-data learning. Zhang et al. (2021) explain that DT involves holistic perception networks, real-time data management, and digital models. For construction, DT can achieve real-time information fusion and interactive feedback between virtual and physical spaces. This technology involves a digital model, real-time information management, comprehensive intelligent perception networks, etc., and it can drive the rapid conceptual development of intelligent construction (IC), such as smart factories, smart buildings, smart cities, and smart medical care (Farsi et al., 2020).

DT has emerged as an active strategy to update the data in BIM models relying on real-time information to accomplish cyber-physical integration, helping allow for real-time control of facilities, assets, and tasks and achieve better decision-making processes. To this end, the application in construction is not sufficient due to the lack of digitalization. Because DT is still implemented nowadays in its nascent phases, investigations, reviews, and R&D are necessary to bridge this gap (Tuhaise et al., 2023).

BIM technology creates a virtual construction environment, supporting engineers in evaluating and visualizing many project dimensions, like its budget and schedule. It is feasible since it aids construction chiefs in creating precise project geometries and models to predict potential risks. Therefore, project managers can consider enhanced scales of safety and protection for their workers and other materials, cost, equipment, and time resources (Yang et al., 2021). Figure 9 indicates the number of publications on BIM technology (2005–2020).

Construction specialists can industrialize their projects by BIM. They can organize operation and maintenance (O&M) project tasks. BIM supports engineers in considering ecological and sustainability criteria when they build facilities (Qi et al., 2021). In their proposed quantitative risk evaluation approach, including risk exposure, risk consequences, and risk likelihood, Lu et al. (2021) affirm that BIM can be utilized to classify various potential threats since construction has more opportunities of occupational casualties than other sectors.

Figure 8:

Number of publications on BIM technology (2005 to 2020) (Yang et al., 2021)

Software solutions of BIM, like Revit^® can help project managers quantify the probable risk chances. These software tools provide quantitative data, helping engineers, designers, and architects decide the most appropriate strategies to protect their site personnel and laborers. Furthermore, studies reveal that BIM is utilized efficiently in precast concrete facilities and prefabricated and modular construction to conduct LCA, quality and safety control (Gao et al., 2024), and estimations of carbon emissions (Ashtiani Araghi & Vosoughifar, 2023; Chao et al., 2021).

Traditional BIM implementation drivers include revolutionary PM strategies that replace traditional PM activities, starting from project schedule control and progress monitoring to multi-dimensional PM variables, including optimization, lean construction, and sustainability (Marcellino et al., 2023). These three tasks express three BIM levels of its ten (Figure 4).

Figure 9:

Major creative BIM dimensions to manage construction projects (Ershadi et al., 2021)

Construction is responsible for negative impacts on environment. There is an urgent need to implement smart strategies to make it more resilient, clean, and safe. This can be done by considering the Circular Economy concept. The Circular Economy has become a priority in many industries. BIM is the main mandate to support construction in applying Circular economy. To this end, studies on BIM contributions to construction to apply Circular Economy are scarce (Charef & Emmitt, 2021).

In this respect, studies identified main BIM technology drivers in construction, including (A) environment sustainability considerations, (B) innovative leaders, (C) strategic alliances and long-term relationships, (D) training, (E) knowledge exchange, (F) integrated R&D, (G) contractor (capability pushing), (H) stakeholders and participants coordination, (I) intention to enhance the construction company reputation, (J) customers, (K) absorptive capacity, (L) frameworks encouraging collaboration, (M) competitive advantages, (N) enhanced productivity and performance, (O) improved efficiency, (P) legislations and governmental acts (Ariono et al., 2022). Figure 10 shows the BIM cooccurrence keyword networks of its implementation in developed and developing nations. This map was produced by the VOSviewer software.

Figure 10:

Co-occurrence keywork network of BIM technology in (a) developed and (b) developing countries.

IoTs is another imperative technology that helps promote progress potential and performance. Cheap IoT sensors can be installed at different locations in and around construction sites. They record real-time data. These data can be transferred through a feasible, low-energy (radio frequency) communication network (Rao et al., 2022), and analyzed later for decision making. For construction, the IoTs range of utilization is broad. IoTs sensors record Big Data, like ambient temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity, soil humidity, and precipitation rate at the site. Then, Big Data classification can be done, including risk predictions and weather forecasting. This supports stakeholders in deciding the safest approaches to respond wisely (Rane, 2023), early, and quickly if dangerous situations occur, affecting labor force (Maqbool et al., 2023).

IoTs is practical since it aids construction actors in special situations where necessary health measures of workers are substantial to consider at the site. Laborers can utilize wearable technological tools to predict their health status and supply early warnings of their health issues when they perform difficult tasks (Liang & Liu, 2022). Also, IoTs sensors can be installed in different facility locations to make an active SHM (Sakr & Sadhu, 2023), as explained earlier.

Big Data recorded from IoTs sensors can also be integrated into other technologies, like DT platforms, to create virtual models similar to physical environments (Li et al., 2022), and BIM software tools to make necessary management of construction projects (Malagnino et al., 2021).

Ghosh et al. (2021) critically revise 417 peer-reviewed articles. Through their qualitative-science-metric analytical approach, they found lower efforts on IoTs’s role in construction. Nonetheless, lately, these minor efforts have been dramatically supported and grown by extensive research and innovations through accelerated citations and awareness in IoTs. The same authors affirm that critical drivers of flexible IoT adoption include appropriate construction business modeling and planning, supportive governing legislations, cyber-physical data protection and privacy, and interoperability. The researchers classify the number of publications investigating major beneficial relevance of IoTs in construction (Figure 11).

Figure 11:

The rising trend of IoT research in construction is (a) as publication numbers and (b) cumulative publication numbers (1990–2020) (Ghosh et al., 2021)

Furthermore, Figure 12 displays the most common journals that have introduced the publication of analytical research works related to IoTs in construction.

Figure 12:

Number of IoTs publications in Famous construction journals (Ghosh et al., 2021)

Figure 15 illustrates the names of the top ten institutions in the world that have been extensively interested in and aware of conducting a large number of IoTs investigations in construction.

Figure 13:

Number of IoTs publications in construction by institution globally (Ghosh et al., 2021)

IoTs in construction has been discussed and investigated in various disciplines, notably engineering (with 417 publications), computer science (85 articles), environmental science (63 articles), and business, accounting, and management (47 papers) between 1990 and 2020 (Ghosh et al., 2021). Hashim et al. (2022) explain beneficial roles of BIM in enhancing PM practices in construction. However, to enable efficient project progress management of project safety by BIM, it is essential to integrate real-time information recorded by IoTs sensors. Exporting these real-time data into BIM platforms helps achieve functional visualization of projects. Figure 14 indicates a word network of IoTs in construction produced by the VOSviewer software tool.

Figure 14:

IoTs co-occurrence keyword network (Rejeb et al., 2022)

Xu et al. (2023) explore the pivotal roles of IoTs in construction in elaborating on various potentials of communication and control of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in facilities. Ninety-one papers are analyzed through PRISMA. The authors report that IoTs sensors can collect real-time data on the total consumed energy by equipment. Therefore, engineers can choose optimal solutions to reduce the overall energy consumption with ML classification. Finally, enhanced economic profitability can be achieved by active management of equipment’s energy efficiency (EE). Cheap IoTs sensors provide essential real-time data on the current conditions of the environment, like temperature and relative humidity where laborers work. Therefore, managers can maximize workers' and engineers’ occupational health during working hours.