Research findings

Building information modelling (BIM) calls for standardisation methods with regard to a coordinated building data model and the exchange of that data. Procedures and processes can be improved with integrated communication technology, which leads to working methods that are efficient and user-friendly. Some of these methods have already been used successfully in the building industry, but consistent digital process chains are lacking. The challenges for the implementation of new digital construction processes lie in the horizontal linking of data flows and the vertical linking of process steps, equipment and players for the business partners involved.

Building and process data models and equipment are brought together at critical interfaces in order to achieve a consistent exchange of data. Such an approach helps to speed up the project- and company-specific integration of the tools described, indeed, in some instances, makes that possible in the first place.

The project-specific, simple and secure integration of the different players and the company-specific information in a software platform that is not accessible to third parties represent crucial innovations in terms of data exchange.

In addition, this work package investigates the data exchange with hardware components that enable the simple and secure project-specific integration of current and future machines and terminals (e.g. PCs, tablets, smartphones, AR/VR headsets) in factories and on building sites.

The availability of and connection options for such technology are important for its ongoing development and widespread use. The linking of planning data and the elaborate integration between project and corporate processes represent technical and economic risks, especially for the fragmented corporate structures of the German building industry. At the same time, the new technologies also create possibilities for substantially improving the processes in the building industry and the planning outcomes.

It is also necessary to answer questions regarding handling, user prompting and acceptance. The aim of combining new AR/VR technologies with high-speed communication networks is to establish an innovative system that assists users on building sites by providing them with planning data on their screens to render complex routines simpler and more efficient. In contrast to many current AR applications, which only permit a rough alignment of the additional information within the scene, DigitalTWIN will enable a precise registration of the virtual information with the real scene so that it is possible to address individual items and building components accurately.

Such communications will enable greater automation and speed up preparations, tasks and supervisory measures – in production especially. That in turn will require planning, production and assembly processes to be integrated into the design of fixed and mobile communication networks. One particular challenge here is to include the building site – currently usually outside the network – in a common communication infrastructure during the construction phase.

The construction value-creation chain is characterised by the many different players involved in the building lifecycle. Up until now, there were no established open platforms for mapping the entire process to other applications via defined interfaces. In addition, every building is generally unique, specific to a particular project, and designed, built and operated with different partners. That makes it difficult to develop standardised processes for exchanging data which will work for every project. Current use of digital methods is therefore limited to some parts of the value-creation chain and thus determined by certain players.

In order to be able to demonstrate the innovations in this heterogeneous environment, further advances are needed to incorporate factory and building site. Proposals are being worked out for a broadband communication infrastructure based on the services required during the construction and operation phases, a migration concept for staged expansion, an operating concept specific to the building sector for the reliable use of new terminals on the building site and services specific to construction. Virtual site visits that include designers, contractors, developers and end-users expand these services to demonstrate real-time applications.