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By providing an overview of the existing knowledge on public governance in the context of Construction 4.0, this review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers and practitioners interested in understanding the current state of public governance in the context of Construction 4.0 and identifying avenues for future research and practical implementation.

This article presents a systematic and comprehensive review of the academic literature on public governance in the context of Construction 4.0. To ensure a systematic and rigorous selection of source material, the study adopts the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

By examining a wide range of scholarly works, the review identifies and discusses eight recurring themes that are crucial for understanding the role of public governance in Construction 4.0. These themes include policy and regulation, infrastructure and investment, skill development and education, digital inclusion and access, collaboration and partnerships, data governance and privacy, interactions with environmental and societal goals and the impact of Construction 4.0 on public governance itself. The review highlights a significant disparity between the normative debates on the importance of public governance in Construction 4.0 and the empirical knowledge available regarding its practical implementation. While the literature emphasizes the need for effective governance mechanisms to address the challenges and opportunities presented by Construction 4.0, there is a notable lack of empirical research examining the actual implementation and outcomes of public governance strategies.

This is the first systematic review of academic literature on public governance in the context of Construction 4.0.

Industry 4.0 is characterised by the exponential pace of technological innovations compelling organisations to transform or be displaced. Industry 4.0 transformation of construction enterprises lacks systematic guidance and notable earlier studies have utilised maturity models to map transformation of enterprises. This paper proposes a conceptual maturity model for construction enterprises for business scenarios leading to Industry 4.0.

The requirements for designing maturity models, including comparison with existing models and scientifically documenting the design process, make Systematic Literature Reviews (SLR) appropriate. Two systematic literature reviews (SLRs) are conducted to shortlist a total of 95 papers, which are subjected to subsequent content analysis.

The first SLR identifies the following process categories as critical levers of industry 4.0 maturity; data management, people and culture, leadership and strategy, collaboration and communication, automation, innovation and change management. The second SLR ascertains that the existing maturity models in construction literature do not adequately correspond to Industry 4.0 business scenarios with limited emphasis on data management, automation, change management and innovation. The findings are assimilated to propose a conceptual Smart Modern Construction Enterprise Maturity Model (SMCeMM).

The paper systematises the transformation of construction enterprises in Industry 4.0 and leads to state-of-the-art development of Industry 4.0 and maturity model research in construction. The proposed conceptual model addressed both the demands of the construction industry as well as what is required to navigate Industry 4.0 better.

Construction industry (CI) has great prominence for the world economy, and it is expected that, with the use of the innovative technologies and approaches of Industry 4.0 (I4.0), the new industrial paradigm, construction can reach higher levels of productivity. This study aims to develop a model (readiness model) to assess the level of use of I4.0 technologies by the construction sector in Brazil and its most relevant applications.

The methodology used was bibliographic research, design-science research and a survey to validate the model, carried out with 162 companies, considered among the main ones in the sector in Brazil. The literature review revealed 13 technologies of I4.0 applied to construction; hence, the views of industry experts were based on these technologies.

The Digital Advancement Within CoNstruction (DAWN) readiness model was proposed, showing that among the 13 evaluated technologies of I4.0 and their applications, the Brazilian construction companies had a low level of utilization; both high and middle-income companies presented this low level of use; some technologies with a greater number of scientific publications were less used in practice in the Brazilian construction.

The originality and theoretical contribution are to present a readiness model to assess the level of use of I4.0 technologies and their most relevant applications in the CI in countries with an economy similar to Brazil’s, making it possible to measure the level of adoption of these technologies.

Based on the systematic literature review, this paper aims to propose a framework of Construction 4.0 (C4.0) scenarios, identifying Industry 4.0 (I4.0) enabling technologies and their applications in the construction industry. The paper reviews C4.0 trends and potential areas for development.

In this research, a systematic literature review (SLR) methodology has been applied, including bibliographic coupling analysis (BCA), co-citation network analysis of keywords, the content analysis with the visualisation of similarities (VOSviewer) software and aggregative thematic analysis (ATA). In total, 170 articles from the top 22 top construction journals in the Scopus database between 2013 and 2021 were analysed.

Six C4.0 scenarios of applications were identified. Out of nine I4.0 technology domains, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Cloud Computing, Big Data and Analytics had the most references in C4.0 research, while applications of augmented/virtual reality, vertical and horizontal integration and autonomous robotics yet provide ample avenues for the future applied research. The C4.0 application scenarios include efficient energy usage, prefabricated construction, sustainability, safety and environmental management, indoor occupant comfort and efficient asset utilisation.

This research contributes to the body of knowledge by offering a framework of C4.0 scenarios revealing the status quo of research published in the top construction journals into I4.0 technology applications in the sector. The framework evaluates current C4.0 research trends and gaps in relation to nine I4.0 technology domains as compared with more advanced industry sectors and informs academic community, practitioners and strategic policymakers with interest in C4.0 trends.

The construction industry sector is developing rapidly, especially with the increasing pace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in this sector. Construction projects can benefit from greater integration and collaboration between their technologies and processes to reap the advantages and keep pace with the recent significant technological and managerial techniques developments. Therefore, this study aims to delve into and investigate building information modeling (BIM) and Lean Construction (L.C.) with a concentration on the potential BIM–lean interactions synergy and integration in the Jordanian construction industry.

This study takes exploratory nature, followed by the deductive research approach, and is designed to be a mono-quantitative research methodology. Moreover, the sampling technique is non-probability convenience sampling, and the research strategy is implemented through a questionnaire used and analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science to conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analysis and verify the reliability and validity through proper tests.

The BIM–lean interactions synergy and integration findings revealed that eliminating waste (time, cost, resources), promoting continuous improvement (Kaizen) and standardizing as lean construction principles are the most significant and agreeable toward achieving BIM–lean interactions synergy. On the other hand, “High 3D Visualization Modelling” was the most significant BIM function, followed by “Rapid and Auto-Generation of Documents and Multiple Design Alternatives” and “Maintenance of Information and Design Model Integrity.” Moreover, based on the relative importance index (RII) values, “Lack of Technical Expertise in BIM-LEAN” is the most significant challenge with a 0.89 value of RII, followed by “Lack of Government Direction and Standard Guidelines” with a 0.88 value of RII and “Financial considerations” with a 0.83 value of RII.

This study will help provide a new detailed overview that investigates the effects and expected benefits of integrating BIM processes and technological functionalities with lean construction principles within a synergetic environment. Moreover, the study will increase the awareness of using new technologies and management approaches in the architectural, engineering and construction industry, seeking to achieve integration between these technologies to reach ideal results in terms of the outputs of construction operations.

The industrial revolution 4.0 (IR4.0) signifies technological advancements and digitalization. The fragmented and labour-intensive nature of the construction industry inherently possesses difficulties for IR4.0 adoption compared to other industries. This paper aims to investigate the perspectives of quantity surveying students on the challenges of IR4.0 implementation in the construction industry.

A questionnaire survey were distributed to a population of 191 quantity surveying students, with 96 valid responses returned. Descriptive statistics and factor analysis were employed to analyse the collected data.

Factor analysis revealed eight components as the key challenges for IR4.0 implementation, which revolved around resistance to change, data security issues, etc.

The findings could provide a guideline to higher education institutions on certain IR4.0-related areas to be incorporated into the syllabus, in ensuring that the students are equipped with such skills and knowledge, in meeting market demands. The construction stakeholders' could look into the identified challenges for strategizing the organizations in moving towards IR4.0 adoption.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to investigate quantity surveying students' perspectives on the challenges of IR4.0 implementation in the construction industry by employing factor analysis method. The findings contribute to the body of knowledge in relation to the opinions of a younger generation who has more exposure towards technology on the hindrance of IR4.0 adoption.

The purpose of this study is to systematically identify, assess, and categorize the barriers to digital transformation (DT) in the engineering and construction sectors, and thus to better understand the impact and how these sectors might be overcome.

This study adopted a sequential mixed qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis approach. DT barriers were first identified from relevant literature and verified by an expert panel. Then, a questionnaire survey assessing the impacts of the identified DT barriers was distributed to construction professionals in China, and 192 valid responses were retrieved. Further, the data obtained were analyzed using ranking analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).

Based on the ranking analysis, the top three barriers are “lack of industry-specific standards and laws,” “lack of clear vision, strategy and direction for DT,” and “lack of support from top management for DT.” EFA enabled the grouping of the 26 barriers into 3 categories: (1) lack of laws and regulations (LLR), (2) lack of support and leadership (LSL), and (3) lack of resources and professionals (LRP). The PLS-SEM analysis revealed that LLR, LSL, and LRP were found to have significant negative impacts on DT.

These findings contribute to the body of knowledge on DT in the construction industry and help construction firms and government bodies improve the understanding of these barriers to DT and put forward relevant policies and incentives, thus seizing the DT benefits as a way to enhance construction project management.

Against a background context of Construction 4.0, this study aims to explore what digital leadership in construction firms is, why it is necessary and what considerations it involves. It provides a digital leadership considerations framework to aid organisational digital transformations.

To address the research question informing what digital leadership involves, an interpretivist study was conducted. Eleven purposively selected expert practitioners, including construction business leaders and company digital champions were surveyed using in-depth semi-structured interviews. This obtained insights and reflections on how construction leaders can impel digital transformations.

How construction leaders can embed the skills to drive such transformation in their firms, what the essential digital skills for construction businesses now are in Construction 4.0 and how leaders can attempt to evaluate the value of digital technology for their business practices, are all crystallised. Impacts of digital transformations on the construction workplace are also highlighted.

Because of this work, business leaders will be better equipped to lead and support further digital transformation efforts in Construction 4.0. Future research directions aid academics.

Clear definitions of digital transformation and digital leadership are provided, and a digital leadership considerations framework is provided to support firm-level digital transformations for Construction 4.0.

Industry 4.0 is exacerbating the need for offsite construction (OSC) adoption, and this rapid transformation is pushing the boundaries of construction skills towards extensive modernisation. The adoption of this modern production strategy by the construction industry would redefine the position of OSC. This study aims to examine whether the existing skills are capable of satisfying the needs of different OSC types.

A critical literature review evaluated the impact of transformative technology on OSC skills. An existing industry standard OSC skill classification was used as the basis to develop a master list that recognises emerging and diminishing OSC skills. The master list recognises 67 OSC skills under six skill categories: managers, professionals, technicians and trade workers, clerical and administrative workers, machinery operators and drivers and labourers. The skills data was extracted from a series of 13 case studies using document reviews and semi-structured interviews with project stakeholders.

The multiple case study evaluation recognised 13 redundant skills and 16 emerging OSC skills such as architects with building information modelling and design for manufacture and assembly knowledge, architects specialised in design and logistics integration, advanced OSC technical skills, factory operators, OSC estimators, technicians for three dimensional visualisation and computer numeric control operators. Interview findings assessed the current state and future directions for OSC skills development. Findings indicate that the prevailing skills are not adequate to readily relocate construction activities from onsite to offsite.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is one of the first studies that recognises the major differences in skill requirements for non-volumetric and volumetric OSC types.

This study aims to set out to identify and evaluate potential obstacles to successfully implementing lean construction (LC) as a result.

Several indicators were recognized as major obstacles following an exhaustive assessment of the literature and a multicriteria decision analysis based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) of information obtained from a questionnaire survey that was directed to practitioners in the Indian construction industry.

The results of this AHP model suggest that “Managerial” and “Inadequate resources” categories with a priority weight of “0.361” and “0.309” have the highest levels of influence, respectively, while “Inadequate knowledge” and “just in time (JIT)” categories with a priority weight of “0.053” and “0.034” have the lowest levels of influence, respectively.

Construction companies can use the study’s findings as a guide to determine whether they are ready to embrace LC, learn more about the components needed for implementation or investigate any challenges that may arise. These businesses can then create plans to promote the adoption and application of the lean philosophy.

The Indian construction industry may see great success with LC management initiatives. LC concepts have been adopted by many nations, but during the past 20 years, there has only appeared to be a limited amount of lean implementation in the Indian construction industry. It seems that several structural and cultural barriers are preventing its effective implementation. Organizations will not be able to determine what improvement efforts are required, where these efforts should be directed or which initiatives could provide the best outcomes if they are unaware of the elements that influence the effective implementation of LC.