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Industry 4.0 is characterised by systemic transformations occurring exponentially, encompassing an array of dynamic processes and technologies. To move towards a more sustainable future, it is important to understand the nature of this transformation. However, construction enterprises are experiencing a capacity shortage in identifying the transitional management steps needed to navigate Industry 4.0 better. This paper presents a maturity model with the acronym “Smart Modern Construction Enterprise Maturity Model (SMCeMM)” that provides direction to construction enterprises.

It adopts an iterative procedure to develop the maturity model. The attributes of Industry 4.0 maturity are obtained through a critical literature review. The model is further developed through knowledge elicitation using modified Delphi-based expert forums and subsequent analysis through qualitative techniques. The conceptual validity of the model is established through a validation expert forum.

The research defines maturity characteristics of construction enterprises across five levels namely ad-hoc, driven, transforming, integrated and innovative encompassing seven process categories; data management, people and culture, leadership and strategy, automation, collaboration and communication, change management and innovation. The maturity characteristics are then translated into assessment criteria which can be used to assess how mature a construction enterprise is in navigating Industry 4.0.

The results advance the field of Industry 4.0 strategy research in construction. The findings can be used to access Industry 4.0 maturity of general contractors of varying sizes and scales and generate a set of recommendations to support their macroscopic strategic planning.

Blockchain as an emerging technology has increased the interests within various industries because of its salient features. A potential application of blockchain for embodied carbon (EC) estimating is being explored. Though there are several databases/tools to estimate EC, the accuracy of estimates prepared using them is affected due to several limitations. As a solution, a prototype blockchain-based EC (BEC) Estimator for distributed supply chain-based EC estimating has been introduced. The data models and user flow diagram that lead to development of a BEC Estimator are developed and evaluated in this study.

A case study approach assisted in developing the data models and user flow diagram for the BEC Estimator. A Delphi-based expert forum was used to evaluate and produce the refined data models and user flow diagram.

The BEC Estimator adopts a waterfall model, a system development lifecycle model, in developing the application. The phases, system analysis and system design, consisting the development of the data models and user flow diagram for the BEC Estimator are discussed.

Estimating EC accurately plays an important role in construction. The BEC Estimator uses the supply chain based embodied carbon estimating method to estimate EC accurately. This paper demonstrates the data models and user flow diagram developed for the BEC Estimator.

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.

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.

Smart libraries are the result of the application of smart technologies in the era of digital intelligence. The establishment and improvement of its service evaluation system serve as indicators for evaluating the growth of smart libraries.

This study introduces and improves the capability maturity model (CMM), creatively constructs a service maturity model specifically designed for smart libraries and combines the Delphi method with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to establish a service maturity evaluation system for smart libraries while calculating indicator weights. Finally, two representative smart libraries are selected as case studies, and an empirical application is conducted using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method.

The empirical study shows that the developed smart libraries service maturity evaluation system holds significant theoretical and practical value in evaluating smart libraries.

Enhances the CMM and creatively constructs a service maturity model for smart libraries. Combines the Delphi method with AHP to establish a service maturity evaluation system while calculating indicator weights. Uses a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to evaluate two representative smart libraries. Demonstrates that the smart library services maturity evaluation system holds significant theoretical and practical value.

The construction industry is currently responding to pressures of industrialisation happening across all sectors. Consequently, offsite construction (OSC) has become a vehicle to achieve industrialisation. This requires changes in traditional construction processes resulting in possible changes in construction skill requirements. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to identify and review prevailing OSC practices and skills in the Australian construction industry. This study aims to critically analyse the existing skill profile classifications through a single case study and identify the need for an OSC specific skill classification.

This study follows a case study design, with an in-depth analysis of a single construction project. Only one case study was studied because scientifically, one example was enough to prove that the prevailing skill classifications do not represent OSC skills in a modern context. Data was retrospectively collected through semi-structured interviews of project stakeholders representing design, manufacture and assembly. Content analysis was conducted to analyse the collected data and produce findings.

This study identifies the inadequacy of the existing classification system, unavailability and the need of OSC specific skill categorisation. It highlights new skills that enter OSC; building information modelling engineer, three-dimensional draftsperson, OSC project manager and project coordinator, which are not identified in the available Australian skill classifications. These, together with existing skills need to be carved in to create a new skill classification.

This study is the first of its kind where a comprehensive OSC project is evaluated as a case study to determine OSC skill classification requirements in Australia.

Dam industry projects have significant economic, social and environmental impacts. However, very little has been carried out to improve their lifecycle performance. The purpose of this study is to identify success criteria applicable to different stages of such projects.

This study adopted a quantitative research design where the potential success criteria for dam engineering projects were evaluated. The applicable success criteria were determined for the four phases of project lifecycle by three rounds of Delphi technique with the participation of experts from dams industry in Australia.

The findings of this research suggest that project success is a multidimensional notion and varies over lifecycle of projects. This study on project success criteria shows that certain criteria can be applied to measure success in different phases over lifecycle of Australian dam industry projects.

The results of this research present the first exclusive quantitative assessment of success criteria for dams industry. The success criteria presented in this study enable project practitioners to measure success at various stages of dam industry projects. This can serve as a tool to put more management efforts into achieving success on those criteria.

Industry 4.0 is driving an incremental shift in paradigms for the construction industry. Current research in the built environment is limited to exploring the exponential technological prowess of Industry 4.0 with very little work on its implications to the construction business model, strategy and competitive advantage. There arises a challenge for researchers to understand how appropriate technologies can be assembled to assist in achieving the goals of construction businesses. The overarching aim of this research is to develop a construction Business Model Transformation Canvas (BMTC) to map the transformation of construction enterprises in Industry 4.0.

The research was carried out by conducting an expert forum with academics from nine universities across Australia and New Zealand. The study employed purposive sampling, and the academics were selected in a strategic manner in order to provide data that are relevant to the research.

The research identifies that technology-based partnerships supporting strategy and capability building, platforms enabling enterprises to conceive, design, manufacture and assemble buildings and competition with stakeholders having superior capabilities not in building but in other areas of business are fundamental to Industry 4.0 transformation.

The results present state-of-the-art development of business model research in construction that intends to support the strategic planning of construction enterprises in Industry 4.0. This research is the first and only research that uses a business model canvas (BMC) for strategy-reformulation in incumbent construction enterprises to maintain a competitive advantage in Industry 4.0. Merits of the construction BMTC lie in its holistic approach, visual representation and simplicity.

This paper aims to evaluate the existing and emerging Offsite Construction (OSC) skills. Construction industry is inherently labour oriented, fashioning poor labour productivity, low sustainability, slow and costly processes. These shortcomings promote OSC alongside driving forces such as industrialisation, automation and digitalisation. However, the traditional construction skills are not on par with the complexity, where robots, co-bots and digital-driven automated systems create the need for novel OSC skills.

Data collection is executed through a Roundtable activity hosting Construction Management academics form Australian universities specialising in construction technology. They engaged in ranking of skills along with creating a word cloud for the question, “what are the future construction skills that will be more beneficial in an OSC platform?” Word cloud is reviewed in a discussion approach while skills ranking data is analysed using descriptive statistics.

The most prominent OSC skills are logistics manager, project manager and digital producer. Attributes of skills that come under construction trades workers, design, engineering and specialist professionals will vary based on onsite-offsite percentage combination in a construction project. Study reviews the required construction skills at two ends of a continuum featuring the trade-based skills; bricklayer, concreter and carpenter at one end (traditional build) and the heavily digitalised and automated skills at the other end (OSC). The noticeable transition towards OSC urges industry practitioners, policy-makers and education providers to focus on understanding and cultivating key OSC skills.

This study describes the transition of skills from onsite to OSC. It is presented as one of the earliest attempts to evaluate OSC skill profiles.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the management of intragroup conflicts occurring in project design teams during pre-contract stages that affect the project deliverables of construction projects implemented in Sri Lanka.

A qualitative approach with a case study research strategy was used in the study. The required empirical data were collected by conducting expert interviews and reviewing the documents used in four selected projects implemented in Sri Lanka. All the projects used traditional separated procurement systems and had re-measurement contracts. Manual content analysis was used to analyze the collected data.

The study findings revealed the different types of intragroup conflicts that arise during the pre-contract stages of projects within project design teams of construction projects implemented in Sri Lanka and the causes and effects of those conflicts on project deliverables. The study recommends proactive strategies that can be adopted to manage those conflicts.

A dearth of literature on the association between the intragroup conflicts that arise during the design stages of construction projects and project deliverables exists. This study bridged this research gap. It is novel because it reveals the impact of intragroup conflicts that occur during the pre-contract stages of construction projects on project deliverables and identifies several proactive strategies that will assist in managing those intragroup conflicts.