Improving Building Information Modelling by Realtime Tracing of Construction Processes

In the past 20 years, productivity in the European construction industry has increased by 1% annually only, which is at the lower end compared to other industrial sectors. Consequently, the sector has to step up its digitization efforts significantly, on the one hand to increase its competitiveness and on the other hand to get rid of its image as dirty, dangerous and physical demanding working environment. Construction industry clearly needs to progress beyond Building Information Modelling when it comes to digitizing their processes in such a way that all stakeholders involved in the construction process can be involved. The true potential of comprehensive digitization in construction can only be exploited if the current status of the construction work is digitally integrated in a common workflow. A Digital Twin provides construction companies with real-time data on the development of their assets, devices and products during creation and also enables predictions on workforce, material and costs. B¦IMprove facilitates such a comprehensive end-to-end digital thread using autonomous tracking systems to continuously identify deviations and update the Digital Twin accordingly. In addition, locations of construction site personnel are tracked anonymously, so that B¦IMprove system services are able to optimize the allocation of resources, the flow of people and the safety of the employees. Information will be easily accessible for all user groups by providing personalized interfaces, such as wearable devices for alerts or VR visualizations for site managers. B¦IMprove is a cloud-based service-oriented system that has a multi-layered structure and enables extensions to be added at any time. The main goals of B¦IMprove are a significant reduction in costs, better use of resources and fewer accidents on construction sites. By providing a complete digital workflow, B¦IMprove will help to sustainably improve the productivity and image of the European construction industry.