Disruptive technologies are transforming the Middle East construction sector

Blog
August 16, 2023

This first appeared in Construction Week

Although the regional construction sector has been using advanced technologies to successfully complete projects, the pace of adoption has been different from that of other industries. There is, however, evidence that things are changing. According to the latest PwC Middle East CP&I survey, technology adoption in the construction industry has passed the 50% mark for the first time in 2022.

Amongst the key growth areas, are the use of Big Data (41%), Digital Twins (17%), and Drones (33%), with the majority of our respondents recognising their benefits in reducing human errors, while offering enhanced project delivery insights.

Adoption of advanced technology requires skills, knowledge and training and a dedicated R&D budget to study and analyse potential solutions. What is optimistic is that 55% of our respondents have cited investment in technology as a priority area, pointing to the growing need to implement these in larger, more complex projects.

This article explores the emerging technologies: Big Data, Digital Twins and Drone, and the benefits and challenges that arise from their adoption.

Big Data is a collection of data that is huge in volume and grows exponentially with time. In the construction sector, big data provides an opportunity to collect, analyse, and apply vast amounts of information to help solve problems and provide critical, informed insights for future activities. This enables contractors to complete projects on time, bid more accurately, and build more efficiently.

The construction sector is rapidly shaping up to be the biggest producer of big data. The sources of this data include building information modelling (BIM), digital twins, 3D laser scanning, and advanced wearable gadgets (incorporated in hats, shoes, gloves, and other sensor-based devices), which generate digital files that can be stored in various formats, leading to enormous amounts of data. As a result, 63% of the respondents in the survey predicted that this would impact the market in the next two years.

Benefits:

There is immense potential for using big data in the construction industry. The use of big data enables construction automation and also enhances overall project performance by eliminating various hurdles and roadblocks that tend to slow down progress. The construction industry is dynamic and demanding, with the need for labour, physical strength and human resources to ensure smooth operations.

The constant challenge of keeping projects on track and ensuring that new buildings and structures are constructed to modern standards, puts much strain on the project management teams. This pressure can be relieved with the use of big data.

The core benefit of using big data within the construction industry is to reduce cost, enhance efficiency, optimise project planning phases, and expedite the overall construction by predicting possible timelines and identifying what factors can be worked on to improve the overall process. Leveraging big data can positively impact the following key areas:

Construction safety
Site management
Predictive analysis
Project waste minimisation
Quality improvement
Maintenance and facility management

Challenges:

Various gaps and pitfalls currently act as barriers to using big data to its full potential. Firstly, data generation is much faster than the tools available to process it. Also, there are risks associated with big data, such as data security and privacy, and data maturity. Moreover, big data integration into the construction industry is quite an uphill task, even with the existing data processing tools.

The future holds great potential for the construction industry through big data integration. Some key opportunities for the construction industries are using big data for business and environmental sustainability. The current roadblocks faced by the construction industry can be overcome in the future through the integration of information extracted through big data1.

A revolutionary milestone in the construction world, the digital twin concept involves the creation of a virtual representation of a physical structure, be it a bridge or a skyscraper. It leverages real-world data to improve decision-making and achieve the objectives set for a physical structure.

The required data is obtained from sensors that help optimise the monitoring aspect of the physical asset during construction, operation and maintenance stages of the physical asset, where data is obtained from sensors, actuators, and software. Equally important, numerous analysis tools such as AI and mathematical models are utilised to make the data valuable.

A digital twin is a dynamic model that is interlinked with the continuous development on-site, be it in the supply chain angle, occupational health and safety, resource management, project controls (such as, scope, cost, and schedule), or the health-monitoring aspect of the physical asset (post-construction)².

Another notable process, Building Information Modeling (BIM), serves as one the most critical enablers for creating the digital twin of a certain physical asset. In its most basic form, BIM is mostly utilised during the design and construction stages to optimise clash detection, which, in turn, tremendously mitigates any risks associated with interdisciplinary coordination and, ultimately, minimises any delays and additional costs arising from what would otherwise be perceived as unforeseen clashes.

Another important aspect is the numerous visualisation technologies applied in the digital twin concept, where the human eye’s perception of data in 2D/3D representations is further optimised. Integrating this in the metaverse allows the virtual coworking concept to be taken to another level. Imagine, for example, two project engineers (located on different continents) looking at the same 3D model that serves as the exact visual representation of a bridge at risk of collapsing. This will undoubtedly mitigate the risk of unwanted delays from having both engineers travel thousands of miles to the site to take action needed to avert the potential catastrophe the collapse would cause if no timely reactive measures are applied.

There are four different levels of maturity in the digital twin concept. These are descriptive analysis, predictive modelling, scenario planning and simulations, and operational excellence. Descriptive analysis is related to the visual aspect of the digital twin, where a 3D model is created. Additionally, changes over time - such as population density, new developments, traffic movement, etc… are covered in this level. The second level, predictive modelling is related to the application of data analytics to better understand the countless aspects affecting a certain asset. The third level, scenario planning & simulations, help decision-makers ensure that constructed assets can accommodate progressive changes that would impact said asset and its users (if applicable). The fourth and final level, operational excellence, leads to an organisation being proactively engaged in managing a certain asset where real-time data integration and AI are utilised⁴.

Benefits:

46% percent of the respondents to the CP&I Survey believe that digital twins will disrupt the infrastructure market the most over the next two years. While the majority acknowledged the tremendous potential that BIM and digital twins hold.

One of the best case studies when assessing the impact of developing a digital twin is the reconstruction of the Notre Dame de Paris3, one of France’s most iconic landmarks, after the fire that broke out on 15 April 2019, which resulted in severe damage to the building. As an extremely tight deadline of five years was set to complete the reconstruction works, the stakeholders in charge of the reconstruction adopted the approach of developing a digital twin to increase collaboration, optimise risk and safety monitoring (especially for unstable debris and burnt scaffolds), and improve the health monitoring of the structures.

We can, therefore, infer that BIM models are being developed to mitigate the risks of resource limitations, tight budgets, fast-track approaches, and increased levels of interdisciplinary collaboration during design and construction.

On the other hand, the development of digital twins, although applicable throughout the project’s lifecycle, is most beneficial during the operation and maintenance stages to optimise response measures, especially during a catastrophe, as indicated in the example above. Additionally, the digital twin concept can help achieve significant cost and productivity gains.

Equally important, the digital twin concept can be used as an ESG tool that can help significantly reduce emissions. In countries, such as the UAE and KSA, that are expecting a rapid population growth in the next few years, digital twin solutions can play their part to

model, predict and forecast underlying activities in sectors such as construction and real estate, transport and sustainability. This improves operations through live command centres and AI powered recommendations backed by real-time data integration.

The digital twin technology can also help smart cities realise their environmental goals by optimising costs and carbon emissions of new construction and avoid costly modifications after a project is completed. It could also enable cities to test the effectiveness of various measures against rising sea levels and urban heat to mitigate the impact of climate change.

Challenges:

When addressing the challenges faced in implementing the BIM and digital twin development, it is worth mentioning that the top two barriers experienced when using new technology in projects are cost and lack of training in new technologies, where 47% of respondents concur on this understanding for each barrier. Although these findings cover the bigger umbrella of new technologies, these are highly relatable to BIM and digital twins development.

To level the playing field, players in the construction industry will need to invest more in implementing BIM and digital twins development processes. First, providing all designers and site engineers with basic training is recommended. But it doesn’t stop here. Companies must also invest in advanced training sessions for a considerable pool of candidates who serve as game-changers. Second, to address the cost challenge, industry players will need to be more aware of the return on investment from the implementation of BIM and digital twin development processes. This increased awareness will steer industry players towards a better understanding of the benefits associated with the implementation, which will help them make informed decisions about the cost.

Drones offer opportunities in many areas of construction. Noting that they do not contribute to the actual execution, drones enable faster monitoring of the projects that helps in faster decision-making. Drones can be used from the land purchase stage until the post construction stage of the project. Over 67% of the CP&I survey respondents agree that drones/digital monitoring is one of the technologies that will disrupt the infrastructure market most over the next 2 years.

Benefits:

The popularity of the use of drones in the construction industry is increasing steadily, considering the multiple uses and benefits they offer. Construction companies believe that drones generate better working environment for employees and can be fit into certain important categories of the site work such as:

Photography/videography
Surveying
Inspections
Safety/security monitoring
3D rendering services
Accurate mapping
More accurate birds-eye views

The increase in integration of drones into construction projects helps improve accountability in the development process. Drones have the ability to monitor location points on a daily basis, providing valuable documentation for reference and error prevention. This precise activity tracking can help monitor and prevent potential risks5.

It has been proven, also, that construction projects involving land surveying, big roads, data collection, and earthwork, have been positively impacted by drone technology, which was the case in the UAE for the Dubai Festival City Mall project and Noor Abu Dhabi project. The impact of drones on the construction industry can be seen from different aspects namely:

Enabling more efficient construction site monitoring
Measuring width, length, and elevation for structures and roads
Mapping and imaging for ease of communication

With regards to planning, scheduling and progress reporting, which are considered monotonous and time consuming processes for site engineers, the use of drones can provide real-time progress on all parts of site and help contractors and other stakeholders manage a large number of sites by obtaining proper real-time data and making informed decisions in reduced time.

Challenges:

Nonetheless, it is worth considering certain challenges and limitations in the use of drones. The most common challenges are:

Safety challenges
Difficulty/danger of mapping and surveying

While the capabilities and affordability of drones continue to evolve (making them better at reducing delays, enabling reworks, and managing safety issues to drive better project performance), some limitations need to be dealt with such as drone cost, rules and regulation of flight, skill operators, flight time and weather conditions.

Call to action

While disruptive technologies significantly impact the construction industry and provide a wide range of benefits, some barriers could be slowing down the increase in popularity of these technologies.

According to our CP&I survey, 47% of the respondents believe that investment in technology and lack of training are the top two barriers to adoption, while 35% believe that lack of leadership sponsorship in endorsing new technologies is also a key challenge.

At PwC, we embrace constant improvement and are passionate about solving critical problems through technology. We have invested significantly in technology and digital to enable new, innovative ways to support our clients in their transformation journeys. Accordingly, in the Capital Projects & Infrastructure sector, we have found that the following have been instrumental in increasing the adoption of technology:

Increasing awareness of the Return on Investment and how technology, in the long run, can help reduce cost and errors, increase profits, reduce lead times, and improve repeatability.
Defining and tailoring technology requirements for each operational unit. Conducting a gap analysis regarding technology requirements can help accelerate transformation, where the current situation is assessed and recommendations are made for adopting different technologies.
Providing on-the-ground training and shadowing on digital solutions until full autonomy is achieved. Deploying the technology is only half the milestone; users must be familiar with it. Having subject matter experts and equipment manufacturers provide hands-on training (either in 1-1 sessions, on the job, or seminars) can be hugely beneficial.