Digital technologies are being introduced in all areas of the construction industry with the overarching goals of increasing productivity while simultaneously simplifying work and reducing errors. Nevertheless, their use and the associated implementation in construction companies is currently still inhibited. One reason for this is the lack of a holistic implementation process for digital technologies. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to deliver a concept for such a holistic digital-technology-implementation-process which addresses current barriers. For this purpose, a qualitative literature analysis was conducted first, which reveals the current focus of research on digital technologies. In a second step, current barriers regarding the implementation of digital technologies were identified by conducting interviews with experts from German construction companies. The interview concept combined and adapted the survey instruments Technology Commitment by Neyer et al. and Technophobia by Sinkovics. Based on the findings of the qualitative literature research and the expert interviews, a holistic implementation process for the introduction of digital technologies for construction companies was developed, which specifically addresses the currently prevailing barriers. Therefore, the barriers Acceptance, Control and Competence were classified in a temporal context within the implementation process and recommendations for action are presented for the individual process steps of implementing digital technologies.

Um den derzeitigen Anforderungen für den Klimaschutz sowie den vorhandenen und zukünftigen Möglichkeiten der Digitalisierung und dem daraus resultierenden Wandel in der Bauwirtschaft gerecht werden zu können, reflektiert der vorliegende Artikel Entwicklungen in Forschung und Lehre im Netzwerk Baubetrieb, Bauwirtschaft und Baumanagement (BBB). Hinsichtlich der Forschung wird deutlich, dass die „Translationale Forschung“ als ein wesentliches Charakteristikum der BBB-Professuren zu sehen ist. Die hierbei erarbeitete Erweiterung des generellen Wissens führt im Rahmen der Lehre zu Spezialisierungen und in der Folge zu mehr Lehrinhalten in der universitären Ausbildung. Zudem resultiert, dass sich die Mitglieder des BBB-Netzwerks fachlich weiter spezialisieren und ein immer größeres Spektrum an bau-, immobilien- und infrastrukturspezifischen Inhalten in der Tiefe abdecken. Dies ermöglicht den BBB-Professuren auch einen elementaren Beitrag zu den übergeordneten Zielen für nachhaltige Entwicklung der Vereinten Nationen zu leisten.

This paper describes a holistic quality model (HQM) and assessment to support decision-making processes in construction. A graded concrete slab serves as an example to illustrate how to consider technical, environmental, and social quality criteria and their interrelations. The evaluation of the design and production process of the graded concrete component shows that it has advantages compared to a conventional solid slab, especially in terms of environmental performance. At the same time, the holistic quality model identifies potential improvements for the technology of graded concrete. It will be shown that the holistic quality model can be used to (a) consider the whole life cycle in decision-making in the early phases and, thus, make the complexity of construction processes manageable for quality and sustainability assessments and (b) make visible interdependencies between different quality and sustainability criteria, to help designers make better-informed decisions regarding the overall quality. The results show how different quality aspects can be assessed and trade-offs are also possible through the understanding of the relationships among characteristics. For this purpose, in addition to the quality assessment of graded concrete, an overview of the interrelations of different quality characteristics is provided. While this article demonstrates how a HQM can support decision-making in design, the validity of the presented evaluation is limited by the data availability and methodological challenges, specifically regarding the quantification of interrelations.