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Purpose-Extant literature extensively articulates the advantages of using remotely piloted aircrafts (RPAs) in a myriad of construction activities. Yet, the barriers that hinder their wider adoption on construction projects have received scant academic attention. This study aims at addressing this gap in the literature. Design/methodology/approach-This study reviews 59 papers published on the use of RPAs for construction activities and offers an evaluation of barriers to widespread adoption throughout the sector. Findings-Barriers are identified, collated and categorized into five thematic groups, namely, technical difficulties, restrictive regulatory environment, site-related problems, weather and organizational barriers. Practical implications-The paper contributes to knowledge by: signposting a need for reordering priorities when defining future research on RPAs, suggesting measures to address the barriers identified and providing pragmatic guidance for construction companies intending to use RPAs on their projects. Originality/value-Using the task-technology fit theory, the study uncovers that current RPA technology is an under-fit match for construction activities and represents a prominent barrier to adoption. This is a dissenting finding, given that past studies on RPAs have primarily focused upon addressing public acceptance, concerns and societal consequences. Enablers of the identified barriers are also collated from extant literature and contemporary practice and encapsulated in a conceptual model.

The Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in integration with Building Information Modelling/Management (BIM) is an optimal approach for delivering construction projects. This is, however fraught with complications, due to the inability of current cost management practices to determine fair risk/reward ratio in IPD arrangements. Previous research has established the advantages of Earned Value Management-based (EVM) method for risk/reward sharing, as well as, how Activity Based Costing (ABC) method can facilitate automating the sharing process. This study proposes an innovative approach to exploit the capabilities of these techniques coupled with BIM in automating/optimising the process of IPD risk/reward sharing. This includes providing mathematical equations for risk/reward sharing and developing a model that strengthens IPD parties' relationships. The process is enhanced through developing an EVM-Web grid that enables the participants to easily track their costs on computers and mobile devices. To demonstrate the applicability and validity of the proposed model, it is applied on a real-life case and displays promising results in terms of flexibility in allocating risk/reward for varying scenarios.

PurposeIn this study, a critical literature review was utilized in order to provide a clear review of the relevant existing studies. The literature was analyzed using the meta-synthesis technique to evaluate and integrate the findings in a single context.Design/methodology/approachDigital transformation in construction requires employing a wide range of various technologies. There is significant progress of research in adopting technologies such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, and immersive technologies in the construction industry over the last two decades. The purpose of this research is to assess the current status of employing UAVs and immersive technologies toward digitalizing the construction industry and highlighting the potential applications of these technologies, either individually or in combination and integration with each other.FindingsThe key findings are: (1) UAVs in conjunction with 4D building information modeling (BIM) can be used to assess the project progress and compliance checking of geometric design models, (2) immersive technologies can be used to enable controlling construction projects remotely, applying/checking end users’ requirements, construction education and team collaboration.Practical implicationsA detailed discussion around the application of UAVs and immersive technologies is provided. This is expected to support gaining an in-depth understanding of the practical applications of these technologies in the industry.Originality/valueThe review contributes a needed common basis for capturing progress made in UAVs and immersive technologies to date and assessing their impact on construction projects. Moreover, this paper opens a new horizon for novice researchers who will conduct research toward digitalized construction.

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by 549148 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector is one of the largest industrial employers, representing 9.8% of a countries' Gross Domestic Product, and employing over 7.1% of the workforce (Business Watch, 2005). However, the fragmentation of the AEC industry is well recognised -the consequences of which have led to well-documented problems relating ostensibly to failures in communication and information processing (Egan, 1998;Latham, 1994). These failures have contributed to the proliferation of adversarial nature of the different parties involved in a project (Forcade et al., 2007), which has also affected the veracity of design information (Cera et al., 2002;Fruchter, 1998) within the project lifecycle. In essence, the nature and complexity of communication within AEC projects has changed significantly over the last ten years, especially with advances in technology, and the increased prevalence, of web-based project collaboration technologies and project extranets. Within the AEC sector, Information and Communication Technology has revolutionised production and design (Cera et al., 2002), which has led to dramatic changes in terms of labour and skills (Fruchter, 1998). However, it is also important to acknowledge that the capabilities of such applications (and implementation thereof) in predicting the cost and performance of optimal design proposals (Petric et al., 2002) should enable design engineers to compare the quality of any one tentative solution against the quality of previous solutions. This was reinforced by Goulding and Rahimian (2012), regarding the ability to experiment and experience decisions in a 'cyber-safe' environment, in order to mitigate or reduce risks prior to construction. Consequently, the success of AEC projects is highly dependent upon the 'type', 'level' and 'quality' of the innovative communication exchange of various disciplines involved in the design and implementation phases.One of the key debates with respect to advanced technology adoption to the AEC industry is the level of automation throughout the project lifecycle (Frohm et al., 200...