What is at the Root of Construction 4.0: A Systematic Review of the Recent Research Effort

The last decades have seen considerable effort invested in a digital transition in the construction industry. While the building information modeling (BIM) approach plays an important role in such a transition, more and more technological approaches are emerging and grouped together under the concept of Construction 4.0. However, the contours of Construction 4.0 as a scientific domain are far from being clearly defined. A few literature reviews have been published in an attempt to clarify its meaning and define its enabling technologies, but do not provide a complete view of the research efforts. To fully understand the research effort, it is necessary to study the different communities and clusters, their weights and their interrelationships. This paper proposes a mapping of the Construction 4.0 research themes and clusters over 10 years of scientific publications, using a systematic literature review approach. 2444 papers published in peer-reviewed journals between 2010 and 2019 were identified and the associated keywords were analyzed in order to highlight their co-occurrences. The research shows how BIM plays a central role in the digital transformation, hiding a forest of emerging technologies represented by the main clusters identified. Of the 10 main enabling technologies in 2018, only three were already mentioned in 2010. Some of these technologies (Internet of Things, additive manufacturing, 3D printing and Big Data) seem to be in the position to occupy an increasingly important place in the coming years. It seems more difficult for other technologies (e.g., cyber physical systems) to find an important place, due to a lack of awareness in the industry. Others seem less and less addressed, for contrary reasons.

Automated summary

The construction industry has been exerting significant effort towards digital transition, with BIM playing a central role and various emerging technologies grouped under the concept of Construction 4.0. The definition of Construction 4.0 as a scientific domain remains unclear, necessitating a study of different communities and clusters to fully comprehend research efforts.