With the extensive development and application of information technologies in construction engineering and management (CEM), the construction site is experiencing a rapid digital revolution and transformation. Since smart construction site has become the current research trend and one of the most hot topics, thus this study adopted an integrated bibliometric approach and quantitative analysis to explore the global research on smart construction site. As it is indicated in the content, the bibliometric and scientometric method-based literature review was carried out in this study. To be specific, the co-citation analysis in terms of author, document, and journal; the collaboration analysis in terms of authorship, institutions, and country/region; and category analysis, as well as cluster analysis and burst analysis were conducted based on 2206 peer-reviewed academic papers, which were published from January 2000 to February 2021. It is found that there has been an explosion of relevant publications especially in the past 10 years along with the changing of keywords from flexibility approach to information technologies, 3D reconstruction, IoT technologies, virtual reality, and others. Moreover, the results indicated that the collaborations and cooperation among different institutions, countries, and authors are not close enough, and the most significant research and development in smart construction occurred primarily in the USA, China, and England. Additionally, the smart construction site’s relevant research in terms of publication of quantity was doubled every five years. In addition, the smart construction site relevant research has gradually changed from the traditional project performance associated indicators to smart simulation applications and scenes. Lastly, implementation and management-related concerns about smart construction sites are discussed with seven topics. This study provides researchers and practitioners not merely with an in-depth understanding of the characters and also the trend of smart construction site research in the construction engineering and management field.

A Scientometric Review of Smart Construction Site in Construction Engineering and Management: Analysis and Visualization

The establishment of smart construction sites employing smart technologies for real-time interconnection, communication, and interaction has emerged as an interesting topic for researchers and practitioners in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry as they contribute to effective, efficient, and high-quality on-site management. However, little consideration has been involved in the comprehensive management of health, safety, and environment (HSE) issues using smart technologies. To address this gap, this study first performs a systematic procedure to identify the articles (results = 325) associated with the on-site application of smart technologies for HSE and conducts a quantitative and qualitative analysis on their research trend and interests. A bibliometric analysis of publication numbers by year, country and region, and journal presents the research state quo and trends, and a keyword co-occurrence analysis is conducted to show the interests of this topic. Based on these interests, different smart technologies including techniques and devices are categorized for on-site HSE management objectives. Moreover, a comprehensive framework for smart technologies in HSE management and a blueprint for HSE-oriented smart construction site establishment are put forward. This study develops a basis to understand the current application of smart technologies in HSE management and contributes to the implementation of smart construction sites for sustainable construction. 

Smart construction sites: A promising approach to improving on-site HSE management performance

The wide and in-depth adoption of advanced information technologies within the construction industry has led to its revolution of all aspects; the construction site is not an exception. Recently, the notion of a smart construction site (SCS) has drawn the attention of all stakeholders within the industry. While the practice of SCS could be witnessed in various regions and the notion is mentioned frequently, the concept of SCS is still emerging, a sound framework for SCS development is still absent. As a bottom-up phenomenon, a systematic analysis of critical factors would provide all stakeholders with a comprehensive view of SCS development. In this research, previous research and existing practices of SCS are referred to, which helps to identify 17 critical factors for SCS development from the perspective of management, technology, and organization. The DEMATEL-ISM approach is introduced to conduct the factor analysis, and a questionnaire survey is conducted among 10 experts to investigate their attitudes on these factors. Following the proposed method, the 17 factors are classified into seven hierarchies and further categorized into three layers, i.e., effect layer, operational layer, and input layer, which helps to demonstrate the interrelationship among the critical factors for SCS development. The effect layer consists of the first to the third hierarchy, which contains the factors of cost (F2), safety (F4), schedule (F5), environment (F9), and quality (F3) management; these factors belong to the management perspective and reflect the expectations during SCS development. The operational layer consists of the fourth to the sixth hierarchy, which contains seven factors, namely, processing (F8), information (F10), communication and coordination (F15), personnel (F5), material (F6), equipment (F7), and management regulation (F17); these factors are critical in processing the input resources into the final effect of SCS development. The input layer only consists of the seventh hierarchy, which contains hardware and software facility (F11), integrated platform (F12), data sharing center (F13), smart decision system (F14), and technical team (F16); these factors represent the investment of SCS development. The systematic analysis of critical factors provides new insights on SCS development, which could be adopted as references for future SCS development by all stakeholders like government and construction enterprises.

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Analyzing Critical Factors for the Smart Construction Site Development: A DEMATEL-ISM Based Approach

There is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the digital transformation of the construction in order to leverage the benefits of the wider adoption of the Industry 4.0 paradigm. However, there is a lack of systematic research on the digital transformation pathway of the construction industry. In view of this, this study uses the LDA theme model to explore the key influencing factors for the digital transformation of the construction industry and builds a digital comprehensive evaluation system of the construction industry with DEMATEL-ANP. The findings are as follows: Firstly, five elements of the construction industry, such as enterprise resources, enterprise capabilities, enterprise spirit, macro environment and industry environment, have an important impact on the digital transformation of the construction industry. Secondly, the ability of construction enterprises has the most significant influence on the digital transformation of the construction industry. This empirical study provides policy suggestions and an implementation framework for realizing high-quality development of the construction industry based on digital technological innovation. The study helps construction enterprises to understand the necessity of digital transformation and provides a theoretical basis and practical ideas for construction enterprises to formulate their own digital transformation strategies.

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Systematic Identification of the Influencing Factors for the Digital Transformation of the Construction Industry Based on LDA-DEMATEL-ANP

Nowadays, BIM (Building Information Modeling) has steadily been introduced into the construction industry as a promising methodology for managing projects. Therefore, it is necessary to study the users of its processes. Worldwide, there are already systems that classify companies according to how they use BIM, although only a few studies have been conducted on how individual users are classified. Hence, the present study sought to develop a model that characterized BIM users based on several parameters. The methodology employed defined variables based on a literature review, which experts subsequently validated. These variables made it possible to develop the measurement instrument: a structured questionnaire applied to construction professionals. The necessary parameters for the user characterization model were extracted using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. This model met the structural evaluation and measurement criteria, which confirmed that it was valid and reliable. It was found that three main aspects mainly characterized users: (i) their use and command of the software and the methodology, (ii) the experience and degree of adoption of the technology, and (iii) the individual’s knowledge of process levels and standardization concerning BIM.

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Profile Characterization of Building Information Modeling Users

With the increasing attention acquired from researchers and practitioners in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, building information modeling (BIM) has fundamentally changed the approach we design, construct and delivery, as well as operate and maintenance of buildings and civil infrastructures. This study tries to provide an innovative perspective on BIM research. This study aims to analyze the necessity and feasibility of BIM user satisfaction research and define what BIM user satisfaction is, and then to develop a quantitative method for the measurement of BIM user satisfaction.,As it is indicated in the content, BIM user satisfaction is measured by the sum of the user's weighted reactions to a set of factors. To be specific, the entropy method was adopted to calculate the “weighting” of the factors, and the triangular fuzzy number (TFN) method was selected to compute the “scoring” of the factors. Through the literature review, methodology and tool development, as well as case study and discussions, this paper was generated sequentially.,This study found that the proposed tool for the measurement of BIM success is valid and reliable; it formerly translated the conceptual definition of BIM user satisfaction into an accurate measurement instrument. It also indicated that many factors are affecting the BIM users' satisfaction, and each of the factors inherited various importance and score, and the findings are expected to improve the performance and effectiveness of BIM management.,Through the translation of the conceptual BIM user satisfaction into a valid quantitative measurement instrument, this research provides an excellent framework for the management of BIM from the user's perspective, and it could help to stimulate user's acceptance of BIM in the AEC industry in future.

Guangbin Wang

Papers

A Scientometric Review of Smart Construction Site in Construction Engineering and Management: Analysis and Visualization

Development of a tool for measuring building information modeling (BIM) user satisfaction – method selection, scale development and case study