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Background: Successful digitalisation calls for a new culture and other skills – p. 8 Interview: From investment in pizzas to digital construction – p. 14 Build 4.0: Construction is facing a digital revolution – p. 22 Molio Magazine Theme Digital transformation in construction

Theme Digital transformation in construction...Digital transformation in construction 2 ”Our hope and vision are that from now on the bar will be set higher for collaboration and

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Page 1: Theme Digital transformation in construction...Digital transformation in construction 2 ”Our hope and vision are that from now on the bar will be set higher for collaboration and

Background: Successful digitalisation calls for a

new culture and other skills – p. 8

Interview: From investment in pizzas to

digital construction – p. 14

Build 4.0: Construction is facing a

digital revolution – p. 22

Molio Magazine

Theme

Digital transformationin construction

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2

”Our hope and vision are that from now on the bar will be set higher for collaboration and innovation, and that together we will use digitalisation and data in both the technical and social context as a significant foundation for digital transformation.”Jørn Vibe Andreasen, Managing Director, Molio

Page 3: Theme Digital transformation in construction...Digital transformation in construction 2 ”Our hope and vision are that from now on the bar will be set higher for collaboration and

3

Contents

Colophon

Issued by Molio

1st edition 2018

Editorial: Seismonaut and Molio

Text and proofing: Coma Stories

Graphic design and layout: OddFischlein

Printing: Stibo

4

7

8

14

17

18

21

22

30

34

39

Relationships are a common waymarker for construction in the future

#1 Digital trends

Successful digitalisation calls for a new culture and other skills

From investment in pizzas to digital construction

#2 Digital trends

We can’t do everything ourselves

#3 Digital trends

Construction is facing a digital revolution

We save plenty of money by building digitally

Digitalisation takes courage, investment and solid strategic planning

#4 Digital trends

Molio Magazine 2018

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4

Relationships are a common waymarker for construction in the future

Welcome to Molio’s magazine about digitalisation in the construction industry

Digitalisation in the construction in-

dustry has a major impact on every-

one in the industry. To examine how

businesses relate to and approach

digital development, Molio has com-

missioned a digital barometer. This

gives a current snapshot of what the

industry itself sees as challenges,

drivers and barriers to achieving full

use of digitalisation.

The future of construction depends on openness, dialogue

and collaboration throughout the value chain, with the

emphasis of the digital agenda shifting from data, software

and tools to organisation, client needs and communication.

Molio Magazine 2018

Photo: Molio

Jørn Vibe Andreasen, Managing Director, Molio

We repeatedly hear from companies

that we need to collaborate to drive

development. And collaboration is one

of the six keywords that characterises

the direction in which Molio wants to

see the construction industry move,

i.e. greater openness, dialogue and

collaboration as well as understand-

ing, acceptance and respect for each

other throughout the value chain.

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5

Molio Magazine 2018

What is the Molio - Construction Information Centre?

Molio – Construction Information Centre was established in spring 2016 by the

merger of bips and Byggecentrum. Molio is an independent, non-profit organi-

sation and is independent of private interests. Molio has a wide circle of clients

and networks in the industry which covers the entire value chain in construc-

tion: clients and operators, architects and engineers, consultants, contractors

and suppliers. This constellation gives us the ability to work on creating a con-

nection between products and tools across all parties and processes involved

in construction. Molio’s main purpose is to contribute to increasing the compet-

itiveness of companies within building, civil engineering and operation for the

benefit of both businesses and communities. This is done by providing products

and tools that promote development, digitalisation and efficiency. Molio’s prod-

ucts and services are developed and supplied in correlation with market condi-

tions, while operational profits are used to fund development.

Throughout this development, which

Molio aims to be an active part of, it

is essential for all industry parties to

have a common mindset, which, be-

yond an overall customer focus, also

focuses intently on the surroundings,

i.e. the ever-changing relationships

with collaborators throughout the en-

tire value chain.

The clients and relationships are thus

the waymarkers for considering how

best to contribute to openness, dia-

logue and collaboration as well as un-

derstanding, acceptance and respect

for the whole industry.

Digitalisation is an important tool to

ease collaboration, but digitalisation

must be considered along with all the

other elements if it is to be of value.

The construction industry’s digitali-

sation agenda has traditionally had

an 80 % focus on IT technology in the

form of data, structure, software and

tools and only 20 % focus on the so-

cial part in the form of organisation,

people, management, skills, client

needs, communication and dialogue.

For digitalisation to run smoothly, we

want from now on to contribute to

development in which the focus is 20

% technical and 80 % social. Or put in

another way: our aim is still for data,

structure, tools etc. to be improved

and developed for the benefit of the

industry, but it must be based on in-

teraction with and respect for several

other parties. For only in close cooper-

ation with everyone else – not only all

parties in the value chain, but also new

partners outside our own industry –

can we achieve the required progress.

Here Molio can and will contribute

something special, as we are present

throughout the value chain from when

a building is born until it is demolished

or starts again through renovation.

This enables us to help create dia-

logue and networks across the whole

industry, so that we and others can

bridge the gap and be catalysts for

parties in the construction industry to

want to cross over to the other side

of the stream and seek out possibili-

ties for innovation and development.

Real innovation can only be created by

being open to new collaborations and

dialogue, a development everyone in

the industry is responsible for.

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6

What does Molio do?

Molio offers tools and services, can make data

handling in construction more effective – i.e. data

structures, standards, data and knowledge man-

agement throughout the construction value chain.

Molio has strong competencies within digitalisa-

tion, product development, learning, communica-

tion, sales and marketing, development and user

involvement.

Our hope and vision are that from now

on the bar will be set for collaboration

and innovation, and that together we

will use digitalisation and data in both

the technical and social context as a

significant foundation for this trans-

formation. We would like to contribute

with the many good stories about dig-

italisation in the construction industry

as part of helping the industry achieve

the required development. Therefore,

it is our desire with this publication to

inspire you to search out new ways, be

curious and collaborate in new ways

with new parties.

Enjoy your reading.

Jørn Vibe Andreasen,

Managing Director, Molio

The temperature of digital constructionA questionnaire to 801 people across all parts of the construction industry shows that:

97 %find that there is dividend to

be gained by digitalisation

59 % think that increased qual-

ity and fewer errors are

the greatest benefits of

digitalisation

45 %think that the greatest chal-

lenge for digitalisation in

construction is the lack of a

digital culture

Source: Digital Barometer. Download the study from molio.dk/kampagner/digitalt-barometer, Molio (2018)

Molio Magazine 2018

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7

Digital TwinsIoT is not just popular in the construc-

tion phase, but also when the building

is completed. With a sufficient volume

and quality of data, buildings can be

made so smart that they almost think

for themselves. Smart Homes that

connects all the wireless units in the

home is a growing field, and one off-

shoot is the so-called Digital Twins.

A Digital Twin is a copy of, for exam-

ple, a house or car that collects the

various information from IoT units.

IBM Research speaks about Cognitive

Digital Twins which unites various IoT

data in a Digital Twin to help showing

the way in a building, give guidance

on loading and provide information on

the temperature etc.

Read more: bit.ly/digitaltwins

IoTInternet of Things (IoT) has gained more and more ground in

construction. The many mobile units make buildings more in-

telligent both during the construction process and after com-

pletion. IoT gives ability to get a real instant snapshot of the

status of the building, which it has previously been difficult to

create. Wireless sensors in various units such as drilling rigs,

services and trucks allow real time data from the process to

be collected. This optimises the construction process which

can be managed by facts instead of suppositions. An example

of an IoT unit is the Solar company’s Panoramic Power sensor.

The unit is clipped around a cable and can monitor and ana-

lyse the energy consumption of individual machines during

the construction process.

Read more here: bit.ly/IoTibyggeriet

#1

Digital trends

Photo: Solar

© Leica Geosystems

Molio Magazine 2018

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Successful digitalisation calls for a new culture and other skills

The construction industry has traditionally been based on a

physical, rational thought process, which can make it difficult

to see the perspective of digital business opportunities. But to

survive as a company in construction, it is necessary to bring

forth a new culture, in which the rational functions side by side

with experiments, mistakes and inspiration from unexpected

sources. This calls for not only a new thought process, but also

other skills than previously.

There was a time when digitalisation

meant automating processes, do-

ing away with some paperwork and

throwing out some ring binders. But

we are now in the middle of a digital

transformation which no longer only

means streamlining processes, but

also using digitalisation strategically

to both develop existing business and

see new business opportunities.

”This is a notable shift. Not only in

the way companies must work with

the digital agenda, but also in the way

in which they manage and organise

themselves. The shift from digitalisa-

tion to digital transformation means

the organisation needs new visions,

new forms of organisation, transverse

cooperative relationships and new

competencies at largely

all levels in the organisation. In other

words, it calls for changes of a much

more transformative nature than be-

fore, in both culture and competen-

cies,” says Pernille Kræmmergaard.

She is a former IT professor at Aalborg

University and now Director of the

Digitalisation Institute, which helps

companies to develop competencies

within digital transformation.

The massive need for change is not

least because the new digital possi-

bilities are not linear as digital devel-

opment occurs exponentially; i.e. at

great speed and leading to constant

changes that challenge the tradition-

al culture in construction, which has

been used to rational and analogue

thinking.

”We are in the middle of a digital transformation, which depends on using digitalisation strategically,” says Pernille Kræmmergaard, Director of the Digitalisation Institute.

Photo: PR

Molio Magazine 2018

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”Today the majority of the develop-

ment in construction goes from A to B,

but survival now calls for trying things

out to see if they are the right way to

proceed. There is still a need for the

engineering brains in construction,

and for things to be systematised, but

there is also a need for the company

to have a core that is geared for ex-

ponential development; i.e. a culture

that can contain experiments running

concurrently with the linear process-

es, so that an experimental layer is

brought in where relevant,” explains

Preben Mejer, IT expert and Director

of the Digital Knowledge Centre, Radr.

Create innovative pockets within the companyOne of the people who is at the inter-

face of the challenge between provid-

ing faultless physical products, while

at the same time mastering the blis-

tering rate of digital development and

pressing need for new competencies is

Martin Manthorpe. He is the Director

of Business Development and Strategy

at NCC, who last year launched the

virtual market place Loop Rocks. This

brings sellers and buyers together by

matching offerings and demand with-

in building materials such as soil, sand

and gravel. If you have a pile of surplus

excavated material, you can offer it for

sale on Loop Rocks which works like

Exchange & Mart. That sort of trading

has gone on for a long time, but the

new feature is that it is a digital plat-

form that skips intermediate layers,

including NCC itself. The technology is

used to make circular movements of

materials, so that the stocks of soil,

sand and gravel are moved as few

times as possible.

”The idea came from our internal busi-

ness development unit on the tail of a

major analysis of how our involvement

in sustainability could go hand-in-hand

with our targeted commitment to digi-

tal transformation in the construction

Photo: NCC

”One of our most significant tasks will be to turn the construction industry into an exciting place for young people and the next generation of digital talent. If the clever, digital skills only perceive a career with Amazon and Microsoft, it will be difficult in construction.”Martin Manthorpe, direktør for forretningsudvikling og strategi, NCC

Molio Magazine 2018

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10

industry. And it is a good example

of how we focus clearly on provid-

ing physical products of high quali-

ty, while at the same time we create

innovative pockets both inside and

outside the company where new busi-

ness opportunities arise,” explains

Martin Manthorpe.

He believes that one of the recipes

for digital success in the construction

industry depends on creating these

experimental zones and daring to

move the implementation culture out

of the company – both purely phys-

ically, but also by engaging with the

surroundings in your own business

development, in terms of both culture

and competencies.

”Because the industry mindset is so

physically and traditionally analogue,

it is often difficult to see the perspec-

tives of digital business opportunities.

But if you try out ideas with networks

and partners from both the industry

and the rest of the community, and

link them to your operating organisa-

tion with respect for core tasks, then

you are well on the way to not only

bringing digitalisation into existing

business processes, but also to dis-

covering new business opportunities,”

he says.

It does, however, require full scale

experiments, where you experiment

1:1 and set activities in motion, try

out, learn and adjust – and engage in

ongoing dialogue with the market and

discussing the results with clients,

suppliers, politicians etc.

”It’s no use sitting behind a desk and

designing the world in a PowerPoint –

nothing comes of that. On the other

hand, it is entirely essential to cre-

ate new thoughts, ideas and profes-

sionalism in the company and bring

them out into the world, so that they

do not end up gathering dust in the

basement or on the computer,” says

Martin Manthorpe

Billedtekst

Photo: NCC / Loop

NCC’s new app, Loop Rocks, is a virtual market place for circular movements of building materials such as stone and soil.

Molio Magazine 2018

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11

Prioritise digital-

isation efforts

Create commitment

to digitalisation in

top management

Create an overview

of the data basis

the background

Understand digitalisa-

tion. Appoint people

who understand the

development

Four steps to digital transformationInternally prioritising development

of digitalisation is one part of the

four-step rocket which Preben Mejer

sees as a workable model for suc-

ceeding with digital transformation in

construction.

Besides prioritising digitalisation ef-

forts, which means not just hiding

digital people away in the broom cup-

board, but pushing them and their ide-

as forward in the company, the four-

stage rocket consists of commitment

by top management, an overview of

the background data, and an under-

standing of what digitalisation actually

means.

Addressing the last issue first, this re-

quires a company culture that is geared

to digital transformation, and having

an organisation, which not only under-

stands digital, but also to a certain

extent was born with digital natives.

You also need people who understand

the development, and who are not

afraid to experiment, as you need to

test out the possibilities and not be

scared off by uncharted territory or

something that is incomplete. This also

involves accepting the need to make

mistakes to succeed.

”Tolerating mistakes is quite crucial

and if you are brave, you can cre-

ate a disruption unit that can rethink

everything,” says Preben Mejer.

At the same time, digitalisation won’t

get off the starting block if there is no

control over the data needed for digi-

talisation to occur. This requires a cul-

ture of respect for data being record-

ed accurately, in the right places and

being available, with a clear knowledge

of which external data is missing to al-

low success.

1 2

34

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

”So you need a culture, which has the

will to experiment on a solid basis,

both in terms of data and the compa-

ny. Of course, you cannot close down

the company because of experiments,

but on the other hand the compa-

ny will die if it does not experiment,”

claims Preben Mejer.

As the fourth and last step, he high-

lights commitment by top manage-

ment as crucial for digital transfor-

mation. This means that all digital

experiments and designs occur with

reference to top management, and

that top management creates a culture

in which managers can both hold moti-

vational speeches and be role models,

but also ensure that other things are

not just prioritised on an ongoing ba-

sis every time something new comes

up. On the contrary, the digital strate-

gy needs to be maintained, which also

requires commitment of money to the

development.

Molio Magazine 2018

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12

”Top management must define a clear

mission for the project, but also invest

financially, not least because there

is money to be made from digitalisa-

tion,” says Preben Mejer with refer-

ence to an analysis carried out by MIT

Sloan under Massachusetts Institute

of Technology (MIT) which compared

391 large companies from all over the

world. The analysis showed a notable

difference between companies that

worked intensively to digitalise opera-

tions and customer contact and those

that did not.

”The digitally driven companies were

5-6 % more stable in their bottom

line year on year in comparison with

companies that were not data driv-

en,” he says and stresses that invest-

ment should never be a barrier to

digitalisation.

”That is a very old-fashioned attitude,

because the flip side of investment

is a massive gain in productivity. And

those who do not understand that will

be driven out of the market because

they cannot compete if they just carry

on as before – so that will sort itself

out if you don’t do it yourself,” states

Preben Mejer.

Have adaptable visionsA part of the willingness to invest in

digital development also means hav-

ing a vision for the company that is

far more adaptable than it is tradi-

tional – and using money to ensure

you have the right skills.

”Technologies develop quickly, and

some remarkable changes take place,

so we have to move away from ’as

usual’ towards an inquisitive and ex-

ploratory culture. And for most, that

means not waiting until they face a

burning platform, because by then

it is already too late. Rather, it de-

pends on both respecting and be-

ing solidly grounded in what is, but

also accepting being in beta mode in

other areas. A bit like when we look

at software, where we are used to

the solutions not being finalised when

we start using it. For example, there

are always new updates to MobilePay

and LinkedIn. A beta mode is impor-

tant when entering the market, and

also something I believe we will come

to see a greater acceptance of in

other industries,” foresees Pernille

Kræmmergaard.

This vision requires a new reality that

operates with both long and short-

term perspectives: the long per-

spective consists of looking at your

business and considering how the

industry will look in 5-10 years based

on today’s knowledge. The short

perspective deals with the initiatives

that can produce gains in the near fu-

ture, so that you are not just experi-

menting with the overall aim, but also

moving the market and customers

here and now.

Photo: PR

Molio Magazine 2018

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13

”Tolerating mistakes is quite crucial, and if you are brave, you can create a disruption unit that can rethink everything.” Preben Mejer, IT expert and Director of the Digital Knowledge Centre, Radr

Both parts are adaptable – the long

perspective due to the speed of the

technological development, which

means things will happen in 5-10

years that we cannot conceive of yet.

And the short, as we must be able to

find our way forwards and be in beta

mode.

”This requires a change in mindset

for many people. Not least because

most people are cautious about pro-

ceeding with something that is not

100 % completed? The answer is yes:

for two reasons. Firstly, to get quick

feedback on the product from the

market and secondly to avoid waiting

too long. The time when everything

good came to those who waited, is

over,” says Pernille Kræmmergaard.

This interaction will also greatly in-

fluence the competencies needed to

both develop the existing business and

create new business opportunities.

”The key to success is training the

colleagues you have because there’s

nothing wrong with them. They are

absolutely crucial to be able to retain

the critical focus on the core busi-

ness, but need to learn to work in

new ways and with other professions

– and in addition you need to add the

missing skills, which are often need-

ed to fill the gaps in the experimental

layer,” says Preben Mejer.

A significant part of recruitment cov-

ers looking at the places where e.g.

the crucial IT competencies are to be

found, and thereby to be able to at-

tract talents, which may come from

somewhere entirely separate from

construction.

”One of our most significant tasks

will be to turn the construction indus-

try into an exciting place for young

people and the future generations

of digital talents. If the clever and

digitally skilled only aim for a career

in Amazon and Microsoft, it will be

difficult for the construction indus-

try,” states Martin Manthorpe.

The task and challenge for the indus-

try thus become to show digital tal-

ents that there is exciting work to be

done in a world which of course pro-

duces physical bridges, tunnels and

buildings, but where digitalisation

already makes remarkable changes in

both the physical buildings, things the

building is later fitted with, and what

we ourselves bring into them, and

thereby the way we live.

Molio Magazine 2018

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14

From investment in pizzas to digital construction

MOLIO MAGSIN 2018 - START-UP/INVESTOR

The digital startup, the Geniebelt project management tool, has

achieved great success within the construction industry by making

difficult processes easier using digital solutions. Founder Klaus

Nyengaard, who made Just Eat grow from 40 to 1,000 employees,

tells us why he has invested in digital construction with Geniebelt.

When Klaus Nyengaard got the idea

for Geniebelt five years ago, he had

no professional experience within the

construction industry. He spotted a

gap in the market when he was in-

volved in a construction project in a

private context and lacked a manage-

ment tool that could make the con-

struction process more transparent.

“I had been involved in a modernisa-

tion project on a small farm and was

about to build a larger farm.

But I had a poor experience of the

building process from the old project.

It was not clear what was happening

and when,” he says.

Klaus Nyengaard therefore set out

to develop the tool that he felt was

missing: a tool that collects all infor-

mation on one screen and provides

an overview of all steps in the build-

ing process. This aimed to remove

his aversion for the first hour of each

site meeting being used to discuss

the progress of the different parts of

the project.

The industry is readyAccording to Klaus Nyengaard, con-

struction is only now ripe for digital-

isation. On the other hand, the com-

mon perception that the industry is

too conservative and ‘heavy’ to be

digitised is no longer valid, he thinks.

On the contrary, there are masses of

people in construction who welcome

the digital measures.

Photo: Geniebelt

Molio Magazine 2018

According to Klaus Nyengaard from Geniebelt, only now is construction ripe for digitalisation.

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15

“Smartphones, cloud technology and

consumerisation have gained ground

everywhere. That wasn’t the case

just five years ago. All tradesmen use

their telephone on site today, the old-

er generation has been brought up

to speed by their grandchildren and

therefore knows how it works. And

people use apps to trade as an entire-

ly natural part of their private life,” he

explains.

How the smartphone has gained

ground in the private sphere was part

of Nyengaard’s analysis of why the

construction industry is now ready to

use digital project management tools

actively. To develop a successful tool

of that kind, it was important for the

tool to be useable by everyone, and

not too complicated.

“Many of the solutions available

prior to Geniebelt were American.

Theoretically, they were really good,

but they were impractical. They

were made by engineers, for engi-

neers, and were difficult to under-

stand by the rest of the people at

the construction site,” says Klaus

Nyengaard.

The greatest challenge is no longer to

get people to use digital tools. It has,

on the other hand, been to create an

understanding of how to build up a

software platform that can be used,

not only across disciplines, compa-

nies and organisations, but also by

people who are spread over a large

geographic area. It has been crucial

to restrict content and discussions,

so that individual users are not over-

loaded with information and only see

what is relevant. You almost get the

impression of solutions for ordering

pizza or communication by mail when

Nyengaard describes the importance

of keeping the tool simple.

“We take care of the ‘slicing and dic-

ing’ so that people are only included

in the relevant discussions and con-

texts,” explains Klaus Nyengaard, who

has seen a great potential in simplify-

ing the difficult processes in construc-

tion with simple, digital solutions.

According to Nyengaard, Geniebelt

”Smartphones, cloud technology and consumerisation have gained ground everywhere. That wasn’t the case just five years ago. All tradesmen use their telephone on site today, the older generation has been brought up to speed by their grandchildren and knows how it works.”Klaus Nyengaard,

Investor and serial entrepreneur

has made it possible to develop a suc-

cessful digital product for construc-

tion because of good timing, a good

team and an unusually long develop-

ment process. With his four partners,

he has developed, coded, and gen-

erated ideas for the digital platform,

which also involved coaching both

Danish and international customers.

Klaus Nyengaard

• Born 1970

• Trained economist from Aarhus

University

• Now invests in startups

2008-2013

Managing Director of Just Eat

2005-2008

VP Digital Media, JP/Politikens Hus

(Danish media)

2002-2005

Managing Director of Infomedia

Molio Magazine 2018

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16

Timing, time and teamBut intuitive products are one thing

– it is another thing to prove the real

value of digitalisation. For while many

talk up digital construction as the

solution to building both more effi-

ciently and cheaper, it is a major chal-

lenge to prove the real value of digital

construction management.

No two building projects are identical,

and therefore it is difficult to meas-

ure the effectiveness of one project,

compared with another. Even so, the

Danish Building Research Institute

tried in 2017 to measure the value of

transferring to digital IT tools with-

in construction. In connection with

the construction of the Mærsk tower

and other buildings in Copenhagen,

in which the Geniebelt project

management program was used, real

financial benefits of digital construc-

tion were shown. The study shows

that digital tools can save up to 7 % of

the contract sum during the building

process. By comparison, the normal

main contractor’s productivity rate is

3 % after tax, indicating that digital

project management tools can pro-

vide the client with a better deal.

That the Danish Building Research

Institute has reached these positive

figures helps to show that Nyengaard

is on target with his mission to im-

prove the efficiency in the building

process.

“Previously it could be extremely

stressful to be a construction manag-

er. They did not even have an

According to Klaus Nyengaard, it is no longer a problem getting people to use digital tools in construction. Both young tradesmen and 60-year old construction managers get their smartphones out on site. Instead the greatest challenge has been to build a software platform that is relevant to all stages in construction regardless of geographic location – and that is easy to use.

overview of the problems. But now

they do. And now, at least they know

what they don’t know,” he says.

By attempting to create more trans-

parency, greater ability to document

and a better overview, Nyengaard

thinks that construction with digital

aids such as Geniebelt is going in a

more efficient direction. This maybe

means that in future it will be possible

to cut out the first hour of site meet-

ings, which was Nyengaard’s driver

when he decided to invest digitally in

the construction industry, but also to

make large financial gains from the

digital tools.

Photo: Geniebelt

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Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI-powered design and planning are techniques which a few Danish contracting companies have been trying out in

recent years. The American planning tool ALICE (Artificial Intelligence Construction Engineering) uses artificial intelli-

gence to create 4D-models from 3D-models. Rather than manually investigate the advantages and disadvantages of

a few selected ways to organise the construction, a computer can learn what provides the best payoff in relation to

materials, time and dependencies between phases. According to the company itself, ALICE can save building projects

both time and costs of up to 33 %.

Read more about AI and ALICE: bit.ly/AIAlice

Photo: Pexels

#2

Digital trends

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For centuries, wholesalers with their

local depots around the country have

been the lifeline for builders when

they are short of a board, machine or

nail. But today, the trend is for con-

struction to be quicker, construction

processes more extensive, and digi-

talisation means that tradesmen no

longer depend on physical shops but

can go directly to the producer – which

puts new demands on wholesalers.

In that context, the former wholesale

company Solar has shifted its strategy.

They now call themselves a sourcing

and service company and have a rec-

ipe for turning a poor outlook into a

positive development: i.e. by doing the

opposite of what they used to.

”It is no longer about maintaining our

monopoly, but liberating the poten-

tial of new types of collaboration,

because that is what the customers

need – and because it is the only way

to ensure our own survival long term,”

says Hugo Dorph, Commercial Director

of Solar.

Collaboration is necessaryEven though Solar has developed

digital solutions since the 1980’s,

it has taken a more extensive stra-

tegic alteration to be able to stand

where the company is today. Three

years ago, the company shifted its

focus from internal processes to be-

ing based on the customer’s needs

and experiences. They no longer have

small, local warehouses round the

country, but instead a central 45,000

m² depot in Vejen and have gone from

being a traditional wholesale compa-

ny that sells products, to providing a

broader palette of services.

In that connection, Hugo Dorph, who

came from the IT industry, was ap-

pointed commercial director and

presented a new direction that re-

quired collaboration, even with its

competitors.

“When I joined Solar three years ago,

I found a company that had gone a

long way with digital trading and had

invested in international

systems. It was a strong foundation,

but what was missing was both see-

ing the customer’s experiences, and

the realisation that we should not do

it alone, but with others. Our IT de-

partment is good at many things, but

not at creating the user-friendly solu-

tions and new technologies that are

needed. We needed collaborators to

achieve that,” he explains.

For Dorph, the essential point in this

necessary transformation for whole-

salers is being willing to see your own

limitations, and to collaborate and

make investments outside the core

business. That is why Solar is collabo-

rating with the companies Minuba and

Geniebelt to be able to offer digital

products to tradesmen, which both

support productivity and save time.

Minuba uses a cloud solution to

manage operations and plan small-

er building projects by creating an

overview of the distribution of tasks,

recording material consumption and

hours on the individual solutions.

Digitalisation and e-commerce threaten the classic wholesaler’s place

in the market, and to stay in business, they therefore need to rethink

their business. Building company Solar has turned the development

to their advantage by entering into new and different types of

collaboration, even with their competitors.

We can’t do everything

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“Instead of having post-its and notes

on their dashboard, the tradesmen

have Minuba. That doesn’t get lost an-

ywhere and is transparent for every-

one involved,” says Hugo Dorph.

Geniebelt is a digital project manage-

ment tool that is used on major build-

ing projects. Solar, with the director of

Just Eat and now also Geniebelt, Klaus

Nyengaard, has invested about two

million euros in the project. This large

investment will make the construction

phase of the building project easi-

er and more transparent by plugging

Geniebelt into the larger digital BIM

(Building Information Modelling) mod-

el to give the construction manager a

quick and clear overview of the differ-

ent steps and challenges in the build-

ing process.

Solar has also collaborated with Tryg

(ed. Insurance company) and togeth-

er invested in HomeBob, an app for

homeowners to support the smart

home approach and functions as a kind

of personal assistant for homeowners.

The app collects important informa-

tion about the home and makes it

easy to share information with, for ex-

ample, tradesmen.

Fremtidens grossisterSolar’s mission is to minimise wasted

time and thereby promote productivi-

ty for their clients. The method makes

clever use of smartphones and cloud

based solutions on site.

“The mobile revolution means that the

tradesman is now carrying a smart-

phone, which can be used to plan

and work with in an entirely different

way than before. This threatens the

classic wholesaler’s way of making

money, but also opens plenty of new

possibilities.

We must embrace this new, digital

information that can be created and,

for example, use it to predict wheth-

er the tradesmen still need what they

ordered a weeks ago. That allows us

to provide some new services and add

great value,” says Hugo Dorph, who

stresses that the new digital services

in construction must be as easy to use

as any other app.

“In their private life, our customers

are used to services like online gro-

cery shopping, which gives expec-

tations of how easy it can be done.

They bring these experiences with

them to work. We need to follow suit

and make our internal systems easier

to use.”

According to Dorph, the modern

wholesaler’s most pressing task today

is to ensure that individual disciplines

use time on applying their key com-

petencies instead of wasting time on

other tasks due to poor planning.

“Digitalisation is about becoming

more productive, to achieve more

in the same hours. For example, it

makes no sense for an electrician

to drive around fetching goods, he

has forgotten – that’s far too expen-

sive,” says Dorph as an example. He

also points out that the future offers

Hugo Dorph was appointed Commercial Director of Solar in

2016 and has played a crucial role on Solar’s journey from a classic wholesale company to a digital sourcing and service

company. He reckons that the recipe for growing strong in

digital development is to make more, new interdisciplinary

collaborations, even with competitors and outside your

own core areas

Photo: Solar

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20

a record number of building projects,

which must be executed quickly, and

that wholesalers must make this pro-

cess more flexible, efficient and free

from errors. Solar will, for example,

come up with a way to monitor a van

to get an overview of the tradesmen’s

materials and provide stock as soon

as the system registers that it is run-

ning low.

Go against intuitionTo collaborate with the

competitor that you previ-

ously guarded against re-

quires both courage and

a different mindset. But it

also requires you to believe

that the potential is in the

quality of the total service

provided, not just the sale

of your own product.

“This requires going

against your intuition as a

wholesaler, as you sudden-

ly are not just selling your

own goods, but also buy-

ing others’. This is done to

avoid restricting neither

yourself, nor the client,”

explains Hugo Dorph, as an

example of the shift from

thinking not as a wholesale

company, but as a mod-

ern sourcing and service

company.

This business model can seem illogi-

cal to a traditional wholesaler, but to

achieve success in the prevailing dig-

italisation within construction, you

must base it on the customer’s per-

spective, as this will strengthen the

company indirectly.

“You have to create an easy way for

the customer. Later, you can offer

something more complex,” says Hugo

Dorph, who considers

that only now is the market ripe for

total digital transformation, partly

because the introduction of BIM has

helped bring out the value of digital

construction, which otherwise has

previously been impossible for many

to assess.

Despite the potential, there are still

many in construction generally and in

the wholesale sector specifically, who

still do not apply the latest technol-

ogy and new forms of collaboration.

According to Dorph, this is because all

disciplines tend to close themselves

off, which is a barrier to creating

growth – to survive as a wholesaler,

management must take digitalisation

seriously and work with it.

”All of a sudden, it’s not about which link you are in the process, or whether you are large or small. It will be all about how digitally you work, and whether you are willing to collaborate.”Hugo Dorph, Commercial Director, Solar

“It starts in the boardroom, where

the management must have the nec-

essary mindset; i.e. be able to both

see the productivity potential and

strategic elements of working digi-

tally and in new forms of collabora-

tion. Digitalisation must be in the top

three of the company’s strengths.

Otherwise you will face challenges.”

According to Dorph, the

inevitable inroads of dig-

ital construction into the

established construction

industry means that the

power balance will be

shifted from its current

status.

He thinks that digitally

oriented companies will

survive, while the rest

will lag behind.

“All of a sudden, it’s not

about which link you

are in the process, or

whether you are large

or small. It will be all

about how digitally you

work, and how wheth-

er you are willing to

collaborate”.

The greatest problem

will arise if you withdraw

and try to keep both

customers and subcon-

tractors at a distance to optimise

your own processes. In the future,

close collaboration will increase. New

players will join in, introducing modu-

lar buildings and robotic production,

creating some powerful constella-

tions. We must continuously enhance

what we do by understanding what

the client does. Then we must chal-

lenge this and show how they can

save time and money with our help,”

ends Dorph.

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Augmented reality (AR)AR adds an extra dimension to reality.

With AR, you can see the existing sur-

roundings and planned construction mod-

el at the same time. Microsoft HoloLens is

an example of an AR headset that creates

an expanded image of reality by project-

ing holograms onto the real world. You

can walk round wearing the headset on

an empty construction site, and simulta-

neously experience the finished building.

Contracting firm Aarsleff use AR if, for

example, they want to see the rein-

forcement before it is fixed. This allows

them to accommodate any defects and

corrections, before construction is im-

pacted, further affecting both cost and

scheduling.

Read more: bit.ly/ARhololensPhoto: © HoloLens

Virtual Reality (VR) How can you tailor-make a building to ensure

that it meets the end users’ needs? Architects

can make great use of VR for this. Using a VR

headset, nurses can experience a hospital be-

fore it is built, and researchers can give their

opinion of what a laboratory should contain,

before an extensive university building is initiat-

ed. With VR, you can create a realistic and easily

comprehensible image of how a building will

look before construction has started, and in-

clude non-construction professional end users

in the otherwise technical planning process.

Read more: bit.ly/VRibyggerietPhoto: Bim Equity

#3

Digital trends

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”I personally think that there is too much focus on details in standards and too little focus on the bigger picture; that is, on creating digital ambitions and visions for whole of construction. Where will the construction industry be in five years – and how many companies will have survived digital disruption?”Marianne Friis, Head of BIM Management, Arkitema Architects

Hothouse / Photo: Quinten Lake

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Within this industry, the fourth indus-

trial revolution is already under way,

and for the construction industry

there are at least 5,000 billion good

reasons to also use new technolo-

gy and digitalisation throughout the

life-cycle of the building.

Industry 4.0 builds on the first three

generations of industrial revolutions;

mechanisation, with the water mill

and steam engines; industrialisation,

which created the assembly line and

the factory, and lastly automation,

that gave us robots, computers, and

electronics.

We are now looking at the fourth in-

dustrial revolution, in which the dig-

ital world is integrated with physi-

cal production. Robots are not only

taking care of heavy industry, but

will take on more everyday tasks,

and digital tools such as 3D print-

ing, IoT and artificial intelligence will

have a marked impact on production

processes.

”The construction industry’s equiva-

lent to Industry 4.0 is called Build 4.0

and covers the use of new technology

and digitalisation in the construction

industry, which there is good reason

to embrace. In Denmark alone, 5,000

billion Danish kroner are tied up in

buildings, the industry is responsible

for 40 % of the community’s resource

usage. In addition, we are seeing a

lot of headlines concerning exceed-

ed budgets and programme over-

runs,” says Mette Glavind, Director

of Building & Services at The Danish

Technological Institute.

She points out several reasons why

Build 4.0 is an entirely necessary rev-

olution for the construction industry:

In the 2016 report “Winning the

Industry 4.0 Race”, prepared by The

Boston Consulting Group (BCG), more

than 80 % of the companies sur-

veyed, predict a reduction in costs

and increase in turnover of almost 75

% as a direct result of implementing

Industry 4.0 solutions. At the same

time, more than 50 % of the compa-

nies in the study expect that Industry

4.0 will create a need for more quali-

fied employees in the companies and

Construction is facing a digital revolution

From now on BIM will be one of the crucial collaboration tools in

the construction industry as the digital shift will not necessarily

come from legal requirements, but rather from unknown future

aspects. This means saying goodbye to old habits and hello to more

collaboration, dialogue and transparency.

lead to 30 % quicker and 25 % more

efficient production systems.

”If the construction and civil engineer-

ing sector manages to turn some of

the possibilities of Build 4.0 into new

business and improve the efficien-

cy of the existing, the figures from

Industry 4.0 are grounds for opti-

mism. The building and civil engineer-

ing sector has the potential, as is also

shown by the government’s “Strategy

for Denmark’s Digital Growth” from

January 2018. Here construction is

mentioned as an example in relation

to 3D printing, robots and digitalisa-

tion,” says Mette Glavind.

From 3D to 7DIn this crucial digital transformation,

BIM, which is an integrated method

for digitalising the construction pro-

cess, is an entirely crucial collabo-

ration tool, which will function as a

bridgehead into the even more digital

world that is waiting ahead.

”It is essential to have a tool, which

makes the various industry parties

capable of talking to each other and

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exchanging data. It is actually the

basic premise for Build 4.0 to be pos-

sible. Without tools to transfer data

and speak to each other about them,

robots and 3D printers are no help at

all,” says Mette Glavind.

Further BIM is a digital building mod-

el, in which various information about

different objects is assembled, with

more and more detail added as con-

struction progresses. For example,

each wall in a building will be assigned

a number, which makes it trackable

throughout the process. Information

on materials and surfaces can be add-

ed so that you know, for example,

that the walls are concrete and will

be clad with timber.Finally, proper-

ties can be added, making it possible

to calculate how much concrete, in-

sulation, and cladding the walls need

to meet e.g. lighting, sound and fire

requirements.

The BIM model consists of various

levels, of which the first, 3D, is a vir-

tual visualisation of the building that

is to be erected, including materials,

surfaces etc. 4D adds time to the 3D

model, to show how long the individ-

ual processes take – and thereby also

how long it takes to construct the en-

tire building. The 5D level adds a finan-

cial layer to the model, showing what

the individual components cost, 6D

adds sustainability, and finally 7D cov-

ers Facilities Management. Especially

on this the last level, which covers

the operation itself, it is crucial not to

cram some pipework which needs to

be readily accessible when the build-

ing is in use into the ceiling void, or

not buying the cheapest machine, if

it needs to have its motor replaced

every year, or it takes four operatives

to maintain.

BIM is also a working method Besides being a specific model, BIM is

also a working method, as the mod-

el is structured and can be used by

everyone throughout the lifetime of

the building from idea to demolition.

This provides essential opportuni-

ties for collaboration, dialogue, and

transparency.

”The model makes all parties in the

process more aware of what the oth-

ers need for the entire project to suc-

ceed, and it creates transparency and

value that everything which has been

tucked away in drawers is now shared

with others. However, it does require

that everyone involved recognises

BIM is also collaboration, and for Arkitema Architects, collaboration is in the driving seat when the architecture is being developed.

Photo: Arkitema Architects

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25

the value of collaboration, knowledge

sharing and working in new ways,”

says Marianne Friis, chairman of BIM

Aarhus and Head of BIM Management

at Arkitema Architects, a company

that uses BIM from the first sketch to

handover of the building.

She points out at least two reasons

as to why BIM is a bridge to the digital

future, which hasn’t really hit

construction yet: a changing world

and new requirements for the compa-

nies within the industry.

”For the past 10 years, we have

worked with 3D because it has been a

legal requirement, but now digital

development is such a great part of

both the present and especially the

future as change is coming from out-

side, not necessarily only from legal

requirements. In addition, everyone in

the industry is facing a need to deliv-

er more at the same cost, including

various models and quick updating,

which means that you cannot manage

without 3D solutions as a minimum,”

she says.

At Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers

they have used 3D modelling for a long

time, but are also already looking into

the 6D and 7D models of the future.

3D modelling gives BIM a common

basis, which is very valuable because

it qualifies and optimises the work

processes and thereby the finished

construction.

The digital system makes it easier to

coordinate and thereby optimise the

various processes, and enable data

processing, which, for example, en-

sures that ventilation ducts are de-

signed correctly, and not least it uses

both the financial, technical, and hu-

man advantages of building virtually

before the first spade hits the soil.

”2D plans are very forgiving, because

it’s easy to draw something that’s

not possible to build, but when you

see it spatially, it’s suddenly clear

if something is not right. It leads to

fewer errors, better coordination and

the ability to have a unique overview

– also later on during operation,”

says structural engineer Tonni Elkjær,

who is Head of the BIM discipline at

Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers,

previously BIM Manager at DNU, the

New University Hospital in Aarhus,

and a member of the BIM group at

Hvidovre Hospital.

Next level: Sustainability and operation Particularly sustainability and op-

eration, which are the last steps in

the BIM model, form part of the look

into the future that Søren Jensen

Consulting Engineers are already

working on. This is done in the so-

called regenerative buildings, where

individual parts are considered with

regard to, for example, environmen-

tal impact and usability, when the

parts can no longer be used, so that

both operation and sustainability are

covered.

An example is a new Ice Fjord Centre

in Ilulissat, Greenland. Here architect

Dorte Mandrup has defined using four

curves. On the structural plans these

are shown as bows and glazed panels

in the finished building – here shared

data has been of crucial significance.

”We used to think that we could enter

all values into the same calculation,

which then spat out all values for e.g.

energy, sustainability and structure in

one go, but we simply haven’t got that

far yet,” states Tonni Elkjær. So in-

stead of assembling everything in one

model, the engineering firm makes

use of multiple smaller models that

work together based on shared data.

Arkitema Architects used BIM throughout the process when they designed

VIA Campus C Aarhus and could thereby follow the whole process from

drawings to reality.

Mette Glavind,

Director of Building & Services at The Danish Technological Institute.

Photo: Arkitema Architects Photo: PR

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”2D plans are very forgiving because it’s easy to draw something that’s not possible to build, but when you see it spatially, it’s suddenly clear if something is not right. It leads to fewer errors, better coordination and the ability to have a quite unique overview – also later on during operation.” Tonni Elkjær, Head of the BIM Discipline, Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers

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The new Ice Fjord Centre in Ilulissat, Greenland, is designed by Dorte Mandrup Architects. It will function as a research station and tourist attraction and is expected to be completed in 2020. Søren Jensen Consulting Engineers used a so-called multi-disciplinary design tools to find a solution that meets the challenges of the building in terms of form, structure and sustainability.

Visualisation: MIR

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This means the architect only needs

to look at what is relevant to them,

but data interchange also means that

the energy engineer can be ‘live’ and

develop on the solution such that the

architects, in real-time, can follow any

changes in the curves needed for the

glazed panels to comply with the max-

imum thermal energy requirement for

the building.

”In this way, we free ourselves from

weekly design meetings, after which

you have to go back and correct the

design before you can make further

progress, thereby reaching the tar-

get and best solution for everyone,

much quicker,” says Tonni Elkjær. He

points out that new technology can

also make a great difference directly

on site. Here you can use an iPad and

Augmented Reality to project things

that have not yet been built as a layer

on the reality you see, so that when

you look at a bare wall through the

screen, you might see a sink.

”Soon, a customer or building owner

will be able to stand inside the build-

ing itself, adjust different parameters,

see the change 20 seconds later, and

thereby immediately have a new real-

ity that can be agreed. It will be that

big,” he explains, but adds that the re-

ally big gains will only be made when

the mentality has changed – both in

terms of digital working, but also of

the will to collaborate:

”There is a lot of ’we usually do’ in

the industry, so it takes a large gen-

erational change for everyone to go

digital, but it is also a drag that the

potential can only be realised if there

is collaboration all round. We could go

really far with partnering solutions in-

stead of regarding each other as com-

petitors,” he thinks.

It is also a prerequisite for harvesting

digital gains that everyone should be

on the same level.

”If architects, engineers and clients

are not at the same digital level, the

processes fall apart. That means

everyone must take a part in how to

work smartest on digital development

for the benefit of the whole industry,”

says Tonni Elkjær.

How will the construction industry be disrupted?The courage to adapt to the larger

agenda is often missing in our every-

day discussion of digitalisation in con-

struction. BIM may well be a bridge-

head to the future, but it cannot be

seen as an isolated thing, as BIM is

a digital measure that must be con-

sidered along with sustainability, the

circular economy and other industries’

knowledge and expertise. So thinks

Marianne Friis, who is looking for a

greater focus on how the industry

can best take on the digital future for

construction. How will that even look?

And how will it disrupt construction in

5-10 years?

”I personally think that there is too

much focus on details in standards

and too little focus on the bigger pic-

ture; that is, on creating digital ambi-

tions and visions for the entire con-

struction. Where will the construction

industry be in five years – and how

many companies will have survived

digital disruption?” she asks.

Maybe it will be completely differ-

ent industries that will develop both

smarter and cheaper solutions for the

construction industry. However, it is

crucial for the industry not to close

off from the outside world, but in-

stead open itself up to guard its pro-

fessionalism and ensure that it sur-

vives in the digital future, so that

everything will not just be all about

being cheapest and quickest.

”Digital change is there regardless, so

it is necessary to see it all in a slight-

ly bigger perspective, and not spend

all your time talking about classifica-

tion codes. It’s rather like the good

old Kodak story, where they were so

busy improving the developing fluids

that they managed not to spot that

someone had developed the digi-

tal camera,” says Marianne Friis. She

is backed up by Mette Glavind, who

would like to give the industry a push

to get on with all the digital possibil-

ities – also even if there is always an

excuse not to:

”When it’s going well for the indus-

try, there is no time for a makeover,

and when times are bad, they say they

can’t afford it.”

But then it’s not certain that we’ll sim-

ply get there in a while.

What is BIM?

• BIM is an abbreviation of

Building Information Modelling

• BIM is an integrated method for

digitalising the building process.

Throughout the life-cycle of

the building, from idea to dem-

olition, digital building models

are the axis for all activities in-

volving the building design and

collaboration between different

parties. BIM is thus both a mod-

el and a working method.

• BIM means closer collabora-

tion between parties and can

be branched off to each par-

ty involved in the project. This

deep branching means that

full implementation of BIM can

be laborious, and at the same

time, that a single party who is

not aware of BIM will be unable

to participate in the integrated

design process.

Source: DTU

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BIM MODEL

Drawings of the

building

Uses the model in

connection with Facility

Management – operation

of the building

3D visualisation of the

building – possibly with

materials, surfaces etc.

Adds time and process

onto the 3D model and

its elements

Adds cost to the model,

to show what individual

components and

structures cost

Tests the performance of

the building – including

sustainability properties

The construction brief

requirements and

assumptions

7D

6D

5D

4D

3D

2D

1D

29

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At first, Head of the Client Department

at DTU, Claus Møller Rasmussen,

thought it was difficult to register how

clients benefit by going digital. On the

other hand, it involved many costs:

”The clients carried all the costs,

which was a bit uphill. But now we can

see that we can also benefit from it,”

states Claus Møller Rasmussen, who

is very satisfied with the development

within digital construction that has

occurred in recent years. His experi-

ence is that the digital development,

which the consultancy sector clients

have sought since the 2000’s, has re-

ally gotten under way lately.

“We are much further along than just

three years ago. People used to say

’we can’t do that’, but today it is clear

that more are flying the flag for dig-

italisation, as more people can see

the value this adds to the projects.

Digitalisation of construction is the

most innovative thing that has hap-

pened within the construction indus-

try in a very long time.”

But why is digitalisation getting a fol-

lowing wind just now?

A short answer is that the whole val-

ue chain has only now become ripe

for this transformation. A more com-

prehensive answer is that, as far as

DTU is concerned, it is due to relevant

legislative changes and better dia-

logue with the various parties earlier

on in the process. In recent years, DTU

has built one complex laboratory and

lecture hall, after another. In the com-

ing years the prestigious university

needs to be future-proofed, and that

requires input from both researchers,

students and builders. For the many

voices and needs to be heard, digital

construction models and 3D visualis-

ations of the building are tools that

are well received at DTU.

New legislation has promoted digital projectsAccording to both Claus Møller

Rasmussen and DTU Project Manager

Francois Svend Court-Payen, it

is crucial for a successful digital

We can save plenty of money by building digitally

The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has its own client

department, which spends 800 million Danish kroner a year

on construction. When the projects are finished on time and

budget, the success is often due to good digital design and

communication models. The Head of the Client Department

and DTU Project Manager tells us about the benefits and

challenges of the transition to digital construction.

construction project that there is

a dialogue across the various disci-

plines, including consultants, con-

tractors and users, and that the var-

ious competencies are involved in

the building process early on. They

highlight the great advantage that at

tender stage a company can visualise

the whole building process including

planning, construction and operation.

Thus the client will have a clear basis

of decision and an understanding of

all parts of the building process when

the contract is signed.

As a good example of how great the

benefit of visualising the project for

the client can be before construc-

tion starts, Claus Møller Rasmussen

highlights a large, digital construction

project at DTU, which started four

years ago,

“The contractor who won the shell

contract for our largest building could

show exactly with his model when

the different elements would be fit-

ted, and they were fitted on that day

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31

and on time. We had never tried that

before - that it was done so accurate-

ly,” he tells with a smile.

Early dialogue between contractor and

client, before the contract is signed,

has a great significance for the quality

of the subsequent construction pro-

cess, according to the DTU construc-

tion management. But this dialogue

has not been possible before the law

was amended in January 2017.

Previously, the client on public build-

ing projects was not aware of the

names of companies bidding, and the

same extent of questions could not

be asked in the initial competitions.

The legislative changes concerning

dialogue-based procurement from

2017 are applauded by Claus Møller

Rasmussen and Francois Court-Payen,

who now have a much closer dia-

logue with the contractors early in the

process.

“These were large projects, typical-

ly costing hundreds of millions of

Danish kroner, which we had to de-

cide on without being able to ask

any questions,” says Francois Svend

Court-Payen.

Digital models compel collaborationBefore digitalisation took off, planning

for construction involved the architect

first drafting a sketch and then waiting

for the engineer to prepare calcula-

tions and risk assessments. Nowadays,

digital models make it possible for the

different parties and the contractor

to work on the same model simultane-

ously, which saves a lot of time.

“The various parties’ inputs are now

added to the model simultaneously,

and this means that you arrive much

more quickly at the right design. The

digital platform gives a greater collab-

orative perspective in form of a dia-

logue-based working practice. They

have to sit down together and agree

on the same model,” says Claus Møller

Rasmussen.

Claus Møller Rasmussen touches on

a central point that is highlighted by

many, as one of the great challenges

of developing a 3D construction mod-

el. That is, the need for shared stand-

ards and a uniform language across

the construction professionals. Even

though development is going in the

right direction, this is also demanded

by Court-Payen.

Head of the Client Department Claus Møller

Rasmussen (right) and Project Manager Francois Svend Court-Payen (left)

work together day-to-day on planning and construction

of DTU’s buildings. They follow the construction

process closely and involve consultants, contractors

and researchers early the process. This gives a

good basis for succeeding with digital construction

processes, they think.

Photo: © DTU

Molio Magazine 2018

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32

The construction industry

demands standards

Many top managers are demanding

standards across the construction

industry.

Standards cover not only materi-

als, specifications, classification and

data, but also that there should be

certain standards for processes,

management, cost, and risk assess-

ment. For digital development to

make good progress, there is a need

for dynamic collaboration across the

disciplines, and a common, standard-

ised language between them must

pave the way.

Digital culture is a prerequi-

site for digital transformation

According to 45 % of the questioned

parties in the construction industry,

the greatest challenge of digitali-

sation of construction is the lack of

a digital culture in the industry. In

recent years, a generational change

has got under way, with older gen-

erations contributing with solid

work experience on site and the

younger generation with knowledge

of digital aids. Right now, this can

lead to friction and discussions, but

the potential for improving collabo-

ration and digitalising construction

is so great that development will

quickly head in the right direction.

Financial gains from

digitalisation?

Despite that there are both large fi-

nancial gains and new collaboration

possibilities to gain from digitalisa-

tion of construction, an increased

turnover and new business areas are

the least interesting dividends men-

tioned when you ask the construction

industry. Only 9 % of the questioned

parties consider the most important

dividend of digitalisation is an in-

creased turnover. Amongst top man-

agers, this inches up to only 16 %.

“There is a need for a standard spec-

ification for extracting the quantities

and passing on information within

the 3D model. The whole trick with a

3D model is that quantities can very

quickly be used to see what is need-

ed compared with what was originally

planned. And you can see how many

doors and services there are. We do

not yet find that all disciplines speak

the same language and about the

same standards, but we do impose

requirements for them to do so,” says

Court-Payen.

Cultural change at management levelOne of the challenges of implement-

ing digital construction is that not all

construction managers are familiar

with the many new digital construc-

tion management programs.

“If the construction managers say

‘Yes, we do it!’, the rest will follow.

But many are over 50 years old, and

never had any training in 3D mod-

ulation. And when you are busy, as

you always are in construction, then

digital is deprioritised,” says Claus

Møller Rasmussen. He does, how-

ever, think that a cultural change is

now happening at management level,

where digitalisation is being hailed by

more and more.

Digital times in site cabinsAnd not just there – even tradesmen

are undergoing digital development,

say the DTU managers. While 20 years

ago, they all carried a yardstick and

10 years ago an electric screwdriver,

today many tradesmen use their iPad

as their main tool, so the site is no

longer cluttered with drawings.

“Previously we had metres of shelves

filled with drawings, and even if draw-

ings are still printed, it’s probably just

5 % of what it was 10 years ago,” says

Møller Rasmussen.

The site cabins also have screens,

and when the tradesmen meet in the

morning, it’s about the digital models

when they are working on construc-

tion projects for DTU.

An extra benefit of digital construc-

tion is the focus on safety. With dig-

ital construction models, you can

make an animation, which shows the

risks that are associated with con-

struction of the building before it

starts.

“You can actually make a cartoon

strip of how to construct the build-

ing. What dangerous lifts could there

be? When do risks occur? What is the

smartest thing to do? The contractor

has learned this and knows how to

show due diligence when it comes to

safety,” says Francois Svend Court-

Payen. He stresses that he regards it

as a gift to be an active part of digital

construction.

“Things are moving quickly these

days, and it’s fun to be along for the

ride.”

Source: Digital Barometer. Download the study from molio.dk/kampagner/digitalt-barometer

Molio Magazine 2018

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33

”The contractor who won the shell contract for our largest construction could show exactly, with his model, when the different elements would be fitted, and they were fitted on that day and on time. We had never tried that before - that it was done so accurately.” Claus Møller Rasmussen, Head of the Contractor Department, DTU

© DTU, Photo: Adam Mørk

DTU’s Life Science building 202 was erected in 2017. The building complex covers 42,000 m² and is the largest building erected since DTU was built in the 1970’s. The complex will form a framework for engineering science research, teaching, innovation and consultancy.

Molio Magazine 2018

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34

Digitalisation takes courage, investment and solid strategic planning

For Àstridur Elin Àsgeirsdottir, the greatest investment in digital building

processes is the courage needed to break with well-known habits.

At the same time, successful digitalisation requires investment and

solid strategic planning, in which the human factor plays a critical role

regarding competencies, collaboration and technology.

On the first floor of contracting firm

Per Aarsleff A/S at Industriholmen in

Avedøre, is a small department un-

dergoing rapid growth. On the door

of the department is taped an A4

sheet, with “VDC” written on it in

blue ballpoint pen.

More and more of the company’s pro-

ject managers have started seeking

out the department, so it has been

necessary to put up a sign. VDC or

Virtual Design and Construction

– which amongst other things refers

to the use of digital models to opti-

mise completion of all phases of civil

engineering work or a building before

construction starts. In this way, the

design can be optimised and errors

eliminated both during the design

phase and construction itself.

Tools and machines can also be

placed on the visual construction

model to assess whether, for exam-

ple, there is space for a large crane

on a smaller site.

Four months ago, Àstridur Elin

Àsgeirsdottir, who helped introduce

VDC into Per Aarsleff A/S, was ap-

pointed VDC Manager by the entre-

preneurial firm, who have taken on

25 staffers within the area and have

three vacancies on offer.

”Most VDC coordinators are out on

site,” says Àsgeirsdottir, who points

out the importance of being out

there. It is on site and in consultation

with all parties involved in the con-

struction that we achieve a good work

process, if we want to revolutionise

the building process with digital 3D

models, she thinks.

This is due to the fact that, even if

engineers, architects and structur-

al engineers have used digital models

as part of the planning process for a

long time, they are harder to imple-

ment during the construction phase

itself and when working with trades-

men and site managers, who typically

say that 2D drawings, on paper, are

needed.

Good to change routinesWhile 2D drawings are often the rele-

vant working material for tradesmen

on site, they also carry a risk of er-

rors and wasted time, which involve

high costs.

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Visualisation of the completed Masned Sound Bridge.Visualisation of how the bridge piers for the Masned Sound Bridge will be barged in and lifted into the water.

”This entails that large amounts of

data are lost, and a lot of re-working

is needed. We would prefer the 3D

models, supplemented by 2D draw-

ings, to be the valid working docu-

mentation during both planning and

construction,” states Àstridur Elin

Àsgeirsdottir. She thinks that there

is a need to be willing to try out new

things and change ones routines, so

that it becomes clear early in the plan-

ning process that it is the 3D model

that counts. Also during construction.

But this decision takes courage.

Besides requiring precision and prop-

er information material to be able to

make a correct 3D model, the process-

es also must change, and not least

people’s faith in the technology:

”We have the technology, but getting

people to use it can be demanding.

For example, an older member of staff

who is used to 2D drawings may have

difficulty adjusting to and approv-

ing 3D models,” explains Àstridur Elin

Àsgeirsdottir.

Good communication is vital Another great barrier to implement-

ing digital building projects is that the

quality of the internet connection on

many construction sites is not good.

This prevents cloud-based solutions

from working as they should, and it

can take up to several months to get a

proper internet connection set up.

In addition, good collaboration be-

tween all disciplines in the industry is

needed to benefit from digital solu-

tions and ultimately achieve the aim

of efficient building processes and the

best designs. And here presence on

site is again one of the key factors.

“You have to gain respect on site by

being present, listening to people and

not just be seen as software special-

ists,” she states.

Only through good communication

with all the parties in the project, are

you able to build a foundation for

everyone contributing information to

the same standard, speaking to each

other in the language in the 3D mod-

el, and all relying on the same building

model.

“We depend on getting information

from all disciplines, but as things are

today, we don’t know the quality of

the models. There are several stand-

ards, but there are differences in lev-

els of detail, so we risk not having a

shared understanding for e.g. clas-

sifications. If we get better basic in-

formation from all disciplines in con-

struction, we will have a better basis

for making decisions. You can’t ben-

efit from digital possibilities if you

don’t have enough information, and

this is the challenge throughout the

construction industry,” Àsgeirsdottir

thinks.

Drive and risk acceptanceThe lack of information does not, how-

ever, stop Àstridur Elin Àsgeirsdottir’s

digital work. And exactly the willing-

ness to drive, and throw yourself into

digital solutions, even though they in-

volve risk, is crucial for being able

Photo: Aarsleff Photo: Aarsleff

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36

BIO4 Amagerværket, photo of the site with the 3D model inserted in correct proportions into the picture.

Disagreement over the gains of greater collaboration

Amongst top management, 14 % see

internal collaboration and 48 % exter-

nal collaboration as the greatest ben-

efit of digitalisation.

Amongst middle managers and dis-

cipline managers, 33 % see internal

collaboration and 51 % external col-

laboration as the greatest benefit of

digitalisation.

Amongst staff, 39 % see internal col-

laboration and 49 % external collabo-

ration as the greatest benefit

of digitalisation.

14 %

48 %

33 %

51 %

39 %

49 %

Photo: Aarsleff

Internal collaboration

External collaboration

Molio Magazine 2018

Kilde: Digitalt Barometer. Hent undersøgelsen på molio.dk/kampagner/digitalt-barometer

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37

BIO4 Amagerværket, photo of the site with the 3D model inserted in correct proportions, showing only the reinforcement.

to create a successful business using

digital construction. You must dare to

try something new, but also dare to

make mistakes and stop a develop-

ment project if it is going in a wrong

direction, she thinks.

“I have often heard people say:

‘Àstridur, we have never tried this be-

fore’. But then, these are new times.

It does take steely nerves,” she says

and stresses that digital solutions are

necessary in more and more building

projects, and in many invitations to

submit tenders digitalisation is a re-

quirement for even being considered

for winning the project.

Aarsleff now uses digital solutions

in designs corresponding to 50 % of

their turnover and are particularly

good when it comes to larger pro-

jects. One of these is Aarsleff’s con-

struction of Hofor’s biomass plant

on Amager, estimated to cost in all

approx. 4.5 billion Danish kroner.

The construction needed to be done

quickly, and as it was at the same

time estimated to take 160,000

manhours, so 24-hour working

days would be needed. On this ba-

sis, Àstridur Elin Àsgeirsdottir con-

sidered it necessary to use the 3D

model to ensure the quality of the

construction process, including that

the right materials would be ordered

on time, even if it turned out to

take the first 2-3 months setting up

a sufficiently good internet connec-

tion to be able to operate the cloud

technology.

Photo: Aarsleff

Molio Magazine 2018

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38

Àstridur Elin Àsgeirsdottir had discus-

sions with the site managers, who did

not all have faith in the technology

and would prefer to do things as usu-

al, and the discussion ended with a

compromise. Instead of imposing the

digital model on the tradesmen who

had to carry out the work, 2D draw-

ings were used on site, while the 3D

model functioned as production mod-

el for other parts of the process. She

made the compromise in the certain-

ty that good communication, dialogue

and respect are more important than

becoming digitalised all at once. And

it produced results: because of good

collaboration, construction was com-

pleted two months before time, and

there was a good atmosphere across

the disciplines on site.

“The solution gave a much better

workflow, and the project ended up

really well, so the site managers were

very satisfied,” says Àstridur Elin

Àsgeirsdottir.

BIO4 Amagerværket – here shown with the reinforcement from the Tekla model added to the picture. ”When we model the reinforcement 1:1 and order the reinforcement in accordance with this model, we ensure that it also fits on site. In this example, we had embedment parts that weigh over 0.5 tonnes and have to fit into the heavily reinforced plinth. By having a precise model, we and the foremen can quality assure the steelfixing, and they can plan safe fixing of reinforcement and cast in items,” explains Àstridur Elin Àsgeirsdottir.

Photo: Aarsleff

Molio Magazine 2018

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39

RobotsRobots are widespread in several parts of construction.

By contributing with new techniques they can perform

tasks that are strenuous for people, and save a lot of

time and money. The Danish company Odico has devel-

oped new robotic techniques, and by using hot wire

cutting, they can make casting moulds from industri-

al foam, which can rapidly cast concrete units, in even

softer shapes than previously – which gives new archi-

tectural possibilities. Robotic hot wire cutting is a faster

technique than the previous robotic technology, which

involves milling industrial foam. It is 126 times faster than

existing methods. Kirk Kapital’s new head office in Vejle,

designed by Olafur Eliasson, is the first global example of

a building using robotic hot wire cutting.

Read more here: bit.ly/robotteribyggeriet

Photo: Fjorden Hjem-Kirk Kapital © Studio Olafur Eliasson

3D printing3D printing has been on everyone’s lips in re-

cent years, even within construction, where

building shells can now be 3D printed on the

site itself. The first shell was printed in one

piece in 2017 by the Russian company Apis Cor.

It took place in Russia, took only 24 hours,

and the building itself cost 71,000 Danish

kroner. 3D printing can use building materials

better by improving their re-use and produce

buildings at record speeds. Europe’s first 3D

printed house is in Nordhavn, Copenhagen. It

was erected in December 2017.

Read more here: bit.ly/3Dbyggeri

Photo: © Apis Cor

Autonomous bulldozers, cranes and excavatorsThese can be the future on most construction sites.

Instead of a driver, these powerful machines are con-

trolled by sensors and software. The driverless machines

can free up working hours and at the same time ensure

precision in the work, controlled directly by the 3D mod-

el of the building. Construction sites are projected to be

the area where driverless vehicles will first become wide-

spread, ahead of driverless cars ,because they are in such

controlled working areas.

Read more here: bit.ly/AutonomousBulldozers

Photo: Built Robotics

#4

Digital trends

Molio Magazine 2018

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Lyskær 1

2730 Herlev

Phone 70 12 06 00

E [email protected]

W molio.dk

Molio, in conjunction with

analysts Seismonaut, has

prepared a comprehensive

analysis of digitalisation in

construction.

The study is a Digital

Barometer, which gives a

current image of what the

industry itself sees as the

greatest challenges, drivers

and barriers in relation to

getting the full benefits.

The results of the Digital

Barometer study form the

background for preparation

of this magazine, with several

interesting case studies and

interviews with decision

makers in the industry.

Download the study from

molio.dk/kampagner/

digitalt-barometer