Construct-X: Fraunhofer IFF Is Strengthening Digital Collaboration in the Construction Industry

Press Release /

The Construct-X research project will advance digitalization of the construction industry significantly. Around 40 partners from the construction industry, skilled trades, IT, the research community and associations will be working together in the three-year project on developing digital standards, tools and procedures for the whole industry. Fraunhofer IFF is researching two use cases intended to improve communication among the parties involved considerably.

Construct-X is pursuing the objective of increasing the productivity, transparency and sustainability of construction projects. Consistent use of data is intended to make collaboration among the multitude of actors in the construction industry more efficient and to surmount hitherto-prevalent stand-alone solutions. Open data spaces, cloud reference architectures and innovative cloud/edge applications that enable reliable zero-latency data processing at construction sites will be developed to do this.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft has several institutes involved in Construct-X. Fraunhofer IFF is in charge of two important use cases in the project, which will particularly target improving processes and communication among the actors involved. The goal is to increase data availability during design and construction while ensuring data security and data sovereignty.

In the Connected Design use case, the research scientists is developing concepts that will enable architects and specialized designers to incorporate prefabricated components and architectural elements in their designs more easily. This will enhance the flow of information between prefabrication and the market, facilitating the spread of manufactured components and reducing assembly times. In the long-term, this can lighten specialists’ workloads and make their work environment more attractive. In addition to industrial building design, the focus is on prefabricated concrete elements and hybrid wood components, something important to structural engineering, for instance, in bridge construction.

In the second use case, Digital Progress Reporting as the Basis for Construction Site Performance Measurement and Work-in-Progress Tracking, the use case team, lead-managed by Fraunhofer IFF, is developing a comprehensive solution that collects and interprets data on a construction site’s as-is state. Various sensors, including cameras, temperature sensors and Lidar systems, and the use of AI algorithms on edge devices will make continuous monitoring of construction processes possible. This will consequently make it possible to detected deviations from the building design at an early stage, thus enhancing construction quality. Precise scheduling information will be provided to construction companies, construction equipment manufacturers and rental companies and construction material and prefab suppliers for proactive construction site management.

“With our use cases, we are creating applied solutions that demonstrate how digital technologies can simplify design and construction processes. To do this, we are analyzing the entire process, from design to construction,” explains Dr. Stefanie Samtleben, project manager at Fraunhofer IFF. “Our goal is to strengthen collaboration among all actors through reliable data flows.”

Construct-X is a key building block of the construction industry’s digital future. It wll consolidate the industry’s diversity in one shared, open ecosystem, establishing the basis for more efficient, more transparent and more sustainable construction projects in Europe.

Construct-X is being funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy and the European Union and is part of the EU Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI-CIS) Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services and thus part of the EU strategy to strengthen European digital sovereignty.