Polarization in Smart Construction Technology Adoption... Need for Innovation in Rigid Industry System

Geonsanyeon to Hold 'Smart-Based Construction Innovation Seminar' on 24th
Polarization in Smart Construction Technology, 67% of Companies Not Applying
"Need for Legal and Institutional Reforms, Accumulation of Empirical Data"
Innovation of Fragmented Industrial System Needed to Revitalize Smart Construction

Innovation based on smart construction is urgently needed to secure competitiveness in the construction industry, but the utilization of technology is becoming polarized depending on the size of the company. To activate smart construction, it was pointed out that it is necessary to innovate the rigid industrial system, improve regulations, and establish an environment suitable for smart construction.

Park Hee-dae, Associate Research Fellow at the Construction Industry Research Institute, is giving a presentation on "Innovation Directions for Smart-Based Construction Production Systems" at the Smart-Based Construction Innovation Seminar for Sustainable Competitiveness held at the Construction Hall on the 24th.

The Construction Industry Research Institute held a seminar titled "Smart-Based Construction Innovation for Sustainable Competitiveness" on the 24th at the Construction Hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Smart construction technology refers to technology that digitalizes and automates the construction industry based on advanced technologies.

In a presentation titled "Innovation Direction of Smart-Based Construction Production System," Associate Research Fellow Park Hee-dae pointed out that efforts to innovate the entire production system are necessary to secure sustainable competitiveness in the construction industry. Currently, the construction industry is facing various changes such as instability in raw material supply, changes in the structure of on-site workers, and strengthened safety and quality regulations.

The workforce structure in the construction industry is also aging day by day, and the entry of new workers is decreasing. Looking at the age distribution of construction technical personnel, those under 40 years old decreased from 45% in 2012 to 23% in 2022. The proportion of skilled workers aged 40 and above reached 84.4% as of 2023. As the number of foreign workers increased, on-site productivity also declined. Construction companies cite difficulties in securing skilled workers and craftsmen as the main cause of productivity decline.

Associate Research Fellow Park explained, "On-site, while work productivity is declining, quality variation is expanding, and securing workers is becoming more difficult, innovation based on smart construction technology will provide opportunities to resolve current issues in the construction industry and facilitate industrial transformation."

The utilization of smart construction technology in the construction industry is directly linked to work productivity, but technological polarization is intensifying. According to a survey conducted by the Construction Industry Research Institute on 21 construction companies, leading top companies have entered the dissemination stage by applying BIM (Building Information Modeling), digital twin (technology that implements real-world data on virtual screens), drones, and prefabrication technologies on-site. Among the surveyed companies, 67% were found not to apply these technologies. Although construction companies want to expand the use of smart construction technology, they face difficulties in applying it on-site due to issues such as cost-effectiveness and recognition of technology fees.

Associate Research Fellow Park said, "Prioritizing technology adoption without improving work processes lowers the effectiveness of adoption and increases the possibility of failure. Technology development that responds to changes in the worker structure is also necessary. Innovation focused solely on design and construction technology has its limits, and an innovation strategy considering the entire value chain is required. Efforts by participating entities, such as organizing smart construction policies and related laws and systems and accumulating empirical data, must accompany this."

Research Fellow Kwangpyo Lee of the Construction Industry Research Institute is giving a presentation on the topic "Limitations and Improvement Measures of Smart Construction Systems and Policies" at the Smart-Based Construction Innovation Seminar for Securing Sustainable Competitiveness held at the Construction Hall on the 24th.

Research Fellow Lee Kwang-pyo, who gave a presentation on "Institutional and Policy Limitations of Smart Construction and Improvement Measures," emphasized, "To activate smart construction, innovation of the fragmented industrial system entangled with various regulations and laws from multiple ministries is essential."

A survey conducted on 176 public ordering institutions and other members of the Smart Construction Alliance showed that half (48.9%) responded that "only some leading technologies can be introduced and utilized." Regarding the level of utilization, 51.1% answered "limited introduction and utilization according to existing government policies." The reasons for limited application of smart construction are the lack of legal grounds, absence of information such as costs, lack of connectivity in utilization methods, and limitations in inducing technology development. The timing of confirming project costs (preliminary and feasibility studies) does not coincide with the timing of deciding whether to use smart construction technology (basic planning and design stages), making it difficult to increase costs.

Research Fellow Lee explained, "To resolve the various intertwined limitations like a tangled thread, integrated promotion encompassing the entire construction industry system is key. Along with improving existing regulations, a new industrial environment suitable for smart construction must be established. The national-level industrial and policy status should be elevated, and inter-ministerial functional linkage and the establishment of a control tower should be pursued."