The Asia Pacific region is a hotbed of construction and infrastructure development. From skyscrapers in Singapore to infrastructure projects in the Greater Bay Area, the construction sector is bustling. With the growing need for efficient and sustainable construction, technology has emerged as a pivotal force reshaping the way construction project management is carried out.
In McKinsey’s findings, real estate companies leveraging AI have seen a 10% or higher increase in net operating income, thanks to improved operational efficiency, enhanced customer experiences, better tenant retention, new revenue streams, and smarter asset selection.
KPMG also reveal that the construction industry is swiftly embracing technology to boost performance, with 81% of Engineering & Construction firms adopting mobile platforms, 43% utilising robotics process automation (RPA), and 40% integrating artificial intelligence (AI). Despite many being in the early stages of adoption, virtual reality usage has doubled from 28% to 56%.
Many of these technologies were once considered cutting-edge and reserved for a select few. They are now becoming ubiquitous, and will eventually become prerequisites.
1. Digital Twins and Building Information Modeling (BIM) Revolution
In the real estate industry, a digital twin is a data model that captures the real-time condition of a building by integrating live data from multiple smart building systems.
As underscored by Savills, integrating digital twin technology can yield significant advantages across multiple sectors of construction project management, encompassing space and asset management, move management, contract management, employee management, predictive analytics, and sustainability.
Building Information Modeling (BIM), on the other hand, is a digital representation of a building’s physical and functional characteristics, offering a 3D model that encompasses all aspects of a project, including design, construction, and maintenance.
In countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, where space is at a premium, BIM’s 3D modelling capabilities are invaluable. It enables better collaboration among project stakeholders, streamlines the design process, reduces errors, and enhances project visualisation. Meaningful data lays the groundwork for future-ready projects, ensuring sustainability practices and cost efficiencies in the long run.
In summary, digital twins focus on real-time monitoring and optimisation of individual assets during their operational phase, while BIM is a broader process used for collaborative design, construction, and lifecycle management of buildings and infrastructure projects. Both are very significant technological advancements in the sector lately.
2. Project Management Software
In Asia Pacific, construction and project management practices can vary vastly from locale to locale. Mature and advanced project management software fills the gap for real-time collaboration, document sharing, and task tracking, making them essential for managing diverse and multifaceted projects in the region. This is crucial for managing complex projects in urban centres and remote areas alike.
As a frontrunner in the Project Management sector, Merx, a Savills Co. commits to consistent upgrading of our Project Management tech stack to deliver superior project outcomes.
Image Credit: Procore
Across Asia, all of Merx’s project management teams are currently using Procore technology to provide streamlined project oversight for clients. Project managers are empowered to customise intuitive dashboards based on particular project specifications. These dashboards serve as a central hub, providing comprehensive insights that enable precise tracking of timelines, budgets, and milestones. This has yielded enhanced transparency, visibility, control, seamless communication, and improved decision-making for both clients and project managers.
3. Aerial Insights with Drones
From megacities to remote areas, drones and aerial imaging tools allow for real-time monitoring, safety inspections, and progress tracking. This is particularly beneficial for projects in challenging and remote terrains. The use cases can be particularly important for industrial and hospitality projects, providing unique imagery from inaccessible perspectives.
With regular monitoring, the direct impact on surrounding environments can be visually tracked and analysed to understand any spillover effects on and beyond the project site.
4. Internet of Things (IoT)
Today, the integration of IoT technology in construction management can serve to enable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles within project frameworks. IoT sensors and devices play a crucial role in monitoring environmental conditions, energy consumption, and resource utilisation in real time. By capturing and analysing this data, construction managers can optimise operational efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure compliance with sustainability goals aligned with ESG criteria. With diverse approaches to ESG throughout Asia, IoT devices can similarly be recalibrated for different criteria.
In the field of facilities management, IoT sensors collect real-time data, while AI algorithms analyse it. This convergence unlocks the ability to facilitate everyday sustainability, demand and resource matching to lower wastage, enabling ESG goals to be easier met.
Additionally, IoT technology contributes to Social and Governance aspects by enhancing safety protocols, tracking worker well-being, and ensuring compliance with labour standards. Real-time data collection unlocks proactive safety measures, ensuring a socially responsible approach to construction practices, fostering a safer working environment, and aligning with ESG principles that prioritise social welfare.
5. Mobile Technology for On-the-Go Decision-Making
Project management can occasionally run into tight timelines or unforeseen circumstances that demand urgent consensus and decision-making. Combined with the rapid 5G internet rollout in the Asia Pacific, mobile devices and apps equip project managers with the ability to relay and share complex and detailed information from the ground swiftly. This empowers discussion and decision-making on the go whether they’re in bustling urban centres or remote project sites.
These technology stacks are often complementary. For instance, harnessing IoT alongside mobile technology brings forth the following benefits:
- Enhanced mobility and integrated data management in construction through IoT
- Instant alerts and proactive maintenance for real-time management
- Data-driven decision-making to optimize resources and operations
6. Artificial Intelligence and Predictive Analytics
Integrating AI and Predictive Analytics in construction project management is a transformative leap for the industry globally. AI-driven predictive models can analyse vast datasets from historical and real-time sources to foresee potential risks, schedule delays, and cost overruns, enabling proactive decision-making and risk mitigation strategies. This predictive capability provides construction managers with invaluable insights, forecasting potential challenges and bottlenecks even before they arise on-site, saving both time and money.
According to Harvard Business Review, AI will bring the following benefits to Project Management.
- Better selection and prioritisation of projects
- Streamline the role of the project management office (PMO)
- Improved and faster project definition, planning, and reporting
- Virtual project assistants that learn and aid better decision-making
- Advanced testing systems and software for early detection of defects and self-correcting processes
- Shift from administrative work to strategy
On the Facilities Management side, AI development allows for predictive maintenance rather than reactive break-fix operations, while also uncovering hidden energy waste and occupancy balancing.
With a disruptive roadmap ahead, organisations and project managers that are most prepared will reap the most rewards.
7. Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
In the face of various challenges such as the cost and availability of labour, supply shortages, and regulatory or governmental intervention, MMC offer a promising solution for the construction industry.
For instance, modular construction technology significantly reduces material waste during the manufacturing process as components are fabricated in controlled environments with precise measurements, minimizing excess materials, reducing construction site waste and adding on the option for utilising recycled and eco-friendly materials. This method is being rapidly adopted by various markets in Asia, particularly Japan, Singapore, and China.
While still in its infancy, 3D printing applications for construction show promising potential to revolutionise traditional building methods, offering faster construction, reduced material waste, and increased design flexibility.
MMC often enables faster project completion, resulting in reduced energy consumption and environmental disturbance on-site. The expedited construction timeline minimises the overall carbon footprint of the project by limiting the duration of heavy machinery use and transportation, contributing to a more sustainable construction process.
Project: Dyson by Merx, a Savills Co.
In the real estate industry, a digital twin is a data model that captures the real-time condition of a building by integrating live data from multiple smart building systems.
As underscored by Savills, integrating digital twin technology can yield significant advantages across multiple sectors of construction project management, encompassing space and asset management, move management, contract management, employee management, predictive analytics, and sustainability.
Credits: DIGITWIN4CIUE Project
Building Information Modeling (BIM), on the other hand, is a digital representation of a building’s physical and functional characteristics, offering a 3D model that encompasses all aspects of a project, including design, construction, and maintenance.
In countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, where space is at a premium, BIM’s 3D modelling capabilities are invaluable. It enables better collaboration among project stakeholders, streamlines the design process, reduces errors, and enhances project visualisation. Meaningful data lays the groundwork for future-ready projects, ensuring sustainability practices and cost efficiencies in the long run.
In summary, digital twins focus on real-time monitoring and optimisation of individual assets during their operational phase, while BIM is a broader process used for collaborative design, construction, and lifecycle management of buildings and infrastructure projects. Both are very significant technological advancements in the sector lately.
In Asia Pacific, construction and project management practices can vary vastly from locale to locale. Mature and advanced project management software fills the gap for real-time collaboration, document sharing, and task tracking, making them essential for managing diverse and multifaceted projects in the region. This is crucial for managing complex projects in urban centres and remote areas alike.
As a frontrunner in the Project Management sector, Merx, a Savills Co. commits to consistent upgrading of our Project Management tech stack to deliver superior project outcomes.
Across Asia, all of Merx’s project management teams are currently using Procore technology to provide streamlined project oversight for clients. Project managers are empowered to customise intuitive dashboards based on particular project specifications. These dashboards serve as a central hub, providing comprehensive insights that enable precise tracking of timelines, budgets, and milestones. This has yielded enhanced transparency, visibility, control, seamless communication, and improved decision-making for both clients and project managers.
From megacities to remote areas, drones and aerial imaging tools allow for real-time monitoring, safety inspections, and progress tracking. This is particularly beneficial for projects in challenging and remote terrains. The use cases can be particularly important for industrial and hospitality projects, providing unique imagery from inaccessible perspectives.
With regular monitoring, the direct impact on surrounding environments can be visually tracked and analysed to understand any spillover effects on and beyond the project site.
Today, the integration of IoT technology in construction management can serve to enable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles within project frameworks. IoT sensors and devices play a crucial role in monitoring environmental conditions, energy consumption, and resource utilisation in real time. By capturing and analysing this data, construction managers can optimise operational efficiency, reduce waste, and ensure compliance with sustainability goals aligned with ESG criteria. With diverse approaches to ESG throughout Asia, IoT devices can similarly be recalibrated for different criteria.
Additionally, IoT technology contributes to Social and Governance aspects by enhancing safety protocols, tracking worker well-being, and ensuring compliance with labour standards. Real-time data collection unlocks proactive safety measures, ensuring a socially responsible approach to construction practices, fostering a safer working environment, and aligning with ESG principles that prioritise social welfare.
Project management can occasionally run into tight timelines or unforeseen circumstances that demand urgent consensus and decision-making. Combined with the rapid 5G internet rollout in the Asia Pacific, mobile devices and apps equip project managers with the ability to relay and share complex and detailed information from the ground swiftly. This empowers discussion and decision-making on the go whether they’re in bustling urban centres or remote project sites.
These technology stacks are often complementary. For instance, harnessing IoT alongside mobile technology brings forth the following benefits:
- Enhanced mobility and integrated data management in construction through IoT
- Instant alerts and proactive maintenance for real-time management
- Data-driven decision-making to optimize resources and operations
Integrating AI and Predictive Analytics in construction project management is a transformative leap for the industry globally. AI-driven predictive models can analyse vast datasets from historical and real-time sources to foresee potential risks, schedule delays, and cost overruns, enabling proactive decision-making and risk mitigation strategies. This predictive capability provides construction managers with invaluable insights, forecasting potential challenges and bottlenecks even before they arise on-site, saving both time and money.
According to Harvard Business Review, AI will bring the following benefits to Project Management.
- Better selection and prioritisation of projects
- Streamline the role of the project management office (PMO)
- Improved and faster project definition, planning, and reporting
- Virtual project assistants that learn and aid better decision-making
- Advanced testing systems and software for early detection of defects and self-correcting processes
- Shift from administrative work to strategy
On the Facilities Management side, AI development allows for predictive maintenance rather than reactive break-fix operations, while also uncovering hidden energy waste and occupancy balancing.
With a disruptive roadmap ahead, organisations and project managers that are most prepared will reap the most rewards.
In the face of various challenges such as the cost and availability of labour, supply shortages, and regulatory or governmental intervention, MMC offer a promising solution for the construction industry.
For instance, modular construction technology significantly reduces material waste during the manufacturing process as components are fabricated in controlled environments with precise measurements, minimizing excess materials, reducing construction site waste and adding on the option for utilising recycled and eco-friendly materials. This method is being rapidly adopted by various markets in Asia, particularly Japan, Singapore, and China.
While still in its infancy, 3D printing applications for construction show promising potential to revolutionise traditional building methods, offering faster construction, reduced material waste, and increased design flexibility.
MMC often enables faster project completion, resulting in reduced energy consumption and environmental disturbance on-site. The expedited construction timeline minimises the overall carbon footprint of the project by limiting the duration of heavy machinery use and transportation, contributing to a more sustainable construction process.
The Human Factor in a Tech-Driven Construction Landscape
In a landscape redefined by technological advancements such as BIM, IoT, AI, and modular construction, the role of the project manager is more crucial than ever.
As new technology becomes increasingly integrated into construction management, the project manager assumes the role of orchestrator, harmonising these advancements with the project’s human elements. The project manager’s human factor – comprising leadership, adaptability, and interpersonal skills, stands tall amidst the data-driven landscape.
Here at Merx, a Savills Co., we pride ourselves on being forward-thinking project managers who bridge the gap between people and innovation. We are committed to the best outcome for our clients, while confidently navigating the complexities of an evolving world.
Connect with us today to elevate your next construction project.
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