Digital construction process optimization: building efficiently for the future with high quality
The construction industry is facing a variety of challenges: massively increased material and construction costs, growing regulatory requirements due to more and more standards and guidelines, an acute shortage of skilled workers, and a high demand for affordable housing. These difficulties are also reinforced particularly by analog practices and a heterogeneous planning landscape. In other words, the industry is in the middle of the digital transformation, which is why questioning and consistently digitizing your own work processes for the reasons mentioned above is the order of the day. Against this backdrop, digitally optimizing construction processes offers promising solutions for making construction projects efficient, cost-effective, circular and sustainable in the future.
The focus of digital process optimization is on integrating digital technologies and methods across the entire life cycle of a building: from the concept and design, planning and execution, to operation, conversion and dismantling. The aim is to optimize established but analog processes. It also helps minimize sources of error and improve collaboration between those involved in planning with the help of suitable digital work tools. As a result, construction projects are faster, safer and more economical to implement.
A digitalization driver: Building Information Modeling
Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become one of the most important work methods in many architecture and planning offices, and construction companies. In addition to model-based planning, in which 3D-based elements are merged to form a building model, BIM represents a huge step forward for collaborative teamwork and integral project planning.
In addition to geometric data, a BIM model can also contain information on materials, costs, sustainability aspects, technical characteristics, and much more. In an efficiently designed BIM process, all project participants access the same data pool via a central exchange platform (CDE). That increases transparency, reduces misunderstandings in communication and the risk of errors in the project. Conflicts and component collisions can thus be identified in early planning phases, so that expensive adjustments or delays at the construction site can be avoided. BIM project planning is also the basis for other digital applications such as construction process simulation (4D BIM), detailed cost management (5D BIM), and facility management in building operations (6D BIM).
Creating synergies through modular construction and a high degree of prefabrication
Modular construction and the increasing prefabrication of components are two trends closely linked to digitalization. Their production, which is already partially automated, is significantly changing the construction industry. In modular construction, entire room units or larger component groups can be prefabricated in production halls regardless of climatic factors. They are then simply assembled at the construction site.
As a result, production is possible regardless of the weather, higher quality standards can be achieved through precise industrial production processes, and the construction time on site is significantly reduced. The digitalization of analog processes plays a decisive role in this.
By combining digital planning and industrial prefabrication, construction projects can not only be implemented faster, but also with less waste and lower energy consumption—a valuable contribution to sustainability.
Major advantages of modular construction:
Digital building models in BIM enable precise planning and detailing of the modules, including all necessary connections and installations.
CAD/CAM interfaces (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) allow the construction plans to be transmitted directly to the CNC milling machines or production robots, ensuring high precision and efficiency.
Digital tools provide support in planning the transport routes and the just-in-time delivery of modules to the construction site, which reduces storage space and optimizes construction processes.
Sensors, camera systems or robots can be used in production to continuously monitor the quality of the prefabricated modules and identify relevant deviations at an early stage.
Serial construction thanks to digitalization and standardization
In serial construction, standardized components and materials are prefabricated in standardized processes and for several projects. This form of architectural production goes one step further than modular construction. This is of great importance for low-cost housing construction, for example: The aim of serially produced buildings is to quickly and efficiently meet the continued rapidly growing demand for affordable housing. Digital technologies can exploit the advantages of serial construction to the full. The clever combination of serial construction and digitalization enables a level of efficiency and cost-effectiveness that conventional construction methods would struggle to achieve.
Major advantages of serial construction:
Digital master models can be created once for standardized building types or components, and be quickly adapted as required and used again for different projects. That saves time in the planning phase and hence project costs.
Once a standardized type has been approved, follow-up projects can benefit from simplified or accelerated approval procedures under certain conditions (compliance with standards and the applicable LBO).
Standardization enables efficient material procurement and optimized supply chains, which saves costs. Digital platforms and AI-based tools can make the procurement process transparent and efficient.
Digital twins of serially constructed buildings can be used to monitor construction and in the subsequent operating phase to collect data during operation and use digital tools to identify existing optimization potential.
The path to digital planning permission
Rules, norms and technical standards continue to be indispensable for uniform and comprehensive digital optimization of construction processes. At best, they ensure interoperability between the various software solutions and digital tools. They also support smooth communication between all those involved in the project. Universal exchange formats that are used by everyone in an integrated planning process play an important role here. The vendor-neutral exchange formats IFC and BCF are of key importance. IFC enables the low-loss exchange of BIM data between different planning solutions, irrespective of the software manufacturer. BCF, in turn, is used primarily to communicate and coordinate problems using comments and, like IFC, is a central component of the OpenBIM method.
Another aspect of digitalization in the construction industry with high efficiency potential is the digital building application, which will (hopefully) be possible in the near future. In Germany, there are different levels of development depending on the federal state. For example, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg already offer comprehensive options for the digital submission of building applications and the accompanying documents.
In other federal states, this topic is still in the concept or pilot phase. The central goal is to map the entire approval process digitally. This includes the submission of the planning data and all the supporting document, the digital review of the BIM model, and the granting of the building permit. Once this goal has been achieved, considerably accelerated processes at the building authorities and a simplified procedure for developers, planners and approval authorities can be expected. However, the creation and standardization of the necessary interfaces, the legal protection of digital signatures, and the process-oriented adaptation of internal administrative processes remain challenges. Nevertheless, the digital building application is a fundamental component for boosting efficiency and speeding up construction activity.
Digital living space turbo: efficient use of subsidies
The lack of affordable housing is one of the biggest social challenges in our country. Digital construction process optimization makes a decisive contribution to cost-effective residential construction by enabling efficiency gains along the entire value chain. Another aspect of realizing affordable housing is making use of national, regional or even local funding programs and low-cost loans.
Central, regional and local government all offer a variety of programs for this purpose. These programs are often an important financing component for what is always individual project financing, particularly in public housing for low-income citizens or energy refurbishment. Digitally researching and applying for services as part of funding programs can simplify and speed up the project process considerably. For a targeted search for information, there are specialized databases and online portals that enable a precise search for the right funding environment. Examples include the funding database of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection or the website of KfW Banking Group (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau).
Increased efficiency through digital construction process optimization:
- Reduced planning costs and construction times: Shorter project runtimes mean lower project and personnel costs.
- Minimized errors and recourse work: Accurate and digital planning reduces costly corrections at the construction site and during building operation.
- Optimized use of materials: Digital building models enable accurate determination of dimensions and quantities, and minimize waste and offcuts.
- Growing professionalism in construction: Modular and serial construction methods reduce the production costs per completed building thanks to economies of scale and the reuse of planning data.
Digital construction process optimization is in full swing
Digital construction process optimization is no longer a vision of the future, but is increasingly becoming part of everyday planning. There is no doubt that it has the potential to fundamentally transform the construction industry. Examples include BIM planning, the efficient and cost-effective production of modules, the fully digital building approval process, and the intelligent use of the wide range of funding opportunities for new builds and refurbishments. Digital technologies offer huge opportunities for greater efficiency, quality and sustainability in construction. digitalBAU 2026 will also demonstrate that once again. One of the four key topics is digital construction process optimization. It is one of the focal points of the wide range of solutions and services being presented at the trade fair stands. And it will come up again and again in specialist lectures and in personal discussions on site in Cologne. Will we see you at digitalBAU 2026?