The Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) industry is fast embracing digitalization with much more zest than it was willing to do in the past, and BIM and Digital Twins are at the forefront of this digital revolution. In this article, we will explore how digitalization is influencing the AECO industry and what the future looks like for this industry.

What is the AECO Industry?

An extension of the AEC industry, AECO is an acronym for Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation industry. It consists of all the professionals, enterprises, companies and individuals connected with the operations and maintenance of buildings and building infrastructure.

Architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, contractors, etc, all belong to this industry and they work together to ensure that buildings and construction services run smoothly and are properly maintained.

AECO and Digitalization

Because of the lockdown, many projects were stalled because of social distancing policies as until the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequent lockdown restrictions, not much attention had been paid by this industry towards necessitating digitalization. Before then, it had been, at best, a luxury that only a few cared to pay attention to, and the pace at which the industry was adopting it was too slow, especially design firms, as they saw practically no need to train for, and to make the financial investment into making the system work better, if the vast majority of the benefits would be enjoyed in the construction phase. However, just like so many other sectors and industries, the AECO was forced to pay attention to the digitalization of a large chunk of its operations because of the massive disruption that the pandemic and lockdown brought with them.

As for the few projects that were unaffected by the lockdown restrictions, project management teams had to think up new strategies quickly to communicate and collaborate to ensure that the success of projects wasn't hampered. Because of the downturn of the economy as a result of the pandemic, budget cuts became necessary and greater emphasis was placed on cost-effectiveness.

Again, the pandemic transformed the perception of people about space and assets, and so people now look forward to houses and residential buildings with more open spaces, natural lighting and interior designs that permit natural distancing without an intrusive feel.

In addition, more and more concerns have arisen about the importance of sustainability in the AECO industry in relation to employee health and safety. Topics like greenhouse gases, material, emissions and wastes are becoming more relevant, and software tools that address these concerns are widely embraced and gaining popularity because stakeholders, investors and employees all support sustainable practices.

The AECO sector is fertile ground for early adopters to get ahead of others by implementing digital tools in its operations. other industries such as the aerospace and automotive industries have pioneered the switch to digitalization, providing lessons, processes and technologies that the AECO industry could easily implement and successfully switch onto digitalization.

Thus, it is possible for project management teams to gain much valued insight from the piles of data produced throughout the project lifecycle, and therefore overtake competitors in the industry.

Why Does the AECO Industry Need Digitalization?

Although the industry thrives on large chunks of data and information, its archaic processes, structural fragmentation and overall resistance to change and low profit margins have restrained it from taking full advantage of the resourcefulness of digitalization.

Let me explain; In a typical construction project, especially those undertaken by Huge Development firms, there are feasibility studies , and there is an extensive plan concerning the development project, but unlike other industries like manufacturing, there is little to no prototyping and iteration phase that typically occurs in these other industries, which greatly minimizes risk of failure and budget overruns. This is why the typical construction project will always have cost overruns.

For prototyping and iterations to occur, for instance in the manufacturing industry, the various trades and disciplines, usually employed by one company have the job of collaborating in all the aspects of the manufacture, from the design to prototyping of every single component in order to produce a functional product. Think of the automobile industry and all the numerous parts, which are all designed by various teams but must fit within the design philosophy of the lead designer, for success. In this industry, it is normal for all these disciplines to be employed by one company, so collaboration is much easier

For the AEC industry though, we have a very different case. There are thousands of pages of work relating to every single project that is done, and each trade/discipline has to bring in professional input to the same project. Herein lies the problem; These trades are usually done by different companies and individuals, making change management an exceptionally crucial part of any project. This makes it obvious that there needs to be a constant evolution of methods of collaboration, to become more efficient. .

If the AECO industry focuses on completely adopting and implementing the processes and standards of BIM and Digital Twins, then the industry will be looking forward to greater collaboration and innovative approaches to construction, design, data-driven maintenance and operations.

What Are Bim And Digital Twins?

These two technologies have totally transformed the industry's approach towards data and information. With BIM, all the key players in a project are able to use data-driven, collaborative mechanisms all through the various stages of the project's life-cycle.

As for Digital Twins, they model how people interact with built environments to formulate effective methods for the maintenance of the building.

With these digital tools, the future of the AECO seems bright. Although the vast majority of the AECO industry has not implemented these tools as part of their working technologies, soon enough, the AECO industry would not be able to do without them. With these tools, it is possible to visualize all relevant data and effectively analyze how buildings and structures are managed, delivered, maintained and operated.

Now, every piece of data from the procurement of building materials to planning, to design, to the actual construction, commissioning and handover activities can now be gathered together in one place - a digital environment, courtesy of BIM and Digital Twins.

This helps facilitate teamwork among professionals and minimizes errors that arise from working separately. Now, the Structural Engineer, Civil Engineer, Architect, energy consultant, etc can collaborate on the same model, and see real-time changes made by the other professionals

With BIM and Digital Twins, we can move forward to a future characterized by efficiency in building.

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