Minister Fully Committed to Digitization in the Construction Industry

In the coming period, very concrete steps will be taken in the construction sector in the area of digitization. This was announced by the Minister of Housing and Spatial Planning, Elanor Boekholt-O’Sullivan, in a letter to Parliament. These measures are necessary to keep the increasing complexity under control.

Building 100,000 homes in a limited space, making existing homes more sustainable, foundations sinking on a massive scale, outdated infrastructure, grid congestion, water congestion, nitrogen pollution, a shortage of skilled workers— these are just a few of the challenges facing the construction industry. And digitization is one of the tools (alongside innovation, industrialization, and standardization) that the minister intends to fully leverage to make all these challenges manageable.

In the letter, Boekholt-O’Sullivan aims to make the measures as concrete as possible. She identifies three main areas in which she intends to accelerate digitization: technology, processes & organization, and people & skills.

Over the coming year, the concrete steps mentioned must become even more concrete, with a clear action plan. “The benefits of this digitization strategy will be felt throughout the entire chain: from accelerated area development, to a more streamlined permitting process, to the accelerated transition of buildings to sustainable standards.”

Broader data foundation

In the area of technology, she aims to expand the digital infrastructure. “Digital technology must enable us to develop, build, renovate, and reuse materials more quickly,” she states. “That means the technology must help us gain insight into the current situation, the situation we want to achieve, and the steps we take from the present to the desired future. In other words: a shared digital view of the physical living environment that is not static, but one in which changes can also be tracked.” This is how the various parties must be connected with one another throughout the successive phases. All information must be accessible within this system without the need for centralized storage. This means creating a broader data foundation based on a wider range of data, such as environmental and soil surveys, foundation data, mobility, energy infrastructure, and building characteristics. In addition, the possibilities are being explored for creating a single digital spatial platform that covers the entire life cycle, from design to demolition. This should create coherence in systems, processes, data exchange, and governance.

To achieve this at all, a common digital language must be created, with consistent definitions. In addition, efforts are underway to reduce the fragmentation of standards.

Strengthening leadership

Construction processes must also become more efficient, and according to the minister, digitization can help achieve this. This technology must be integrated more explicitly into the processes. This means “that there must be clear coordination and coherence between initiatives, programs, and technology, as well as between rules, frameworks, and guidelines.” This means, for example, that digital information must henceforth be an integral part of requests for proposals, contracts, evaluation processes, and decision-making, rather than being requested as an additional attachment. The minister also wants to provide positive incentives for projects that demonstrably meet minimum information requirements. Legislation must be amended if it hinders such innovations. Coordination must also be improved, and we must take a very clear look at what is happening in Europe.

People and Skills

Finally, according to the minister, it’s all about people, of course. By improving people’s digital skills, implementation capacity should also be enhanced. “We need to foster a culture in which digitization and digital innovations are possible and used responsibly.”