The human on the digital construction site TU Braunschweig develops evaluation tool for the use of innovative technologies in the construction industry

The construction industry is one of the most important sectors of the economy and, at the same time, one of the least digitised. But when is the use of a machine actually beneficial? And how can digital technologies improve construction processes without losing focus on the people working on the construction site? These are the questions being addressed by the research project “Centre for Digital and Integrated Construction Processes” (ZDIB) at Technische Universität Braunschweig. To this end, the researchers are aiming to help planners and construction companies to evaluate digitally supported workflows.

So-called “Construction 5.0”, based on the concept of “Industry 5.0”, explicitly focuses on human-machine collaboration: despite automation, the human remains at the centre. Therefore construction workers are not to be replaced by machines, but rather work more efficiently and safely hand-in-hand with them. However, there is currently no approach that systematically compares potential efficiency gains from digital technologies with the human workload. “We want to develop an evaluation and decision-making tool that enables planners and companies to integrate these technologies meaningfully into construction processes,” says project leader Dr Bartłomiej Sawicki from the Institute of Structural Design at TU Braunschweig. “But first, we need to develop methodologies to jointly assess not only the productivity of humans working alongside with machines, but also their physical and mental workload.”

Physical strain on the construction site

The research project brings together experts from the fields of civil engineering, digital fabrication, construction management and sports science. They aim to redefine the concept of productivity, to determine not only when the use of machines pays off financially, but also to consider physical and mental effort of construction workers. The concept emerged from a pilot project comparing work on a digital construction site with that on a conventional construction site.

In the “Centre for Digital and Integrated Construction Processes” project, measurement methods and instruments are being tested in the environment of the Collaborative Research Centre “Additive Manufacturing in Construction” (AMC) using infrastructure of the Digital Construction Site. In collaboration with industry partners who develop digital solutions for the construction sector, these measurements will be verified on real construction sites. Data will be collected using innovative digital technologies, such as wearables, designed with ergonomics and occupational safety in mind.

Construction costs and skills shortages

The researchers also aim to investigate how 3D concrete printing and digital assistance systems are transforming the construction industry in various national and international contexts. Factors such as construction costs and skills shortages significantly influence how digital technologies can be deployed on construction sites. To this end, they will work closely with social sciences partners from India. The research aims to provide insights into how digital construction processes can be adapted to different conditions worldwide.

The project’s ambition is to establish, for the first time, a multidimensional evaluation and decision-making framework that enables the analysis of digital construction processes. In doing so, the researchers aim to strengthen the construction industry’s technological capacity for action whilst creating a practical basis for the use of digital technologies on construction sites.

The success of the ZDIB is to be demonstrated above all through tangible improvements in day-to-day work. These include higher productivity, reduced physical strain on construction workers and growing acceptance of digital technologies in the construction industry.

Project details

The “Centre for Digital and Integrated Construction Processes” (ZDIB) project has been funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the “International Places of Innovation (OdIn)” funding initiative since May 2026, with approximately €496,000 over two years. It is being developed in close collaboration with the Collaborative Research Centre “Additive Manufacturing in Construction” (AMC) at TU Braunschweig and TU Munich. The project involves the Institute of Structural Design (ITE, Dr.-Ing. Bartłomiej Sawicki), the Institute of Construction Economics and Management (IBB, Prof. Patrick Schwerdtner, Johannes Keßeler) and the Institute of Sports Science and Movement Education (Prof. Peter Düking, Felipe Rayo Martín) at TU Braunschweig. The Public School of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (Prof. Surajit Chakravarty) is involved as an international partner. The project is further supported by industry partners (COBOD, INSTATIQ, fischer BAUBOT, MinkTec) as well as the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Construction Industry (BG BAU) and the Construction Industry Association of Lower Saxony-Bremen e.V.

More information: https://www.tu-braunschweig.de/en/digital-construction-site/research-projects/centre-for-digital-and-integrated-construction-processes