Chapter
Mar 18, 2024

Investigating Barriers to the Application of Automation in the Construction Industry

Publication: Construction Research Congress 2024

ABSTRACT

The escalating challenges in the construction sector, such as comparative lower predictability and productivity, labor shortages, occupational safety, and hazardous working conditions, indicate the necessity and urgency of investing in automizing construction. Identifying the barriers to implementing construction automation and investigating ways to overcome them can pave the way for a greater use of these technologies in the construction industry, which, in turn, could increase its efficiency, safety, and productivity. In this study, a survey was conducted, which led to the identification of 11 major barriers to the widespread application of these technologies. They were (1) job loss, (2) initial investment cost, (3) complexity, (4) limited flexibility, (5) lack of skilled labor, (6) inadequate infrastructure, (7) resistance to change, (8) technical complexity, (9) safety concerns, (10) lack of human interaction, and (11) regulatory barriers. The paper is expected to shed light on how the application of automated techniques in construction projects should modify to better fit the concerns and demands of the industry.

Get full access to this article

View all available purchase options and get full access to this chapter.

REFERENCES

de Soto, B. G., Agustí-Juan, I., Hunhevicz, J., Joss, S., Graser, K., Habert, G., and Adey, B. T. (2018). Productivity of digital fabrication in construction: Cost and time analysis of a robotically built wall. Automation in construction, 92, 297–311.
Faghihi, V., Nejat, A., Reinschmidt, K. F., and Kang, J. H. (2015). Automation in construction scheduling: a review of the literature. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 81, 1845–1856.
Ha, Q., Santos, M., Nguyen, Q., Rye, D., and Durrant-Whyte, H. (2002). Robotic excavation in construction automation. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 9(1), 20–28.
Malakhov, A. V., and Shutin, D. V. (2020, February). Applying the automated and robotic means for increasing effectiveness of construction projects. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 753, No. 4, p. 042055). IOP Publishing.
Namian, M., Al-Bayati, A., Karji, A., and Tafazzoli, M. (2021). Investigating Barriers to Implement and Develop Sustainable Construction. In Design and Construction of Smart Cities: Toward Sustainable Community (pp. 247–252). Springer International Publishing.
Namian, M., Tafazzoli, M., Al-Bayati, A. J., and Kermanshachi, S. (2022). Are construction managers from Mars and workers from Venus? Exploring differences in construction safety perception of two key field stakeholders. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(10), 6172.
Oke, A., Akinradewo, O., Aigbavboa, C., and Akinradewo, O. (2019, November). Benefits of construction automation and robotics in the South African construction industry. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 385, No. 1, p. 012063). IOP Publishing.
Shutin, D., Malakhov, A., and Marfin, K. (2018). Applying Automated and Robotic Means in Construction as a Factor for Providing Constructive Safety of Buildings and Structures. In MATEC Web of Conferences (Vol. 251, p. 03005). EDP Sciences.
Struková, Z., and Líška, M. (2012). Application of automation and robotics in construction work execution. AD ALTA: Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, 2(2), 121–125.
Tafazzoli, M. (2022). Construction automation and sustainable development. Automation and Robotics in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Industry, 73–95.
Tafazzoli, M., Kermanshachi, S., Shrestha, K., and Kisi, K. (2020, November). Investigating the relative importance barriers to sustainable construction related to owners, contractors, and government. In Construction Research Congress 2020: Infrastructure Systems and Sustainability (pp. 341–350). Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers.
Tafazzoli, M., Mousavi, E., and Kermanshachi, S. (2020). Opportunities and challenges of green-lean: An integrated system for sustainable construction. Sustainability, 12(11), 4460.

Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Construction Research Congress 2024
Construction Research Congress 2024
Pages: 941 - 950

History

Published online: Mar 18, 2024

Permissions

Request permissions for this article.

ASCE Technical Topics:

Authors

Affiliations

Mohammadsoroush Tafazzoli, Ph.D. [email protected]
1Assistant Professor, College of Engineering and Computing, Georgia Southern Univ. Email: [email protected]
Kishor Shrestha, Ph.D., P.E. [email protected]
2Assistant Professor, School of Design and Construction, Washington State Univ. Email: [email protected]
Hongtao Dang, Ph.D. [email protected]
3Assistant Professor, School of Design and Construction, Washington State Univ. Email: [email protected]

Metrics & Citations

Metrics

Citations

Download citation

If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.

View Options

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$276.00
Add to cart

Get Access

Access content

Please select your options to get access

Log in/Register Log in via your institution (Shibboleth)
ASCE Members: Please log in to see member pricing

Purchase

Save for later Information on ASCE Library Cards
ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.

Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
ASCE Library Card (5 downloads)
$105.00
Add to cart
ASCE Library Card (20 downloads)
$280.00
Add to cart
Buy Single Paper
$35.00
Add to cart
Buy E-book
$276.00
Add to cart

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

Share

Share

Copy the content Link

Share with email

Email a colleague

Share