Digital Construction Report 2021

The Digital Construction Report 2021 explores how construction professionals were adopting BIM, cloud technology, virtual reality and other digital ways of working during a period of significant industry change.

Based on responses from 906 built environment professionals, the report provides a snapshot of digital adoption across construction, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, changing working practices and the continued evolution of BIM.

The survey brought together perspectives from clients, consultants, contractors and suppliers, including architects, engineers, BIM managers, project managers and manufacturers.

Respondents represented organisations of different sizes and more than 60 countries, providing a broad view of how digital construction was developing in 2021.

• BIM adoption and how it was being used in practice

• Common data environments, IFC, COBie and BIM Execution Plans

• Adoption of cloud computing and virtual reality

• Digital transformation across construction organisations

• The impact of COVID-19 on technology adoption and working practices

• Offsite construction and manufactured building elements

• Classification systems used across the industry

• The challenges and opportunities influencing digital construction

The research found that 71% of respondents had adopted BIM, while 69% said the pandemic had accelerated their adoption of digital technologies and ways of working.