Digital transformation in construction: evidence from Brazil

Recent industrial revolutions have been transforming industries and society, leading to major changes in the construction sector. Despite significant advances in research on Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0 in construction in developed countries, the digital transformation of construction industries in less industrialized contexts remains underexplored, especially from a production-stage perspective. Therefore, this study discusses the digital transformation process in construction, drawing on evidence from Brazil. To this end, a Maturity Measurement System (MMS) was applied to six case studies. The MMS assesses digital transformation maturity in construction production using a sociotechnical approach that integrates the principles of Industry 4.0 and Industry 5.0. The results indicate that digital transformation in these projects remains at an early stage, particularly with respect to social dimensions, which remain underdeveloped. The main contribution of this paper is to provide empirical evidence on the digital transformation process in less industrialized construction contexts, highlighting the role of sociotechnical approaches, Lean Construction, and BIM as key enablers of effective and inclusive digitalization.