Future requirements for digital construction documents

Sammanfattning

The construction sector is facing a period of significant change driven by increasing regulatory and contractual demands for digital information management. EU directives such as EPBD and CPR/ESPR, alongside initiatives like AB25, are progressively raising requirements for traceability, transparency and structured building information. Despite this, BIM is currently used primarily as a coordination tool rather than as an integrated information carrier, and a clear gap exists between the industry's current working methods and the requirements expected to come into force. This study analyses how increased regulatory and contractual demands for digital information delivery affect requirements specification and working methods in the design phase, with particular focus on the digital model's role as an information carrier. The study is conducted as an embedded single-case study with the consultancy firm Plan B as the case, drawing on 13 semi-structured interviews and document studies from nine construction projects within healthcare, water and infrastructure. Through a scenario-based analysis, a minimum, medium and maximum scenario, gaps between current design practice and future requirements are identified. The findings show that design professionals generally possess the competence and tools to meet near-future requirements, but that construction and facility management operate at a considerably lower level of digital maturity. The study further demonstrates that the effectiveness of requirements specification is strongly dependent on organisational anchoring, early involvement of information managers, and clear communication of the purpose and value of the information. The role of the information manager is expected to grow in line with increasing demands, encompassing broader responsibilities including competence support, system development and data validation, as well as greater engagement in the early stages of procurement and requirements specification.