Digital Transformation of the Design, Construction and Management Processes of the Built Environment (Research for Development)

This open access book focuses on the development of methods, interoperable and integrated ICT tools, and survey techniques for optimal management of the building process. The construction sector is facing an increasing demand for major innovations in terms of digital dematerialization and technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, advanced manufacturing, robotics, 3D printing, blockchain technologies and artificial intelligence. The demand for simplification and transparency in information management and for the rationalization and optimization of very fragmented and splintered processes is a key driver for digitization.  The book describes the contribution of the ABC Department of the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) to R&D activities regarding methods and ICT tools for the interoperable management of the different phases of the building process, including design, construction, and management. Informative case studies complement the theoreticaldiscussion. The book will be of interest to all stakeholders in the building process – owners, designers, constructors, and faculty managers – as well as the research sector.

Stefano Della Torre, who graduated in Civil Engineering and in Architecture, is a Full Professor of Restoration at the Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy, and Director of the ABC Department (Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering). He is the author of more than 360 publications. He served as an advisor to the CARIPLO Foundation (Cultural Districts), the Italian Government and Lombardy Region (policies on planned conservation of historical-architectural heritage). He has been President of BuildingSMART Italia – the national chapter of BuildingSMART International (2011-2017). 

Bruno Daniotti is Full Professor of Building Production in the ABC Department at Politecnico di Milano. He holds a PhD in Building Engineering and has more than 30 years of experience in various fields of research in construction at the national and international levels, having worked in universities and research centres such as ICITE-CNR and EC JRC (Ispra). He has also collaborated with research organizations and public and regulatory bodies, including ISO, EOTA, and UNI. He was the Italian Coordinator of the STANDINN project, PM of the INNOVance Project, and representative of Politecnico di Milano in BuildingSmart Italia from 2005 to 2015. He is also the coordinator of various other projects, including the BIMReL project and the BIM4EEB EU research project “BIM based fast toolkit for Efficient rEnovation in Buildings”.

Marco Gianinetto holds an MS in Environmental and Land Management Engineering and a PhD in Geodesy and Geomatics and is currently Associate Professor of Geomatics at Politecnico di Milano.  His research interests lie in the fields of remote sensing, earth observation, and spatial information technologies for environmental monitoring.  He is a member of the Governing Council of the Italian Remote Sensing Society, Co-Editor-in-Chief for the European Journal of Remote Sensing (UK), Associate Editor for the International Journal of Remote Sensing (UK), and Associate Editor for the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing (USA). Marco Gianinetto has been a member of international advisory/evaluator panels, including the Executive Agency for SMEs of the European Commission, the Israel Science Foundation, the National Research Council of Romania, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office, and the French National Research Agency.