Smart Construction Objects (SCOs): A New Theory of Smart Construction Is Born?

Abstract

Despite of the prolific development of smart systems in the construction industry, the theorizing work of ‘smart construction’ is rather stagnant. The fundamental concepts, definitions, and models ofsmart construction are yet to be fully explored. It is against this backdrop that this study seeks to advocate smart construction objects (SCOs) as an innovative concept and the basic elements to define, understand, and achieve a new theory of smart construction. It does so by adopting a mixed-method strategy at the kernel. It establishes the conceptual and deployment elements of SCOs and tests them in two case studies. This study reveals that the concept of SCOs can steer the field of smart construction towards a new theory by (a) enhancing the theoretical lucidity on smart construction, and (b) providing a generalizable framework for realizing it. One elegance of SCOs lies in that they can be adopted and implemented without radically changing the prevailing construction practice and process. Advancing smart construction through this direction can be expected to go more promisingly than existing directions