Addressing Existing and Changing Roles in the Construction Industry Current and Future Transformations of Professional Roles toward Fulfilling Industry Demands. Master’s Thesis in the Master’s Program Design and Construction Project Management Leonid Burtcev Damilare Daniel Omiwole DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Gothenburg, Sweden 2023 www.chalmers.se I Acknowledgment First and foremost, we would like to express our deep appreciation to our academic supervisor Dimosthenis Kifokeris, and to Christina Claeson-Jonsson for their unwavering support and guidance throughout our research journey. Their enthusiasm and belief in our ability to tackle future world challenges have been truly invaluable. It was amazing working and being supervised by Dimosthenis, who always creates audience for us even in most inconvenient times. We are grateful to Christina for the gift of access and making us feel welcome and at ease every step of the way. We extend our sincere gratitude to all the interviewees who generously shared their insights, experiences, knowledge, and life stories. The timely response and valuable contributions of each individual played a crucial role in the successful completion of this thesis within the scheduled timeframe. Thank you all very much. Our heartfelt thanks also go to Aytan Huseynli and Irina Tasnim, who have been by our side since the beginning of this study. Their motivation and collaborative efforts have been instrumental in our progress. We are grateful for their exceptional teamwork and camaraderie. We would like to express our special appreciation to the Burtcev and Omiwole families for their incredible love, support, and encouragement. Your unwavering presence and steadfastness have been a source of strength for us. We also want to acknowledge our mutual friends, Moh and Alex, for their insightful discussions and impartial viewpoints whenever we needed a third-party perspective. We cannot overlook the guidance and oversight of our program director, Martine Burser, who has been a pillar of support for all the students in the Design and Construction Project Management program. We are immensely grateful for her unwavering dedication. Additionally, we extend our thanks to all the lecturers who have imparted their knowledge and expertise throughout our course of study. Lastly, we commend ourselves for this remarkable achievement and for venturing into new grounds and ways of thinking. As we look ahead to greater endeavours and collaborations, including larger-scale projects, we are committed to giving our absolute best, striving for excellence, and continuously working towards achieving our goals. DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING CHALMERS UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY Gothenburg, Sweden 2023 www.chalmers.se II Addressing Existing and Changing Roles in the Construction Industry Current and Future transformations of professional roles toward fulfilling industry demands. Leonid Burtcev Damilare Daniel Omiwole Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Some Subject or Technology) Design and Construction Project Management Chalmers University of Technology Abstract The Construction industry is currently buffeted with continuous transformative processes and demands, the like that has never been experienced before. The subject of the resulting change in literature has been explored relatively sparsely, the introduction and evolution of digital technologies and sustainability thinking and their increased propulsion for the AECO in terms of upgrading existing skills, responsibilities, and competencies to meet new norms and recommendations made by society, clients, and regulatory organizations in the industry. In addition, there has been existing research speculating how the construction practice would be in the future, including outcries of new engineering competencies that would be needed in the near future. Nonetheless, there has sparsely been in-depth work to determine how individual professional roles are being altered through their adaptation to the various industry change processes. This study provides a foresight of how professional roles in the construction industry will be developed. In addition, the study will help ascertain from a historical viewpoint through literature and experience of active professionals the trends and changes in their work experience in the Swedish AEC industry over the years and the various drivers influencing these changes. Following a comprehensive literature review combined with deductive analysis of the empirical data from interviews, a mind map was developed to demonstrate findings and analyze how professional roles are perceived to develop in the future. Through the findings of this study, we could redefine the development of roles as a progressive process that is first depicted by new ways of working and new responsibilities, upon which the growth on either of these fronts would require that a new entity become accountable for the new responsibilities, and independent of existing roles. The findings show that digitalization, sustainability, and collaborative working practice have contributed to future role development. Meanwhile, achieving the industry goal of being more efficient, enabling digitalized systems, adopting more sustainability solutions, and becoming data-driven serves as drivers of change that influence professional roles in the industry. The study’s conclusion will provide insight into the future expectations of stakeholders and policymakers for managing change processes in the Swedish AEC industry. Especially by implementing strategies to upskill professionals’ IT competencies, automate routine tasks, increase sustainability or circularity engagements, share common operating databases, and facilitate interaction between these development pathways. Keywords: Role development, Future of the roles, Driver, Trends, Changes, Sustainability-based roles, Digitalization-based roles, Structural engineer. III Abbreviations OSC – Off-Site Construction CAD – Computer-Aided Design VR – Virtual Reality BPM – Building Product Model AR – Augmented Reality GBM – Generic Building Model AI – Artificial intelligence BIM – Building Information Modelling ML – Machine Learning SD – Sustainable Development IoT – Internet of Things IT - Information Technology ICT – Information Communication Technology IM – Information Management BDS – Building Description Systems GIS – Geographic Information Systems SDGS – Sustainable Development Goals LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design GLIDE – Graphical Language for Interactive Design AECO – Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Operation IV Table of content Acknowledgment ........................................................................................................................................... I Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ II Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................................. III Table of content .......................................................................................................................................... IV List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................. VI List of Tables .............................................................................................................................................. VI 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scope & Limitations ..................................................................................................................... 2 1.3 Aim & Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 2 1.4 Ethical aspects ............................................................................................................................... 3 2 Method .................................................................................................................................................. 4 3 Literature Review .................................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 Definitions of terms ...................................................................................................................... 6 3.2 Timeline ........................................................................................................................................ 7 3.3 Before 2000 ................................................................................................................................... 7 3.3.1 Drivers, trends, and changes ................................................................................................. 8 3.3.2 Transition due to Digitalisation ............................................................................................. 9 3.3.3 Transitions due to Sustainability ......................................................................................... 10 3.3.4 Transitions and roles affected. ............................................................................................ 11 3.4 Between 2000 and 2010 .............................................................................................................. 13 3.4.1 Drivers, trends, and change ................................................................................................. 13 3.4.2 Transition due to Digitalisation ........................................................................................... 14 3.4.3 Transitions due to Sustainability ......................................................................................... 15 3.4.4 Transition and roles affected. .............................................................................................. 16 3.5 Between 2010 and 2020 .............................................................................................................. 19 3.5.1 Drivers, trends, and changes ............................................................................................... 20 3.5.2 Transition due to Digitalization .......................................................................................... 20 3.5.3 Transitions due to Sustainability ......................................................................................... 21 3.5.4 Transition and roles affected. .............................................................................................. 22 3.6 Between 2020 to 2030................................................................................................................. 26 3.6.1 Drivers of change and trends .............................................................................................. 26 3.6.2 Transition due to Digitalization .......................................................................................... 28 V 3.6.3 Transitions due to Sustainability Drives ............................................................................. 29 3.6.4 Transition and roles affected. .............................................................................................. 30 3.7 Comment ..................................................................................................................................... 32 4 Empirical result ................................................................................................................................... 34 4.1 Digitalization-based roles ........................................................................................................... 35 4.1.1 Drivers ................................................................................................................................. 35 4.1.2 Trends ................................................................................................................................. 36 4.1.3 Changes ............................................................................................................................... 37 4.1.4 Future .................................................................................................................................. 37 4.2 Sustainability-based roles ........................................................................................................... 40 4.2.1 Drivers ................................................................................................................................. 41 4.2.2 Trends ................................................................................................................................. 42 4.2.3 Changes ............................................................................................................................... 42 4.2.4 Future .................................................................................................................................. 44 4.3 Structural Engineers .................................................................................................................... 45 4.3.1 Drivers ................................................................................................................................. 45 4.3.2 Trends ................................................................................................................................. 46 4.3.3 Changes ............................................................................................................................... 47 4.3.4 Future .................................................................................................................................. 48 5 Discussion of Research Findings ........................................................................................................ 51 5.1 Introducing the Mind Map .......................................................................................................... 51 5.2 Overview of the Roles Development .......................................................................................... 53 5.3 Future role development ............................................................................................................. 55 5.3.1 Digitalization-based roles ................................................................................................... 56 5.3.2 Sustainability-based experts ................................................................................................ 57 5.3.3 Structural Engineers ............................................................................................................ 58 5.3.4 Emerging Roles ................................................................................................................... 58 5.3.5 Challenges for Change Adaptation ..................................................................................... 59 6 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 61 7 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................... 62 8 Sustainability Contribution ................................................................................................................. 62 9 Statement of Contribution ................................................................................................................... 62 10 Appendix ......................................................................................................................................... 63 10.1 Appendix 1 - Interview Questions .............................................................................................. 63 11 References ....................................................................................................................................... 65 VI List of Figures Figure 1: Showing the different periods of literature analysis. ..................................................................... 4 Figure 2: Development of BIM definitions (Aryani et al., 2014b) ............................................................... 9 Figure 3: Drafting process (Rare Historical Photos, 2023) ......................................................................... 12 Figure 4: Traditional BIM roles .................................................................................................................. 23 Figure 5: Showing the fundamental shift in thinking for professionals in the industry. ............................. 25 Figure 6: Evolvement direction of BIM in structural engineering .............................................................. 26 Figure 7: Showing the timestamp of the development of selected roles based on the drivers, trends, and changes ........................................................................................................................................................ 52 Figure 8: Development of the role .............................................................................................................. 53 Figure 9: Stages of the development of the tasks ........................................................................................ 53 List of Tables Table 1: Showing interviewed respondents with respective positions and role. ......................................... 34 Table 2: Showing a surmise of respondents’ future perception of their changing roles ............................. 55 1 1 Introduction In the mind of every active construction practitioner, manager, company, and customer today lies the challenges the future holds for the Architectural, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industry. Newly emerging technologies, legislation, or regulatory demands have the tendency to initiate rapid or gradual changes in the construction sector, which affects the culture and pattern of work for professionals. This introductory chapter introduces briefly the background and context of our theme in addressing the existing and changing professional roles in the construction industry, especially in the Swedish context. In addition, the research aims and questions to be investigated were introduced alongside the ethical considerations that had to be put in place for the purpose of this research. 1.1 Background Today’s adoption of digital technologies has increasingly been a critical factor in initiating more efficient and effective operations in the Swedish construction industry (Jacobsson & Linderoth, 2012). The ongoing digital transformation aspects include but are not limited to areas with widely acknowledged themes like digitalization, sustainability, lean management, and even new procurement methods that are increasingly discussed today in the industry at various levels (Gomez-Trujillo & Gonzalez-Perez, 2022; Ibem & Laryea, 2014). Ongoing discussions, reports, and research are published addressing digital adoption relevance to the construction industry, especially here in Sweden. The emergence and growth of advancing technologies have continued to raise demands to upgrade existing skills, responsibilities, and competencies in the AECO, to fulfil the new regulations and recommendations set by society, their clients, and regulatory bodies in the industry. Thus, significant actors set their vision to align with Sweden’s National Agenda and insights for its Sustainable Development Goals (Nina W. et al., 2015). An example of this is the recent new demand for executing life cycle assessments for all projects in Sweden since the 1st of January 2022 (Hasth, 2022), which also brings up the notions of upskilling, reskilling, and the need for filling obvious skill gaps. Now the construction Industry is engaging in upskilling, outsourcing, or employing lifecycle experts to meet this new demand and creates the need for a strategy. To be able to determine how they could or should better position themselves through the ongoing industry transformation to remain relevant and thriving while envisioning the future of trends and work direction. There is an ongoing transformation in the Swedish construction industry towards sustainability focuses on reduced environmental and climatic impacts. Moreover, such aspects as digitalization, automation, intelligent monitoring systems, use of innovative materials, new collaboration systems, and the development of digital business models are referred to as; ‘the next normal in construction’ according to (Mc Kinsey Company, 2020). It is continuously characterized by an expanding scope of responsibilities of current practitioners and higher expectations demanded of entry-level personnel for the construction industry. Analysing and understanding the changes within roles today and in the past, based on general societal trends, shift in way of working and environmental concerns, will help the construction industry to adjust its way of working, strategically position itself for further development, and adjust it focusing areas with projection into what the future would look like. Just like (Hans W. et al., 2009) a few decades ago, when they published within their compendium of conference publications, a few works of literature briefly addressed the changing roles and challenges. 2 Regarding all above, the study will focus on forecasting the development of three selected roles in the AECO industry. Development of the roles connected to digitalisation-based roles, sustainability-based roles, and structural engineering role will be estimated and analysed for future forecasting. Consequently, this research will explore how several professional roles and competencies are being altered from their current state. 1.2 Scope & Limitations Addressing existing roles in the construction industry is a broad theme that includes many factors, areas, and topics. The topic has been narrowed down to several aspects for the qualitative study. Since the study will be done in collaboration with a construction company located in Sweden, results from the interview will be primarily based on the data from that company and will be contextualised in the Swedish construction sector. In the meantime, the literature review will not be based only on the findings limited to the Swedish construction sector, although it would take ample part of it. Secondly, the research will consider only the three specifically selected roles and focus our empirical aspect to information obtained via interviews of professionals actively engaged in the construction industry in those roles. The selection of roles to be considered was firstly due to the level of literature available concerning professional roles over the past years. Secondly, it was discovered that there was a broad range of past and current research that provided information concerning the industrial transformation due to factors like digitalization and sustainability before and after the 21st century. Therefore, in addition to deciding to assess the first two selected roles, it was expedient to select another traditional role that has seemingly remained consistent over the years but is actually experiencing changes. Therefore, the role of the structural engineer, which is quite vital to successful production in the construction industry, was selected for the scope of this research. In summary the three roles that were selected include: 1. Digitalization-based Professionals (e.g., VDC/BIM specialists) 2. Sustainability-based experts 3. Structural Engineers Those roles will be discussed only from an operational perspective, including responsibilities and tasks. Aspects like economy, productivity, efficiency, teamwork, and collaboration, as well as the legal parts, will not be included in the study. Other traditional engineering roles like site engineers or project managers could have been selected, but we limited our study to these three because of the limited period for conducting this research. Lastly, the duration of the research is limited to 21 weeks. Moreover, the main goal of the study is to forecast the development of the roles, emerge of new ones, and the transformation or replacement of existing ones. Therefore, the research on the historical aspect will not be highly intense. 1.3 Aim & Research Questions The aim of this research is to determine the historical growth and changes that have been documented in literature, and from professional experience of respondents. The culmination of information from both ends improves the quality and consistency of information received, to achieve the goal of this study in providing a foresight of how the roles are going to be developed in the future. Meanwhile, employing transparency in analysing obtained data qualitatively would enhance deductive reasoning to address our research questions. It would help in determining the Current and Future development of selected professional roles toward fulfilling industry demands, through a reflexive assessment of what has happened in the past. 3 Adapting to the fast-changing ways of working is one of the primary skills professionals require today, as current trends influence many traditional roles. In our case, Industrialization, digitalization, and sustainability are seen to have shifted the way of working in roles such as structural engineer, replaced some, and created many new ones. Moreover, new demands, changing regulations, and industry expectations from external stakeholders like consulting companies, clients, and authorities also have a similar influence. Although many changes are already implemented, many more will come. Such goals as zero net greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 still have a couple of years to achieve (Swedish Climate Policy Councils, 2023). Additionally, such aspects as EU Taxonomy and the fourth industrial revolution will significantly impact shifting roles and way of working. In other for this pilot study to show, observe and achieve a forecast of the impact of changes in the construction roles, the following research questions have been formulated: 1. How have the following roles developed over the past 30 years? (Rq1) a. Digitalization-based professionals b. Sustainability-based professionals c. Structural Engineers 2. What are the drivers, changes, and trends for those roles (Rq2) 3. What could the future of the selected roles look like in the AECO industry? (Rq3) 4. What are the potential future new roles that might emerge from the selected roles? (Rq4) 1.4 Ethical aspects Given the possible effects that future positions in the construction industry could have on employees, the environment, and society, ethical issues were an essential component of this research effort. The research was planned to protect worker safety, promote environmental sustainability, and encourage fair labour practices. It was also planned with the ethical ideals of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. The chance to ask questions and withdraw from the study at any time was provided, and participants were given information about the study. The obtained data would be kept anonymous to keep participant identities confidential in all publications and presentations. It would be one of the precautions to safeguard participant privacy and confidentiality. The research team adhered to ethical standards throughout the investigation and thought about these standards when analysing and interpreting the findings. The research has significantly advanced knowledge of future jobs in the construction industry in a way that is both technically sound and ethically responsible, despite some limitations and difficulties linked to the ethical issues of this study. 4 2 Method The structure of the study follows a qualitative approach. It starts with a literature review using a segmented timeline, followed by an empirical part consisting of interview results. The discussion section that follows includes the findings of the literature review as well as the empirical results section, which are combined and analysed for a further conclusion section. The selected roles represent the current main direction in the industry in the form of digitalisation and sustainability, together with the development of a regular role such as structural engineering. By focusing on the development of digitalisation and sustainability aspects in terms of drivers, changes, and trends in the construction industry, it is possible to draw a parallel with the roles working with these aspects. The role of a structural engineer is seen as a role that is influenced by external factors such as legislation, digitalisation, and environmental thinking. By studying the development and the factors that have influenced the role of the structural engineer, it is possible to make a future assessment of how other roles may develop in the future and what factors will influence their development. The structure of the literature part based on the development of the roles is performed in four different periods, as shown in the figure below, including changes before 2000, from 2000 to 2010, from 2010 to 2020, and from 2020 to 2030. The findings from the four selected periods will allow us to identify the different paths of each selected role. Figure 1: Showing the different periods of literature analysis. The use of a different timeline in the literature review helps to structure the information, makes it easier to find and to visualise the information. Although there are many changes that took place in different decades before 2000, it was decided to generalise the timeline that took place before the year 2000. The main reason for this was the lack of time and the limitations of the scope. Although the timeline is divided into decades, some connections between them have been considered. The use of a timeline also helps to examine the transition of industrial trends driven by different forces, while also focusing on digitalisation and sustainability requirements. It is important to note that the timeline is applied to the development of roles and not to the literature findings. That is, the literature review focuses on the context of the roles during the given timeline in the text rather than when the study was published. The literature review explores different theories, existing studies and information about the selected roles based on the following themes: a driver of change, changes, trends, role transformation, new responsibilities in the construction industry, future demands, sustainability goals, digitalisation, etc. The same words were used as keywords to find relevant research for the study in reputable databases such as Chalmers Library, Science Direct and Scopus, including search engines such as Google Scholar. The following significant part of this research is based on the empirical data obtained from face-to-face and via Teams interviews. Personnel were selected according to their relevance to the research question and the study, prioritising roles that are based on digitalisation (such as VDC managers), sustainability experts and structural engineers. The chosen method was chosen because of the better quality of the data obtained and the flexibility of the data collection. A total of 17 interviews were conducted where the interview was recorded, transcribed, analysed, and summarised. After comparing the information gathered with the literature review, the results in and discussion section was written based on the aim of the study and the research questions. 5 For the results part, a mind map (Figure 7) was created to visualise the selected role development in the construction industry. All data presented in the mind map combine both literature review and empirical results. As all interviewees work in Sweden, the mind map represents the role development of the Swedish AECO industry. It is important to mention that the study is conducted in cooperation with a construction company based in Sweden, which provides more accessible contact to the required personnel. In addition, the questions for the interviews are related to the themes explored in the research questions and are presented in appendix (see Appendix 1). 6 3 Literature Review The construction industry has been confronted with the challenge of adapting to transition and increasing demands driven towards achieving a way to do the right things more efficiently, effectively, and less costly (Mc Kinsey Company, 2020). Therefore, propelling forces have been employed that have been aided by the progressive advancement in technology, and over the past few years, we have seen the industry’s transcending penchant for sustainability. In addition, most of these drivers are employed together and not just independently. For instance, the Lean theory, as a widespread notion for adoption, is seen as being more effective when it is integrated with other frameworks like the Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) methods, Building Information Modelling (BIM), location-based planning using GIS improvement systems, and collaborative planning methods taking advantage of the visual enablement of the BIM. That is, the drivers of industry transformation operate dependently one on another, such that most benefits and purposes are derived from their integrated use (Kifokeris et al., 2020). The ongoing industrial transformation, which expressly results in the importance of addressing the changes to professional roles, has been driven due to various societal goals, including the pursuit of sustainability within the AECO industry (Müller et al., 2018). All this in addition to digitalization, especially in terms of BIM adoption for collaborative operating processes amongst actors and professionals. Studying the benefits of digitalization in the construction industry provides a better understanding of the goals and directions that need to be settled (European Commission, 2021a). The analytical report written by the EU outlines the driving forces and perceived challenges of integrating digital technologies to tackle pressing societal issues like the labour crunch, overall global competition, resources, green efficiency, and sustainability (European Commission, 2021b). The rationale for resolving these challenges is using innovative ways to enhance business processes, decrease economic expenses and market mandates for sustainable development, and to reduce carbon footprints, amongst others. According to (Alaloul et al., 2018), for the construction industry, the definition of digitalization opines the inclusion of new and innovative digital technologies in the various dimensions of the construction business, encompassing design, planning, project development, production, and end-of-life phases in the construction practice. Meanwhile, the primary objective of digitalization in the construction industry is to enhance efficiency, reduce waste and improve the traceability of the entire construction process, which also corresponds to the sustainability aspects. Over the recent two decades, adopting the VDC and BIM, more particularly, has fostered broader digitization opportunities in the construction landscape. Primarily through enabling the merging of transformation tools and collaboration of industry professionals or teams (Alaloul et al., 2018). 3.1 Definitions of terms As said before, this research aims to identify the key drivers, changes and trends that shape the roles under study. As a result, it is critical to define some of the key terms used in this study, such as drivers, changes, trends, digitalization, and sustainability. Clarifying these terms will ensure a collective understanding of the concepts and allow an accurate interpretation of the research findings. Drivers: Refers to the varied factors or forces that influence and shape the direction and course of change in a specific context. These drivers can be internal or external, and they can come from a variety of sources, including technological advancements, environmental changes, and others (For instance, Climate change, Global Warming, or Net Zero Vision) 7 Changes: Refers to a visible and time-specific shift or transformation process during an ongoing era of driver or trend (For instance, mandatory LCA calculation that started in Sweden Jan 2022, ensuring that the CO2 calculation and impact of all production processes or materials are estimated). Trends: This represents a general direction or pattern of behaviour or occurrence that is becoming increasingly common or popular, which could be backed up with empirical data to show steady characteristic changes or development over time (Indeed Canada Corp., 2022; Market Business News, 2023). (For instance, Sustainability) Digitalization is about transferring and employing digital tools rather than analogy ones. In the industry, it refers to a change in processes, tools, methods, and documentation. It is, however, about digitalizing existing information and transforming existing processes and practices to utilize digital technologies fully. Automation, artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and other digital tools are used to optimize operations, increase efficiency, and improve decision-making (WalkMe, 2023). Sustainability: It makes reference to the Brundtland Commission's 1987 definition of sustainability as "meeting the needs of the present devoid of compromising the capability of upcoming generations to meet their individual needs.". A balance of economic development, social well-being, and environmental protection is also required. It is based on conservation and stewardship principles to ensure that resources are used to promote long-term human and ecological health (UCLA, 2023; United Nations, 2023b). 3.2 Timeline To achieve a well-structured literature review of the research theme for addressing changing and newly emerging roles in the construction industry, the timeline was divided into decades with several sections. These four (4) decades are purposed to get a broad historical perspective of how the selected professional roles have changed over the years. There is no way to have an outlook on future of these professional roles without making up for the past or the current changes. The first section focuses on the significant drivers of industrial changes that influence the construction industry during the specific decade emphasizing digitalization and sustainability. The subsequent sections review the understanding of how selected professional roles have been transformed or changed both internally and externally because of these drivers. The ensuing literature's structure tries to define the notions of the driver of change, trends, and the changes themselves from before the 21st century until now. While the obtained data gives a historical perspective on the selected roles, it will be used with other objective sources to determine how they could soon become. 3.3 Before 2000 This section presents the development of sustainability and digitalization and the evolution of the selected roles before 2000. It provides an overview of how the selected roles emerged, the spread and implementation of the changes, and the main drivers behind them. The 20th century shifted the way of living radically. This time has witnessed the start of the technologies used today daily. Many significant milestones during this time pushed science to develop innovative technology, materials, and energy sources. Such events as the World War II, the nuclear program, and the aerospace race laid the ground for further implementation of newly emerged technologies. (Eiseman H. J., 2023) Wrote about the last half of the twentieth century by saying that: 8 “By the year 2000, technological developments had removed traditional barriers of time, distance, and space that defined technology a century earlier. In the process, the emerging technology relied more on electronic rather than mechanical devices, more on knowledge than materials, and more on information than industrialism.” 3.3.1 Drivers, trends, and changes During the last 50 years, the construction industry has witnessed various transformations. Among the prominent trends that can be seen and most documented are health and safety, sustainability, and digitalization, upon which sustainability hinges on its three tiers which are social, ecological, or environmental, and financial (SAP Company, 2023). In the 20th century, the third industrial revolution started by creating the first electrical digital computer (Erik Gregersen, 2023a). Such revolutionary technology substantially changed the world and allowed us to work more efficiently. Concerning work in the construction industry, the first significant digital tool was made in 1957, which is thought to be the first CAD program called Design Automated by Computer (DAC), developed by Hanratty (Patrick Waurzyniak, 2010). Later emerged Building Description System (BDS) in 1975, Graphical Language for Interactive Design (GLIDE) in 1977, and 2D CAD in 1982 gave an understanding of the advantages of virtual design and construction. Besides the software, another big jump is the connection of the computers in the distance that started a new era of the internet. Officially 1st January 1983 is considered the Internet's birthday (Online Library Learning, 2023). Further development of the “BIM” is focused on expanding the software's functions and considering the house's design, management, and calculations. The most significant interest gained was AutoCAD for making drawings, while understanding management importance and benefits came later. The first climate change actions can be considered done by the US in 1965 after the “Restoring the Quality of our Environment” report (US Government, 1965). Back then, some of the suggestions were to implement taxes for pollution which would work as a driver for less polluting processes. Another big event that influenced everyone was the world’s first conference on the environment (United Nations, 1972) which contributed to an “Action plan” and the start of a dialogue between countries about sustainable aspects. The last decades of the 20th century are rich with many environmental regulations. For instance, in 1987, the Montreal Protocol was signed, aiming to phase out ozone-depleting substances' production and consumption. Afterward, the next decade continued with a worldwide environmental convention in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro in 1992. There, “Agenda 21” was presented as a global task for all countries and authorities to work towards sustainable development, including CO2 reduction (United Nations, 1992). Later international agreement on reducing greenhouse gases, the “Kyoto Protocol,” was adopted in 1997 but entered into force only in 2005 (United Nations, 2023c, 2023a). Right after that, the first version of “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED) was released in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) (Richards Jennie, n.d.). Those protocols and certificates were supposed to regulate and popularize the sustainability concept. In the meantime, in Sweden, one of the earliest laws to address environmental protection was the “Environmental Protection Act” of 1969 (Riksdagen, 1969). Construction-related pollution was included in the framework for regulating environmental pollution established by this act. Some years later, Sweden's “Planning and Building Act” influenced the construction industry in 1987 (Riksdagen, 1987). It mandates that buildings be built in a socially and environmentally responsible way. The last thing that happened in this decade in Sweden was the implementation of a significant piece of legislation, “The Swedish 9 Environmental Code,” which entered into force in 1999 to promote sustainable development (The Swedish Environmental Code, 1998). 3.3.2 Transition due to Digitalisation BIM is the primary digitalization process implemented in the construction sector in recent decades. However, before it became what it is today, it underwent several transformations. Professor Charles Eastman at the Georgia Tech School of Architecture is counted as the father of BIM (Aryani et al., 2014a; Georgia Tech, 2023; Latiffi et al., 2013). In 1975, Eastman developed a recent technology for improved coordination during the design phase called Building Description Systems (BDS), which employed a graphical user interface and database for information retrieval (Aryani et al., 2014a; C. Eastman, 1976; RIB, 2017). The advantages of BDS include the ability to define, edit, and organize many parts and the ability to detect design incompatibilities. Unfortunately, BDS did not gain widespread popularity due to its accessibility limitations for many designers. In 1977, Eastman and his colleague Henrion introduced Graphical Language for Interactive Design (GLIDE) (Aryani et al., 2014a; C. Eastman & Henrion, 1976; RIB, 2017). GLIDE used the same concept as BDS but had additional features such as building elements and improved accuracy and reliability. Although it was primarily used for structural design review, cost estimating, and data accuracy monitoring, there were limitations to the program. Both BDS and GLIDE were limited to working only with the design part of the project, which led to the development of a new program called Building Product Model (BPM) in 1989 (Aryani et al., 2014a; RIB, 2017). The new program was expanded to cover the application, estimation, construction process, and involvement of construction players but only focused on product information. The most significant difference between BPM, GLIDE, and BDS was the project library, which consisted of information based on the project’s life cycle (Aryani et al., 2014a; RIB, 2017). At this point, there was already a strong connection with Computer Aided Design (CAD) which gave more freedom and opened more possibilities, but it was not enough. The AECO industry needed to expand the program for design and construction management purposes. Therefore, Eastman and his college Siabiris presented a new program based on the BPM called Generic Building Model (GBM) in 1995. GBM integrated information from all project stages, allowing the use of available information anytime for multiple collaboration points among stakeholders (Aryani et al., 2014a; C. M. Eastman & Siabiris, 1995; RIB, 2017). Figure 2: Development of BIM definitions (Aryani et al., 2014b) 10 3.3.3 Transitions due to Sustainability The concept of “Sustainable Development” is much mature than it seems. Hanns Carl von Carlowitz was the first author that speaks about it back in 1713 (Grober, 2007; Hans Carl von Carlowitz, 1732; Keiner, 2005). He wrote about the reasonable use and maintenance of the woodland to hand it over to the future generation (Grober, 2007). The ideas Carlowitz wrote about are remarkably like the thoughts of the Brundtland Commission that provided the most popular working concept of sustainability "Sustainability is a type of development which meets the current requirements of society while not compromising the ability without compromising the capacity of later generations to fulfil their basic needs" (Dorin Paul, n.d.; Keiner, 2005). This definition of sustainability is still used nowadays. In 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was the first worldwide conference to consider environmental issues. This event identified 26 environmental principles and contained an “Action plan” for three main categories followed by recommendations. This conference started the environmental movement and set a direction for further improvement (United Nations, 1972). A big push that influenced Europe in 1974 was the Health and Safety at Work Act in the United Kingdom. The act sets out general duties for employers towards staffs and members of the public and for employees towards each other (Health and Safety Executive, 2023). Such acts have influenced other countries to adopt and implement their H&S policies, as well as the further emergence of other H&S organizations. In 1975, the US Congress passed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, oriented on building efficiency standards (Congress US, 2023; Energy.Gov, 2023). It was one of the earliest such laws in the world. Later in 1987, the “Brundtland Report” was published after an assemblage of the United Nations leaders on the world commission for environmental development in 1983 (United Nations, 1987b). It was considered for sustainability to become a global agenda for a long-term planned change from 2000 onwards (United Nations, 1987a). It inferred that strategic planning is to be done to make environmental propositions. In place of this, decisions on how to foster intra-national translation of cooperative efforts were made towards achieving common economic and social objectives, resolving familiar challenges, and ensuring conservative and judicious use of the resources they currently have towards the future aspirations in the world community (United Nations, 1987a). Further, in 1996, Third International Green Building Conference and Exposition were held in San Diego, California, to minimize the environmental impact of buildings (Fanney et al., 1996a). This event is a milestone in developing the green building industry and recognizing the importance of sustainable construction. At the same time, the construction industry was widely recognized as a significant contributor to several environmental problems, such as deforestation, air and water pollution, and the release of greenhouse gases. As a result, there was a growing movement to find ways to diminish the deleterious impacts of construction processes, and promote more sustainable building practices (Sandanayake, 2022). Using social, economic, and environmental challenges as a starting point, Agenda 21 seeks to advance sustainable development on a global scale. In the document released by the EU (European Commission, 1997), critical areas for action are highlighted, such as lowering poverty, enhancing health and education, fostering sustainable agriculture, conserving natural resources, and lowering pollution. It highlights the necessity of global cooperation and participation from governments, NGOs, and the corporate sector to achieve sustainable development (European Commission, 1997). 11 3.3.4 Transitions and roles affected. This part will evaluate the role’s main tasks, focus area, and responsibilities. Those roles are structural engineer, sustainability-based expert, and digitalization-based expert, like the VDC or BIM specialist roles. Previously described trends and changes caused the evolution of the roles. Some new roles have been created, while others changed the working tools. The roles will be discussed and observed during a limited timeline, approximately from 1950 to 2000. 3.3.4.1 Digitalisation-based roles According to our literature study, the role of the BIM manager started to be mentioned in the literature of the AECO industry after 2005. It says that before the year 2000, there was no such role as a BIM manager concerning adopting BIM in the changed timeline. However, as mentioned before, various program software laid a foundation for further BIM appearance. Such programs as BDS, GLIDE, BPM, and GBM were used by organizations for computer-aided design (CAD) and project management purposes (Aryani et al., 2014a; C. Eastman & Henrion, 1976). Therefore, most of the time, the relevance and purpose of using these programs include how it is employed by professionals, such as architects, engineers, and project managers, to perform their purposed tasks. However, in the early 1990s, Computer-aided design became quite valuable in the engineering design process with its accompanying software capability. For instance, the former physical hands-on drafting changed into 2D CAD technology, then developed into the 3D design for their drafting, and modelling processes (Aryani et al., 2014a). 3.3.4.2 Sustainability-based roles During the literature study, the role corresponding to environmental aspects was not found in the construction sector. The specific name of the role was not found; however, the movement of sustainable buildings was started before 2000 along with many different organizations, like the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), which was established in the early 1990s (U.S. Green Building Council, 2023). Although there was no specific role of the “environmental manager,” several projects were focused on constructing green buildings. William McDonough and Partners are one of those persons that supported green buildings, promoted sustainable green building, and have been seen as architectural leaders in the Green Buildings field. In 1992, McDonough was looking into the future and wrote about water, air, and waste management. He wrote several principles that should be considered for a sustainable future, such as “Eliminate the concept of waste; Evaluate and optimize the full life cycle of products and processes, to approach the state of normal systems, in which there is no waste.” (Fanney et al., 1996b; William McDonough, 1992). One of the main focuses of the sustainability concept before the year 2000 was optimizing the use of materials. Many construction professionals were exploring ways to use more environmentally friendly materials, such as recycled materials and sustainable woods, and ways to reduce the waste generated by construction projects. Another critical area of focus was energy efficiency. With the growing awareness of the significance of reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, designing, and constructing more energy-efficient buildings, implementing passive solar design, and using high-efficiency heating and cooling systems. McDonough wrote about the importance of the design and implementation of the elements “Earth: materials, use, lifecycle, Air: pollution, noise, Fire: heating, energy, Water: consumption, treatments” as a primary concern for the environmental program (William McDonough, 1992). 12 Overall, no specific role or job title focused on the work regarding environmental aspects of consideration in construction before 2000. Some individuals and organizations were dedicated to promoting more environmentally responsible construction practices. 3.3.4.3 Structural Engineer The history of structural engineering goes back more than 4000 years to the old Pyramid of Giza. Since that time, a lot has changed. New characteristics of existing materials, new materials, new calculation methods, new formulas, new constructing methods, and much more have been developed since then. The famous “finite-element method” was first presented by Turner in 1956 and later fully clarified by Zienkiewicz in 1965 (Gupta & Meek, 1996). This revolutionary method and the technological revolution significantly pushed the structural engineering process. Such a program as NASTRAN made for NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to analyse the finite-element method made it possible to construct various complex structures and accurately predict the stresses (Macneal, 1974). In 1970 with the public version of Finite-Element Analysis (FEA), software analysis of structural engineering was used much more. For instance, construction of the Sydney Opera House in 1973 was calculated by structural engineers on the computer using such technology for the first time (Ove Arup & Co., 2016; Peter Hoggatt, 1973a, 1973b). Later in 1980, the construction industry was one of the first to automate its design process; for instance, Computer-Aided Design was presented in 1982 and used by engineers in many different projects (Storey, 2017a; Sutphin, 2005). Furthermore, changes in the tools and software used in practice resulted in a change in methods and the working process. Before the advent of CAD, engineers used manual tools for designing buildings and creating drawings. All those sketches and planes were made by hand using significant papers, a pencil, and other tools such as compasses, protractors, and rulers to create precise drawings and diagrams. Before creating a design, engineers used mathematical calculations, tables, and charts to estimate the correct dimensions of structural features such as beams, columns, and foundations. Additionally, to the drawing, engineers needed to visit the sites to take measures, oversee the project, conduct inspections, and execute manual load testing methods of the materials (Andrew Storrier, 2021; Rare Historical Photos, 2023). Figure 3: Drafting process (Rare Historical Photos, 2023) However, the manual working methods were time-consuming and did not allow us to add some design project changes easily. Therefore, the modern age of developing drawings began in 1963 with the invention of Sketchpad, the first graphically interfaced CAD program. Since then, significant intellectual and 13 financial investments have been made in CAD programs. The introduction of CAD software in the 1980s and its massive popularization in the 1990s revolutionized the field of structural engineering, allowing engineers to create more detailed and complex designs in a fraction of the time (Andrew Storrier, 2021; Rare Historical Photos, 2023). CAD completely changed the way of working for structural engineers. It helped in optimizing the time- consuming, challenging aspect that was critical for the engineers, being able to create a precise design for every detail, change or modify different elements and check for compatibility of the components, made it possible to expand the structural engineering role (Andrew Storrier, 2021; Rare Historical Photos, 2023). Regarding parallel changes in environmental trends, such aspects as new materials, sustainability, efficiency, and risks will need to be considered during the design process. However, structural design, structural analysis, material selection, inspections, and collaboration are still the primary responsibilities of the structural engineer that did not change a lot (Andrew Storrier, 2021). 3.4 Between 2000 and 2010 This section will outline the advancements in sustainability, digitalization, and the evolution of the chosen professions between 2000 and 2010. The review will summarize how those positions arose, how the changes were popularised and implemented, and what the primary motivators were to pursue higher productivity and efficiencies that have always been essential. 3.4.1 Drivers, trends, and change Digitalization and sustainability can still be considered the main objectives in the AECO industry. The demand for utilizing new ICT technologies to facilitate innovation in the construction industry has continued to grow over time (Jacobsson & Linderoth, 2010). According to the research, these demands for adopting new practices and working methods are being impressed upon contractors by their clients (private or public), while they also do the same with the subcontractors. It is evident and illustrated in using 3D- based building information models to oversee or manage projects. Developing and adaptation of digital software during this decade has become one of the main tasks in industries worldwide. Software created for the AECO industries continued to develop and become more popular. The first BIM-oriented software, JetStream and Revit, emerged around 2000 (LetsBuild, 2017). However, Autodesk won the race for BIM software and has become the most used software in the AECO industry. Adoption and transition to BIM started slowly in 2005, wherefrom the use of BIM in construction projects became more frequent. Another revolutionary technology during this decade was the emergence of USB flash memory (Erik Gregersen, 2023b), which led to many other digital devices, such as portable phones and laptops. Those products change a lot again, connections on the distance become less a problem as well as the transportation of the information and access to the information. Moreover, the prominent level of Information Technology (IT) adoption during this decade created many opportunities for the AECO industry. Zainon & Salleh (2011) highlighted the importance of implementing a flexible IT system for the management effectiveness of the construction sector. The authors identified five dimensions of IT that provide infrastructure flexibility and mention several benefits such as cost and timesaving, improvement of communication, effectiveness, and enhanced competence. Along with the increased interest in IT, the environmental aspects get more essential attention. The climate aspect was one of the main topics in the world arena and raised many debates. Weather changes become more noticeable which were linked to human-caused emissions and become one of the main drivers of climate change (John Vidal, 2009; Larry West, 2019). 14 However, some of the main drivers for sustainability, especially those linked to the environment are the regulations made by authorities and demands raised by private clients. In the meantime, authorities got a better understanding of the problem and how it was resolved, which pushed many to make some changes. Another rating system realized this decade was “Green Star” by Australian authorities with the goals and intention to improve the environmental efficiencies in the buildings (Building Council of Australia, 2003). The notable change that affected the construction sector in Europe is the European Union Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (The European Parliament, 2002). This directive mandated that all buildings must have energy performance certifications and that member states of the EU adopt minimum energy performance requirements for buildings. As a part of sustainable development, China released its green certification standard for buildings in 2006 (NEEC, 2006), positively affecting the construction industry there. During this decade, the environmental aspect became more popular, and besides certification, some countries realized several regulations and guidelines that promoted the development and increase of renewable energy use. US (US Government, 2005), Germany (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz (EEG), 2000), and other countries implemented energy acts as a future direction for development. Establishing new energy-efficient standards influences the construction sector to build more energy-efficient houses. At the end of the decade, the Swedish government presented a new regulation on environmental management in government agencies in 2009 (Riksdagen, 2009). This regulation introduced requirements for all government agencies to have an environmental management system to systematically work with environmental issues and reduce their impact on the environment. Some years later, the Sweden Green Building Council (SGBC) was founded in June 2009 by thirteen Swedish companies and organizations (SGBC, 2022). Since then, they have been working towards sustainable building and promoting sustainability in the construction industry. 3.4.2 Transition due to Digitalisation Construction projects involve complex relationships between parties from various professional backgrounds to accomplish a same aim. Their complexity stems from the documentation and conceptual visualization that has historically been done or shown manually. According to conventional practice, most actors use a two-dimensional (2D) basis of information exchange, often leading to miscommunications unsuitable for complex projects (Aryani et al., 2014a). These miscommunications lead to construction process errors such as design errors, drawings that are not updated, time and cost overruns, and poor work outcomes due to design integration collisions. Therefore, the urgent need for Information Communication Technology (ICT) is set to manage the information flow and documentation process. It also promises to provide the consistency and reliability required in the construction industry. A leading example has been the introduction of Building Information Modelling (BIM), facilitating more efficient and integrated information management systems. According to (Aryani et al., 2014a), the definitions and growth of BIM have grown in six critical application perspectives, including design, estimation, construction process, building life cycle, performance, and technology. The AECO sector continues to grow, with several projects becoming more extensive and complex. New circumstances are now needed for implementing ICT to improve project performance and expectations and fulfil the needs and requirements of the industry. Therefore, the Generic Building Model (GBM) has been transformed into Building Information Model (BIM) over time. Its application expanded with its inclusion for use from the early design phase through the post-construction phase. Its implementation spanned many projects in countries like the USA, Finland, HK, and Australia. For instance, since 1988, the CIFE research 15 organization at Stanford University has gradually developed practical engineering and management solutions to improve performance and push the boundaries of innovation and sustainability in the construction sector (CIFE, n.d.). Before 2005, BIM had become known as a technology for simulating the construction and operation of a facility using computer software and used primarily for managing information and organizing tasks, duties, and processes throughout the project phases, including planning, design, construction, maintenance, and demolition (AGC, n.d.; Aryani et al., 2014b). According to Aryani et al., 2014, BIM was adopted as a new methodology to improve AECO's performance in managing construction projects. By 2008, it had evolved into a project simulation that consisted of a 3D model of the project component integrated with crucial information relevant through all the project phases. From 2008 to 2013, BIM grew as a technology revolution that transformed how buildings are designed, constructed, operated, and maintained, leading to a change in basic assumptions in the AECO industry (Allen & Shakantu, 2016). According to the research, BIM is now considered a set of digital tools that aid in managing construction projects and improving planning, design, construction, and operation through collaboration and information management. In addition, it is also viewed as a set of design management tools that offers advantages throughout the construction project phases, driven using 3D CAD software programs. A discussion in 2009 ensued, highlighting how the implementation of BIM will eventually require or inspire both technological and organizational changes and new interaction patterns between supply chain actors (Succar, 2009). It has been seen and increasingly embraced in the industry today. 3.4.3 Transitions due to Sustainability The most significant impact on the construction sector affected the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. Even though LEED started in 1998, more popular it becomes with the 2nd version in 2000. According to (Richards Jennie, n.d.) LEED made a considerable impact on both the design and reconstruction process. By influencing all aspects of the building, it became a bit more expensive but gave many positive results as a higher real estate value, sell price, and operation cost, among many other benefits. Although LEED is worldwide, China made its own certification called “Tree Star,” pushing contractors to build more sustainably (Zhou, 2014). Such direction is essential as one of the countries that build the most. This certificate also helped the governmental environmental plan to reduce CO2 emissions. A study carried out by (Geißler, 2013) in accessing the sustainability transitions through environmental assessment practices of the past decades agreed that renewable energy, energy efficiency, and CO2 emissions are becoming more critical, along with legislation that various countries are implementing. The transition and future direction toward a sustainable future are becoming more apparent, the influence of regulations on many industries in combination with certifications will produce crucial results. For instance, environmental management and thinking will become more popular and attractive to customers and pose to positively impacting the industry (ibid). As mentioned, the Kyoto Protocol became active in 2005 in addition to the EU’s development and implementation of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) (European Commission, 2023). However, neither of those regulations do have any direct impact on the construction industry. The biggest contribution of the protocol to the AECO industry is regulation and standards regarding greenhouse gas emissions (Adshead, 2011). 16 3.4.4 Transition and roles affected. The following sections will evaluate the selected roles during the earliest decade of the 21st century. Since this time was influenced by digitization, sustainability, and digitalization in the AECO industry, the main change in the role is connected to its adoption of the new tolls and requirements. 3.4.4.1 Digitalisation-based roles BIM manager as a role started spreading widely in the middle of the 2000s. Together with the adaptation of BIM technology, new challenges show up. To be able to adopt the use of BIM, many companies in the AECO industry began to include BIM as a required skill or competency, especially for architects, engineers, construction managers, and project managers, people with the right competent needed to be hired or educated, even though it turns out to be at additional cost for the company. Deeper implementation of BIM required a new potential role of “BIM manager”, also known by such names as Information Manager, Virtual Construction Manager, Modelling Manager, Model Integrator, Virtual Architect/Engineer, Digital Contractor, Digital Project Coordinator, Building Modeller, 4D Specialist, IDS Champion, BIM Champion, BIM Administrator, BIM Integrator, BIM Coordinator, BIM Leader, among others (Barison & Santos, 2010; Sebastian, n.d.; Wamelink -Bk & Kingu, n.d.). Hence the role has many names, the role and responsibilities are still not specified. Therefore, BIM can be used in many ways, such as design, management, engineering, and modelling. The following roles and responsibilities developed to be most common in the AECO industry: BIM Modeller or BIM Operator – responsible for creating, developing, and extracting 2D prints from the model. The position of a Draftsperson might be developed into a BIM Modeller since it is still easier to handle 2D drawings onsite rather than small tablets. Besides the blueprints, BIM Modeller could be responsible for 3D-, Cost, Sequencing, or Detailing Modeller. The tasks can be pretty comprehensive; therefore, they need to be fortified with the understanding of drafting, designing, specifying, sizing, verifying, documenting, and detailing during the design process. BIM Analyst – has the main task of performing analysis and simulations of an existing BIM model—a sort of virtual building inspector for performance, safety, and circulation. One point of view was that the BIM manager’s role could be a route for a younger professional to become a proficient project manager of the future (the role was assumed to provide a short-term solution to closing the competence gap of existing practitioners). In addition, the possibility of a separate BIM manager role in the future was expressed due to more complex BIM processes evolving. BIM Software Developer – is an expert in is an expert who creates and adapts software to facilitate integration and the BIM process, who is responsible for plug-ins to BIM servers, integrated project management tools, and data repositories. Modelling Specialist – Modelling Specialists are IT experts who collaborate with subject matter experts from many fields of the AECO sector to create software solutions that fit the IFC standard. They support IFC extensions and know IFC modelling and data structure ideas. Moreover, they map IFC classes to Exchange Requirements (ER). IFC data exchange still needs experienced personnel to guarantee the integrity of exchanged data in each organization because of the complicated structure of BIM models. 17 BIM Facilitator – a person who helps other employers that are not skilled yet with BIM issues. Assist engineers with visualizing the model and managers with extracting information from the BIM model for further planning. BIM Consultant – can have distinct roles based on the goal. BIM Consultants help companies without BIM experts adopt and implement BIM by guiding project designers, developers, and builders. Separate roles can be consisted of generating medium to long-term strategies, making action plans, developing implementation plans, and performing those processes. BIM Researcher – has a remarkably similar role to BIM Educators, who work with universities, institutions, or/or government for researching, developing, and coordinating purposes. It is included in the leading industry, company, and society knowledge development. BIM Managers – have an inclusive definition, and the primary definition of this title is a coordinator. Managing people in the implementation and maintenance of the BIM process and guiding the team in decision-making are one of the primary responsibilities of the BIM Manager. Model Manager can be related to BIM Manager roles as well. Model Managers' primary duty is production model management, information integration from many stakeholders in the construction process, and the model's version administration. Moreover, some roles might be extended or changed depending on what field BIM Managers work in. BIM Managers can be at Design Firms or General Construction, for example. Besides coordinating different working groups, future skill upgrades for employment and motivation can be planned. Estimating the time and cost of BIM implementation and forming a working group can also be part of the BIM manager's responsibility. Those roles described by (Barison & Santos, 2010) were most common during this time limit. However, a professional working with BIM could have tasks of several of those roles named above depending on the project, experience, or company. Moreover, most of those roles are not allowed to make some decisions about the design, construction, or engineering solutions and organizational processes. However, many similarities can be found by reading the descriptions of those distinct roles. Many roles overlap with each other, which makes it less efficient and productive. BIM training creates issues for companies, production, and employers (Kraatz et al., 2014). The research opined that companies must educate those people, resulting in additional costs and time. In the meantime, these employers must adjust to the new reality and spend time learning new, digitalized working methods. Therefore, some companies are trying to collaborate with universities to train students and better experience exchange (Kraatz et al., 2014). 3.4.4.2 Sustainability-based roles The role of sustainability experts had begun to gain increasing awareness before the 2000s, especially with the implementation of environmental regulations for handling waste and greater control over handling raw materials and hazardous inorganic materials. It happened because of the widespread estimate that the AECO industry was responsible for 40% of man-generated waste from 40% of the total material used (Baumann, 2003). The Swedish construction industry was mentioned to have taken the implementation of sustainability strategies head-on according to research carried out in 2021 by (Gluch & Månsson 2021a), whose respondents mentioned a peculiar incident referred to as “The Halland’s Ridge scandal”. This incident brought about the need for awareness and having a delegated professional devoted to handling issues of curbing environmental solutions. 18 Furthermore, the event (which involved a toxic chemical leakage due to a sealant used in a tunnel project), which was taken up even as a media scandal, made a wake-up call to the emergence of a new professional who is pressed with the responsibilities to manage the ensuing challenges and prevent further similar ones in the future (Månsson, 2021). The resulting constructive change in the Swedish construction industry has continued to gain recognition and organized to create a widespread practice for the reduction and elimination of wastes (whether lethal or not) and collaborative work between enthusiasts under the same theme (Månsson, 2021). As an additional contribution, the author mentioned that to control better the environmental impact of projects, programs, and demands that strived for regulations and necessary compliance started being included in project execution. Thus, the green perspective urges how professionals define their responsibilities for continued engagement as crucial to project delivery. Shortly after the accident in the early 2000s, the establishment of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) and other environmental assessment tools increasingly created more structured coordination and responsibilities but mostly on existing roles (like the Quality, Health & Safety, and Environmental managers), as extras without eliminating primary responsibilities (Malmqvist, 2004). Nevertheless, as the responsibilities and administrative requirements increase, especially with the emerging combined use of the EMS and Quality Management Systems (QMS), their context of operation has transformed into the unique role of environmental managers or coordinators (Månsson, 2021). As environmental practices continued to develop alongside the role of the environmental managers, it also trended as a competitive factor, where they could serve as key decision-makers in handling environmental issues and changes. Meanwhile, environmental sustainability was still not part of the core business preparation and planning, but their specialization introduced the prospects of presenting the business as green, although not in-depth (Malmqvist et al., 2011). This increasing dialogue and cooperation amongst professionals led to the full adoption of building certification systems that were earlier established in the 1990s under different classification systems like the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), including the Swedish assessment system “Miljöbyggnad” (Malmqvist et al., 2011). It further helped to promote environmental practices and to legitimize the environmental workers’ professional role. Shortly into the 2000s, the EMS adoption, alongside other new environmental practices, began to decline and even out until a movie titled "An Inconvenient Truth" was released by Al Gore in 2006. The movie's central focus was on climate change (Månsson, 2021). In a brief time, it quickly transformed the spotlight of discussion in the Swedish industry on eliminating wastes or neutralizing chemicals and energy-centered technical discourses. The consequent result was new requirements on energy efficiency to be made on a Swedish national level for building standards that must be achieved and upheld. Thus, by the mid-2000s, the AECO industry was already at the forefront, engaging in several discussions on energy and how to develop energy-efficient buildings to save cost (Högberg et al., 2009). Heavy investments in knowledge build-up towards energy efficiency through research and developmental means continued a few years after it came to the limelight. Soon after, the cost aspects emerged, including the Life Cycle Costing (LCC) methods in developing communities with energy-efficient buildings. Overall, in the 2000s, the timing, context, and maturity of the issue of energy efficiency continued progressively ahead of the environmental and sustainability practice (Högberg et al., 2009). In the recent past decade, aspects such as the life cycle assessment have gotten more prominent attention. According to Oostra (2009), implementing the life cycle perspective forces the AECO industry to build more effective long-term relationships with its clients. According to that research, such changes could create new possibilities, restructure the professional chains, and emerge new roles. The research added that the structure of projects today tends to add value for lifecycle consideration regarding the interconnected 19 of involved project teams, from the client to subcontractors, in building long-term relationships. Contractors, suppliers, and subcontractors must create linked value chains to handle these complicated assignments. It will be possible to innovate and set ambitious targets to construct high-quality, sustainable buildings with added services thanks to these interconnected chains. Current parties can expand their roles to include duties previously belonging to other current parties (forward and backward integration). New roles will follow new business models. 3.4.4.3 Structural Engineer For structural engineers, the growing application of computer-aided finite element analysis software and digital tools has helped make their designing process much faster and more efficient. An example includes software for carrying out load-bearing capacity determination and member optimization. These digitalization trends that have made the structural engineers’ traditional work processes more effective; have concurrently aided the sustainable aspect to growing bigger and bigger, influencing even more roles in the AECO industry (Jensson, 2017). The research elaborated that the start of those trends caused changes in structural engineer roles due to technological advancements, construction practices, and an increased focus on sustainable and green building design. As mentioned before, the streamlining of processes, along with once trends, has expanded the tasks and responsibilities of structural engineers. In addition to regular duties, sustainability, efficiency, and communication considerations must also be applied (Jensson, 2017). Beyond administrative advantages, the emergence of BIM was also the next stage in software development and sustainable integration into the design process. BIM technology streamlined design solutions and construction processes, simplifying partnerships. At the same time, BIM enabled us to narrow our focus and create buildings that are far more sustainable and energy efficient. The structural engineer had to take the building's sustainability into account in addition to its structural characteristics. (Moon, 2008; Ochsendorf, 2008; United Nations, 1992), in addition to the improved technology for structural analysis and increased risk management standards. Demands for seismic modification and designing earthquake- resistant structures increased. Engineers were given increased responsibility for developing innovative solutions that would guarantee the safety and stability of buildings and infrastructure during earthquakes (Ellingwood, 2001). Smaller factors like 3D printing and new materials made a more extensive diversity of structural designs possible. However, the previously mentioned primary duties continue to exist. However, the function of a structural engineer continued to change in response to the shifting demands and difficulties faced by the construction industry, with a greater emphasis being placed on technology, sustainability, and safety. As opined by (Riccardo, 2009) at the University of Trento. The research opined that the complexity of advancement and innovation experienced by practicing engineers from the design to construction phases had created such a gap that no real education, vocation, or professional experience can cover it (Riccardo, 2009). Such gaps include the growing adoption of various operating codes for all construction processes or stages that must be adhered to. 3.5 Between 2010 and 2020 This section will outline the advancements in sustainability, digitalization, and the evolution of the chosen professions between 2000 and 2010. The review will summarize how those positions arose, how the changes were popularised and implemented, and the primary motivators. 20 In this decade, according to Hinings et al. (2018), the primary characteristics of the industry tend to focus on practical day-to-day action. For instance, when the private or public client experience difficulties attempting to charge the contractors and subcontractors with new demands, the seeming lack of competencies or vital products now raises barriers to process innovations. It has been observed to have become an objective constraint of digital transformation Hinings et al. (2018). 3.5.1 Drivers, trends, and changes The fundamental forces behind the AECO industry's change have been identified as major players. They include private and public clients who are still ready and willing to demand the use of various technologies (like BIM) to ease IT-enabled change processes in the working procedures of various companies, both internally and externally. (Vass & Gustavsson, 2017). To comprehend the challenges linked to the resulting change processes, continuous attempts towards adapting and fulfilling the new demands due to the ongoing change process have influenced the construction industry especially. According to the research, the combined effects of digital innovations continue to bring about novel actors and their constellations, structures, practices, values, and beliefs. Therefore, it could change, threaten, replace, or supplement existing rules of the game inside organizations, ecosystems, industries, or fields (Vass & Gustavsson, 2017). One of the significant drivers of transition due to sustainability in the Swedish construction sector was reflected by the regulatory agency (Boverket, 2016) to evaluate the necessary administrative or control measures needed to adapt the construction sector to the environment and climate reasonably. It will help push the desired transition the country wants to experience. According to the report, the objective purpose was highlighted: “It is part of the Housing Agency's instructions that it must work to ensure that the environmental goals, which the Riksdag has determined for environmental work, are reached. If necessary, the Housing Agency shall propose measures for the development of environmental work. The environment and climate are also clearly highlighted within the framework of Agenda 2030, the UN's global goal for sustainable development, which was adopted in September 2015. The environmental goals committee proposes that Sweden should be climate neutral as early as 2045. As seen, there is reason to work for such an environmentally and climate-adapted construction and property sector as possible.” Thus, it became expedient that construction industry project teams must analyse some increasingly demanded areas like the construction industry's environmental impact stemming from a life-cycle perspective, ecosystem services, and climate adaptation. For instance, in 2017, the Swedish government strived to push the climate policy work in the construction industry; the Riksdag established prospects for long-term but time-bound emissions targets (Ministry of Climate and Business, 2017). This bold, progressive move, inspired by the most notable Paris Agreement, pushed toward limiting global warming temperature levels drastically below-industrial levels (United Nations, 2015a). 3.5.2 Transition due to Digitalization The construction industry has recently embraced digital technologies such as BIM, automation, cloud storage or systems, software developments, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, and virtual or augmented reality to increase efficiency and better stakeholder collaboration. These technologies have enabled construction workers to visualize better, plan projects, and monitor the progress of construction work in real-time. The Digital twin is the new and increasingly adopted concept (Sepasgozar et al., 2023). 21 Nonetheless, challenges limiting the adoption of digital technologies in the construction industries from a review of four key players in Sweden highlighted some examples. It included highlights like the culture of working organizations, enabling legal platforms, inadequate required competencies and skills, and information exchange safety (Linderoth et al., 2018). Greater interest in the digital model developed other technologies that have introduced modern technologies such as AR, VR, drones, sensors, and scanners. Oculus Rift, Google Glass AR, HoloLens, and other products emerged between 2010 and 2020 (Bernard Marr, 2021). At the beginning of 2013, DJI company presented a commercial drone; since then, drones gained colossal popularity and have been adopted by many industries (Mario Poljak, 2023). The same happened with scanning and other technologies. Most are oriented to be combined with a digital model for better efficiency and higher quality. Such changes and opportunities have had a positive impact on the AECO industry. Reconstruction projects, design phases, health and safety, and many other aspects have been improved. 2011 here were a few challenges in BIM deployment as a widely used digitization feature in the construction business (Sebastian, 2011). Due to its benefits, the BIM is now viewed as a digital tool; however, it was found that changing traditional work habits was challenging as a result. Which would then need to adapt to new workflows and deal with specific legal difficulties. The study by Sebastian (2011) also identified a few organizational adjustments that a BIM deployment might require: • As a result of the implementation of BIM, a new position known as a "Model manager" is required, whose duties include providing and maintaining the necessary technical fixes for BIM functionality, administering information flows, and augmenting the ICT skill sets of stakeholders. Yet, it does not enforce decisions on issues relating to design and engineering solutions or organizational processes. • The effects on intellectual property rights will be felt. • It will alter the way payments are made and call for a "new share of payment" in the preliminary design stage. • It will also alter how open international standards are used. In the Swedish construction industry, digitalization transition, otherwise also regarded as digital transformation in some literature, has become an evident contributor in facilitating businesses’ drive towards environmental sustainability. According to Mathijs Daemen & Fanny Hansson (n.d.), this conservative industrial sector could capture the value of its work by implementing applicable digital technologies. 3.5.3 Transitions due to Sustainability Later in the onset of the 2010s, the perception of sustainability developed into incorporate social issues and enforce expectations for the suitable means of reporting or creating sustainability reports using the current working techniques. At this time, the expertise of environmental experts transcended into them being called sustainability managers because of an increase in the scope of what they take responsibility for, including oversight on the use of environmentally friendly materials, reduction of wastes, and optimizing the use of energy (European Environment Agency, 2017). Nowadays, these sustainability managers collaborate with all other teams and roles, employing their lifecycle knowledge and sustainability thinking starting from the design and planning, operation, and end- of-use aspects of various projects (Gluch & Månsson, 2021a). They ensure that regulations and set standards 22 relating to the sustainability theme are well adhered to, utilizing recommended initiatives, viable solutions, and programs to assist their immediate company’s reduced influence on the environment. During this decade, the full-building lifecycle valuations targeted strive to evaluate construction projects' environmental, social, and economic impacts. It creates better all-inclusive, and unified consideration of the impact of structures on the environs and society (Gluch & Månsson, 2021a) Thus, in addition to the growing adoption of sustainability in the construction industry, it even co-supported the adoption of BIM tools, simultaneously becoming a tool driving improved design or modelling, construction, and operation of efficient and sustainable building systems. Nonetheless, at the close of this decade, a trending call for attention became required to divert attention from the technical, environmental, or economic influence of sustainability adoption, not only focusing on the two-sided aspects of sustainability (Reyes et al., 2020). Thus, the sociocultural factor that could support or hinder the adoption of sustainability practices came under intense pressure. The research opined that the successful adoption of sustainable thinking in the company must consider the human factor and socio-cultural dimensions. A framework covering the intrinsic and extrinsic sides demonstrating the crucial action areas was given to facilitate the industrial transition motivated by sustainability. (Reyes et al., 2020). The framework is based on personal motivations, values, beliefs, and communities that act as significant stimulants for a more strategic approach to sustainability as a driver, including the human-based aspect with technological and economic dimensions. The complex idea of sustainability has also been gaining ground in every industry thought process. According to (Daneshpour & Takala, 2016), the last few decades have been marked by trends and significant development intended to structure this idea's intricacy. Hence, through numerous innovative implementations in the industry, efforts to improve the efficiency of construction processes and descriptions of energy use, dimensions, and indicators to highlight essential developmental routes in sustainability are outlined. Today, multivariate techniques and methodologies such as product-based, quantitative, and integrated assessment tools are used to measure sustainability (Daneshpour & Takala, 2016). It is an overall strategic approach with the broader focal areas mentioned above informed by this practical implementation. 3.5.4 Transition and roles affected. A comprehensive and objective look into the trends and changes experienced by the chosen professional roles selected for this research is discussed below. 3.5.4.1 Digitalisation-based roles Although most jobs created after the BIM implementation remain, some roles, responsibilities, and visions have changed. As it was mentioned before, many of the roles overlap with one another, and most of them are not standardized. Looking into the standardization of roles would require a clear explanation of the role and its acceptance by the industry. Nonetheless, some roles become more established by the AECO industry than others, for instance, BIM Coordinator, BIM Manager, Information Manager, and BIM Modeller (Davies et al., 2017; Jacobsson & Merschbrock, 2018a; Kassem et al., 2018). BIM Manager is usually taken as the lead designer of the main contractor who oversees the coordination activity between BIM Coordinators, arranging and running BIM project meetings, leading the collaboration process, developing, and delivering execution plans, and overseeing quality. The role can also be adjusted to the project’s state, for example, Design or Construction phase BIM Manager. In general, BIM Manager overwatches the project progression. 23 BIM Coordinator is responsible for coordination clash detection, managing model, information, and communication flows, monitoring, and coordinating design changes, supporting new working procurement, and being a boundary spanner and technical developer. BIM Coordinator was seen as a project member with the highest BIM competency (Jacobsson & Merschbrock, 2018a). BIM Modeller – can be characterized as the production role. Daily tasks consist of creating, modifying, and maintaining the BIM models for a project using various BIM software tools. Information Manager – the client side usually takes this role and does not involve the designing process. Also, it does not require knowledge of BIM all the time. Despite this, it is like BIM Manager (Davies et al., 2017; Kassem et al., 2018). My primary responsibilities are to gather, develop and administrate the project's information process, protocols, and procedures, as well as manage the files and sharing of the information. Described roles are the most common roles in the AECO industry. However, depending on the scope of the project, several tasks of a single role can be separated into several such as BIM Designer, BIM Strategic, BIM Estimator, BIM Specialist, BIM Technician, or BIM Engineer. Those roles can create electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems, analyse,