Construction in the platform society

Abstract

An emerging aspect of digital transformation in industry relates to the rise of digital platforms. While examples such as Uber and Airbnb are well-known, technological platforms that seek to coordinate demand and supply-side actors in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector are also developing. Examples include Wikihouse, Sidewalk Labs, and Bosch IoT Suite. Although there is a growing body of scholarship reviewing the concept of 'platforms', far less attention has been paid to reviewing studies of digital platforms in the AEC sector. This systematic review of 18 studies seeks to address this deficiency. The findings show that the focus has hitherto centred on engineering platforms, with researchers adding greater functionality to platforms in order to yield efficiencies in the production process. Current endeavours tend to be laboratory-based, with prototypes still to be tested in the real-world. In contrast to reviews in management and organisational studies, scholars of platforms in construction do not pay as much attention to the power of platforms as a strategic organising principle for coordinating markets. The review thus proposes a number of possible directions for construction management researchers to examine the strategic potential for platforms to drive competitive advantage in the AEC sector.