A systemic approach to designing Common Data Environments in construction

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According to Statistics Canada data, construction and real estate together account for 20% of Canada's total Gross Domestic Product. The construction industry thus occupies an important place in the national economy. Yet it remains a poor performing industry with very low productivity rates. In this context, collaboration in the industry has been identified as one of the most important priorities for future research and development projects. Indeed, the quality of collaboration between the stakeholders is crucial for the productivity and the success of projects in the construction industry. During the last decade, significant research efforts have been dedicated to improving collaboration in the construction industry, notably through the use of information technology. The recent rise of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach is full of promises. In this approach, Common Data Environments (CDEs) are seen as having the potential to integrate the project information around three-dimensional models of the building. The main aim of associating BIM models with CDEs is to take advantage of IT features to improve collaboration by better integrating, managing and coordinating the project information throughout the entire project lifecycle. Unfortunately, while common data environments seem to be the future solution for integration and better information sharing within construction projects, they are still relatively not adopted in the industry. In addition, there has been little literature on how to align CDEs with the collaboration practices. The description of collaborative practices is particularly challenging in the construction industry. Despite the efforts made in the past, some recent studies show that the processes actually implemented remain very different from the too linear processes initially planned. Moreover, recent publications suggest that current scientific barriers may stem from a misunderstanding of the systemic nature of the construction industry. Unfortunately, using a systemic approach in