Grant: Canada Research Chairs

A transition to net-zero energy generation technologies that are capable of providing a reliable flow of energy to end users is required to realize Canada’s goal of decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. A robust energy infrastructure sector in Canada is crucial for achieving this goal, and the construction industry is fundamental in bringing this goal to fruition. Energy infrastructure projects cannot be built without the construction industry, and a productive and competitive construction industry is an instrumental component in Canada’s pursuit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, issues endemic to construction are limiting the productivity of infrastructure project delivery. These issues are largely explained by the slow adoption of digital and smart technologies by the construction sector in comparison to other industries that have boosted business productivity via digital and smart technologies, such as manufacturing and its well-known Industry 4.0 (technology-centric) and Industry 5.0 (human-centric) transformations. Advances in the way that engineers and practitioners design, plan, and build energy infrastructure will be needed to ensure the competitiveness and success of Canadian energy projects. Construction engineering and management research has long focused on the application of a relatively narrow set of research methods to issues in construction. Dr. González and his team are exploring how the integration of social, human-centric research methods with emerging digital technologies and advanced mathematical, computer modelling-driven, and production theory-based approaches can overcome barriers currently limiting productivity improvements in the construction sector. This approach, known as Digital Lean Construction (or Lean Construction 4.0), hopes to provide a foundation for the construction industry's own digital transformation that promises to boost the performance of this industry, in turn improving the productivity, innovation, quality, and competitiveness of Canada's energy infrastructure sector.