Industry 4.0 Awareness on Built Environment Professionals: A Study on the Current State of Knowledge and Adoption in UAE

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, has brought a significant change in the way industries operate worldwide. This technological revolution has transformed traditional manufacturing processes and has ushered in a new era of automation, artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things (IoT). These innovations have enabled a higher level of connectivity and efficiency across industries, including the built environment sector. This study aims to assess the level of Industry 4.0 awareness and adoption among Built Environment Professionals (BEPs). BEPs are a group of professionals who are responsible for the planning, design, construction, and maintenance of the built environment, including architects, engineers, builders, and facility managers. This research will employ a mixed-method approach, including a survey and interviews, to gather data on BEPs' current understanding of Industry 4.0 technologies and how they are integrating them into their work processes. The findings of this study will help to identify the gaps in the current knowledge and skills of BEPs with regards to Industry 4.0 technologies. The research will also explore the challenges faced by BEPs in adopting Industry 4.0 technologies and the potential benefits that can be gained from their integration. The results of this study can be used to inform the development of training programs and professional development opportunities for BEPs to enhance their knowledge and skills in Industry 4.0 technologies, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the built environment sector. Thus, to pursue the aim of this study, the data and views were collected from more than 200 professionals and the Interviews were conducted with the senior professionals for further analysis. At the end of the study, the findings revealed that there is serious concern of awareness on important technologies like CPS, BIM, AI, and Virtual reality, which are going to play an important role in the Built Environment Industry soon. Moreover, it was observed that, both the survey participants, Interviewees and their respective Organizations were having less usage on the important technologies like Building Information Modelling, Cyber Physical systems at their organization.