Digitalisation in construction: what can we expect in 2026?
A new year brings new opportunities. But before looking ahead, it is worth briefly reflecting on 2025: a year of contrasts and transition for the construction and infrastructure sector.
As industry publication Cobouw highlighted at the end of 2025, the year was marked by major acquisitions alongside the bankruptcy of several innovative companies, particularly in timber and modular construction. These developments underline how critical scale, financial resilience and risk management have become in a market under pressure from rising costs, slow decision-making and increasingly complex regulations.
At the same time, Cobouw reported that large construction companies continued to improve profitability, while themes such as affordability, sustainability and stricter enforcement of false self-employment moved higher up the industry agenda.
Digitalisation in construction is no longer a supporting tool, but a prerequisite for maintaining control over projects, risks and regulations.
In today’s construction sector, digitalisation is no longer a supporting tool: it has become a prerequisite for maintaining control over projects, risks and compliance. With this in mind, the focus in 2026 is shifting further: away from digitalising purely to comply with regulations, and towards smart digitalisation, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) acting as an accelerator for quality, efficiency and collaboration.
What will shape construction in 2026?
The construction and infrastructure sector will continue to evolve in 2026. While recent years were dominated by the introduction of legislations and changing requirements around CSRD reporting, the emphasis is now changing. Artificial Intelligence is no longer experimental, it is becoming a practical, everyday tool.
Smart digital solutions are essential for addressing the challenges facing the construction industry. Digital technologies increase productivity, improve collaboration and enable faster innovation. Most construction companies have already begun their digital transformation: laptops and tablets on site are now standard, and the Internet of Things (IoT) is widely used to monitor the performance of buildings and infrastructure. However, in 2026, AI will be impossible to ignore.
AI is not a replacement for existing systems, but an accelerator – provided project information is stored centrally, structured and reliable.
1. AI in construction: practical support within existing processes
As early as 2025, Bouwnieuws Vandaag described how AI was moving from experimentation to practical application within construction organisations. The focus is not on replacing existing systems or professional expertise, but on enhancing established processes. Bouwend Nederland notes that AI is increasingly used to make construction processes safer, more efficient and more productive, while Rabobank emphasises that the real value lies in the combination of AI, sector expertise and well-structured data.
Within a central digital environment, such as a Common Data Environment (CDE) or Document Management System (DMS), AI can help organisations make better use of information and identify risks earlier.
Smart document management
Managing large volumes of project documentation is a growing challenge. AI can assist by recognising document types such as drawings, reports, inspection forms and specifications, and by helping structure metadata such as project references and version numbers. Duplicate or outdated documents can be identified more quickly.
However, AI is not always required. A well-configured DMS or CDE already provides strong support for structured document management. According to Rabobank, this represents a major opportunity for the construction sector: in document-intensive processes, digitalisation alone can significantly reduce administrative workload and errors. The same applies to AI, provided that data is stored centrally and reliably.
Planning and progress monitoring
Effective planning and progress monitoring depend on project information, documents and agreements being recorded in one central location. A properly implemented DMS or CDE provides transparency, clear version control and a direct link between planning, decisions and progress reports. This makes deviations in planning or execution visible at an earlier stage, enabling project teams to intervene in time.
When project data is consistent and structured in one place, it also creates the foundation for data-driven support. AI can then help identify patterns in historical lead times, delays and failure costs, and highlight risks in ongoing projects. Rabobank describes this as data-driven decision support: AI increases insight, while control and responsibility remain firmly with the project manager.
Support for reporting and compliance
Preparing (CSRD) reports requires accurate, complete and well-organised documentation. A DMS or CDE supports this by structuring project data, registrations and evidence across multiple projects and dossiers. This reduces reliance on manual searches and helps ensure reports are completed more efficiently.
When this information is consistent and centrally available, organisations can take further steps towards automation. In such cases, AI may help collect and structure data from multiple sources more quickly. Bouwend Nederland sees this as a key step in meeting increasing regulatory requirements without adding administrative pressure on site teams.
2. Smart digital support for electrification
Emission-free construction sites, environmental zones and climate targets mean that electrification of equipment and mobility is high on the agenda. At the same time, many construction companies face challenges such as grid congestion or limited connection capacity. Digital energy management systems provide insight into energy consumption, help prevent peak loads and enable smarter distribution of available power.
3. Building more efficiently through smart preparation
Innovative construction methods such as prefab and modular building continue to grow. Digitalisation supports this trend by improving coordination between design, production and execution. By recording processes digitally and making data centrally available, errors are identified earlier, resulting in shorter build times, lower failure costs and greater predictability.
4. Making better use of construction data
New technologies inevitably generate more data, and that is a positive development. Data provides insight and control, making it easier to adjust planning and intervene proactively. Data is also essential for improving building performance. By using sensors and real-time data, issues can be identified earlier and resolved more quickly, leading to more efficient construction processes and lower costs.
Data analysis also reveals patterns and trends that support continuous improvement, including sustainability goals. Understanding failure costs through data helps organisations improve margins and make better-informed decisions.
Effective collaboration, reliable data and smart digital support start with one central source of information.
5. Collaboration requires one central source of truth
The increasing use of AI, data analysis and digital tools places higher demands on how information is managed and shared in construction projects. Project data, documents and reports must be stored securely, easy to find and always up to date. This requires a single, reliable source of truth.
That is why more construction organisations are working with a Common Data Environment (CDE) or Document Management System (DMS). Within a central environment, all stakeholders work with the same information, based on clear agreements on structure, version control and access rights. This forms the foundation for effective collaboration across the supply chain and is essential for making meaningful use of data and AI.
By digitalising processes through a CDE or DMS, organisations gain better oversight, reduce errors and improve collaboration. Working with up-to-date, validated information improves decision-making and reduces failure costs, resulting in more predictable projects and higher-quality outcomes.
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