Realizing Digital Ambitions for the Built Environment: The Case for Integrated Delivery

Digital technology is transforming how we design, operate and experience buildings and infrastructure. Advanced technologies and vast data insights are unlocking new opportunities for greater efficiency, sustainability and resilience, as well as personalized, interconnected and immersive services and experiences. Digital enablement is no longer "nice to have" but rather a critical component that enhances community connectivity, increases asset value and delivers revenue returns on major infrastructure investments.

As investors and developers set more ambitious digital goals, urban planners and designers must seamlessly integrate a growing range of technologies into building, precinct and city-wide plans and designs, alongside other critical systems. This requires an expansive skillset that bridges up-front strategy, urban planning, engineering design and technology procurement and deployment.

Today's buildings and infrastructure projects are far more than physical structures. Traditional operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) systems are converging with technologies such as sensors, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, digital twins and other "smart" enhancements to drive asset performance.

Emerging technologies, such as interactive surfaces and holography, atmospheric technologies, gaming technologies, robotics and blockchain, are also changing how we interact with and experience built spaces. Buildings and infrastructure are now intricate ecosystems with digital layered into the overall building design to enhance, customize and personalize the end-user experience. This is especially true in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where giga projects are redefining the scale of ambition for digital enablement in the built environment.

Most developers outsource this work to specialist providers, but procuring the right capabilities at the right time can be a challenge.

Successfully deploying complex digital ecosystems requires a specific skillset. Traditional consulting houses and master systems integration firms are often the first port of call for digital transformation strategy and implementation projects. Consulting firms tend to excel at shaping strategic vision and setting direction but are not always deeply embedded in the technical nuances of infrastructure design and delivery. Meanwhile, systems integrators are adept at deploying end-to-end solutions but are often engaged later in the process, which limits their ability to influence design decisions or tender documents.