starting point: 

How can Architecture, Design, and Engineering (ADE) organisations develop digital capabilities and information systems for efficient delivery and overcome challenges in digital transformation?  

This topic may include consideration of: the opportunities and challenges that ADE firms face when developing digital capability; as well as the development of digital maturity models for ADE firms.  

project summary: 

PROBLEM

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) sector is undergoing two urgent transformations: the need to achieve sustainability and the rapid adoption of digital technologies. The sector is responsible for 37% of global energy and process-related CO₂ emissions (UNEP, 2023), placing it at the centre of climate action. At the same time, digital tools are reshaping professional practice. Yet these agendas are often pursued separately. Sustainability initiatives are treated as compliance-driven add-ons, while digitalisation is primarily aimed at efficiency. This disconnection costs great missed opportunities and organisational frictions.

This research aims to explore how digital innovation and sustainability can progress together, advancing two complementary concepts:

• Digital Sustainability: the use of digital resources and tools to directly support sustainability goals.
• Sustainable Digitalisation: designing and operating digital technologies with sustainability principles embedded from the outset.

 GAPS

Despite growing awareness, significant gaps remain:

• Integrating technologies into sustainability practices: Departments may operate in silos, creating tensions between leadership, digital experts, and project delivery teams. There is little guidance on how to align these efforts across the organisation and embed sustainability goals into everyday digital workflows.
• Fragmented systems: Many AEC organisations rely on legacy or project-specific digital systems. As a result, data is locked in silos, systems quickly become obsolete, and costly redesign or rebuilding is required. Research has yet to provide robust frameworks for designing future-ready systems that are adaptable and aligned with sustainability principles.
• Building convergent capabilities: Digital and sustainability skills are typically developed in isolation. Organisations lack pathways to build these capabilities simultaneously, slowing innovation at their intersection.

PROGRESS

Study 1:

Digital Sustainability examines how architectural practices adopt digital tools to pursue sustainability goals, highlighting the organisational frictions that arise.

• Progress: Case study conducted with Architectus, Round 1 data collection has been completed and Round 2 is currently underway.
• Deliverable: A process model offering strategies for aligning leadership, digital experts, and sustainability teams.

Study 2:

Sustainable Digitalisation explores how sustainability principles can guide the design and operation of digital infrastructures to ensure adaptability and long-term resilience.

• Progress: Developing the Design Foresight framework for future-ready Design Science Research (DSR), defining principles for future-ready systems. The work is being wrapped up for publication.
• Deliverable: A framework for future-ready systems that anticipate long-term challenges and remain adaptable in fast-changing contexts.

Study 3:

Convergence through Co-Design applies Action Design Research (ADR) to co-develop sustainable digital systems for practices such as embodied carbon management.

• Progress: Early planning indicates potential collaboration with an industry partner, with validation to follow through a industry-wide focus group.
• Deliverable: A prototype system, demonstrating how digital and sustainability capabilities can be developed simultaneously in practice.

FUTURE

The next step is to finalise Study 1, completing round 2 data collection with Architectus and consolidating findings into a process model of digital sustainability. In parallel, Study 2 will be concluded, completing the Design Foresight framework for sustainable digitalisation and preparing the results for publication.

Looking ahead, Study 3 will begin in 2026, using Action Design Research with an industry partner to co-design a prototype system. Industry-level validation will be conducted afterwards.