Impulse Partners, CCCA-BTP and OPPBTP unveil the results of the 2023 Construction Innovation Trends Observatory

It must enable everyone to better understand the main fields of innovation at work in the sector and make it a vector of positive and sustainable transformation.

For this second edition of the Observatory, a new in-depth study of innovation players in the construction industry was carried out, through 321 start-ups, grouped within 44 fields of innovation. The study is also based on the testimonies of professionals in the sector, from companies, federations or organizations representing the profession, who share their informed opinion on these innovations and the dynamics of the transformations underway.

Once again, the Observatory demonstrates that the major innovation trends all aim at greater business productivity, better quality works or increased safety on construction sites. If subjects linked to ecological transition and the digitalization of the sector are still very present, trends particularly stand out around the major issue of decarbonization and the development of artificial intelligence. In addition, the subjects of safety, prevention and training appear to be essential levers for achieving the major objectives of productivity and quality.

Finally, the 2023 edition is enriched with 35 concrete cases of collaborations between start-ups and traditional players in the sector. This demonstrates that the implementation of innovation is driven by artisans, SMEs, ETIs, large groups, architects, distributors, real estate players and communities, and that the dynamic innovation mobilizes the entire value chain, across the entire territory.

Having a clear vision of innovation trends: a strategic necessity

The building and public works sector is impacted by profound and lasting transformations, linked in particular to the necessary ecological transition and the fundamental movement of digitalization. To support these major developments, innovation is at the heart of the sector's challenges. It allows us to adapt to new needs, rethink issues related to prevention and continually improve business performance.

In this context, the Construction Innovation Trends Observatory is an essential monitoring tool for deciphering trends in the sector. It is made available to craftsmen, SMEs, large groups, specifiers, project owners, training centers, etc. to help them identify and understand innovations and to encourage field experiments.

An analysis of innovation trends based on the mapping of 321 start-ups

The 2023 edition of the Observatory relies on start-ups from the Impulse Partners ecosystem, whose scope of action constitutes a valuable indicator of the transformations underway in the construction industry. This year, 321 start-ups were identified, around a hundred more than in 2021. These are grouped into 44 fields of innovation.

For each of these fields of innovation, the Observatory details the major challenges and the main tools and solutions developed to respond to them. The economic dynamics of each field of innovation was also measured according to three key indicators: the number of start-ups, the cumulative turnover of the players and the volume of funds raised by them. Furthermore, the Observatory gives an estimate of the transformation potential for the sector, in terms of professions, the impact in terms of prevention, the training needs for professionals, and for the first time the environmental impact of these solutions.

Furthermore, to go further in the analysis of trends, this second edition of the Observatory highlights the fields of innovation making it possible to accelerate the ecological transition and the decarbonization of the sector, as well as those which contribute to improving the prevention and safety during a construction project.

Productivity, quality and safety always at the heart of any innovation approach in construction

This new 2023 edition reveals that productivity, quality, and safety remain determining and structuring elements of construction activity. To achieve a high level of satisfaction in these three areas, stakeholders can implement different action levers which each bring together several complementary fields of innovation.

Major objective #1: Increase site productivity

Construction is one of the only economic sectors whose productivity has not increased over the last 20 years, but has on the contrary fallen in Europe. Across the entire value chain, manufacturers, designers, constructors, building and infrastructure operators are seeking to reduce their costs to consolidate their margins. Increasing productivity is therefore the first major objective that pushes innovation in the sector. To achieve this, the Observatory highlights six main levers of action: controlling the costs of land, raw materials, labor, general business costs, user costs of works, as well as as the reduction of the economic weight of equipment and logistics.

It also reveals that the three fields of innovation in favor of greater productivity of the most economically dynamic companies are:

• Quantity measurement solutions or simplified studies, which make it possible to produce a plan of an existing property quickly and with a minimum of skills or tools, in order to optimize the study phase and accelerate the start of the construction site. This field of innovation is also the most dynamic of the 44 identified, with an increase of +200% since 2021.
• Solutions facilitating the editing of quotes, invoices and other administrative documents. These software tools simplify very time-consuming administrative tasks and support in particular VSEs and craftsmen in carrying out these inevitable daily missions. They have recorded an increase of +167% since 2021.
• Solutions for the energy renovation of structures, which represents a priority for the government and a significant market for construction players. As proof, the solutions to respond to this have recorded an increase of +150% since 2021. They aim to facilitate the massification of energy renovation to respond to the environmental and societal challenges that weigh on the sector.

Furthermore, the Observatory highlights two other fields of innovation with strong potential for transforming the sector:

• Off-site construction solutions, making it possible to improve profitability through greater control of hazards but also through a reduction in additional costs linked to execution errors. With 80% of production in factories, off-site construction induces a strong transformation of professions. These solutions also use more low-carbon or bio-sourced materials, reducing the environmental impact on construction sites.
• Robots and cobots on site, the increased use of which would significantly transform the way works are designed, and therefore ultimately professions. These innovations also have the potential to considerably reduce accidents and the arduousness of jobs.

Major objective #2: Improve the quality of works

The quality requirement is no longer assessed only on simple compliance with functional specifications, but also on a growing number of performance criteria, both on the work itself, over its entire lifespan, only through criteria specific to the construction sites (impact on the environment, nuisances, etc.). The action levers identified for better quality works are the delivery of compliant, efficient works and the reduction of the environmental impact of construction sites.

• Solutions serving energy performance, newly integrated into the Observatory, appear to be both among the most dynamic innovative solutions (+183% since 2021 and 11 new start-ups identified) and the most transformative in the sector. In view of the context of ecological transition, these innovations make it possible to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings during the operational phase and to reduce energy costs while respecting current regulations.
• The same goes for constructive solutions integrating the circular economy (+144% since 2021 and 13 new start-ups). These are materials or construction systems integrating recycling or reuse to limit the use of non-renewable raw materials or the production of waste.
• Always with the objective of circularity, platforms and tools for reuse are also experiencing significant dynamism. These solutions make it possible to recycle site surplus or deconstruction materials on the seller's side, while reducing the environmental impact and construction costs on the buyer's side.
• Finally, progress monitoring and compliance control tools also have high potential for transforming the sector. The integration of these tools into the construction process supports the evolution of companies towards lean management and continuous quality control, which is a major cultural upheaval in the construction industry. The Observatory identifies this field of innovation as the densest, with 31 start-ups identified, including 9 new ones compared to 2021.

Major objective #3: Increase safety on construction sites

Safety on construction sites is a challenge for continuous progress for all construction companies. The sector still contains numerous risks against which prevention policies, reinforced by innovation, can be effective. If several fields of innovation favorable to productivity and quality also have a positive impact on safety, others are entirely dedicated to it. To improve safety on construction sites, the two levers of action identified are anticipation and management of risks, upstream and during the construction site.

The Observatory highlights several particularly dynamic fields of innovation in terms of security and prevention:

• Accident prevention devices: thanks to tools such as sensors, camera robots or artificial intelligence, numerous devices make it possible to reduce accidents on site by analyzing risky situations, or to intervene quickly if they occur. occur.
• Digital tools for raising awareness and training professionals: today it is estimated that 430.000 construction professionals need to be trained each year. These new tools aim to consolidate training and make it as impactful as possible through new teaching methods (e-learning tools, virtual and augmented reality training, anchor tools that combine face-to-face and digital, etc.) . They make it possible to train employees in good practices and make them aware of the various risks on the site. Training also plays an essential role in the success of the sector's environmental transition.
• Connected PPE: personal protective equipment is increasingly connected, in order to reinforce the safety of companions beyond so-called conventional protections. They make it possible, for example, to alert in the event of danger situations (gas leaks, landslides, etc.), to reduce human / machine accidents, or to monitor companions in real time.
• Finally, site equipment reducing risks, if they do not fundamentally transform the professions, are synonymous with sometimes significant improvements in implementation. These are robots, cobots, or innovative equipment to reduce various operator problems and generally provide better operational performance. This new field of innovation brings together 26 start-ups within the Impulse Partners ecosystem.

For Stéphanie Bigeon-Bienvenu, Impulse Partners Associate: “This new edition of the Observatory shows that the methods for being efficient are accelerating thanks to the potential offered by new technologies. However, in the midst of all these technological and technical innovations, humans retain a central place on construction sites. The need for training and the development of skills has never been so crucial to successfully meeting current and future challenges. »

For Paul Duphil, Secretary General of the OPPBTP: “Climate and energy challenges will profoundly reshape the construction sector. At OPPBTP, we are convinced that technical and technological innovation can respond to these challenges that we all face, while developing prevention and company performance. This second edition of the Observatory offers a new overview of the current dynamics and invites construction stakeholders to seize new solutions in terms of transformation of professions, their impact on health and prevention and the need to strengthen training of professionals. »

For Franck Le Nuellec, Marketing, Development and Strategic Innovation Director of CCCA-BTP: “Innovation remains a crucial issue for the CCCA-BTP, especially in the face of the major challenges that the construction sector must face in France and in particular between now and 2030. This Observatory is a call to action to rethink the he future of construction, where every brick laid is a step towards sustainability. Every idea counts and every solution is a step towards a more sustainable future. Let's highlight the development of our territories, because this is where the most daring innovations are born. »

The full report of the 2023 Construction Innovation Trends Observatory is available here.