Risks of Construction Projects and Digital Practices in the COVID-19 Outbreak

Abstract

As the COVID-19 outbreak affected the whole world, the epidemic had positive and negative effects on the construction industry. Epidemic; Information leakage with working from home conditions, problems of logistics chains for the transportation of materials to the construction site, has brought along special risks according to many new processes. Within the scope of this study, it is aimed to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 epidemic on construction projects, new risks that occur and applications used against these risks together with digital tools. In the literature, the importance of innovative digital technologies for risk management is emphasized. In this study; It reduces the epidemic-specific risks that occur in the construction projects of innovative digital applications; how, why and which actors were involved. In this context, one-to-one interviews and a survey field study were conducted with construction industry experts for data collection. This research; It will guide the future positions of the sector by identifying and classifying new risks that occur specific to the COVID-19 outbreak process in the construction sector, and analyzing which digital tools and methods to be used to cope with these risks. Construction companies are better prepared against the threats and opportunities posed by the risks.