Despite substantial investments into new technologies, the adoption of systemic innovations such as construction robotics remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates the discrepancy between the assumed advantages of construction technologies and their actual performance during practical implementation, using construction robotics as the empirical case. Through an abductive thematic analysis of 127 interviews across Europe and North America, we identify six enablers of institutional misalignment: cognitive frame differences, divergent time horizons, conflicting market strategies, product versus revenue focus, varying risk tolerances, and information asymmetry. These misalignments between startup founders’ technological logic and investors’ economic logic constrain adoption, emphasizing the influence of institutional dynamics over technological feasibility. Our findings suggest these challenges are not unique to construction robotics but may extend to other emerging construction technologies. This highlights the critical need for aligning institutional logics to fully harness the potential of innovation in construction.@en

In the rapidly evolving organisational fields of construction robotics and digital fabrication (DFAB), the pace of technological advancement contrasts with the slow rate of adoption within the industry. This discrepancy raises critical questions regarding the factors influencing the integration of these innovations into construction practices. In response, entering its concluding phase, this doctoral study reexamines the seminal frameworks that Kangari and Halpin (1990) and Brown and Katz (2009) established. This project aims to uncover the complex dynamics that govern the adoption of construction robotics and DFAB technologies by embracing multiple research paradigms. This approach acknowledges the multifaceted nature of technological integration, suggesting that barriers to adoption extend beyond technical considerations to encompass a broader range of socioeconomic, organisational, and cultural dynamics. [...]@en

Startups seeking scale often turn to venture capital (VC) for funding, gaining financial support, industry connections, and insights in exchange for equity. Transitioning from initial markets to mergers, acquisitions, IPOs, SPACs, or buyouts, startups face the dual potential for immense success or failure, a hallmark of the high-risk startup ecosystem. The construction industry, especially in the realm of technology startups like SaaS, is witnessing this trend. Unlike software-centric firms, construction robotics startups grapple with challenges posed by the need for physical, custom products, demand volatility, and lengthy development cycles. Venture capital funding is crucial for these 'deep tech' ventures. Still, it introduces the principal-agent issue, where aligning the entrepreneur's actions with the VC's interests is complicated by information asymmetry. VCs counter this through high-powered incentives, controlling rights, and staged investments. Despite the critical nature of this topic, academic research on VC impacts on hardware startups in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector is sparse. Our research aims to fill this gap. We conducted 127 semi-structured and open-ended interviews with 95 individuals across Europe, North America, and other regions in 2022 and 2023. The resulting data, comprising over 90 hours of interviews and field notes, was analyzed using abductive thematic analysis, categorizing 2998 data segments into nine categories within three major themes. This analysis revealed five dimensions of VC's influence on construction robotics startups, highlighting misalignments and dynamic interactions. In preparation for journal publication, this research complements a parallel, data-centric quantitative study, enriching our understanding of this complex subject. Preprints of this research may be available upon request.@en

Adoption of digital fabrication (dfab) in AEC promises great advantages in productivity, sustainability, and new design and delivery opportunities. Companies are interested in adopting dfab, but lack an overview of emerging dfab technologies and their use potential, as well as tools to evaluate their match with the own needs and business interests. Based on a qualitative analysis of five emerging dfab technologies, we developed an easy-to-use scoreboard to guide firms’ decision-making when adopting dfab technologies towards industrial implementation.

@en