Abstract—The construction industry is a renowned latecomer to the efficiency offered by the adoption of information technology. Whereas, the banking, manufacturing, retailing industries have keyed into the future by using digitization and information technology as a new approach for ensuring competitive gain and efficiency. The construction industry has yet to fully realize similar benefits because the adoption of ICT is still at the infancy stage with a major concentration on the use of software. Thus, this study evaluates the awareness and readiness of construction professionals towards embracing a full digitalization of the construction industry using construction 4.0. The term ‘construction 4.0’ was coined from the industry 4.0 concept which is regarded as the fourth industrial revolution that originated from Germany. A questionnaire was utilized for sourcing data distributed to practicing construction professionals through a convenience sampling method. Using SPSS v24, the hypotheses posed were tested with the Mann Whitney test. The result revealed that there are no differences between the consulting and contracting organizations on the readiness for adopting construction 4.0 concepts in the construction industry. Using factor analysis, the study discovers that adopting construction 4.0 will improve the performance of the construction industry regarding cost and time savings and also create sustainable buildings. In conclusion, the study determined that construction professionals have a low awareness towards construction 4.0 concepts. The study recommends an increase in awareness of construction 4.0 concepts through seminars, workshops and training, while construction professionals should take hold of the benefits of adopting construction 4.0 concepts. The study contributes to the roadmap for the implementation of construction industry 4.0 concepts in the South African construction industry. Keywords—Building information technology, Construction 4.0, Industry 4.0, Smart Site. I. INTRODUCTION HE manufacturing, automobile, and the banking sector have already tapped into the future by adopting a full digital approach to their everyday business; thereby, contributing to their productivity, accuracy, efficiency and improved customer satisfaction [1]. However, the construction industry, which contributes a significant quota to the country’s GDP, is still dominated by a paper form of communication for passing information [2], [3]. Reference [4] submitted that the segmented nature and site-based activity of the construction industry, coupled with the resistance to change of construction professionals have made the evolution of the industry into a T. O. Osunsanmi is with the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying University of Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa (phone: + 27 61 696 2490; e-mail: osunsanmidayo@gmail.com). C. Aigbavboa and A. Oke are with the Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying University of Johannesburg, Gauteng South Africa (e-mail: caigbavboa@uj.ac.za, emayok@gmail.com). fully digital process difficult, as most of the contracts are still documented in paper form. Reference [5] reported that the performance level of a construction professional is related to the quality of information available to the professional. In a bid to increase the performance of the construction professional, the use of BIM has been introduced into the construction industry for easy means of passing information, especially at the design stage. Reference [6] avowed that BIM is expected to eliminate the requirement of passing construction designs in paper format through different construction professionals that are predisposed to making errors. Authors such as [6]-[8] opined that the use of only BIM as a form of ICT for construction work is coming of age due to its interoperability and disjointed method of application. These shortcomings give rise to the adoption of industry 4.0 concepts as the future direction for the construction industry. Reference [9] suggested that industry 4.0 has its origin in Germany manufacturing sector and used as a synonym for the scheduled 4 th industrial revolution which represents the increase in the digitization of the manufacturing sector towards enabling communication between the products, business, and customers. Reference [10] asserted that applying industry 4.0 concepts to construction industry is a new concept using the Internet of Things (IoT) for the integration of information among different platforms and adopting new gadgets like laser scanning, drones, 3D printing with the expectation of enhancing the ability to monitor construction projects at the design, construction and in use stages towards delivering sustainable and smart buildings. Similarly, [11] opined that the construction industry 4.0 involves the digitalization of the industry towards producing a smart and intelligent way of assembling data by using sophisticated and new gadgets; thereby, facilitating easy analysis of data towards making prompt decisions that enable the establishment of a smarter, efficient and responsive built environment. Reference [1] posited that construction industry 4.0 strives on the principle of creating a smart construction site, simulation and virtual storage of data allowing construction companies to arrange and evaluate data from different stages of the construction project and from end users after completion of the construction project towards delivering a faster, more flexible construction project at a higher-quality and reduced costs. However, despite the advantage and benefit of applying industry 4.0 concepts for construction projects, few studies have been conducted in South Africa towards examining the awareness of construction professionals for the application of the industry 4.0 concept in the construction Construction 4.0: The Future of the Construction Industry in South Africa Temidayo. O. Osunsanmi, Clinton Aigbavboa, Ayodeji Oke T World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol:12, No:3, 2018 150 International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation 12(3) 2018 scholar.waset.org/1307-6892/10008621 International Science Index, Civil and Environmental Engineering Vol:12, No:3, 2018 waset.org/Publication/10008621