Fully automated robots drill hundreds of precise fastening holes for pipe routes into the concrete ceiling of a new building. Just a few metres away, autonomous transport vehicles position prefabricated riser modules with centimetre accuracy inside the building’s shaft structures. One floor below, skilled tradespeople — supported by exoskeletons — install prewall elements and begin the detailed fit-out of sanitary rooms. Meanwhile, site managers and foremen move across the building with tablets in hand, digitally documenting progress and comparing it with the project’s planning data. What may still sound like a vision of tomorrow could soon become everyday reality on construction sites across the country. This was the clear message emerging from “TGA.Digital – The BIM Congress on the Future of Construction.”
For the third time, the BIM Center Aachen hosted the congress on 4–5 November in the “Viega World” in Attendorn-Ennest — a location regarded as a flagship project for digital construction. Over the course of two days, more than 100 industry professionals attended keynotes, lectures, workshops, discussions and technical sessions to gain a comprehensive view of the next development steps in the digital transformation of the construction sector.
A Congress That Links Theory and Practice
Moderated by environmental scientist Dr. Ines Marbach, more than a dozen high-calibre speakers covered nearly all essential topics that the construction industry must address in the coming years. Structured into the focus areas Practice, Industry 4.0, Software Solutions, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics, the programme examined overarching subjects such as BIM as a driver of transformation for trade businesses, the importance of AI in collaborative planning processes, and the role of technical building services (TGA) as a structural backbone of construction. Further focal points included specialised software solutions and legal aspects of contract design related to BIM.
Installation Becomes High-Tech
According to Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Christoph van Treeck (E3D – Chair of Energy Efficient Building, RWTH Aachen University), the overarching framework for this evolution will be the digitalisation of the entire planning and construction process. In his opening keynote “Installation (High)Tech 4.0 – Prefabrication and Industrialisation from the Perspective of Building Services Engineering,” he outlined how data-driven, integrated BIM planning will be implemented in practice. Rising construction costs, labour shortages and the demand for more sustainable building and operation can only be addressed through significantly increased automation across the entire value chain — from prefabrication to construction, operation and even deconstruction.
This perspective was reinforced by keynotes from Anette Höchst (Managing Director, ALHO Holding GmbH) and Bernhard Randerath (Chairman, AVIATION AM CENTER), who spoke on “Future-Oriented Building: Modular Construction x Digital Transformation” and “The Power of the Possible – New Design and Production Technologies Using the Example of 3D Printing.” Both demonstrated how the potential of innovative technologies is already being realised — whether in modular construction or customised single-piece manufacturing of complex components.
Developing the Necessary Automation
Ulrich Zeppenfeldt, Senior Director Customer Services at Viega and host of the BIM congress, highlighted a common challenge: “When discussing the future of construction and its digitalisation, there is quick agreement that the right course must be set immediately. However, when it comes to implementation — developing the required processes and tools — uncertainty often prevails. This makes it all the more gratifying that the BIM Congress was able to present valuable solution approaches, both through academic knowledge transfer and through the intensive exchange among stakeholders at all levels of the construction process.”
Examples of the current state of research and academia were provided by Hendrik Benz (ICoM – RWTH Aachen University) and students from RWTH Aachen’s BIM Talent Programme. Their work demonstrates that AI and adaptive robotics will shape the next evolutionary stage of construction. In the congress’s “FutureLAB,” attendees could see this firsthand: two robotic arms autonomously installed a complete TGA shaft, illustrating how robotic processes may soon be integrated into industrial prefabrication — either in factories or directly on-site.
Data as the Foundation
However, as several speakers emphasised, significant organisational and structural steps remain. Presentations by Christian Waluga (LINEAR GmbH) and Jakob Beetz (Chair of Computer-Aided Architectural Design, RWTH Aachen) addressed central issues of data provision and data management — fundamental prerequisites for digital planning, construction and building operation.
Equally important are structural advancements in collaboration, as highlighted by Heike Kling (Hilti Deutschland AG): “Construction processes must be rethought entirely, with digital solutions linked collaboratively through innovative and cooperative tools.” As digitalisation and sustainability reshape requirements for buildings, planning approaches are also shifting fundamentally. Accordingly, new implementation strategies are needed — as illustrated by Isabel Hammerschmidt from Viega using the example of “Viega World.” There, TGA was deliberately positioned as the structural backbone of the building: “It also became clear that, driven by digitalisation and the increasing focus on sustainability, the role of manufacturers within construction is changing at its core. Especially in technical building services, manufacturers are no longer merely suppliers of products and technical data. They are evolving into full-service partners that actively shape the digital and sustainable construction process — with BIM as a crucial enabler. BIM models provide the necessary transparency regarding quantities, materials and timelines. This is the foundation for process automation and cross-disciplinary communication among trades, stakeholders and applications.”
Experience Exchange Is Essential
The value of these practical insights was reflected in the engaged discussions following presentations by Christoph Ulland (Ulland GmbH), Dr. Thomas and Maximilian Waning (Waning Anlagenbau GmbH & Co. KG) and Andres Kipp (Renowate GmbH). Despite different backgrounds, all have extensive experience implementing digital construction — whether in their own trade businesses, in project organisation or in developing entirely new business models for serial renovation of existing buildings.
For participants, this provided a rich variety of connection points, leading to lively expert talks and discussion rounds. Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Christoph van Treeck summarised: “These differing perspectives and the opportunity for direct exchange are a deliberate hallmark of ‘TGA.Digital – The BIM Congress on the Future of Construction.’ The challenges facing the construction industry are too disruptive to be solved individually. We need diverse approaches and innovations as much as constructive, critical discourse. The 2025 BIM Congress at the ‘Viega World’ has once again demonstrated that it offers exactly the right platform for this purpose.”
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