Fixing Fragmentation: How Trusted Data Sharing Rebuilds Construction for the Digital Age

Europe’s commercial construction sector is at a crossroads. Pressures are mounting: climate targets are tightening, material costs are rising, and digital tools are evolving at a rapid pace. Yet, the real challenge isn’t about adopting more technology, it’s about connecting the tools and people we already have.

Today, Building Information Modelling (BIM), IoT devices, and digital twins are common on project sites. But too often, they operate in isolation. Data lives in silos, spread across architects, contractors, and suppliers. By the time projects move from design to delivery, critical information gets lost in translation. The result? Missed deadlines, costly rework, and budgets spiralling out of control.

This fragmentation costs the sector dearly. Reports suggest rework alone can eat up over 11% of project costs^[1], with poor data management as a main culprit. In global terms, the industry loses more than a trillion dollars every year to disconnected data^[2]. It’s a problem no construction firm can afford to ignore.

So how do we fix it? The answer is trusted and interoperable data sharing. That’s where the iSHARE Framework comes in.

From Challenges to Practical Solutions

1. Controlling Costs, Minimising Rework

The problem: Different BIM models, outdated product information, and fragmented logistics create costly clashes. Design changes ripple through projects too late to prevent rework.

The solution: By using shared rules for identity and access, suppliers, contractors, and designers can exchange progress updates in real time. In the Netherlands, the DSGO (Digitaal Stelsel Gebouwde Omgeving) is already doing this, building a shared digital infrastructure for the built environment based on the iSHARE Framework. In the Productdata Delen, suppliers like Wienerberger share specifications, ensuring everyone works with the latest product data.

The impact: Fewer mistakes, fewer design clashes, fewer wasted deliveries. Projects see direct cost savings of 5%–15%^[1], depending on complexity.

2. Managing Decisions to Preserve Lifecycle Value

The problem: A site manager needs delivery schedules. An architect needs updated structural data. But when information isn’t accessible, decisions stall. And once construction ends, as much as 95% of building asset data is lost, driving up lifecycle costs^[2].

The solution: In a trusted data space, all parties, from architect to facility manager, can access agreed-upon, up-to-date building information such as inventory, turnaround time, etc. Facility managers inherit a complete digital record, allowing them to optimise energy use and plan retrofits effectively. Tools like OneClickLCA AI already show how structured data improves lifecycle outcomes.

The impact: Faster decisions on site, smoother handovers, and operating costs reduced by 15–25%^[6].

3. Safety Optimisation and Risk Oversight

The problem: Construction sites remain some of the most risk-prone workplaces in Europe. When hazard reports and safety logs are fragmented, risks increase.

The solution: Safety officers, subcontractors, and regulators can be given precise, controlled access to share building safety information. Authorisation registries ensure only the right personnel see the right information.

The impact: Improved hazard visibility, faster response times, and up to 20% fewer incidents where safety data is shared across teams^[3].

4. Turning Compliance Requirements into Sustainable Action

The problem: Meeting ESG requirements and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive means compiling mountains of data. Today, this consumes up to 15% of administrative time^[4], with much of it buried in local files.

The solution: Structured, interoperable data exchange makes compliance smoother. Automated reporting becomes possible, helping firms demonstrate carbon savings, secure green certifications, or access subsidies.

The impact: Less time chasing paperwork, more time delivering projects, while ensuring regulators and clients have proof of sustainable performance.

5. From Fragmentation to Collaboration Across Borders and Sectors

The problem: Projects today rarely exist in isolation. They span transport, energy, and environmental systems. Many involve international partners. But legal and technical barriers slow down collaboration.

The solution: iSHARE Framework for secure data exchange, enabling construction firms to seamlessly share and access information with partners. By interoperating with broader data ecosystems such as SAGE and WE BUILD, and with sectoral initiatives like Basis Data Infrastructuur (BDI) and DSGO in logistics and energy, construction companies can connect supply chains, coordinate material flows, and align sustainability data across industries, optimising the many interdependent processes that extend beyond construction alone.

The impact: Construction firms can link seamlessly with logistics, energy, and other industries, ensuring that data on materials, transport, and sustainability flows consistently across sectors. This reduces duplication of effort, improves project coordination, and enables compliance with cross-industry requirements such as carbon reporting and circularity goals.

From Data Challenges to a Smarter Future

The construction industry cannot rely on fragmented datasets. With trusted frameworks like iSHARE, data transforms from a liability into a powerful asset. From planning and design to construction and maintenance projects become more predictable, cost-efficient, and safer.

A connected, compliant, and competitive construction future starts with secure and interoperable data sharing.

Contact us and discover how your company can join and onboard the iSHARE Ecosystem.

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