Marc Lehmann’s current doctoral thesis deals with the question of how the digitalization of administrative processes in the building permit procedure can be legally designed and promoted. He is currently writing his doctoral thesis as part of a cooperative doctorate between Hof University of Applied Sciences and the University of Regensburg and recently attended an international doctoral seminar on current legal issues held by the law faculties of Charles University in Prague, the University of Wroclaw and the University of Regensburg. “campuls-digital” spoke to him about this.
is currently working on the issue of modern building regulationsas part of a cooperative doctorate; Image: Hof University of Applied Sciences;
Mr. Lehmann, you are a good example of the fact that it is also possible to obtain a doctorate at Hof University of Applied Sciences – albeit currently in cooperation with other colleges and universities. How did this come about and what exactly is your doctoral thesis about?
“I am a research assistant in the “Law in Sustainability, Compliance and IT” research group at Hof University of Applied Sciences, which is based at the Institute for Information Systems (iisys). The iisys offers an interdisciplinary research environment with close practical relevance – an excellent basis for legal doctoral projects related to digitalization. While I was working at iisys, I completed the research-oriented Master’s degree program “Compliance, IT and Data Protection (LL.M.)” at Hof University of Applied Sciences, which specifically teaches the connection between legal issues and digital transformation processes. This master’s degree was the ideal bridge to my doctorate.
The doctoral thesis was inspired by the Gaia-X research project “iECO – Intelligent Empowerment of Construction Industry”. Here we are working in the Hofer Land model region together with the LGA Landesgewerbeanstalt Bayern – Prüfamt für Standsicherheit Hof and the district of Hof on the digitalization of processes in the transition from the public sector to the construction industry.
The doctoral thesis is supervised by Prof. Dr. Gerrit Manssen (University of Regensburg) and Prof. Dr. Beatrix Weber (Hof University of Applied Sciences).
As part of my doctoral thesis, I am dealing with the question of how digitalization can be legally structured in public building law – especially in the building inspection approval procedure. When a structure such as a building or a bridge is built, it must be stable and must not collapse. In order to guarantee this, a stability certificate must usually be drawn up. In some cases, this proof is checked by the building supervisory authority or a test engineer for stability commissioned by it as part of the building permit procedure. Currently, the check is carried out either in paper form or as a PDF. And this is where my work comes in: I am investigating how the building regulations need to be changed so that an inspection can be carried out in a digital twin (so-called Building Information Modeling [BIM] model) and to what extent the legislator is obliged to promote digitalization in this area.
In future, it should also be possible to carry out building inspections with the help of digital twins. Images: see sources;
In this context, I conducted a nationwide survey of structural safety inspection engineers as part of a legal fact-finding study to determine the current status of digital inspection processes and practical requirements. The survey is intended to help identify practical requirements for end-to-end digital inspection – especially of BIM models – and to highlight existing regulatory gaps and the need for legislative action.”
The speed of construction projects is always a hotly debated topic, especially in Germany. Are the inspection procedures also a time factor?
“The inspection procedures certainly play a role in the duration of construction projects in Germany, but they are only one factor in the complex interplay of approval processes, bureaucratic hurdles and practical implementation. In the case of stability testing, it should also be borne in mind that this serves to prevent hazards, particularly to life and health. Time should therefore only be saved in process steps that do not affect the actual inspection. For example, digitization eliminates the need to send documents by post for paper-based inspections – which saves time.”
What could the path to an advanced digital inspection look like?
“Currently, the verification of stability is carried out in PDF or paper form. Checking in PDF already represents an important digitization step. However, many construction projects now work with digital building models, for example as part of Building Information Modeling (BIM). This involves creating a virtual image of the building (known as a digital twin), which contains not only the construction plans but also information on use, maintenance and subsequent refurbishment. Such models are very useful in practice, but cannot yet be used for building inspections. The reason: the current building regulations do not provide for the possibility of submitting BIM-capable formats as building documents – and therefore not for checking them either.”
The digitalization of the construction industry is about to take an important step: if it becomes legally possible in future for BIM models to be checked by the building authorities, construction projects could be implemented in a more modern, efficient and environmentally friendly way.”
Marc Lehmann
This means that the technical possibilities are not yet being used at all. What needs to change?
“What is legally necessary is a targeted further development of state building regulations. These must create the possibility of allowing other digital formats as binding building documents. In addition, standards and interfaces are needed that can be used uniformly by authorities.”
What are the advantages?
“The digitalization of approval processes can lead to a noticeable reduction in bureaucratic hurdles. At the same time, it offers the potential to speed things up and increase transparency for everyone involved – from building owners to the administration.”
The introduction of further digital formats for submitting and checking BIM models in building regulations and the development of uniform technical standards and guidelines are crucial to promoting efficiency and sustainability in the construction sector. This would speed up the process and contribute to greener construction practices.”
Marc Lehmann
When will you complete your work?
“I was accepted as a doctoral student at the University of Regensburg in March 2023 and plan to complete my dissertation in the course of next year, i.e. 2026.”
Further information on Marc Lehmann’s scientific career and current research projects can be found here.
