In February 2026, at the Meissa Smart Construction Forum × Korea Build Week, Executive Director Eun-ju Maeng of HDC Hyundai Development Corporation gave a case-based presentation on how drone solutions are actually being used on construction sites. At the opening, Executive Director Maeng noted, with respect to the content Meissa had introduced earlier, that “it is very important that construction management now be operated on the basis of space and data rather than paperwork or experience.”
She also explained that while technologies such as BIM and drones have already been adopted over the past several years, what matters is not the existence of the technology itself but what it is actually changing on site. HDC Hyundai Development Corporation shared the same concern and, over the past few years, has pursued digital transformation in a direction that changes the way sites operate, centered on BIM, drones, OSC (Off-Site Construction) methods, and a quality management platform. Because the presentation materials contain many actual site photos and project details, the full presentation and video are not being released; instead, the key points are summarized and shared here.
Amid these considerations, HDC Hyundai Development Corporation has driven the digital transformation of its sites centered on BIM, drones, OSC methods, and a quality management platform.
Over the past few years, HDC Hyundai Development Corporation has driven the digital transformation of its sites around three pillars.
The first is building site data using BIM and drones; the second is changing construction methods by expanding OSC methods; and the third is a site management system based on a quality management platform.
Building on these three pillars, HDC's DX strategy is to accumulate site data and combine it with a digital twin to enable data-driven decision-making.
The first case is the Gonjiam Station apartment complex site. At this site, spatial data captured by drones is used across site management as a whole—drawing verification, quantity takeoff, information sharing with subcontractors, and more.
When on-site data captured by drones is georeferenced, it can be overlaid and checked against the same coordinate basis as the design drawings. This makes it possible to compare the drawings with the actual construction state right on site—checking the earth-retaining wall installation location,
the excavation locations for independent footings and collection wells, structural coordinates, and more.
Based on on-site data captured by drones, checking terrain elevation differences enables quantity takeoff that reflects the actual site conditions. This makes it possible to quickly calculate the quantities of various trades—earthwork volume, building quantities, backfill volume, and more—on a site basis. In particular, even for work where confirming on-site quantities is important, such as waste disposal or civil engineering work, quantities can be calculated based on actual data, so it is used for construction management and settlement work.
Based on site data built with drones, a variety of information—temporary works planning, safety management, and more—can be shared on a single screen. This lets site staff and subcontractors discuss construction plans while viewing the same screen, so it is used for various tasks such as meeting materials and temporary works planning.
In addition, bird's-eye-view data from repeatedly capturing the same location makes it possible to record and manage the site's change history, and based on this the site situation can be checked continuously. It is also used to check key site management points, such as worker management and safety management.
The second case is the Iksan Busong apartment complex site. At this site, drone data is used to check pile penetration in pile work, and for quantity-based process management through soil haul-out volume calculation and BIM integration.
Based on drone-captured data, checking the pile location coordinates and the remaining pile length makes it possible to calculate pile penetration. Previously, the pile-driver operator visually checked and entered the remaining pile length, but using drone data, pile penetration can be checked quickly on a coordinate basis.
Integrating drone-captured data with BIM coordinates makes it possible to calculate the as-built quantities of frame (structural) work. Previously, quantities were calculated based on CAD drawings and manual entry, but using drone and BIM data, quantities based on the actual construction can be calculated quickly.
Using drone footage and Vision AI technology, key inspection items can be checked before gang-form lifting work. Gang-form work is often carried out on the building's exterior, making it hard for managers to directly check the work state, but drone footage allows the work state and risk factors to be checked in advance.
Site management points
Major risks that occur on site
The adoption of digital technologies such as drones and BIM on construction sites is now gradually becoming widespread. But more important than the technology itself is how much it is actually used on site.
As the Gonjiam apartment complex case shows, once site practitioners began using drone data and systems directly, the way of working itself began to change—going beyond simple data collection.
Within this trend, HDC Hyundai Development Corporation aims to move beyond conventional DX (Digital Transformation) to the AX (AI Transformation) stage.
The goal is to combine AI analysis technology with existing digital technologies such as drones and BIM to build a data-driven operating system that connects all the way to on-site decision-making.
