Integrating Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Construction Purposes

1. Introduction

The trend of integrating sustainability into construction activities has sought to meet the growing demands of sustainable development. Industry 4.0 drives the application of advanced technologies with the goal of addressing resource consumption and environmental pollution for improved workflow efficiency and stakeholder relationships in the engineering–construction industry. In particular, the current coronavirus pandemic has promoted the integration of advanced technologies by way of leveraging their complementary advantages under the virtual and digitalized platform in order to reduce physical human contact. The effective use of advanced technologies can help to foster “smart” sustainable construction and enhance sustainable project performance. This Editorial intends to highlight the important role of advanced technologies in the industry setting under the three dimensions of sustainability performance, i.e., with respect to economic, social, and environmental aspects. Lessons learned were drawn together with a future research agenda. The linkages between advanced technologies and sustainable construction have been clarified. The paper also promotes the interdisciplinary development of this research field in the future.

2. Advanced Technologies for Sustainable Construction Purposes

Building information modelling (BIM) is one of the most advanced technologies that should serve as a core digital and collaborative platform. Other technologies, such as 3D printing, blockchain, big data, and IoT, can be integrated with BIM to improve the collaboration and working environment for sustainable project performance [1,2]. The scope of sustainable construction is associated with sustainable project performance across project stages that is grounded by the triple bottom line of sustainability, namely the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability.

2.1. The Economic Aspect of Sustainability

The integration of advanced technologies can improve sustainable economic performance in various ways. First, the use of advanced technologies enhances the quality and efficiency of information acquisition in the project execution process. Safe and secure information can boost economic performance by reducing the cost of information leakage, unclear accountability, or project errors. For example, by integrating blockchain technology into the BIM work environment, it can improve the security and reliability of information exchange through the real-time monitoring and recording of BIM model changes [3]. Moreover, Piao [4] showed that blockchain technology can reduce working times by 49% and save 54% of costs in BIM projects. In this Editorial, Kaszyńska et al. [5] focused on designing concrete mixtures for 3D printing technology and analyzed various aspects of their properties and their environmental impact. They found out that appropriate material modifications in the mixture for 3D printing can significantly reduce negative environmental impacts without compromising the desired 3D printing performance. Their study’s original methodological evaluation helped them to make informed decisions when considering the best blend based on material, environmental, and economic factors. From a wider perspective of this sustainability aspect in cities, the economic implications of introducing zero-emission buses into public transportation were also studied by Pietrzak and Pietrzak [6]. They found that the existing composition of the nation’s energy mix restricts economic gains, from zero-emission buses to a variety of urban transportation vehicles.

2.2. The Social Aspect of Sustainability

In addition to economic sustainability, advanced technologies can also elevate the social aspect of sustainability, relating to the needs of the public and project stakeholders. In this Editorial, Michalak and Michałowski [7] investigated the perceptions of investors, architects, contractors, and sellers of building products in Poland on the issue of building product evaluation and sustainability. The findings revealed that more than half of the respondents defined the term sustainability correctly. Advanced technologies help to increase stakeholder satisfaction by providing reliable means of monitoring construction activities, while also strengthening working relationships among project participants. For example, the immutable and transparent nature of blockchain technology can protect BIM-enabled projects from corruption and unethical behavior in the supply chain [2]. Thus, integrating BIM with other advanced technologies can lead to more effective collaboration and directly contribute to sustainable social benefits.

2.3. The Environmental Aspect of Sustainability

Advanced technologies have the potential to evaluate and alleviate environmental impacts across project stages. They help to reduce material and energy consumption while improving sustainability and circularity in construction projects. This Editorial highlights eight research papers covering various environmental aspects of sustainability, ranging from the use of computer simulations to evaluate energy retrofit programs [8] to an assessment of school building envelopes and their impact on energy consumption [9]. It also includes an assessment framework for sustainable energy communities [10], an analytical calculation of building smart readiness metrics [11], as well as some modelling approaches, such as a new Einstein operator based on the q-rung orthogonal pair fuzzy number [12], a robust MCDM technique for assessing the implementation level of renewable energy facilities in Polish cities [13], and an energy model used for an educational building [14]. These papers succeed at leveraging and integrating advanced technologies in order to improve environmental sustainability.

Monna et al. [8] focused on using computer simulations to evaluate energy retrofit programs and energy consumption in residential buildings. A benchmark for evaluating energy retrofits was established with various levels of action in improving energy usage. Their study contributes to energy sustainability in terms of energy efficiency and energy retrofitting in residential buildings.

Riaz et al. [12] developed a robust MCDM technique based on Einstein operators with q-rung orthogonal pair fuzzy numbers. The technique includes scoring functions, accuracy functions, and deterministic functions to rank q-rung orthogonal pair fuzzy numbers (q-ROFNs), and an actual case application was conducted. This study contributes to the existing research on integrated energy planning conducted in Pakistan by integrating energy modelling and decision support into the sustainable energy planning decision-making process.

Mohelníková, et al. [9] evaluated school building envelopes and their impact on energy consumption. The authors selected one of the schools they attended for a detailed evaluation, and this school became particularly crucial when monitoring indoor thermal and visual environments in school classrooms as compared to the current status and retrofit options. The findings revealed that school buildings, even when refurbished, are highly inefficient. The windows largely influenced the indoor climate of the classroom. Solar gain affected indoor thermal stability and daylighting. This study provides insightful context into the insulating quality of building envelopes and efficient shading systems used for the school’s main renovation strategy.

Vigna et al. [11] analyzed building intelligence readiness indicators through a comparative case study of two expert groups. The findings showed an effective and broad set of recommended smart readiness indicators that could be used to improve the relevance and validity of their assessments. This research also helps to define benchmarks and combines them with other measurable key indicators.

Salom et al. [10] proposed an assessment framework that allows sustainable energy communities to monitor their performance. The assessment framework defines five main categories and describes the key performance indicators that are critical to Sustainable Plus Energy Community (SPEN) assessments and the rationale for their selection. This research provides important insight into the large-scale deployment of SPEN and the Positive Energy District framework in areas beyond traditional and rigid construction.

Albatayneh et al. [14] constructed an energy model for an educational building and examined the real energy consumption data of different types of envelope retrofits. The results of this study revealed that some components had better energy efficiency, but with higher detriments, such as exterior wall insulation, roof insulation, glazing, windows, and external shading devices. This study further highlights the need for an adaptive approach to uphold thermal comfort in designing buildings.

3. Conclusions and Future Research Agenda

This Editorial stresses the need for further interdisciplinary research on advanced technologies across various dimensions associated with sustainable construction. First, from the perspective of stakeholder management, the digital work environment needs to better engage and extend to external stakeholders. This external engagement will create added value for sustainable project performance. Hence, the discourse linking advanced technologies to social performance through stakeholder management should be the focal point of project requirements in the future. Second, most of the current studies on advanced technologies and sustainability performance usually take a qualitatively oriented approach. More quantitative analyses are needed in order to verify which digital technologies are catalysts or even effective determinants for sustainable construction, particularly with emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and IoT. Finally, new performance indicators need to be systematically developed in conjunction with the maturity levels of advanced technologies.