Digital Transformation in Construction: Advancing Leadership, Safety, Human–Machine Collaboration, and Sustainable Innovation

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is entering a transformative era through the adoption of AI, IoT, robotics, digital twins, and immersive AR/VR technologies. Collectively, these advances are revolutionizing project planning and management while transforming leadership practices, safety management systems, and human–machine collaboration.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for cutting-edge research and practical insights into how digital transformation is driving organizational change, improving safety performance, and reshaping human–technology interactions in the construction sector. We seek to advance both theoretical understanding and practical applications, contributing to a sustainable, resilient, and intelligent future for the construction industry.

We invite original research articles, systematic reviews, case studies, conceptual papers, and perspectives that explore the integration of digital technologies in construction, with a particular focus on leadership strategies, safety management, and human–machine synergy. Contributions leveraging emerging approaches powered by LLMs and generative AI, bridging theory and practice, highlighting interdisciplinary perspectives, or offering policy and industry implications are especially encouraged.

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Digital leadership strategies, organizational transformation, and cultural change in the era of Industry 4.0 and beyond.
• Change management, workforce upskilling, and digital competence development for construction professionals.
• AI, machine learning, LLMs, and generative AI for safety intelligence, risk detection, and predictive analytics.
• IoT-enabled real-time monitoring systems for enhancing construction site safety, productivity, and operational efficiency.
• Robotics, drones, autonomous equipment, wearables, and human–AI collaboration in construction operations.
• Human factors, psychological, ergonomic, and organizational implications of collaborative robotics and automation.
• BIM, digital twins, and integrated platforms for planning, execution, lifecycle management, and sustainability assessment.
• AR/VR and mixed reality for immersive training, design visualization, stakeholder collaboration, and decision support.
• Big data analytics, cloud computing, and edge intelligence for project optimization and predictive modeling.
• Ethical, legal, and social implications of digital transformation and AI-driven human–machine interaction.
• Case studies showcasing best practices, lessons learned, and barriers in digital transformation initiatives.
• Education and training innovation to prepare the next-generation digital construction workforce.
• Sustainability and resilience through digital transformation: carbon reduction, resource efficiency, and green construction practices.
• Cross-disciplinary approaches linking digital construction with urban development, smart cities, and infrastructure resilience.

Dr. Sainan Lyu
Dr. Xiaoyan Jiang
Dr. Beibei Zhang
Dr. Peng Cui
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.