Digital Technologies in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC)—2nd Edition

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 November 2025 | Viewed by 1408

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Civil Engineering, Central South University, Changsha 410075, China
Interests: intelligent construction; enterprise management; organization management; project management; program management; construction waste management
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is undergoing a significant shift from conventional labour-intensive methods to automation through the use of digital technologies (DTs), bringing various benefits to the industry, such as enhanced visualization and productivity, better data sharing, reduced construction waste, sustainable performance, and safety improvements. However, the rapid growth in the application of DTs in the AEC industry still poses many challenges, with scientific issues deserving of scholarly attention. This Special Issue therefore invites authors to submit high-quality contributions on topics related to digital technologies in this sector. We welcome original research or systematic literature reviews using survey or qualitative research, mathematical modelling, and other methods.

We sincerely appreciate your interest and look forward to your valuable contribution to making this Special Issue a success. We also wish to encourage you to share this invitation among your colleagues and any researchers who may be interested in participating.

Prof. Dr. Feng Guo
Guest Editor

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.

Keywords

  • intelligent construction
  • green construction
  • sustainable construction
  • computer-aided design and engineering
  • automated inspection
  • robotics in construction
  • innovation management in construction
  • construction waste management

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

26 pages, 1814 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Dynamic Evolution and Prevention of Technological Innovation Risks in Major Railway Projects
by Feng Guo, Qixuan Liu, Lemin Li, Yixue Zuo, Yifang Pan and Wanping Pan
Buildings 2025, 15(8), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15081294 - 15 Apr 2025
Viewed by 223
Abstract
Technological innovation risk in major railway projects is high, and the risk factors in the innovation process are complex and variable. In order to successfully complete the goal of technological innovation in major railway projects. This paper identifies the risk factors of technological [...] Read more.
Technological innovation risk in major railway projects is high, and the risk factors in the innovation process are complex and variable. In order to successfully complete the goal of technological innovation in major railway projects. This paper identifies the risk factors of technological innovation in major railway projects, establishes a system dynamics model of technological innovation risk evolution, and carries out simulation analysis by taking the C railway project as an example, to understand the risk evolution process, clarify the key tasks of risk prevention, and finally draw the following research conclusions: (1) Technological innovation risk is categorized into innovation management risk, technology R&D risk, and technology application risk, of which innovation management risk has a greater impact on technological innovation risk. (2) During the construction process, the risk of technological innovation shows a general trend of increasing and then stabilizing, with the technology R&D stage being the centralized emergence stage of technological innovation risk. (3) Changes in the values of risk factors will have different degrees of impact on technological innovation risk, with changes in planning and implementation having the greatest impact on the technological innovation risk system, followed by the feasibility of results, and changes in the value of technological difficulties risk having a lesser impact on the system. The results of this study can provide lessons and references for the prevention of technological innovation risks in major railway projects. Full article
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22 pages, 17688 KiB  
Article
Risk−Based Cost−Benefit Optimization Design for Steel Frame Structures to Resist Progressive Collapse
by Feng Guo, Xuancen Li, Aiyan Xu, Yuchen Zhang and Wanping Pan
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3880; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123880 - 3 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 769
Abstract
The design of structures to resist progressive collapse primarily focuses on enhancing structural safety and robustness. However, given the low probability of accidental events, such designs often lead to a negative cost–benefit. To address this problem, this paper uses risk analysis to optimize [...] Read more.
The design of structures to resist progressive collapse primarily focuses on enhancing structural safety and robustness. However, given the low probability of accidental events, such designs often lead to a negative cost–benefit. To address this problem, this paper uses risk analysis to optimize the progressive collapse resistance design of steel frame structures. The elements’ cross-section design for the progressive collapse resistance of steel frame structures is optimized using genetic algorithms and SAP2000 23, which identify the structural model with the minimum robustness index while ensuring safety. The results show that the risk-based robustness index can effectively assess the cost of progressive collapse design. More importantly, the optimization model can rapidly identify the most cost-effective structural design solution that complies with progressive collapse resistance guidelines, enhancing the simplicity and usability of the structure design optimization process. Additionally, the integration of the SAP2000 API with Python 3.8 automation streamlines the parameterization process, minimizes manual errors, and enhances the precision and efficiency of the structural design optimization. Finally, the model’s effectiveness is validated through a case study, where the refined single-frame structure shows a reduction in initial construction and collapse-related costs by 2.4% and 9.1%, respectively. Meanwhile, the three-dimensional frame shows a 2.9% rise in initial costs but a 13.5% decrease in total collapse-resistant design costs, illustrating the model’s ability to balance safety with cost-effectiveness. Full article
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