Industrial Manufacturing and Digitalization in the AEC Industry
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 December 2025 | Viewed by 55
Special Issue Editors
Interests: digital construction; building information modelling (BIM); digital twin; data science and AI in construction; industrial manufacturing for AEC; construction simulation
Interests: digital engineering; smart manufacturing and production
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: BIM; digital twin; human system interaction; lean construction; industrial manufacturing for AEC
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: digital project management; digital transformation; AI in project management; sustainable project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The construction industry continues to face long-standing challenges, including low productivity, fragmented supply chains, skilled labor shortages, and high levels of waste and carbon emissions. Traditional project delivery methods often lack the standardization, scalability, and predictability needed to meet growing demands for sustainable and affordable infrastructure.
At the same time, industries such as manufacturing have undergone profound transformation through digitalization, automation, and lean practices, unlocking gains in efficiency, quality, and flexibility. The AEC sector stands at the threshold of a similar revolution, where the convergence of industrial manufacturing and digital innovation offers a unique opportunity to reimagine how we design, deliver, and operate the built environment.
This Special Issue seeks to explore how principles and technologies from industrial manufacturing, when integrated with digital tools such as BIM, digital twins, AI, and IoT, can enable new models of construction that are more agile, data-driven, and sustainable. It welcomes contributions that address this intersection, including theoretical frameworks, methodological innovations, case studies, and implementation challenges. Key themes of interest include (but are not limited to) the following:
- Digital twins and AI-driven synchronization of off-site/on-site construction.
- Factory-based production systems for prefabricated and modular construction.
- Advanced logistics and planning for industrialized construction processes.
- Industrial automation, robotics, and cyber–physical systems in prefabrication.
- LLMs in design automation, code compliance checking, document generation, and decision support.
- Application of Design for X (DfX) in industrialized construction (DfManufacturing, DfAssembly, DfSustainability, etc.).
- Knowledge representation and ontologies supporting digital transformation in AEC.
- Traceability systems for tracking components across the construction supply chain.
- Simulation techniques for factory layout, logistics planning, installation sequencing, and system performance.
Dr. Moslem Sheikhkhoshkar
Prof. Dr. Rasoul Khandan
Prof. Dr. Hind Bril El Haouzi
Dr. Saeed Banihashemi
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.
Keywords
- industrialized construction
- off-site manufacturing
- digitalization in AEC
- AI in construction
- LLMs in construction
- knowledge-based engineering
- data-driven construction
- digital engineering
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
