Harnessing AI for Circular and Socially Sustainable Construction Planning and Management
A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2026 | Viewed by 438
Special Issue Editors
Interests: circular economy; AI in construction; sustainable construction; circular skills; construction waste minimisation and management; BIM; sustainable procurement; construction risk management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: gen AI in construction; circular economy; BIM; smart campuses and cities; systems thinking and dynamics; natural language processing; continuous improvement; construction cost management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: environmental technology; sustainable construction materials; green building; waste minimisation; BIM; digital construction
Interests: circular economy business models; decent work; digital built environments; human-centred circular economy; social value; supply chain management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The transition to a circular and socially sustainable economy demands more than improved resource efficiency. It requires intelligent, data-driven systems capable of holistically evaluating environmental, economic, and social value. Traditional decision-making frameworks are often inadequate for managing the complexity of circular economy (CE) initiatives, particularly when these initiatives intersect with digital platforms and infrastructure systems.
This Special Issue responds to the urgent need for advanced decision support tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and expert systems. These technologies offer the potential to accelerate circular transitions while enhancing social value outcomes. In particular, this issue explores AI-enabled frameworks for social value assessment, the development of smart circularity indicators, and decision support systems that integrate circular principles through advanced analytics.
Key areas of interest include the alignment of circular economy business models with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), integration of CE principles into Building Information Modeling (BIM), lifecycle sustainability assessments, and applications of Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies in achieving net-zero, resilient, and nature-based infrastructure solutions.
This issue also welcomes research on circular skills development, curriculum innovation, and systems thinking approaches that empower stakeholders to make informed, socially responsible decisions. By connecting digital innovation, sustainability governance, and social equity, this Special Issue seeks to define the next frontier in AI-driven circular economy practice.
Dr. Olabode Ogunmakinde
Dr. Temitope Omotayo
Dr. Eeydzah Aminudin
Prof. Dr. Bankole Osita Awuzie
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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
- artificial intelligence for sustainability
- social value assessment
- digital circular economy
- smart decision support systems
- circular economy and infrastructure
- lifecycle sustainability assessment
- BIM and circularity integration
- Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies
- green and resilient retrofitting
- sustainability literacy and curriculum innovation
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.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
