Intelligent Sustainable Built Environments: AI, Robotics, and Digital Twins for Net-Zero Futures

Dear Colleagues,

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital twins (DTs) is redefining how we design, construct, operate, and sustain the built environment. Moving beyond digital documentation, this sector is entering an era of intelligent, adaptive, and sustainable systems that actively contribute to net-zero futures.

This Special Issue, “Intelligent Sustainable Built Environments: AI, Robotics, and Digital Twins for Net-Zero Futures”, invites cutting-edge research on how intelligent technologies drive climate-neutral, resilient, and efficient built environments. Topics of interest include the following:

• AI and ML for sustainable AEC: Generative design, predictive maintenance, embodied carbon modeling, and lifecycle optimization.
• Digital Twins for sustainability: Real-time sensing, energy efficiency, disaster resilience, and city-scale digital ecosystems.
• Construction robotics and automation: Autonomous machinery, collaborative robots (cobots), prefabrication, and human–robot collaboration.
• Integration of PropTech and real estate intelligence: AI in property valuation, investment decision-making, adaptive reuse, and sustainable asset management.
• Urban intelligence and Net-Zero cities: Coupling buildings, infrastructure, mobility, and renewable energy using AI-driven DTs.
• Ethics, trust, and governance: Data interoperability, fairness, cybersecurity, and responsible adoption of intelligent systems.

By linking digital innovation with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this Special Issue will supplement the existing literature in Sustainability by providing interdisciplinary, practice-oriented, and globally relevant perspectives.

Dr. Sepehr AlizadehSalehi
Prof. Dr. Ahmad Hadavi
Guest Editors

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