From Industry 4.0 to Construction 5.0: Sustainable Pathways Across the Construction Value Chain

Dear Colleagues,

The construction sector is a cornerstone of global economic and social development. However, it continues to face the persistent challenges of low productivity, fragmented processes, and high resource intensity. At the same time, the sector is under increasing pressure to align with international sustainability agendas, such as the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal. Industry 4.0 technologies, including digital twins, the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence (AI), and blockchain, offer powerful tools to enable digital integration, optimize supply chains, and foster circular strategies across the construction value chain. Building on these foundations, the emerging paradigm of Construction 5.0 (C5.0) shifts the focus towards human-centric, resilient, and regenerative approaches that prioritize environmental restoration, social equity, and worker well-being.

This Special Issue invites contributions investigating the role of I4.0 and C5.0 in supporting sustainable innovation at every stage of the construction lifecycle: design and planning, manufacturing, construction, operation and maintenance, and end of life. We welcome original research, methodological developments, conceptual frameworks, and policy-oriented studies that advance the understanding of how digital and human-centric technologies can transform the construction industry into a more efficient, equitable, and sustainable ecosystem.

Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and Construction 4.0 (C4.0) represent a key evolutionary trajectory that has been transforming building manufacturing paradigms of the processes since the last decade. However, while this digital tech-driven evolution is progressing, the construction industry is introducing and slowly transitioning toward Industry 5.0 (I5.0) and Construction 5.0 (C5.0), introducing a human-centric and sustainability-focused advancement that complements the technology-driven efficiency of I4.0 by prioritizing societal goals, environmental resilience, and human well-being within industrial processes. While C4.0 in construction focused primarily on digitalization, automation, and process optimization, C5.0 fundamentally reimagines how technology serves human and environmental needs by placing worker well-being, community engagement, and planetary boundaries at the center of technological innovation. This paradigm shift integrates advanced technologies, including collaborative AI, human–machine interfaces, bio-based materials, cognitive robotics, and regenerative design systems, within a framework that prioritizes social equity, environmental restoration, and human-centric design principles. The C5.0 approach fundamentally redefines value creation across the entire building lifecycle, working on human-centric approaches for design and planning, collaborative manufacturing and prefabrication, augmented construction execution, regenerative operation and maintenance, and circular and social end-of-life management. Thanks to this, Construction 5.0 technologies create multidimensional value that extends far beyond traditional performance metrics of cost, time, and quality typical of Construction 4.0. This emerging paradigm enables construction enterprises to simultaneously achieve environmental restoration, social equity.

We are pleased to invite you to propose original papers with the aim of this Special Issue to investigate how Industry 4.0 technologies, and their evolution into Construction 5.0, can enable the sustainable transformation of the construction value chain. By integrating digital innovation with human-centric and regenerative approaches, this Special Issue seeks to examine how advanced technologies contribute not only to efficiency and productivity, but also to social equity, environmental restoration, and long-term resilience. In line with Sustainability’s mission, this Special Issue positions the construction sector as a critical arena for exploring how digitalization and human-centered innovation can be combined to meet global sustainability targets such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the European Green Deal.

This Special Issue aims to explore how Industry 4.0 technologies and their evolution toward Construction 5.0 can enable sustainable innovation across all stages of the construction value chain. Contributions should address the integration of digital and human-centric technologies to enhance environmental, economic, and social outcomes while promoting circularity, resilience, and efficiency.

Suggested Themes

• Human-Centric design and planning:
• Participatory and inclusive design platforms supported by BIM and digital twins.
• AI generative and biophilic design approaches that prioritize occupant health, cultural preservation, and connection to natural systems.
• Collaborative manufacturing and prefabrication:
• Human–robot collaboration (cobots) in automated production.
• Integration of bio-based, recycled, and locally sourced materials within smart supply chains.
• Augmented construction execution:
• AR/VR-assisted tools, exoskeletons, and collaborative AI systems to enhance worker performance.
• Strategies to minimize ecosystem disruption and optimize local resource use.
• Regenerative Operation and Maintenance (O&M):
• Data-driven, AI-powered facility management for energy efficiency, carbon reduction, and biodiversity enhancement.
• Buildings as “living systems” supporting occupant well-being and community resilience.
• Circular and social end-of-life management:
• Material passports, blockchain-enabled tracking, and digital platforms for reverse logistics.
• Community-based reuse and recycling programs deliver both material and social value.
• Cross-cutting perspectives:
• Sustainability assessment and life-cycle management of I4.0/C5.0 applications.
• Governance, policy, and business strategies supporting human-centric and circular transitions.
• Comparative studies on digitalization and green transition in construction ecosystems.

• Original research articles presenting empirical studies, experiments, and case studies demonstrating practical applications.
• Conceptual and theoretical contributions presenting frameworks, models, and definitions for I4.0/C5.0 in construction.
• Methodological papers presenting tools, metrics, and decision-support systems for sustainability assessment.
• Systematic reviews and state-of-the-art surveys synthesizing current knowledge on I4.0 and C5.0 adoption.
• Policy and practice-oriented contributions discussing governance, industrial strategy, and socio-economic impacts.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Angelos Amditis
Dr. Alessandro Pracucci
Dr. Theo Zaffagnini
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Industry 4.0
• construction 5.0
• sustainable construction
• digital twins
• smart manufacturing and prefabrication
• human-centric innovation
• circular economy in construction
• supply chain digitalization
• construction value chain