About this Research Topic
The Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry is one of the most significant consumers of natural resources and energy during the production cycle. Furthermore, it is an industry where few significant changes have occurred in recent decades. Nevertheless, this sector currently represents about 6% of the world Gross Domestic Product (GDP). There are growing concerns with the industry’s negative impacts on the environment. This has fostered the development of materials, design strategies, and construction technologies that optimize buildings’ performance throughout their life cycle, from construction to disassembly. This scope has been expanded after the consolidation of the “fourth industrial revolution”, also known as Industry 4.0, once several researchers focused on the development of technological advances that optimize building construction and operation activities. This mobilization resulted in significant advances regarding facilities management, construction modelling and simulation, multicriteria decision-making applied to building operation, and smart design.
However, many of the technologies under development have not yet been widely used in the AEC industry and others are only being applied in isolation. The big challenge is to improve and integrate several existing technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Wearable sensors, 3D printing, laser scanning and robotics, among others. The aim of implementing these technologies, is to provide managers with sufficient information for better project management. In addition, the integration of the aforementioned technologies with emerging techniques, such as big data and blockchain, allow the use of real-time information to create dynamic models, which are very useful in the construction field, especially in construction measurement, management, and control. Therefore, the construction industry requires the development of new trends and ideas that favour its modernization across different projects and at all stages.
This Research Topic focuses on the latest developments in the field of Smart Buildings Design, Modelling, and Operation. We encourage original research papers, submissions related to successful applications of these technologies in construction measurement, monitoring, control, management, modelling, and collaborative design. High-quality reviews that present state-of-the-art research findings in this field are also welcomed.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction
- Internet of Things (IoT) and construction engineering
- Big data for smart and sustainable buildings
- Machine learning in construction engineering
- BIM adoption and implementation in construction
- Integration of BIM with advanced technologies, i.e. laser scanning, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), etc.
- Development and operation of Digital Twins for buildings and facilities
- Technology and innovation in management
- Application of blockchain in construction
- Industrialization and prefabrication in construction
- Intelligent monitoring techniques for construction sites
- AR/VR practices for site visualization, optimization, and management
- Robotics applied to building construction
- Sustainable buildings and integration with smart and sustainable cities
-Use of smart contracts in construction
However, many of the technologies under development have not yet been widely used in the AEC industry and others are only being applied in isolation. The big challenge is to improve and integrate several existing technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Internet-of-Things (IoT), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Wearable sensors, 3D printing, laser scanning and robotics, among others. The aim of implementing these technologies, is to provide managers with sufficient information for better project management. In addition, the integration of the aforementioned technologies with emerging techniques, such as big data and blockchain, allow the use of real-time information to create dynamic models, which are very useful in the construction field, especially in construction measurement, management, and control. Therefore, the construction industry requires the development of new trends and ideas that favour its modernization across different projects and at all stages.
This Research Topic focuses on the latest developments in the field of Smart Buildings Design, Modelling, and Operation. We encourage original research papers, submissions related to successful applications of these technologies in construction measurement, monitoring, control, management, modelling, and collaborative design. High-quality reviews that present state-of-the-art research findings in this field are also welcomed.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in construction
- Internet of Things (IoT) and construction engineering
- Big data for smart and sustainable buildings
- Machine learning in construction engineering
- BIM adoption and implementation in construction
- Integration of BIM with advanced technologies, i.e. laser scanning, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), etc.
- Development and operation of Digital Twins for buildings and facilities
- Technology and innovation in management
- Application of blockchain in construction
- Industrialization and prefabrication in construction
- Intelligent monitoring techniques for construction sites
- AR/VR practices for site visualization, optimization, and management
- Robotics applied to building construction
- Sustainable buildings and integration with smart and sustainable cities
-Use of smart contracts in construction
Keywords: Smart buildings, Sustainable Buildings, Internet of Things (IoT), Big data, Building Information Modeling, Blockchain, Energy Efficiency, Construction Modeling, Building Simulation, Digital Twins, Smart Contracts, Construction
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
