Navigating the shift towards sustainable digital building permits and building logbooks

<ns3:p>The architecture, engineering, construction, and operation sectors face significant sustainability challenges. Environmentally, it contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion. Socially, it must address issues such as worker safety and community impact. Economically, the sector struggles to balance cost efficiency with sustainable practices. Digital solutions are expected to support sustainable construction. Digital building permits (DBP) and digital building logbooks (DBL) provide examples of digital solutions that support sustainable construction and building management. DBP and DBL are intertwined to enhance the efficiency and transparency of the construction and building management processes. However, research on how DBP and DBL can address sustainability in practice is limited. To address this research gap, this study uses the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an analytical framework for the sustainability of DBP and DBL. The research consisted of four phases. First, an expert group identified and selected the SDGs related to DBP and DBL. Then, the experts identified the relevant targets of the selected SDGs. Subsequently, the expert group specified the DBP and DBL practices that supported the relevant targets. Finally, the expert group organised a workshop with external experts in the study area to verify the practices supporting the SDGs. The study identified DBP and DBL practices contributing to achieving 10 SDGs: 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, and 17. The findings suggest that DBL and DBL practices provide opportunities for environmental, social, and economic sustainability; however, further empirical research is needed. The study concluded that DBP and DBL practices can enhance energy management, reduce carbon emissions, improve resource utilisation, and reduce waste. They also support creating a built environment that is user-friendly and remotely accessible, as well as offering financial benefits and improving efficiency and transparency while minimising errors from human interpretation through automation.</ns3:p>