Construction 4.0 technologies and their contribution to sustainability in building construction: A comprehensive and comparative assessment

Construction 4.0 technologies have high potential to boost sustainability in the building sector by optimizing processes, reducing environmental impact, and improving quality of life. However, a research gap exists that prevents us from understanding the specific impact and interrelationship of these technologies in building construction, particularly their contribution to the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social. This study aims to analyze the level of contribution of Construction 4.0 technologies to the three dimensions of sustainability, in the building construction phase. To achieve this objective, this study proposed: (1) to identify and prioritize Construction 4.0 technologies according to their contribution to sustainability; (2) to identify core technologies and assess their overlap across dimensions; and (3) compare contribution assessments across different disciplines, years of experience in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction) sector, and continents using the Kruskal-Wallis test. To this end, fifteen relevant technologies were identified through a comprehensive literature review. Subsequently, a global survey of 118 AEC experts in 40 countries across six continents was conducted, and the Relative Influence Index (RII) was used to establish a hierarchy of these technologies and quantify their impact on each dimension of sustainability. Concordance, normalization, and overlap analysis techniques were applied to examine the relationships and overlaps between Construction 4.0 technologies and the dimensions of sustainability. The study's results reveal four critical Construction 4.0 technologies that contribute to each dimension, ranking among the top three in the RII for each: Building Information Modeling (BIM), Prefabrication and Modular Construction, Advanced Building Materials, and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Seven of the 15 technologies overlap in both the environmental and economic dimensions, with BIM being the only one that overlaps in all three. The results offer direct benefits to construction companies, property developers, and policymakers, enabling the selection and implementation of technologies that improve efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and facilitate the construction of more sustainable and intelligent buildings. • BIM is the only Construction 4.0 technology that significantly impacts the three dimensions of sustainability (environmental, economic and social), with a normalization value greater than 0.5 in each of them. • Seven of the 15 technologies analyzed (among them robotics and automation, internet of things, artificial intelligence) critically overlap in the environmental and economic dimensions, with a normalization value of the RII greater than 0.5. • Significant differences in expert perceptions regarding technology contributions to sustainability exist across disciplines. • The study reveals a prioritization of economic (median of RII=0.76) and environmental (median of RII=0.75) benefits from Construction 4.0 technologies.