Assessing the Perceived Interrelationships Among Barriers to Digital Twin Implementation in Construction: An Exploratory System Dynamics Modeling Approach

Motivated by Industry 4.0, digital twin (DT) technology has emerged as a pivotal enabler of intelligent transformation in the construction industry, addressing challenges such as fragmented management and limited decision support. However, its practical adoption remains early and is constrained by multiple interdependent barriers. Existing studies often examine these barriers in isolation, overlooking their perceived interrelationships and relative influence pathways. To address this gap, we identify 28 barrier factors through a structured literature review and expert consultation, categorizing them into technical, personnel, organizational, policy, industry, and economic subsystems. We then hypothesize linkages among these barriers and develop a system dynamics model to simulate their relative influence on subsystem-level barrier accumulation. Simulation results show that technical, personnel, and industry barriers exert the strongest influence on DT implementation. Based on these findings, we propose mitigation strategies focusing on technological innovation, workforce capacity building, and industry-level standardization, with complementary organizational measures. This study provides preliminary insights and a prioritization reference for enhancing DT adoption and sustainable development in construction, and offers a foundation for future research on multi-factor interactions and adaptive strategies.