The importance of building information is highly attached to the ability of conventional storing to provide professional analysis. The Internet of Things (IoT) and smart devices offer a vast amount of live data stored in heterogeneous repositories, and hence the need for smart methodologies to facilitate IoT–BIM integration is very crucial. The first step to better integrating IoT and Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be performed by implementing the Service-Oriented-Architecture (SOA) to combining software and other services by replacing the sematic information that was failed to display elements of indoor conditions. The other development is to create link that able to update static models towards real-time models using SOA approach. The existing approach relies on one-way interaction; however, developing two-way communication to mimic human cognitive has become very crucial. The high-tech approach requires highly involving Cloud computations to better connect IoT devices throughout Internet infrastructure. This approach is based on the integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) with real-time data from IoT devices aiming at improving construction and operational efficiencies and to provide high-fidelity BIM models for numerous applications. The paper discusses challenges, limitations, and barriers that face BIM–IoT integration and simultaneously solves interoperability issues and Cloud computing. The paper provides a comprehensive review that explores and identifies common emerging areas of application and common design patterns of the traditional BIM-IoT integration followed by devising better methodologies to integrate IoT in BIM.

Construction robots employ cutting-edge technology to perform tasks more accurately than traditional construction workers, producing higher-quality results and fewer mistakes. Moreover, although construction robotics is a demanding topic in construction sector research, more review studies that track and anticipate adoption trends are required in the construction sector. This study aims to bridge this gap by identifying the adoption challenges and limitations of construction robots and the opportunities offered to the construction sector. To achieve this aim, the study adopts a systematic literature review approach using the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol. Additionally, the systematic literature review focuses on the framework for categorizing technological advances and potential trends in development over the past decade. The review results reveal that: (a) current robotic technology covered four critical perspectives including perception, mobility, manipulation, and collaboration; (b) promoting the sector requires attention to safety and ethical issues because of the risks associated.

As urbanization continues to grow around the world, the risks associated with construction are increasing. Scientific and practical risk assessments help reduce safety risks and achieve healthy, long-term growth, so there has been much research in this field. Through a review of the literature, this study aims to reveal the state and trends of research in the field of safety risk assessment. We searched 473 articles on construction risk assessment from the Web of Science (WoS) in the last decade, bibliometrically analyzed them, and then uncovered their significance using CiteSpace software (6.1. R6 (64-bit) Basic). The primary topics of conversation are countries, institutions, authors, and keywords, followed by references. According to the co-authorship analysis, the current research in this field is mainly from China, the USA, and Australia. Most influential authors currently have teaching or research positions at educational institutions; the most notable of which include Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Tsinghua University. They form a relatively close network of institutional cooperation. Based on the results of the co-term analysis, this study found that the current research hotspots are mainly focusing on “multi-objective optimization”, “risk management”, “mechanical characterization”, “mental fatigue”, “accident prevention”, and many others. Data-driven, AI-assisted, and multi-stakeholder participation are the future trends in this field.

Automatic building extraction has been applied in many domains. It is also a challenging problem because of the complex scenes and multiscale. Deep learning algorithms, especially fully convolutional neural networks (FCNs), have shown robust feature extraction ability than traditional remote sensing data processing methods. However, hierarchical features from encoders with a fixed receptive field perform weak ability to obtain global semantic information. Local features in multiscale subregions cannot construct contextual interdependence and correlation, especially for large-scale building areas, which probably causes fragmentary extraction results due to intra-class feature variability. In addition, low-level features have accurate and fine-grained spatial information for tiny building structures but lack refinement and selection, and the semantic gap of across-level features is not conducive to feature fusion. To address the above problems, this paper proposes an FCN framework based on the residual network and provides the training pattern for multi-modal data combining the advantage of high-resolution aerial images and LiDAR data for building extraction. Two novel modules have been proposed for the optimization and integration of multiscale and across-level features. In particular, a multiscale context optimization module is designed to adaptively generate the feature representations for different subregions and effectively aggregate global context. A semantic guided spatial attention mechanism is introduced to refine shallow features and alleviate the semantic gap. Finally, hierarchical features are fused via the feature pyramid network. Compared with other state-of-the-art methods, experimental results demonstrate superior performance with 93.19 IoU, 97.56 OA on WHU datasets and 94.72 IoU, 97.84 OA on the Boston dataset, which shows that the proposed network can improve accuracy and achieve better performance for building extraction.

Net-zero energy building (NZEB), an initiative to address energy conservation and emission reduction, has received widespread attention worldwide. This study aims to systematically explore recent challenges in NZEB retrofit research through a mixed-method approach and provide recommendations and future directions. A review of 106 documents (2020–2024) retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases found that the globalization of NZEB retrofit research is unstoppable. Assessment methods are diverse, ranging from modeling energy efficiency (using different software such as DesignBuilder 7.0, PVsyst 7.4, EnergyPlus 24.1.0, etc.) to multi-attribute decision-making methods (e.g., DEMATEL-AHP/ANP-VIKOR) and comparative analysis. Current assessment metrics are dominated by economic benefits (e.g., net present value, dynamic payback period, and total operating cost) and energy consumption (e.g., electricity consumption and generation), with less consideration of environmental impacts (e.g., carbon reduction), as well as comfort (e.g., thermal comfort and indoor comfort). The study found that current challenges mainly include “Low economic feasibility of retrofitting”, “Building retrofit energy code irrationality”, and “Insufficient understanding, communication, and trust between stakeholders”. To overcome these challenges, the study also proposes a framework of strategies to address them, including (1) maximizing natural space, (2) introducing a tenant equity system, (3) upgrading waste management, (4) strengthening energy monitoring, (5) establishing complete life cycle mechanisms, (6) providing systemic solutions; (7) promoting the use of low-carbon building materials, and (8) increasing policy support.

Construction faces many safety accidents with urbanization, particularly in hoisting. However, there is a lack of systematic review studies in this area. This paper explored the factors and methods of risk assessment in hoisting for industrial building system (IBS) construction. Firstly, bibliometric analysis revealed that future research will focus on “ergonomics”, “machine learning”, “computer simulation”, and “wearable sensors”. Secondly, the previous 80 factors contributing to hoisting risks were summarized from a “human–equipment–management–material–environment” perspective, which can serve as a reference point for managers. Finally, we discussed, in-depth, the application of artificial neural networks (ANNs) and digital twins (DT). ANNs have improved the efficiency and accuracy of risk assessment. Still, they require high-quality and significant data, which traditional methods do not provide, resulting in the low accuracy of risk simulation results. DT data are emerging as an alternative, enabling stakeholders to visualize and analyze the construction process. However, DT’s interactivity, high cost, and information security need further improvement. Based on the discussion and analysis, the risk control model created in this paper guides the direction for future research.