Applications of Industry 4.0 Digital Technologies Towards A Construction Circular Economy: Thematic, Gap Analysis and Conceptual Framework

Purpose This paper aims to explore the emerging relationship between Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies (e.g. blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)) and the construction industry’s gradual transition into a circular economy (CE) system to foster the adoption of circular economy in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A critical and thematic analysis conducted on 115 scientific papers reveals a noticeable growth in adopting digital technologies to leverage a CE system. Moreover, a conceptual framework is developed to show the interrelationship between different I4.0 technologies to foster the implantation of CE in the construction industry. Findings Most of the existing bodies of research provide conceptual solutions rather than developing workable applications and the future of smart cities. Moreover, the coalescence of different technologies is highly recommended to enable tracking of building assets’ and components’ (e.g. fixtures and fittings and structural components) performance, which enables users to optimize the salvage value of components reusing or recycling them just in time and extending assets’ operating lifetime. Finally, circular supply chain management must be adopted for both new and existing buildings to realise the industry's CE ambitions. Hence, further applied research is required to foster CE adoption for existing cities and infrastructure that connects them. Originality/value This paper investigates the interrelationships between most emerging digital technologies and circular economy and concludes with the development of a conceptual digital ecosystem to integrate IoT, blockchain and AI into the operation of assets to direct future practical research application

Internet of things systems and applications for smart buildings

[Excerpt] Recent research advances in sensors, wireless communications, network protocols, microelectronics, cloud computing, and machine learning, among others, are driving the growth of the Internet of Things (IoT). The proliferation of IoT systems is increasingly pervasive, covering application areas such as smart grids, industrial automation, healthcare, sports/fitness, smart farming, environmental monitoring, smart cities, intelligent transportation systems, logistics, etc. One of the main driving areas of the IoT is in the context of smart buildings and smart homes, where several applications are envisioned, such as: energy consumption reduction; energy management of smart grids, battery storage systems, electric mobility, and renewable energy sources; monitoring and control of indoor environment parameters, such air quality and thermal comfort; and structural health monitoring. In this sense, the IoT system generally comprises, among other components, a network of IoT devices interfacing with sensors and actuators that are remotely configured, monitored and controlled, manually by the users and/or through intelligent automatic algorithms, with the support of cloud computing services. In this editorial, we provide a brief review of the application of the IoT paradigm in different research areas, with the focus on smart home and smart building scenarios. [...