Scopus Journal Call For paper: Smart and Sustainable Built Environment (From Data to Decisions: AI, Digital Twins, and Cyber-Physical Systems for Intelligent and Sustainable Built Environments )

Buildings account for approximately 40% of global energy consumption and carbon emissions, making their decarbonization critical to climate action. Artificial intelligence, digital twins, and cyber-physical systems have matured sufficiently to move beyond proof-of-concept demonstrations toward practical deployment. Yet a fundamental gap persists between technological capability and successful implementation in construction’s complex organizational structures.

This special issue addresses this disconnect by examining not only what AI and digital technologies can achieve, but how organizations successfully deploy them. While existing research focuses disproportionately on technical demonstrations, this issue emphasizes the integration of technological innovation with organizational enablers, change management strategies, and policy frameworks essential for practical adoption.

We welcome contributions across three interconnected domains: data-centric methodologies exploring AI, machine learning, and analytics for building performance optimization; cyber-physical integration examining BIM, digital twins, IoT networks, and sensor systems for intelligent lifecycle management; and sustainability outcomes and implementation addressing energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, circular economy principles, and governance structures for responsible AI deployment.

Submissions that bridge technical innovation with deployment understanding are particularly encouraged. Research demonstrating implementation pathways, organizational barriers, empirical productivity assessments, and lessons learned from real-world projects will provide exceptional value. Studies examining the gap between promised and realized impacts of AI in construction are especially welcome.

This collection advances evidence-based understanding of intelligent and sustainable built environments while addressing implementation realities essential for accelerating the sector’s digital transformation toward measurable sustainability improvements.

List of Topic Areas

Integration of BIM, digital twins, cyber-physical systems, and IoT ecosystems for intelligent building lifecycle management
AI and machine learning applications for building performance optimization, energy efficiency, structural health monitoring, and predictive maintenance
Data-driven approaches to sustainability, including decarbonization strategies, indoor environmental quality, circular economy principles, and climate resilience
Organizational enablers and barriers to digital transformation, including change management, workforce development, business models, and interoperability challenges
Policy frameworks, governance structures, and ethical considerations for responsible AI deployment, including cybersecurity and data privacy
Empirical case studies demonstrating real-world implementation outcomes, productivity impacts, and comparative assessments of promised versus realized benefits

Journal Information : Scopus Journal Q1, H-Index 36

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available at: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sasbe
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see: journal’s author guidelines hyperlink: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/journal/sasbe#jlp_author_guidelines

Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to “Please select the issue you are submitting to”.

Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.