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Digital twins (DTs) are one of the latest technology trends in all industries. However, DT development in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry is still in its infancy. Digital twins have been proposed as tools that can be applied to several challenges in various areas of the built environment. However, their widespread use is hampered due to the slow pace of digitization of the AEC industry, in addition to the absence of a formalized standard for digital twins’ implementation. We began this study by systematically reviewing publications related to DT applications in the AEC industry in four databases, resulting in 229 publications after applying the proposed criteria. The systematic review highlighted the lack of standardization for DTs in the AEC industry. Additionally, this study assessed the current status of DTs and analyzed the evolution of the concept of DTs in the AEC industry. We also proposed a conceptual framework for DT development for construction assets, using the existing BIM information management standards (i.e., ISO 19650) to promote a better interoperable digitalized built environment.

Traditional construction project management approaches suffer from technical isolation and process deficiencies, particularly in whole-life-cycle model coordination. This paper addresses how to develop a comprehensive management framework that optimizes model coordination through technology integration. This multi-technology integration framework combines CAD drawings, Building Information Modeling (BIM), immersive technology, and 3D Gaussian Splatting scanning while implementing ISO 19650 standards for information management. A hospital project case study was used and validated featuring complex structural and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) coordination scenarios. This empirical study demonstrated an approximate 22%-35% reduction in pipeline dismantling rates, 40% shorter review cycles for complex nodes, and significantly improved construction quality verification accuracy. These outcomes highlight how technological synergies can overcome traditional management limitations and establish a robust foundation for future engineering projects. Future research should validate the framework across diverse project types, explore additional integrated technologies, and conduct long-term impact assessments during operation phases.

Purpose This paper aims to describe the development of guidance to help clients and operational teams to clearly define information requirements for projects using building information modelling (BIM). ISO 19650 standards highlight this as a critical first step to ensure adequate information is available to optimise built assets over their whole life cycle. Design/methodology/approach A document analysis of existing BIM guidance supported by literature was undertaken to answer the research questions: “What guidance already exists specific to clients? and Would additional guidance help clients to better fulfil their role as the ‘appointing party’ in line with ISO 19650?” Findings A research gap was established highlighting a lack of guidance specifically aimed to help clients formulate information requirements as the appointing party. This research makes recommendations for an approach to define the requirements and support successful outcomes for BIM projects. Practical implications This paper provides a standardised approach and a starting point for an appointing party to gather and structure information requirements in line with ISO 19650. Originality/value This paper considers BIM information requirements specifically from an operations perspective with a focus on the client and facility management team.

The construction industry contributes significantly to global greenhouse gas emissions and extraction of primary resources. The linear economy models used in building development projects are unsustainable. Hence, implementing circular economy models in the building development process is necessary. This paper aims to increase reuse in building projects. The study utilized a literature study, 18 interviews with construction industry professionals, and two case studies. The focus of the study was the role of digital information management in achieving a circular economy and a narrowed scope on the reuse of building materials and components. The results show six challenges for increasing the reuse of building materials in construction projects. The most central challenges are profitability, human willingness to action and change, and storage of reusable building materials. Based on the findings in this paper, a framework is developed for how digital information of construction resources can be utilized and managed throughout the lifetime of buildings. The suggested solutions will enhance the ability of property owners and developers to achieve circularity in their building projects and existing building stocks. In this respect, this paper contributes to the emergence of new profitable business models and markets within a circular value chain for building materials in the construction industry.

Poor information management is predominant in construction projects and tends to have a negative effect on project outcomes. The use of technology, in particular building information modelling (BIM), has been promoted to address information management issues. However, the adoption of BIM is fraught with challenges, such as a lack of standardisation and difficulties in effectively adopting standards such as ISO 19650. This research aims to deepen knowledge and improve the management of BIM standards, particularly in using ISO 19650 to collaboratively deliver construction projects by applying process modelling techniques. By employing a mixed-methods approach that combines document analysis and qualitative interviews, this study critically examines the principles and requirements of ISO 19650 and their practical implications. It focuses on how process modelling can clarify complex concepts and improve information management. The findings indicate that process modelling significantly aids in comprehending ISO 19650, making its intricate concepts more accessible to multidisciplinary teams, enhancing stakeholder communication, improving project execution efficiency, and reducing errors and rework. Furthermore, this research emphasises the need to distinguish ISO 19650-derived elements from those adapted from other sources to ensure transparency and integrity in project management practices. The main implications of this study are two-fold. From a research perspective, it contributes to the academic discourse by addressing a critical gap in the literature, which has largely focused on BIM technology implementation rather than the processes and workflows necessary for effective standard adoption. From a practical perspective, this study promotes transparency and integrity in project management practices, enabling organisations to adopt and adhere to standardised practices more effectively in collaborative environments.

BIM and 4.0 technologies are currently the leading branches of digitization in construction. The aim of this article is to confront theses on building information modeling (BIM) and coexisting technologies, and to present an analysis along with conclusions regarding the digitization process of AEC industries using BIM methodology and advanced digital technologies within the scope of 4.0 technologies. Key aspects of BIM and 4.0 technology integration were discussed, including artificial intelligence (AI) or big data and data science analytics. The impact of these fields on design processes, as well as on data management, monitoring of design and construction progress, and overall efficiency of AEC industries, was analyzed. The article pays particular attention to the synergy between BIM and 4.0 technology, identifying benefits, challenges, and development perspectives. Conclusions indicate the growing importance of interdisciplinarity for improving AEC industry processes and the need to adapt to the changing digital landscape in the field of design and construction. A survey was conducted, where respondents’ answers were presented in the form of charts. Questions focused on the issue of the use of BIM methodology along with coexisting technologies in the design process by the Polish engineering staff. The research results indicate that the use of the latest technological solutions in Poland is still rare, and the digital potential of these solutions is not fully utilized. The article can make a significant contribution to the discussion on technological evolution in AEC industries, identifying development directions in the context of digitization and the use of the latest achievements of 4.0 technology. Previous research has not included such a wide spectrum of BIM use in Poland. An analysis was conducted comparing Poland in a global context with other countries in BIM adoption.

Purpose>To foster effective implementation of building information modelling (BIM), it is guided by standards and protocols that require files naming in a format, containing a string of letters and digits in a tightly defined manner, which is perceived to be time-consuming, error-prone and serves as a barrier to BIM adoption. This paper aims to present a BIM-based plug-in solution (Auto-BIMName) that facilitates automated naming in compliance with BIM standards.Design/methodology/approach>The Auto-BIMName portal has an information management system (IMS) for generating a master information delivery plan (MIDP), which serves as pre-requisites to effective file naming. Once the naming schema is implemented through text input controls for a project name, volume, level and number, the Revit plugin communicates with its IMS to fetch the name string or concatenate the string in line with the ISO 19650 convention, where the IMS is unused. The system was validated through a simulated collaborative project.Findings>System testing and evaluation confirmed that the Auto-BIMName will ease the process of file naming, thereby facilitating collaboration efficiency, naming consistency across project teams and lifecycle stages, ease of file naming, time-saving and inducement for BIM implementation, etc. By linking information from MIDP in the BIM execution plan, the platform enhanced information management processes and improved coordination across project teams and lifecycle stages.Originality/value>Apart from demonstrating how the automated naming platform enhances project performance, information management and coordination, the paper provides a practical demonstration of how the construction industry will benefit from enhanced digitalisation and process automation.

PurposeThis review interrogates global Building Information Modelling (BIM) uptake in public-infrastructure programmes to distil evidence-based lessons and policy levers relevant to South Africa’s Public–Private Partnership (PPP) pipeline.FindingsStatutory mandates aligned to ISO 19650, ministerial steering bodies and open-standard deliverables consistently accelerate BIM diffusion and generate cost-accuracy improvements of 5%–10%, carbon savings of 15%–20% and dispute reductions of up to 40%. Conversely, voluntarist policies, SME skills gaps and fragile digital infrastructure fragment value chains. South Africa exhibits all three weaknesses: only 15% of firms produce federated models, and no Treasury directive hard-codes IFC deliverables. Evidence indicates that regional BIM labs, grading-linked competence requirements and incentive-weighted procurement can close these gaps.Research limitations/implicationsThe study relies on published cases, grey literature and proprietary project data were excluded, potentially understating undocumented innovations. Future mixed-methods research on live South African PPPs is required to quantify policy impact.Practical implicationsRecommendations include amending the PPP Manual to mandate ISO 19650/IFC models, establishing a Treasury-funded Digital Infrastructure Skills Fund, and integrating BIM metrics into CIDB grading and payment schedules.Originality/valueThe paper synthesises heterogeneous global evidence into a coherent maturity framework and offers the first targeted, policy-ready road-map for BIM diffusion in South Africa’s infrastructure sector.

Hybrid railway assets such as workshops and depots combine building, mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP)/industrial, and linear infrastructure domains, increasing coordination complexity and challenging continuity from the Project Information Model (PIM) to the Asset Information Model (AIM). Although Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR), Asset Information Requirements (AIR), and the BIM Execution Plan (BEP) prescribe deliverables and processes, a persistent gap remains between documentary prescriptions and the auditable evidence needed to support traceable decisions within the Common Data Environment (CDE). This paper proposes an ISO 19650-aligned governance framework that operationalizes the EIR/AIR → BEP → CDE transition by: (i) structuring the asset using Functional Units (FUs) as a stable anchor for PIM → AIM continuity; and (ii) implementing a pre-Published Quality Gate that separates control into three non-substitutable dimensions (spatial, semantic, and data). The approach is implemented as a tool-neutral, reproducible workflow (inputs → checks → outputs → publish) and produces a minimal, persistent evidence package in the CDE (file-level report, package summary, publish/hold decision record, and Nonconformity Report (NCR)/BIM Collaboration Format (BCF) traceability), with explicit roles governing the Shared → Published transition. Across 22 Industry Foundation Classes (IFC), deliverables from two depot cases and multiple delivery states, All Gates Pass ranged from 25.0% to 44.4% depending on Case × State; overall, 14/22 deliverables (63.6%) would be held pending correction under the gate. Although validated on Spanish railway depots, the framework is grounded in ISO/openBIM standards and is designed for transferability to other international contexts and complex asset types where multidisciplinary federation and PIM → AIM continuity pose similar challenges.

Despite significant advances in digital surveying technologies, Heritage Building Information Modelling (HBIM) remains constrained by labour-intensive processing, fragmented classification systems, and limited standardised pathways for integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI). The absence of a systematic and standardised roadmap for AI adoption has limited both academic progress and industrial implementation. This paper proposes a comprehensive AI implementation roadmap for automated HBIM, developed through iterative research and empirical experimentation on UK heritage case studies. Building upon Design Science Research (DSR) principles, the roadmap delineates the critical dependencies among classification systems, data acquisition, algorithmic segmentation, and geometry generation, while embedding the Five HBIM Motivations, revival, restoration, restitution, retrofit, and resilience, as the primary structuring device for project intent. The study synthesises experimental findings into a practical, ISO 19650-aligned framework capable of guiding AI integration at both strategic and operational levels. An AI-enabled HBIM Execution Plan is presented as an implementation mechanism, enabling project teams to align digital workflows with heritage objectives, classification structures, and computational capacities. Evaluation through expert interviews confirms the roadmap’s feasibility, adaptability, and potential to enhance documentation efficiency, semantic richness, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The paper contributes a robust, scalable, and standards-compliant methodology for embedding AI in HBIM, offering a pivotal reference for the UK cultural heritage sector and a template for international replication.