Open research questions in BIM and Construction Integration

What the literature leaves open

• The question of who owns passport capability is not clearly answered. The study notes that buildings routinely outlive the supply chains that made them. The research identifies a gap in the current approach to digital product passports, which focuses on technology rather than governance, orchestration, and contractual handovers.

  Passport control · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for more inclusive, cross-regional collaboration to ensure equitable knowledge production and application in sustainable urban development. The paper notes that achieving sustainable and socially accepted smart cities depends on striking a balance between technological innovation, ethical responsibility, and inclusive governance.

  Integrating Artificial Intelligence into Smart Infrastructure Management for Sustainable Urban Planning · 2025 · DOI

• The existing evaluation approaches for spatial digital twins require high costs and resources. There is a need for cost-effective evaluation approaches for spatial digital twins.

  Assessing Spatial Digital Twins for Oil and Gas Projects: An Informed Argument Approach Using ISO/IEC 25010 Model · 2025 · DOI

• The lack of flexibility in adapting available parametric objects to the required accurate representation of built heritage architecture. HBIM common workflows do not adequately support the data consult required to analyze multiple hypotheses of preservation planning for old buildings.

  BIM and HBIM: Comparative Analysis of Distinct Modelling Approaches for New and Heritage Buildings · 2025 · DOI

• The current surge in GenAI lacks a study investigating its opportunities and challenges in the construction sector. There is a need to explore the prospects and complexities of GenAI integration in construction.

  Opportunities and Challenges of Generative AI in Construction Industry: Focusing on Adoption of Text-Based Models · 2024 · DOI

• Traditional teaching methods have limitations in promoting student engagement and learning. There is a need for alternative approaches to teaching and learning. Inquiry-based learning has the potential to address this gap.

  A Blended Approach to Inquiry-Based Learning Using the Example of the Interdisciplinary Course of BIM in Spatial Management Studies: A Perspective of Students and Professor · 2024 · DOI

• There is a lack of a unified standard for choosing BIM-integrated LCA software. The LCA process has a complex operation and limited database scope. Software interoperability and compatibility are significant challenges.

  Recent Technological Advancements in BIM and LCA Integration for Sustainable Construction: A Review · 2024 · DOI

• The need for standardized classifications and data interoperability.

  Integrating BIM-LCA to Enhance Sustainability Assessments of Constructions · 2024 · DOI

• The current scheduling methods have limitations, and there is a need to integrate 4D BIM with lean principles to improve construction scheduling in modular construction. The study highlights the gap in the understanding of lean construction principles and their application in modular construction projects.

  Revolutionising the 4D BIM Process to Support Scheduling Requirements in Modular Construction · 2024 · DOI

• Limited stakeholder awareness and opposition to TQM adoption. The need to address critical issues such as labor shortages, safety, and environmental concerns in Industrialized Building System projects.

  Developing Framework for Implementing Total Quality Management (TQM) in Sustainable Industrialized Building System (IBS) in Construction Projects · 2024 · DOI

• However, little is known about how productivity differs across modular building categories or how it scales with project size.

  Correlation between Size and Productivity for Modular Buildings · 2026 · DOI

• The disparity between a feature-rich space and limited samples. The balance between model precision and applicability. The reconciliation of machine learning outcomes with field-specific insights.

  Opportunities and Challenges of Generative AI in Construction Industry: Focusing on Adoption of Text-Based Models · 2024 · DOI

• Few research efforts delve into the specific issues that practitioners may face in BIM-LCA integration.

  Integrating BIM-LCA to Enhance Sustainability Assessments of Constructions · 2024 · DOI

• Access restrictions and outstanding source-level recoding further limit generalization, - The review was not prospectively registered in a public registry, - The search strategy may not have retrieved all relevant…

  Bridge Applications in Literature Mentioning BIM and XR: A Systematic Review with Perspectives for Railway Maintenance · 2026 · DOI

• Small sample size of 15 participants, - Qualitative nature of the study, - Limited to the Kuwaiti construction…

  The Role of BIM 6D and 7D in Enhancing Sustainable Construction Practices: A Qualitative Study · 2025 · DOI

• Future research can focus on applying this method to other heritage assets, - Further studies can investigate the application of predictive models for heritage asset…

  Enhancing Semantic Interoperability of Heritage BIM-Based Asset Preservation · 2025 · DOI

• Providing better support for the automation of the HBIM process, - Research on the parametric topic to improve…

  BIM and HBIM: Comparative Analysis of Distinct Modelling Approaches for New and Heritage Buildings · 2025 · DOI

• Development of advanced LCA tools for better integration with BIM software - Standardized framework for integrating BIM and LCA - Improved data exchange…

  Recent Technological Advancements in BIM and LCA Integration for Sustainable Construction: A Review · 2024 · DOI

• The study used a qualitative research approach with a case study design - The study was conducted in the UK - The study had a limited number of participants…

  Revolutionising the 4D BIM Process to Support Scheduling Requirements in Modular Construction · 2024 · DOI

• Lack of workers to complete BIM projects, - High cost of employing BIM expertise and significant expenditure of staff training, - The lack of innovation preparedness in the construction…

  Leveraging BIM for Sustainable Construction: Benefits, Barriers, and Best Practices · 2024 · DOI

• Investigating the benefits of combining sustainability with BIM in the building sector, - Examining the challenges of incorporating BIM technology into sustainable practices in the construction…

  Leveraging BIM for Sustainable Construction: Benefits, Barriers, and Best Practices · 2024 · DOI

• Lack of sufficient case studies and performance evaluations - Limited to a single case study in Dezhou, China - No comparison with other construction methods - No long-term evaluation of the BIM-LC…

  Implementing BIM and Lean Construction Methods for the Improved Performance of a Construction Project at the Disassembly and Reuse Stage: A Case Study in Dezhou, China · 2024 · DOI

• More case studies are needed to validate the results - Comparison with other construction methods is necessary - Long-term evaluation of the BIM-LC method is required - Investigation of the BIM-LC method in other construction…

  Implementing BIM and Lean Construction Methods for the Improved Performance of a Construction Project at the Disassembly and Reuse Stage: A Case Study in Dezhou, China · 2024 · DOI

• Quantifying economic feasibility, policy impact, or the ethics of data sharing - Testing generalizability to other sectors and regulatory…

  Passport control · 2026 · DOI

• Productivity varies widely across sectors, and categories characterized by standardized, repetitive layouts, such as workforce and multifamily housing, consistently achieve the highest productivity levels.

  Correlation between Size and Productivity for Modular Buildings · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in BIM and Construction Integration

• Towards a semantic Construction Digital Twin: Directions for future research · Automation in Construction · 2020 · 1,268 citations
• An introduction to concept mapping for planning and evaluation · Evaluation and Program Planning · 1989 · 1,110 citations
• Roles of artificial intelligence in construction engineering and management: A critical review and future trends · Automation in Construction · 2020 · 1,100 citations
• Artificial intelligence in the construction industry: A review of present status, opportunities and future challenges · Journal of Building Engineering · 2021 · 813 citations
• Application Areas and Data Requirements for BIM-Enabled Facilities Management · Journal of Construction Engineering and Management · 2011 · 668 citations
• Artificial intelligence in the AEC industry: Scientometric analysis and visualization of research activities · Automation in Construction · 2020 · 559 citations
• Construction with digital twin information systems · Data-Centric Engineering · 2020 · 532 citations
• Opportunities and Adoption Challenges of AI in the Construction Industry: A PRISMA Review · Journal of Open Innovation Technology Market and Complexity · 2022 · 498 citations
• Data-driven predictive maintenance planning framework for MEP components based on BIM and IoT using machine learning algorithms · Automation in Construction · 2020 · 458 citations
• Digital twin-enabled anomaly detection for built asset monitoring in operation and maintenance · Automation in Construction · 2020 · 454 citations

Most recent work

• Mapping digital twin applications in infrastructure and the built environment across research types, methods, sectors, phases, and scales · Automation in Construction · 2026
• Automated scan-to-BIM for construction digital transformation: Conceptual framework, processing methods and best-practice guidelines · Automation in Construction · 2026
• Ten questions concerning Large Language Models (LLMs) for building applications · Building and Environment · 2026
• Building Information Modelling Plan of Work for Managing Construction Projects in Egypt · Journal of Construction in Developing Countries · 2026
• LLM-enabled multi-agent framework for natural language interaction with graph-based digital twins · Automation in Construction · 2026
• Seismic performance of a full-scale modular steel structure with high-performance grouted joints: Experimental study on global response · Engineering Structures · 2026
• Digital twins in offsite construction: Current implementations, challenges, and future pathways · Automation in Construction · 2026
• AI capability, knowledge integration, and cognitive barriers: Innovation pathways for circular economy practices in construction · Journal of Innovation & Knowledge · 2026
• AI-Driven Automation of Construction Cost Estimation: Integrating BIM with Large Language Models · Buildings · 2026
• Digital transformation in the construction industry: barriers and leadership competencies · International Journal of Construction Management · 2026

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