Sustainability in the Civil Construction Sector Supported by Industry 4.0 Technologies: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The civil construction sector is under pressure to make construction processes more sustainable, that is, aligned with economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Thus, the research question considers: How do Industry 4.0 Technologies help civil construction face challenges and identify new opportunities to become sustainable? The general objective of this work is to offer a current overview of publications that associate the civil construction sector; Industry 4.0 Technologies and sustainability, and identify the challenges and opportunities of the Industry 4.0 Technologies set to contribute to sustainability achievement. The research method was a bibliographic review combined with bibliometric analysis in SCOPUS databases. The results show that civil construction faces the challenge of reducing the consumption of natural resources, ensuring safe work, and optimizing processes, especially handwork. However, the insertion of Industry 4.0 Technologies into civil construction has allowed sensors, robots, modelling and simulation systems, artificial intelligence, and drones to have their productivity, efficiency, safety, strategic and environmental management enhanced. Furthermore, Industry 4.0 Technologies can contribute to civil construction through innovative, sustainable, and technological solutions focused on the flow of work, which can provide growth through the balance of costs/benefits in the management of projects and works. Thus, it is expected that this article will contribute to discussions around the possibility of construction becoming sustainable with the support of Industry 4.0 Technologies.