Industry 4.0 technologies as a solution to the negative environmental impacts caused by the construction industry

Construction activities affect the environment negatively in terms of dust, noise, waste generation, and major energy consumption. This study aims to investigate how the potential use of Industry 4.0 technologies can mitigate the construction industry’s negative effects on the environment. A quantitative study was conducted among medium to large general contractor (GC) members of the East Cape Builders Association (ECMBA) and design team members such as architects, quantity surveyors (QSs), and construction project managers (CPMs) based in the Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City metropolitan areas. Descriptive statistics were computed from the analysis of the data. The findings include: the top three most energy-intensive activities in the construction industry are building material production, raw material extraction, and building construction, and the need for the application of Industry 4.0 technologies in construction include construction’s high consumption of global energy major waste generation, and negative environmental impacts. Furthermore, prefabricated technologies, wireless sensor networks (WSNs), drones, artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins (DTs), and electronics have the potential to mitigate the negative environmental effects caused by construction projects. Recommendations include the need for improved awareness and education to broaden construction stakeholders’ knowledge regarding the advantages of adopting Industry 4.0 technologies, which have the potential to contribute to mitigating the negative effects on the environment.