Sustainability impacts of industry 4.0 in construction project management

Abstract

Construction projects frequently face time and cost overruns due to ineffective Construction Project Management (CPM). The integration of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies has emerged as a transformative approach to enhance traditional CPM practices. While I4.0 adoption offers considerable benefits, its sustainability implications remain underexplored. Given that I4.0 applications can produce both positive and negative impacts across sustainability dimensions, this study adopts a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) perspective to examine the environmental, economic, and social implications of implementing I4.0 technologies in CPM in Sri Lanka. A mixed-method approach was employed, with data collection in two phases: Phase I involved five expert interviews, and Phase II comprised a questionnaire survey. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using manual content analysis and the Relative Importance Index (RII) method, respectively. The findings reveal that I4.0 applications positively impact TBL sustainability: environmentally, through reduced resource use, lower construction waste, and early detection of environmental risks; economically, via improved project tracking, scheduling, and timely completion; and socially, through fewer manual errors, greater transparency, and accountability. Negative implications were also identified: environmentally, high energy demand and electronic waste; economically, high implementation costs and expenses for recruiting and training skilled personnel; and socially, workplace inequalities, digital surveillance, and potential job losses. This study provides an empirical, TBL-based evaluation of I4.0-enabled CPM practices in Sri Lanka, addressing a largely unexplored area and offering insights into sustainable digital transformation in the country’s construction industry.