IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i10p4537-d1656918.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Future of Construction: Integrating Innovative Technologies for Smarter Project Management

Author

Listed:
  • Houljakbe Houlteurbe Dagou

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul 34220, Turkey)

  • Asli Pelin Gurgun

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul 34220, Turkey)

  • Kerim Koc

    (Department of Civil Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul 34220, Turkey)

  • Cenk Budayan

    (Civil Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus, Mersin 99738, Turkey)

Abstract

The construction industry is transforming significantly, with emerging technologies reshaping project management by enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and safety. This study examines the integration of these innovations into Chad’s construction sector, drawing on insights from 79 industry participants. Given Chad’s unique economic and infrastructural landscape, understanding the practical implementation of these technologies is crucial. This research demonstrated strong reliability and validity through exploratory factor analysis, with a KMO value above 0.75, statistical significance at p < 0.001, and a Cronbach’s Alpha exceeding 0.8. Using Promax rotation, this study identified 15 key factors, providing valuable insights into how technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and Digital Twin technology are transforming construction processes. These tools enhance design accuracy, facilitate real-time decision-making, and minimize material waste while supporting global sustainability goals, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Examining the adoption of these technologies within Chad is particularly important, as the country faces unique challenges that demand tailored solutions. While digital transformation in the construction industry has been widely studied worldwide and in Africa, Chad’s industry remains relatively unexplored in this regard. This research bridges this gap by identifying both the opportunities and the barriers to technological integration in the sector. Embracing these innovations could help modernize Chad’s construction industry, addressing persistent inefficiencies and promoting environmental sustainability. However, widespread adoption is hindered by significant challenges, including high implementation costs, limited access to advanced tools, and a shortage of skilled professionals. Overcoming these obstacles will require strategic investments in education, infrastructure, and supportive policies. By fully leveraging technological advancements, Chad has the potential to build a more competitive, resilient, and sustainable construction industry, driving national development while aligning with global sustainability initiatives.

Suggested Citation

  • Houljakbe Houlteurbe Dagou & Asli Pelin Gurgun & Kerim Koc & Cenk Budayan, 2025. "The Future of Construction: Integrating Innovative Technologies for Smarter Project Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-29, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4537-:d:1656918
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4537/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/10/4537/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Francesco Fuso Nerini & Julia Tomei & Long Seng To & Iwona Bisaga & Priti Parikh & Mairi Black & Aiduan Borrion & Catalina Spataru & Vanesa Castán Broto & Gabrial Anandarajah & Ben Milligan & Yacob Mu, 2018. "Mapping synergies and trade-offs between energy and the Sustainable Development Goals," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 3(1), pages 10-15, January.
    2. de Sousa Jabbour, Ana Beatriz Lopes & Jabbour, Charbel Jose Chiappetta & Foropon, Cyril & Godinho Filho, Moacir, 2018. "When titans meet – Can industry 4.0 revolutionise the environmentally-sustainable manufacturing wave? The role of critical success factors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 18-25.
    3. Vennapusa Jagadeeswara Reddy & N. P. Hariram & Mohd Fairusham Ghazali & Sudhakar Kumarasamy, 2024. "Pathway to Sustainability: An Overview of Renewable Energy Integration in Building Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-36, January.
    4. Swan, Lukas G. & Ugursal, V. Ismet, 2009. "Modeling of end-use energy consumption in the residential sector: A review of modeling techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1819-1835, October.
    5. Giles-Corti, Billie & Lowe, Melanie & Arundel, Jonathan, 2020. "Achieving the SDGs: Evaluating indicators to be used to benchmark and monitor progress towards creating healthy and sustainable cities," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(6), pages 581-590.
    6. Wustenhagen, Rolf & Wolsink, Maarten & Burer, Mary Jean, 2007. "Social acceptance of renewable energy innovation: An introduction to the concept," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2683-2691, May.
    7. Niloufar Fallah Shayan & Nasrin Mohabbati-Kalejahi & Sepideh Alavi & Mohammad Ali Zahed, 2022. "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-27, January.
    8. Tang, Ou & Nurmaya Musa, S., 2011. "Identifying risk issues and research advancements in supply chain risk management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(1), pages 25-34, September.
    9. Richard Owen & Phil Macnaghten & Jack Stilgoe, 2012. "Responsible research and innovation: From science in society to science for society, with society," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 39(6), pages 751-760, December.
    10. Andoni, Merlinda & Robu, Valentin & Flynn, David & Abram, Simone & Geach, Dale & Jenkins, David & McCallum, Peter & Peacock, Andrew, 2019. "Blockchain technology in the energy sector: A systematic review of challenges and opportunities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 143-174.
    11. Sepehr Alizadehsalehi & Ahmad Hadavi, 2023. "Synergies of Lean, BIM, and Extended Reality (LBX) for Project Delivery Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-27, March.
    12. Wang, Yingli & Singgih, Meita & Wang, Jingyao & Rit, Mihaela, 2019. "Making sense of blockchain technology: How will it transform supply chains?," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 221-236.
    13. Ahmed Mohammed Abdelalim & Ahmed Essawy & Aljawharah A. Alnaser & Amna Shibeika & Alaa Sherif, 2024. "Digital Trio: Integration of BIM–EIR–IoT for Facilities Management of Mega Construction Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-29, July.
    14. Christian Kroll & Anne Warchold & Prajal Pradhan, 2019. "Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Are we successful in turning trade-offs into synergies?," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 5(1), pages 1-11, December.
    15. Karam M. Al-Obaidi & Mohataz Hossain & Nayef A. M. Alduais & Husam S. Al-Duais & Hossein Omrany & Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, 2022. "A Review of Using IoT for Energy Efficient Buildings and Cities: A Built Environment Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-32, August.
    16. Ernest Haou & Ndonaye Allarané & Cyprien Coffi Aholou & Ouya Bondoro, 2024. "Stakeholder-Based Optimal Indicators for Urban Sustainability Assessment in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Case Study from the City of Moundou in Chad," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-37, September.
    17. Monaco, Roberto & Bergaentzlé, Claire & Leiva Vilaplana, Jose Angel & Ackom, Emmanuel & Nielsen, Per Sieverts, 2024. "Digitalization of power distribution grids: Barrier analysis, ranking and policy recommendations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    18. Büyüközkan, Gülçin & Karabulut, Yağmur & Mukul, Esin, 2018. "A novel renewable energy selection model for United Nations' sustainable development goals," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PA), pages 290-302.
    19. Gann, David M. & Salter, Ammon J., 2000. "Innovation in project-based, service-enhanced firms: the construction of complex products and systems," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(7-8), pages 955-972, August.
    20. Muhammad Ali Musarat & Muhammad Irfan & Wesam Salah Alaloul & Ahsen Maqsoom & Maria Ghufran, 2023. "A Review on the Way Forward in Construction through Industrial Revolution 5.0," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-26, September.
    21. Omer, Abdeen Mustafa, 2008. "Energy, environment and sustainable development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(9), pages 2265-2300, December.
    22. Jan Anton van Zanten & Rob van Tulder, 2018. "Multinational enterprises and the Sustainable Development Goals: An institutional approach to corporate engagement," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 1(3), pages 208-233, December.
    23. Priyanka Mishra & Ghanshyam Singh, 2023. "Energy Management Systems in Sustainable Smart Cities Based on the Internet of Energy: A Technical Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-36, September.
    24. Konrad Lewczuk & Patryk Żuchowicz, 2024. "Virtual Reality Application for the Safety Improvement of Intralogistics Systems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-26, July.
    25. Antonio Salzano & Stefano Cascone & Enrico Pasquale Zitiello & Maurizio Nicolella, 2024. "Construction Safety and Efficiency: Integrating Building Information Modeling into Risk Management and Project Execution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-26, May.
    26. Lorena Espina-Romero & Doile Ríos Parra & Humberto Gutiérrez Hurtado & Egidio Peixoto Rodriguez & Francisco Arias-Montoya & José Gregorio Noroño-Sánchez & Rosa Talavera-Aguirre & Javier Ramírez Corzo , 2024. "The Role of Digital Transformation and Digital Competencies in Organizational Sustainability: A Study of SMEs in Lima, Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-23, August.
    27. Hossein Omrany & Karam M. Al-Obaidi & Amreen Husain & Amirhosein Ghaffarianhoseini, 2023. "Digital Twins in the Construction Industry: A Comprehensive Review of Current Implementations, Enabling Technologies, and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-26, July.
    28. Rafael Martínez-Peláez & Alberto Ochoa-Brust & Solange Rivera & Vanessa G. Félix & Rodolfo Ostos & Héctor Brito & Ramón A. Félix & Luis J. Mena, 2023. "Role of Digital Transformation for Achieving Sustainability: Mediated Role of Stakeholders, Key Capabilities, and Technology," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-27, July.
    29. Christos A. Damalas & Ilias G. Eleftherohorinos, 2011. "Pesticide Exposure, Safety Issues, and Risk Assessment Indicators," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-18, May.
    30. Elena De la Poza & Paloma Merello & Antonio Barberá & Alberto Celani, 2021. "Universities’ Reporting on SDGs: Using THE Impact Rankings to Model and Measure Their Contribution to Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-28, February.
    31. Zirar, Araz & Ali, Syed Imran & Islam, Nazrul, 2023. "Worker and workplace Artificial Intelligence (AI) coexistence: Emerging themes and research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. María Garrido‐Ruso & Beatriz Aibar‐Guzmán & Óscar Suárez‐Fernández, 2023. "What kind of leaders can promote the disclosure of information on the sustainable development goals?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(4), pages 2694-2710, August.
    2. Javier García López & Raffaele Sisto & Javier Benayas & Álvaro de Juanes & Julio Lumbreras & Carlos Mataix, 2021. "Assessment of the Results and Methodology of the Sustainable Development Index for Spanish Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-29, June.
    3. Li, Xinghao & An, Lufeng & Zhang, Dayong & Lee, Chi-Chuan & Yu, Chin-Hsien, 2024. "Energy access and female labor force participation in developing countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    4. Gloria Luzzani & Erica Grandis & Marco Frey & Ettore Capri, 2021. "Blockchain Technology in Wine Chain for Collecting and Addressing Sustainable Performance: An Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    5. Agnieszka Sompolska-Rzechuła & Agnieszka Kurdyś-Kujawska, 2021. "Towards Understanding Interactions between Sustainable Development Goals: The Role of Climate-Well-Being Linkages. Experiences of EU Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-20, April.
    6. Anne Warchold & Prajal Pradhan & Jürgen P. Kropp, 2021. "Variations in sustainable development goal interactions: Population, regional, and income disaggregation," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 285-299, March.
    7. Md Al Amin & Dewan Hafiz Nabil & Roberto Baldacci & Md. Habibur Rahman, 2023. "Exploring Blockchain Implementation Challenges for Sustainable Supply Chains: An Integrated Fuzzy TOPSIS–ISM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-25, September.
    8. Carbajo, Ruth & Cabeza, Luisa F., 2018. "Renewable energy research and technologies through responsible research and innovation looking glass: Reflexions, theoretical approaches and contemporary discourses," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 792-808.
    9. Muhammad Aslam Mohd Safari & Nurulkamal Masseran & Alias Jedi & Sohif Mat & Kamaruzzaman Sopian & Azman Bin Abdul Rahim & Azami Zaharim, 2020. "Rural Public Acceptance of Wind and Solar Energy: A Case Study from Mersing, Malaysia," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-24, July.
    10. Kouhizadeh, Mahtab & Saberi, Sara & Sarkis, Joseph, 2021. "Blockchain technology and the sustainable supply chain: Theoretically exploring adoption barriers," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    11. Kimani, Danson & Adams, Kweku & Attah-Boakye, Rexford & Ullah, Subhan & Frecknall-Hughes, Jane & Kim, Ja, 2020. "Blockchain, business and the fourth industrial revolution: Whence, whither, wherefore and how?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    12. Armenia Androniceanu & Oana Matilda Sabie, 2022. "Overview of Green Energy as a Real Strategic Option for Sustainable Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-35, November.
    13. Mohammad Ershadul Karim & Ridoan Karim & Md. Toriqul Islam & Firdaus Muhammad-Sukki & Nurul Aini Bani & Mohd Nabil Muhtazaruddin, 2019. "Renewable Energy for Sustainable Growth and Development: An Evaluation of Law and Policy of Bangladesh," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-30, October.
    14. Büyüközkan, Gülçin & Karabulut, Yağmur & Mukul, Esin, 2018. "A novel renewable energy selection model for United Nations' sustainable development goals," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 165(PA), pages 290-302.
    15. Manu Sharma & Sudhanshu Joshi & Sunil Luthra & Anil Kumar, 2022. "Managing disruptions and risks amidst COVID-19 outbreaks: role of blockchain technology in developing resilient food supply chains," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(1), pages 268-281, June.
    16. Avri Eitan & Gillad Rosen & Lior Herman & Itay Fishhendler, 2020. "Renewable Energy Entrepreneurs: A Conceptual Framework," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-23, May.
    17. Fengmei Ma & Heming Wang & Asaf Tzachor & César A. Hidalgo & Heinz Schandl & Yue Zhang & Jingling Zhang & Wei-Qiang Chen & Yanzhi Zhao & Yong-Guan Zhu & Bojie Fu, 2025. "The disparities and development trajectories of nations in achieving the sustainable development goals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-20, December.
    18. Orji, Ifeyinwa Juliet & Kusi-Sarpong, Simonov & Huang, Shuangfa & Vazquez-Brust, Diego, 2020. "Evaluating the factors that influence blockchain adoption in the freight logistics industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    19. Bai, Chunguang & Zhu, Qingyun & Sarkis, Joseph, 2021. "Joint blockchain service vendor-platform selection using social network relationships: A multi-provider multi-user decision perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 238(C).
    20. Huang, Rui & Tian, Lixin, 2021. "CO2 emissions inequality through the lens of developing countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 281(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:4537-:d:1656918. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.