Achieving low-carbon buildings through advancing concrete materials and automated construction: A review

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-15-2026

Abstract

The construction industry is a major contributor to global carbon emissions and faces urgent demands to align with net-zero targets through targeted material selection, manufacturing, and construction methods. Conventional concrete production contributes significant CO2 emissions, necessitating innovative approaches to reduce embodied and operational carbon. This scoping review examines advances in low-carbon concrete production, automated construction methods, their integration and practical applications. The review is based on literature published between 2015 and 2025, collected from Elsevier ScienceDirect and additional sources, focusing on low-carbon concrete materials, 3D concrete printing, and automated construction. The findings show that strategies such as carbonation curing, direct CO2 integration, supplementary cementitious materials, and bio-based or recycled fillers can reduce embodied carbon while improving concrete performance and CO2 sequestration capacity. Automation in construction, including robotic fabrication, 3D concrete printing, optimisation using artificial intelligence, and digital twin systems, also demonstrates the potential to reduce carbon emissions through improved material efficiency and waste reduction. Crucially, the integration of sustainable materials with digital and automated construction processes provides greater carbon reduction potential than applying these approaches separately. Applications in housing, infrastructure, and disaster-relief construction further demonstrate practical feasibility, while challenges related to scalability, cost, standardisation, and industry adoption remain key research gaps.

Publication Title

Journal of Building Engineering

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