Journal of Information Technology in Construction
Journal of Information Technology in Construction
ITcon Vol. 31, pg. 149-179, http://www.itcon.org/2026/7
Digital twins in the construction industry: A systematic review of current practices and future directions
| DOI: | 10.36680/j.itcon.2026.007 | |
| submitted: | July 2025 | |
| published: | February 2026 | |
| editor(s): | Kumar B | |
| authors: | Yuxin Wang, Ph.D. Candidate
School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3447-809X Yuxin.Wang.7@warwick.ac.uk Alireza Rezaei, Assistant Professor (corresponding author) School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5883-4321 Alireza.Rezaei@warwick.ac.uk Stephen Hicks, Professor School of Engineering, University of Warwick, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6667-1531 Stephen.J.Hicks@warwick.ac.uk | |
| summary: | As part of Industry 4.0 initiatives, the construction industry is increasingly adopting Digital Twin (DT) to enhance asset lifecycle management, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision-making. However, DT implementation remains fragmented and uneven across lifecycle phases, application domains, and organisational contexts. This study aims to address these gaps through a comprehensive review of current DT practices in construction. A two-stage systematic literature review, following PRISMA guidelines, was conducted. The first stage analysed 122 DT review articles to map thematic trends, research focuses, and overlooked areas. The second stage synthesised 297 empirical studies to examine practical application distribution, technology integration frameworks, deployment barriers, and mitigation strategies. Current DT research is heavily concentrated on the operation and maintenance phase, with limited attention to early design or end-of-life activities. Key challenges include data fragmentation, interoperability issues, high initial costs, limited stakeholder engagement, and insufficient regulatory and organisational support. A range of technical and institutional strategies has been identified to address these barriers. Crucially, the study translates these findings into actionable roadmaps for key stakeholders, offering role-specific strategies to bridge the gap between theory and practice. This study presents a comprehensive synthesis of over 400 publications from 2019 to 2024, systematically mapping DT applications across lifecycle stages, categorising key barriers, and evaluating targeted strategies for each. By identifying critical knowledge gaps and limitations within the current body of DT research, it offers valuable insights to inform future investigations and support more scalable and integrated implementation in practice. | |
| keywords: | digital twin (DT), construction industry, life cycle, built environment, systematic review, barriers and strategies | |
| full text: | (PDF file, 1.354 MB) | |
| citation: | Wang, Y., Rezaei, A., & Hicks, S. (2026). Digital twins in the construction industry: A systematic review of current practices and future directions. Journal of Information Technology in Construction (ITcon), 31, 149-179. https://doi.org/10.36680/j.itcon.2026.007 | |
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