Building life cycle assessment and digital technologies: A bibliometric and systematic literature review and recent advances on their integration to boost the decarbonization of the construction sector

There is growing concern about reaching the European Union Zero-Emission Building (ZEB) set by the latest recast of Energy Performance Buildings Directive. In this context, Building Life Cycle Assessment (BLCA) is one of the established methods to reach the target, especially when integrated with Building Digital Technologies (BDTs). The study aims to identify current integration strategies between BLCA and BDTs, explore barriers and opportunities, and provide insights to enhance the digitalization of LCA in the construction sector. As a result of the literature search, the main technologies involved in BLCA–BDT integration have been identified, with Building Information Modelling (BIM) dominating the field with 703 publications, followed by Artificial Intelligence (AI) with 215 and Digital Twin (DT) with 147. Following the PRISMA guidelines, the study presents a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) on the topic, based on 96 articles published over the last decade. The quantitative analysis aims to classify and evaluate the most frequent BLCA-DTs integration types, while the qualitative analysis allows an in-depth critical review based on the identification of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT), to better understand the current state of research and its potential to support the transition toward ZEBs. The discussion of those analyses led to the development of strategic guidelines clustered with best practices to support stakeholders in leveraging BLCA-BDTs integrations. In conclusion, the study highlights the importance of early-stage integration, shared data models, and interdisciplinary skills to fully exploit the potential of BDTs in achieving ZEBs target.