Integrating LCA with BIM-Based Technologies in the Building Construction Context: A Review

In a context in which the construction sector is significantly contributing to environmental degradation, LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) is a fundamental tool for analyzing the impact of materials and processes. This systematic literature review highlights the potential of integrating Building Information Modeling (BIM) with LCA to encourage sustainable practices in the construction sector. To this end, a systematic search was conducted in the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases and, after a rigorous selection process, 65 peer-reviewed studies were chosen from an initial pool of 817 records for final analysis. The quantitative analysis of the 65 studies revealed a well-defined technological landscape, demonstrating that BIM–LCA integration can enhance decision-making. The main findings reveal that Autodesk Revit is the prevailing BIM authoring tool, used in 77% of the cases analyzed, establishing itself as the de facto standard for sustainability assessments. Regarding environmental data, the Ecoinvent database was the most cited Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) source, employed in 32% of the selected articles. This review highlights critical issues that hinder its adoption, including interoperability problems with software, a lack of standardized data, and high implementation costs. It is therefore necessary to overcome these barriers to fully exploit this approach and contribute to global sustainability goals, such as reducing CO2 emissions and waste in the construction sector.