A Comprehensive Review of Integrating BIM, AI, and Additive Manufacturing for Net-Zero Construction

This paper systematically reviews how Building Information Modelling (BIM), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Additive Manufacturing (AM) can be integrated to advance Net-Zero Construction (NZC) by reducing operational energy, embodied carbon, and material waste across the building life cycle. BIM has evolved from a 3D coordination tool into a data-rich platform linking design, construction, and operation, enabling performance-based decision-making. AI enhances this digital backbone through predictive analytics, pattern recognition, and multi-objective optimisation, allowing complex design variables to be evaluated efficiently. AM translates these optimised digital solutions into material-efficient, low-waste physical structures using flexible fabrication techniques. The review identifies key requirements for effective integration, including embedding sustainability semantics within BIM models, developing AM-aware AI optimisation frameworks, and enabling continuous lifecycle performance verification through digital twins. A four-layer framework, information, intelligence, execution, and governance, is proposed to align digital workflows with lifecycle carbon targets. Collectively, BIM–AI–AM integration offers a scalable and ethically grounded pathway toward measurable decarbonisation in the built environment.