BIM and AI for optimising energy, economy, and environment in construction projects: Systematic review (2014–2026)

Buildings account for roughly 37% of global energy use and 40% of energy-related CO 2 emissions, yet Building Information Modelling (BIM) and artificial intelligence (AI) are seldom combined to address energy, economy, and environment (the 3E nexus) simultaneously. However, existing reviews have not systematically examined the joint application of BIM and AI to address 3E objectives across the full project lifecycle in a PRISMA 2020-compliant review. This paper synthesises 57 primary studies (2014–2026) from four databases, with within-rater screening agreement κ = 0.83 . Five themes structure the review: BIM–BEM interoperability, AI-driven energy prediction and multi-objective design optimisation, AI-based HVAC control, lifecycle carbon assessment, and digital twins for 3E co-optimisation. Most strikingly, only 5 of 57 studies (9%) address energy, cost, and carbon in a single workflow. Four gaps, namely fragmented IFC/gbXML toolchains, single-dimension optimisation, limited representation of Global South contexts, and the lack of an end-to-end digital twin pipeline, motivate seven prioritised research directions with stakeholder mapping and feasibility assessments.