Mohamed, M., Elmahdy, A., Mohammed, A. (2025). Metaverse applications in architecture as a tool for achieving sustainability. JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences, 53(5), 670-687. doi: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.371715.1491
Mohamed Jamal Sayed Mohamed; Amir Salah Elmahdy; Abdullah Badawy Mohammed. "Metaverse applications in architecture as a tool for achieving sustainability". JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences, 53, 5, 2025, 670-687. doi: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.371715.1491
Mohamed, M., Elmahdy, A., Mohammed, A. (2025). 'Metaverse applications in architecture as a tool for achieving sustainability', JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences, 53(5), pp. 670-687. doi: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.371715.1491
Mohamed, M., Elmahdy, A., Mohammed, A. Metaverse applications in architecture as a tool for achieving sustainability. JES. Journal of Engineering Sciences, 2025; 53(5): 670-687. doi: 10.21608/jesaun.2025.371715.1491
Metaverse applications in architecture as a tool for achieving sustainability
1Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, Fayoum University, Fayoum, Egypt
2Architectural Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Fayoum University, Egypt.
Abstract
Buildings are the largest sector contributors of greenhouse gas global emissions, highlighting a critical need for innovative sustainable solutions. This research explores the potential of the metaverse in enhancing architectural building sustainability. The research objectives are (1) identify the key metaverse applications across the building lifecycle, (2) explore the potential of the metaverse in sustainable architectural practices, and (3) highlight architectural examples that demonstrate the impact of the metaverse on sustainability contributions. A systematic literature review of 22 publications shows key trends and insights in the selected studies. Content analysis indicates that the metaverse provides significant benefits across the building lifecycle. We identify key metaverse tools supporting sustainable architecture practices, such as ecological assessment, that visualize architectural concepts in a virtual simulated environment, making architectural design more efficient for sustainability. The metaverse improves team collaboration and helps make analytical decisions. Digital twins (DT) are used to manage buildings by integrating Internet of Things (IoT) sensors into buildings. The metaverse also offers a transformative tool for preserving the heritage buildings and facilitating their reuse. These applications improve sustainable architectural practices and minimize the environmental impact of the buildings. Yet, the metaverse remains confronted with challenges such as the need for high-speed network connections, initial expenses for software and hardware, and the need for government regulation policies to be addressed. The research presents architectural examples that demonstrate the applications of the metaverse, highlighting their role in enhancing operational efficiency, reducing energy consumption, enabling predictive maintenance, and supporting the preservation of cultural heritage.
[1] J. Hutson, T. Edwards, and J. Ceballos, "Sustainability, Smart Cities, and Global Travel: Mitigating the Climate Change Impact of Aviation Through Digital Humanism in the Metaverse," in Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation, S. Elias Bibri, Ed., 2024: Springer Nature, pp. 37-49.
[2] L.-H. Lee et al., "All One Needs to Know about Metaverse: A Complete Survey on Technological Singularity, Virtual Ecosystem, and Research Agenda," Found. Trends Hum. Comput. Interact., vol. 18, pp. 100-337, 2021.
[3] R. Cheng, N. Wu, S. Chen, and B. Han, "Will Metaverse Be NextG Internet? Vision, Hype, and Reality," IEEE Network, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 197-204, 2022.
[4] Y. Wang et al., "A Survey on Metaverse: Fundamentals, Security, and Privacy," IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 319-352, 2023.
[5] Z. Liu, Y. He, P. Demian, and M. Osmani, "Immersive Technology and Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Sustainable Smart Cities," (in English), Buildings, Article vol. 14, no. 6, 2024, Art no. 1765.
[6] Q. Chenfei, W. Donglin, L. Wenxia, and Z. Pengcheng, "Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Operation and Maintenance Management Cloud Platform for Green Buildings Group," 2019, vol. 533: Institute of Physics Publishing, 1 ed.
[7] J. S. Jauhiainen, C. Krohn, and J. Junnila, "Metaverse and Sustainability: Systematic Review of Scientific Publications until 2022 and Beyond," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 1, p. 346, 2023.
[8] A. F. Kineber, "Identifying the Internet of Things (IoT) implementation benefits for sustainable construction project," HBRC Journal, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 700-766, 2024/12/31 2024.
[9] J. J. Hunhevicz, M. Motie, and D. M. Hall, "Digital building twins and blockchain for performance-based (smart) contracts," Automation in Construction, vol. 133, p. 103981, 2022/01/01/ 2022.
[10] A. Oke, A. Kineber, I. Albukhari, I. Othman, and C. Kingsley, "Assessment of Cloud Computing Success Factors for Sustainable Construction Industry: The Case of Nigeria," (in English), Buildings, Article vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 1-15, 2021, Art no. 36.
[11] M. Nour El-Din, J. Poças Martins, N. M. M. Ramos, and P. F. Pereira, "The Role of Blockchain-Secured Digital Twins in Promoting Smart Energy Performance-Based Contracts for Buildings," (in English), Energies, Article vol. 17, no. 14, 2024, Art no. 3392.
[12] B. Mostafa, S. Ahmed, T. Ghoniemy, and A. Al-Sakkaf, "Towards the Enhancement of Buildings’ Sustainability: IoT-Based Building Management Systems (IoT-BMS)," 2024, vol. 1396: Institute of Physics, 1 ed.
[13] E. Noroozinejad Farsangi, A. O. Shehata, M. Rashidi, N. Ghassempour, and S. Mirjalili, "Transitioning from BIM to Digital Twin to Metaverse," (in English), Frontiers in Built Environment, Opinion vol. 10, 2024-December-05 2024.
[14] P. De Giovanni, "Sustainability of the Metaverse: A Transition to Industry 5.0," Sustainability, vol. 15, no. 7, p. 6079, 2023.
[15] X. Wang, S. Xie, Z. Wei, and J. Wang, "A Study on the Impact of China’s Prefabricated Building Policy on the Carbon Reduction Benefits of China’s Construction Industry Based on a Difference-in-Differences Method," Sustainability, vol. 16, no. 17, p. 7606, 2024.
[19] Z. Allam, A. Sharifi, S. E. Bibri, D. S. Jones, and J. Krogstie, "The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures," (in English), Smart Cities, Article vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 771-801, 2022.
[20] M. Casillo, L. Cecere, F. Colace, A. Lorusso, D. Santaniello, and C. Valentino. Digital Twin and Metaverse Supporting Smart Cities: New Perspectives and Potentials, vol. 828, pp. 111-119, 2024.
[21] M. Elbelkasy and I. Hegazy, "Predicted Metaverse Impacts on Architectural Heritage Conservation & Building Reuse Sustainability," (in English), Journal of Urban Culture Research, Article vol. 28, pp. 75-91, 2024.
[22] Y.-S. Chang, Y.-Y. Wang, and H.-J. Tsai, "The Metaverse in Green Building Concept Learning, Creative Design Performance, and Learning Engagement," (in English), Sustainability, Article vol. 16, no. 14, 2024, Art no. 6264.
[23] F. Dembski, U. Wössner, M. Letzgus, M. Ruddat, and C. Yamu, "Urban Digital Twins for Smart Cities and Citizens: The Case Study of Herrenberg, Germany," (in English), Sustainability, Article vol. 12, no. 6, 2020, Art no. 2307.
[24] S. Kaewunruen, P. Rungskunroch, and J. Welsh, "A Digital-Twin Evaluation of Net Zero Energy Building for Existing Buildings", Sustainability, Article vol. 11, no. 1, 2018, Art no. 159.
[25] A. N. Sayed, F. Bensaali, Y. Himeur, G. Dimitrakopoulos, and I. Varlamis, "Enhancing building sustainability: A Digital Twin approach to energy efficiency and occupancy monitoring," (in English), Energy and Buildings, Article vol. 328, 2025, Art no. 115151.
[26] Z. Ni, P. Eriksson, Y. Liu, M. Karlsson, and S. Gong, "Improving energy efficiency while preserving historic buildings with digital twins and artificial intelligence," 2021, vol. 863: IOP Publishing Ltd, 1 ed.
[27] A. F. Almaz, E. A. E.-a. El-Agouz, M. T. Abdelfatah, and I. R. Mohamed, "The Future Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Design's Integration into Architectural and Interior Design Education is to Improve Efficiency, Sustainability, and Creativity," (in English), Civil Engineering and Architecture, Article vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1749-1772, 2024.
[28] Z. Lifelo, J. Ding, H. Ning, A. Qurat Ul, and S. Dhelim, "Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Metaverse for Sustainable Smart Cities: Technologies, Applications, Challenges, and Future Directions," (in English), Electronics, Review vol. 13, no. 24, 2024, Art no. 17.
[29] X. Wang, "Optimization Design of Green Building Landscape Space Environment Based on VR Virtual Technology," 2021, vol. 1852: IOP Publishing Ltd, 3 ed.
[30] B. A. Suryawinata and Y. Mariana, "The Role of Virtual Reality in Green Building Design," 2022, vol. 998: IOP Publishing Ltd, 1 ed.
[31] Z. Xu, N. D. Dahlan, S. Sahir, and S. I. S. S. Abdullahe, "Enhancing Green Building Teaching for Architecture Students through Virtual Reality," 2024: Association for Computing Machinery, pp. 113-119.
[32] B. A. Suryawinata, "Immersive Technology as A Tool for Sustainable Architecture," D. Mangindaan, Ed., 2021, vol. 794: IOP Publishing Ltd, 1 ed.
[33] M. Rosilius, M. Wilhelm, I. von Eitzen, S. Decker, S. Damek, and V. Braeutigam. Sustainable Solutions by the Use of Immersive Technologies for Repurposing Buildings, pp. 551-558, 2023.
[34] R. Rachmawati, A. A. Rohmah, H. Reinhart, D. I. Sensuse, and W. D. Sunindyo, "Metaverse, Digital Twins, and Smart Sustainable Urban Development Concepts for Nusantara Capital City, Indonesia," (in English), International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, Article vol. 19, no. 12, pp. 4613-4621, 2024.
[35] Y. Peng, M. Zhang, F. Yu, J. Xu, and S. Gao, "Digital Twin Hospital Buildings: An Exemplary Case Study through Continuous Lifecycle Integration," Advances in Civil Engineering, vol. 2020, pp. 1-13, 2020.
[36] M. Ertz, C. Ouerghemmi, and Y. N. Njika, "Impact of the metaverse on sustainability in the construction industry," (in English), Sustainable Futures, Review vol. 8, 2024, Art no. 100335.
[37] S. M. Ali and O. Al-Boridi, "Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Green Building Design for Environmental Sustainability," (in English), Fusion: Practice and Applications, Article vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 197-210, 2025.
[38] Buket Gİ. ERDOĞAN and S. KUTSAL, "Architecture, Heritage, and the Metaverse : New Approaches and Methods for the Digital Built Environment," 2022.
[39] Y. K. Dwivedi et al., "Metaverse beyond the hype: Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy," International Journal of Information Management, vol. 66, p. 102542, 2022/10/01/ 2022.
[40] T. Fauré, "Les enjeux du Métavers en matière de protection des données personnelles," (in fr), Annales des Mines - Réalités industrielles, vol. Août 2022, no. 3, pp. 67-70, 2022.
[41] N. A. Dahan, M. Al-Razgan, A. Al-Laith, M. A. Alsoufi, M. S. Al-Asaly, and T. Alfakih, "Metaverse Framework: A Case Study on E-Learning Environment (ELEM)," Electronics, vol. 11, no. 10, p. 1616, 2022.
[42] J. D. N. Dionisio, W. G. B. III, and R. Gilbert, "3D Virtual worlds and the metaverse: Current status and future possibilities," ACM Comput. Surv., vol. 45, no. 3, p. Article 34, 2013.
[43] R. B. Aftab Jalia, Michael Ramage, "The Edge, Amsterdam Showcasing an exemplary IoT building," University of Cambridge, 2018.
[45] M. D. Lubis et al., "A Review on Smart Building System Integration: Optimising Energy Efficiency with the Application of Biophilic Architecture," Journal of Advanced Research in Applied Mechanics, vol. 130, no. 1, pp. 190-199, 12/30 2024.
[46] Y. Peng, M. Zhang, F. Yu, J. Xu, and S. Gao, "Digital Twin Hospital Buildings: An Exemplary Case Study through Continuous Lifecycle Integration," Advances in Civil Engineering, vol. 2020, no. 1, p. 8846667, 2020.
[47] S. Bhooshan, "Parametric design thinking: A case-study of practice-embedded architectural research," Design Studies, vol. 52, pp. 115-143, 2017/09/01/ 2017.
View on SCiNiTO
Top