As climate change, environmental pollution and depletion of resources become one of the biggest global issues today, the world has put various efforts to achieve energy-savings and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction through sustainable development. Along with such global problems and issues, construction industry, which is responsible for one fourth of GHG emissions, is also facing the need and demand for changes in its technology, management skills and research area. Recently, there is a growing interest in convergence of various technologies such as wireless communication, sensor network, automation, and etc., which led to the emergence of Internet of things (IoT) in building sector, the inter-networking of various smart devices with buildings.

In 2009, to cope with such global trend in resolving environmental issues, SUStainable COnstruction Management (SUSCOM) Laboratory in Department of Architectural Engineering of Yonsei University has been established. In 2017, to further extend the research area in accordance with recent research trends, < SUSCOM Lab. > has been renewed and changed its name to IoT-based SUSCOM (i-SUSCOM) Lab. In 2019, to carry on our founding missions, < i-SUSCOM Lab. > has been changed its name to IoT-based SUStainable COnstruction Management and Energy (i-SUSCOME) Lab. In 2026, to address escalating uncertainty and increasingly complex challenges, < i-SUSCOME Lab. > was renamed AI-based SUSCOME (AI-SUSCOME) Lab. < AI-SUSCOME Lab. >, with Prof. Hong as a research director, expands its research scope from IoT-based sustainable construction and energy management to AI-driven construction management, construction automation, and intelligent robotic systems. At the same time, the laboratory continues to investigate sustainable construction technologies by integrating IoT and AI techniques to address pressing energy and environmental challenges. These efforts aim to mitigate climate change, environmental pollution, and resource depletion from a life-cycle perspective while improving the efficiency, safety, and automation of construction processes. 

To meet both academic and practical research needs for AI-based, sustainable, and systematic construction management, AI-SUSCOME Lab. investigates the economic, environmental, and social impacts arising throughout the life cycle of construction projects. The laboratory also develops decision-support models, smart devices, and intelligent construction systems using innovative AI and IoT techniques. Its research areas include life cycle cost (LCC) analysis, life cycle assessment (LCA), geographic information systems (GIS), data mining, optimization, simulation, and mathematical modeling. The laboratory also conducts research on human-building interaction, greenhouse gas (GHG) management, energy-saving technologies, renewable energy, indoor air quality, energy policy, building energy consumption, and green remodeling. 

Building on these established research areas, AI-SUSCOME Lab. is further expanding its research scope to encompass AI-based construction automation, Digital Twin technologies, construction robotics, and human-robot collaboration. Particularly, its most recent government-funded R&D project, “Development of Multi-functional Construction Robots to Enhance Productivity in Apartment Housing Construction,” aims to develop and commercialize an AI-based multi-functional construction robot system for apartment housing construction by automating key site tasks, enabling intelligent human-robot collaboration, and establishing standardized robotic platforms and safety guidelines.