Sustainable digital construction work futures

The often-called "twin transitions" - to digital (e.g., automated, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic) and sustainable (e.g., net zero, clean energy) futures - are likely to have key implications for work futures in the construction industry. Yet little is known about either how these transitions will intersect or what future work roles will emerge as they proceed. To investigate this question, a futures anthropology approach is taken, and two key futures anthropology concepts are introduced: anticipatory infrastructures and anticipatory realism. The article mobilises these concepts to analyse differences between visions of work futures associated with digital and sustainability transitions, and between portrayals of construction work futures in these visions and in the imaginaries of those working in the industry. It does so through the case of the Australian construction industry. The research found that dominant technology-driven visions of construction work futures in the twin transitions, and experience-based imaginaries of people actively working in the industry represent unaligned but sometimes overlapping sets of knowledge and future expectations. In response the article highlights the need for attention to forging realistic and plausible interfaces between a construction industry in transition and an emerging workforce.