Abstract: Natural language processing (NLP) can transform unstructured documents in the
construction field into structured information, which is convenient for relevant practitioners to carry
out daily management of construction projects. In recent years, NLP-related algorithms have been
widely developed, but pertinent research in the construction field is still in its infancy. Through
examining the past-decade literature on NLP in construction, the past research conducted on the
technical level and application level at home and abroad was sorted out. The development, common
methods and the open source tools of NLP were outlined. More importantly, the application of NLP in
various stages of construction was summarized from the perspectives of statistical analysis tools,
application systems and three other aspects. In addition, the extant problems of NLP in the
construction field were discussed and future prospects were proposed from the three aspects of technology, construction industry and government.

Key words: natural language processing, construction management, technology research, application
research, text mining