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Wearable Technologies in Construction: Age-Related Perceptions, Privacy Concerns, and Feedback Preferences
Get PDFWith the increasingly aging workforce in the construction industry, understanding age-related differences in the adoption and use of wearable devices is crucial, particularly as privacy concerns pose significant barriers to implementation. While previous studies have addressed challenges older workers experience in construction, limited research has explored how wearable technologies specifically impact workers across different age groups. This study investigates older and younger construction workers\u27 attitudes, perceptions, and interactions with employer-provided wearable devices. A comprehensive survey examined key factors such as privacy concerns, data ownership issues, mental-related data privacy, and the effects of different feedback methods on safety and performance. The findings reveal that while both older and younger workers generally hold positive attitudes towards wearable devices, older workers exhibit significantly higher privacy concerns, particularly regarding collecting mental-related data, which can lead to psychological resistance. Additionally, visual feedback was identified by both groups as the most distracting, negatively impacting safety and performance, while haptic feedback emerged as the preferred method, having the least lowering effect. These insights emphasize the need for tailored strategies in designing and implementing wearable devices to address the distinct preferences and concerns of diverse age groups, ultimately improving safety and usability in high-risk construction environments
Further discussion on the Open Building of Beijing No. 1 Thermal Power Plant at the Environmental, Social, and Governance Levels
No full textIn recent years, China has placed significant emphasis on the transformation and redevelopment of old factories. The transformation of Beijing No. 1 Thermal Power Plant, guided by Open Building Theory and ESG Strategy, holds even greater practical significance. This paper attempts to explore sustainable methods of integrating the Open Building Theory and ESG strategies in the renewal process of old industrial plants. The paper proposes the Urban Renewal Topology Strategy of Open Building (O-ESG), and conducts an application design with Beijing No.1 Thermal Power Plant as a test case. The test shows that the O-ESG strategy can be applied in the transformation design of old industrial plants. The paper concludes that ESG may become a breakthrough point for the Open Building Theory, and the O-ESG strategy may become a sustainable method in the renewal process of old industrial plants
Building Together: Premises for applying IPD in Brazilian Construction
Get PDFThis study examines the feasibility of implementing Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in Brazil’s construction sector. Combining literature review, surveys, and interviews, it identifies barriers such as regulatory constraints, cultural resistance, and limited awareness, while highlighting opportunities in complex, high-collaboration projects. Recommendations include prototype testing, stakeholder training, and cultural adaptation to promote IPD adoption. The findings emphasize IPD’s potential to enhance collaboration, reduce conflicts, and improve project outcomes, offering a framework for advancing construction practices in Brazil
Community Matters: Building a Sense of Belonging for Women in Construction
Get PDFRecruiting and retaining students from underrepresented populations, such as female students, is challenging for construction programs at higher education institutions. This paper discusses how outreach activities have successfully been used to build a sense of community and belonging for female students in a baccalaureate construction management program at a four-year higher education institution. Activities from the outreach program, ideas for funding sources, challenges and lesson learned, and recommendations for developing similar outreach programs will be highlighted in the article that could be incorporated at other institutions
Analysis of supply and demand of urban community-based elderly care facilities and services: the case of Shanghai, China
Get PDFCommunity-based elderly care is a method of providing care to the elderly that has been actively developed in China. This approach involves utilising facilities within local communities as a key strategy to deliver care to older adults, emphasizing the role of community resources in supporting the elderly. These community-based facilities are essential for implementing social elderly care, ensuring that older individuals receive the necessary support and services within their communities. Elderly people should have equal opportunities to access basic public services from elderly care facilities and be respected for their free choice. The gaps between the supply and demand of community-based elderly care facilities and services seriously affect the sustainable development of the society. This study aimed to explore the reasons for the imbalanced supply and demand between community-based elderly care facilities and services and provide references for further planning strategies and policy development. Data on the needs, facilities and services supply of the elderly were collected through semi-structured interviews with 40 elderly people and two managers and 400-hour observations in two community-based elderly care facilities in Shanghai’s urban central areas, while Shanghai’s existing policy gaps were identified via relevant documentary reviews. This study proposes that Shanghai’s future policy and planning guidance formulation for community-based elderly care facilities should be based on clarifying the needs of the elderly, focusing on improving the overall supply, promoting the marketization of elderly care services in communities and developing skilled and ethical professional elderly care teams
Opportunities and Challenges for Early Involvement of Trade Partners during the Design Phase of Construction Projects
Get PDFOutcomes during the execution of construction processes and methods are dependent on the details generated during the design process. A holistic analysis and selection of design alternatives by all key participants early in the design can enhance construction efficiency and outcomes. However, trade partners responsible for implementing more than 80% of building construction scopes are underutilized in developing the detials associated with the system designs. This limitation lowers the ability to optimize the design while the potential to influence cost and other client value items is still high. It also remains unclear how trade partners can be effectively engaged early in this design process. This study seeks to identify how trade partners contribute to the design process to meet anticipated target value outcomes. We collected data through in-depth interviews with seventeen subject matter experts to identify the responcibilities, benefits, and challenges to effective early involvement of trade partners in the design process. The findings suggest that trade partners provide the best value outcomes when their input is sought early, notably from the conceptual design stage. Trade partners with critical scopes can drive the project towards higher cost certainty, better constructability, and streamlined design and construction processes. The commonly cited trades for early involvement are electrical, mechanical, steel, concrete, and plumbing. However, their involvement requires a shift from the current embedded low-bid and siloed culture in the industry to a more value-based collaborative approach. In practice, both design and construction practitioners should better support each other’s roles and responsibilities during this collaborative process
Digital Twin Insights from a Green Star-Rated Learning Environment
Get PDFThis study investigates the application of digital twin technology to enhance energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in a Green Star-rated learning environment. Focusing on Nelson Mandela University’s Business School, the research employed a mono-method quantitative approach, gathering real-time data through IoT sensors. The sensors were integrated into a digital twin platform using AWS IoT TwinMaker, enabling multi-sensor collaborative visualisation of building performance data. Findings reveal that CO₂ levels frequently exceeded recommended limits, even at moderate occupancy, indicating ventilation inadequacies. Additionally, the performance gap between design expectations and operational outcomes was highlighted, especially regarding energy efficiency and IEQ, suggesting a need for more responsive building systems. Analysis of venue utilisation showed patterns of underuse, particularly on weekends, presenting an opportunity for optimising HVAC and lighting schedules to align with actual occupancy trends. The study demonstrates the potential of digital twins for real-time monitoring and data-driven decision-making, offering actionable insights to bridge the performance gap and improve sustainability in educational facilities. Future research could expand on these findings by exploring AI integration for predictive maintenance and enhanced energy management, further advancing the role of digital twins in sustainable building practices
A conceptual framework for measuring productivity and performance in Industry 5.0: A built environment perspective
Get PDFThe construction industry in most countries is an early indicator of the nation’s economic health. When things are buoyant and the construction market is booming, it indicates the state of the viability of the country’s economic position. The model used in measuring productivity since WWII (e.g., labour productivity, GDP per capita, multifactor productivity) does not seem suitable for the emerging industry 5.0 (I5.0), considering the prevailing factors within the Built Environment (BE). These metrics are optimised over the years to provide detailed and comprehensive insights into productivity trends and drivers, which lacks necessary attributes to measure productivity and performance in the context of I5.0 and the emerging future world. This paper employs a Scientometric analysis to understand the prevailing factors within the identified body of knowledge of measuring productivity in the BE. This is fed into the Cobb-Douglas function to develop a conceptual framework that redefines productivity measurement for the emerging I5.0 within the BE context. Through these methods, we identify key criteria for measuring productivity holistically, considering the intertwined effects of technological innovation, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and circular economic (CE) principles on construction industry performance. Our findings underscore the limitations of conventional metrics when applied to I5.0, highlighting the need for new units of analysis to facilitate meaningful improvements. This research proposes an extended productivity measure matrix that aligns with sustainable development, human-centric systems, and resilience-building initiatives, offering a pathway for more effective monitoring and enhancing productivity in the built environment
Aligning values and priorities through collaborative action research: an opportunity to connect, co-create and achieve the SDGs
Get PDFSocial value is a practical vehicle for realising the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within built environment processes. Research and practice in this space recognises co-creation and stakeholder management as fundamental to achieving the desired outcomes. However, given differences in individual perceptions and organisational/industry ethos and goals, involving a diverse range of stakeholders in social value work is not without challenges. We discuss collaborative action research methodology as an approach to help placemaking and construction management fields meet and, together, respond to the grand challenges facing cities. This methodology is aligned with social constructivist research philosophy, and includes a five-step sharing conversations process that was employed within an ambitious local authority project in the UK: Nottingham City Council’s aim and aspiration to become carbon neutral by 2028. Key results included the development of processes that achieved a deep and meaningful understanding of the different stakeholders’ perceptions and perspectives. This helped form and reform collaborative relationships and long term partnerships between internal and external stakeholders. Thus, we advocate collaborative action research as an opportunity to connect, co-create and achieve the SDGs, specifically SDG 17 and 11, through collective understanding, appreciation and aligning of individual and shared values and priorities, and organic dissolution of perceived barriers
Using Large Language Models to Identify Project Risks for Sustainable Operations
Get PDFRisk identification in construction projects is crucial for sustainable operations. However, it is often hindered by omissions and participant subjectivity. This study explores the application of large language models (LLMs) in identifying risks and impacted activities within construction projects. The methodology includes developing a RiskGPT agent, fine-tuning it with prompt words, augmenting it with structural knowledge, and evaluating its application on real projects. Preliminary results from a case study demonstrate the potential benefits and challenges of using LLMs in this context. Despite the generalization tendency and occasional technical issues, LLMs show promise in augmenting human expertise and providing a robust foundation for risk management in construction projects. Future research should focus on improving training data quality, enhancing contextual understanding, and refining the integration of LLM outputs with human insights to maximize their practical applicability