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Toward Thermal Comfort Assessment and Modelling: A Literature Review
Get PDFManaging thermal comfort in built environments is a challenging task that requires addressing occupants\u27 diverse preferences and adapting to changing external conditions. Indoor environment quality significantly influences human thermal comfort, health, and productivity, making it essential to create inclusive and comfortable spaces. This paper conducted a comprehensive literature review of thermal comfort assessment and modeling in indoor environments, offering an in-depth exploration of current advancements and existing knowledge gaps. This paper investigates influential factors of thermal comfort, their nature, their interactions, and their impact on overall occupant satisfaction. This paper provides insights into knowledge gaps and offers insights into future directions for more effective, occupant-centric approaches to thermal comfort assessment, modeling, and management
Bridging Academia and Construction Industry: Insights from Sequential Multi-Internship Experiences
No full textThe industry-sponsored internship is a learner-centered pedagogy rooted in the experiential learning model. While existing literature extensively highlights the importance of experiential learning and internships, a significant gap remains regarding the effectiveness of sequential multi-internship programs. This study investigates students\u27 overall experiences within a sequential multi-internship program, leveraging survey data that captures their reflections across three internships. The analysis postulated that generally, students demonstrated increased positive experience from their first internship to their third. Additionally, the study examined how the diversity and number of companies—whether students interned with one, two, or three—impacts their overall experience. These findings inform the development of future internship programs and refine advising strategies, particularly regarding the diversity and sequence of internships, to better align experiential learning with students’ career readiness and professional development goals
Balancing Density and Greenery: Addressing Urban Heat Islands in Transit-Oriented Development
No full textThis study explores the relationship between urban form, green infrastructure, and the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect in Manchester\u27s Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) neighbourhoods: Manchester Piccadilly and East Didsbury. The research investigates how urban density, characterised by deep street canyons and lack of green spaces, influences the intensity of UHI effects. Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were mapped using remote sensing techniques to identify spatial patterns of heat intensity and vegetation coverage, respectively. The analysis revealed significant negative correlations between NDVI and UHI intensity in both areas, with East Didsbury exhibiting a stronger correlation than Manchester Piccadilly. This result suggests that higher vegetation density contributes to cooling and mitigates UHI effects more effectively in areas with more expansive green areas. Furthermore, regression analysis of street canyon and UHI intensity demonstrated a positive relationship in both neighbourhoods, with Manchester Piccadilly showing a stronger association due to its higher building density and limited green areas. The results highlight the critical role of urban geometry and green cover in moderating UHI effects, particularly in dense urban TODs where the urban canyon effect is more pronounced. The study emphasises the importance of integrating green infrastructure in TOD areas, particularly in high-density environments where altering urban form is challenging. Recommendations include prioritising the expansion of green infrastructure, such as green roofs and tree canopy coverage, as offsetting techniques to mitigate the adverse impacts of UHI
Unified Risk Approach for Construction Contracts: A Comparative Analysis of NEC, JCT, and FIDIC from a Contractor’s Perspective.
No full textIn the construction industry, effective contractual risk management is critical to the success and resilience of projects in avoiding the soaring construction disputes. However, construction contract risks are inevitable for the contracting parties due to the complexity of the Standard Forms of Contract (SFoC). This study investigates and compares risk management approaches across three widely used construction contracts: NEC 4, JCT Design and Build 2016, and FIDIC Yellow Book 2017, focusing on contractor-specific risks. Through a comprehensive analysis of contract clauses, industry practices, and existing literature, this paper identifies key commonalities and differences in how these contracts handle various risk categories, including financial, schedule, compliance, and legal risks.
The findings reveal NEC contracts emphasize collaborative and flexible risk-sharing through early warning systems, while JCT contracts adopt a more rigid, structured approach that prioritizes clear, predefined processes. FIDIC contracts, on the other hand, strike a balance by providing structured yet adaptable frameworks for managing unforeseen risks. By synthesizing these insights, the study proposes a unified risk management approach that combines the strengths of each contract type, with a view to improve risk mitigation and project outcomes for contractors. This unified risk approach may serve as a guide for construction professionals seeking to adopt more resilient and effective risk management practices in diverse project environments
Stakeholder Partnership Barriers towards Achieving Net Zero Carbon Building
Get PDFAs the world is shifting towards achieving NZC (net zero carbon) by 2050, the building sector is acknowledged as a promising way towards achieving this objective. Besides, the transition towards NZCB (net zero carbon building) has been slow. This calls for the immediate attention and partnership of the stakeholders to assist in achieving carbon emissions reduction in the building sector. However, even though realizing NZCB relies on effective stakeholder partnerships, it is still a struggle for these stakeholders to syndicate. Nevertheless, only limited studies have adequately explored the barriers impeding the effective partnership of the stakeholders in delivering NZCB. Meanwhile, poor partnership among stakeholders continues to be a major risk affecting the development of net zero-carbon buildings. To address this gap, this study builds upon a theoretical review of the literature to identify the barriers to effective stakeholder partnership towards achieving NZCB. Results obtained from this study revealed 9 barriers affecting the partnership efforts of the stakeholders in achieving NZCB. The outcome of this study provides a novel contribution and a theoretical basis for researchers for further studies on this topic. In addition, this study serves as an enlightenment to the policymakers in formulating and improving existing guidelines and practical instructions to enhance stakeholder partnership towards achieving NZCB
Impact of Climate Change on Cities: Analyzing Building Energy Use in Future Climate Scenarios Through a Hybrid Computational Approach
No full textUnder global warming, cities need accurate predictions of building energy use to ensure energy supply and guide urban planning and policy decisions. Traditional data-driven methods struggle to project future scenarios due to the lack of training data reflecting anticipated climate conditions. This study presents a novel approach by integrating the Degree Day Model (DDM) with a Knowledge-Based Neural Network (KBNN). The DDM quantifies heating and cooling demands based on temperature deviations, providing domain-specific insights that enhance the KBNN\u27s ability to extrapolate. We trained our KBNN using monthly energy consumption data from over a thousand New York City buildings, along with current and projected meteorological and building characteristics. The hottest and coldest months each year were reserved for testing, while the remaining data were used for training and validation. Benchmark models, including Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forest (RF), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), were also evaluated. Our KBNN achieved superior accuracy, with a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 12.66% and a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.935, outperforming all benchmarks. Our model predicts that a 2°F increase in outdoor temperature could raise NYC building energy demand by 3.7% during the hottest summer months, while a 4°F increase could lead to an average rise of 7.6%, with some buildings experiencing up to 17.5%. This variability indicates that buildings respond differently to temperature changes. The methodology can identify inefficient buildings needing retrofitting, helping cities adapt to climate-driven energy demands
Exploring the Interplay Between Digital Technologies and Circular Procurement in the Construction Industry: Current Trends and Future Research Directions
Get PDFAmidst advancements in the adoption of digital technologies (DT) for the construction industry, the supply and value chain management function has undergone significant transformation in recent times. This transformation has created new possibilities for enhancing sustainability practices in the industry, with circular procurement (CP) as an undoubtedly crucial strategy to achieve circular economy goals on construction projects. However, the links between DT and CP, as well as their implications for construction supply chain processes, have remained unclear with limited research attention. This study addresses the knowledge gap by employing a comprehensive review of extant literature to gather insights into the current landscape of such technologies and their integration with CP. Sixty-five research articles were selected from the Scopus database, and its contents were examined to determine current themes and develop future research agenda. The findings of the research indicate various ways in which key DTs, including building information modelling, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, digital twins, and blockchain technology, can support the identification, tracking, and traceability of materials, as well as facilitate the sharing of information and collaboration among stakeholders among other CP-related tasks. Furthermore, the study identifies gaps and bottlenecks in the application of digital technologies for CP implementation in construction. The study contributes significantly to theory and practice by advancing the current understanding of circular economy practices in the construction processes while providing practical guidance for industry practitioners, policymakers, and researchers on harnessing the potential of DTs for sustainable procurement practice
SDG 12 Sustainable Consumption through Reduction of Cost Overrun by Identification of Major Construction Waste Components Using the Pareto Rule
Get PDFThe United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDGs 11 and 12, emphasizes sustainable cities and responsible consumption. The construction industry, with its high material consumption and waste generation, is a key player in achieving these goals. Waste not only escalates environmental concerns but also contributes significantly to cost overruns- a critical issue in construction projects worldwide. This study aims to identify the major construction waste components driving cost overruns and propose effective management strategies. The quantitative research method was employed, involving a questionnaire survey of 101 construction professionals. Purposive sampling and Cochran’s formula were used to determine a sample size of 120. Of these, 101 responded to the questionnaire yielding a response rate of 84%. Data analysis using the Pareto principle revealed that concrete, miscellaneous materials (plastics, glass, tiles, etc.), bricks and block and wood are the major waste contributors, with concrete having the most significant impact on cost overruns. To mitigate these issues, the study recommends strategies such as thorough review of construction documents, collaboration with designers and owners, and the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to automate waste quantification. Most importantly, the study integrates broader circular economy principles, international regulatory frameworks such as LEED and BREEAM to strengthen the findings. By focusing on critical waste components and implementing these strategies and frameworks, the study offers a more holistic approach to sustainable construction waste management to significantly reduce cost overruns
