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The Adoption of the Circular Economy by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Pakistan Construction Sector
Get PDFCircular economy (CE) provides an alternative paradigm to the take, make, and dispose approach focusing on the use of resources for an unlimited period. The CE is being propounded by all nations, but it has been devised by the developed economies with a lack of focus on the developing economies. For CE to be successfully implemented on a global scale, there is a need to understand and incorporate the dynamics of the developing economies for CE implementation. Pakistan is among developing economies where there is a need to adopt circular economy practices. The Pakistan construction sector is important, but there is insufficient regard for sustainability practices during design and construction, creating large amounts of construction waste for disposal. The sector wants to engage in adopting CE, but they are operating in a competitive environment where the lowest cost dominates procurement policy. Large enterprises have awareness of CE, but small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) constitute the major portion of the construction sector where there is lack of CE awareness. The challenge is in the adoption of CE in SMEs. There is a need for incentivization if CE is to be adopted by large contractors and SMEs.
Twelve factors were shortlisted using Pareto analysis for the development of a causal loop diagram (CLD). The CLD led to the development of a system dynamics (SD) model. The SD model depicts increase in the SME CE adoption, thereby unravelling complexity in the adoption of CE in the SMEs in Pakistan’s construction sector
Evaluation of the hygrothermal behavior of a full-scale adobe evaporative cooler: A possible solution for food storage in vulnerable communities.
Get PDFUsing evaporative cooling to preserve food using artisanal construction techniques on land is an alternative to provide more autonomy for vulnerable communities. Still, studies are needed to prove their efficiency under different conditions. An adobe evaporative cooler with a capacity for 1 ton of produce was developed and built by Davalo (2021) in Campo Grande, MS, Brazil, and required additional studies of hygrothermal behavior and efficiency. To give sequence to her work, this research is conducted by the same lab, and aimed to determine the best operating conditions of this cooler through complementary real measurements of hygrothermal performance and determine its best operating conditions, contributing to improving the selection and analysis of the cooler\u27s typical behavior, due to the multiple variables that interfere with its behavior in the open-air, analyze the influences of climatic conditions to achieve maximum cooling efficiency with the least use of water, in addition to considering the increase in cooler performance through the use of adobes in the efficiency of evaporative cooling. This work, of an experimental nature, involves secondary (literature review) and primary (measurement) data with statistical analysis of results. Three on-site measurement cycles were carried out, with the third cycle showing the best results in volumes 0l, 100l, and 200l, with a greater temperature difference (12.1°C with 100l of irrigation), greater humidity gain (66. 4% with 200l of irrigation) and greater cooling efficiency (96.5% with 200l of irrigation). The 200l irrigation volume obtained the most promising results among the four, considering the highest cooling efficiency using the least amount of water
The Exploring of the Importance of Indoor Environmental Factors in University Educational Spaces Based on Participants\u27 Psychology
Get PDFThe comfort feeling of human body to indoor environment is a comprehensive reflection of multi-factor interaction. The research on human comfort is developing from single factor to multi-factor interaction. At present, the research on indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is limited to the single IEQ domain of heat, sound, light and air quality or the interaction of environmental factors between two IEQ domains, while the research on the relationship between comfort and psychological emotion is relatively scarce. Based on this, this paper takes the education space related to the art museum and college student activity center of Shandong Jianzhu University as the research site, uses PGWB-S questionnaire to determine the recent psychological and emotional status of college students, selects 16 common environmental factors, and uses Likert scale and principal component analysis to score the indoor environmental quality expectation of college students under different psychological and emotional conditions. The results show that the people with low expectation of indoor environmental quality are often the people with poor psychological and emotional status, and vice versa. Further research shows that most of the people who have high expectations for the comfort of indoor space-related factors are the people with poor mental and emotional status, while the group with good mental and emotional status is more inclined to good indoor heat, sound, light and air quality. Based on the psychological status of participants, this paper obtains the expected IEQ of different groups, which provides certain data support for the study of the relationship between indoor environment personalized design and psychological and emotional status and comfort level
Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency? Building Occupant Preferences toward Net Zero Carbon Retrofit Measures
No full textOne of the most important targets the world aims to attain is net zero carbon (NZC) by 2050. To achieve this target, there is an urgent need for NZC retrofits in existing buildings, as they account for 37% of global carbon emissions. While previous studies have assessed the energy consumption, carbon emissions, and costs of retrofit measures, there is a lack of knowledge on building occupant preferences toward NZC retrofit measures. Therefore, the intention of this study is to assess the preferences of building occupants in Hong Kong regarding NZC retrofit measures for existing residential buildings. Following a comprehensive literature review to identify NZC retrofit measures, a questionnaire survey was performed with 123 building occupants. The mean score ranking method was used to analyse the data. Results indicated that most building occupants prefer renewable energy upgrades to building envelope and energy system (energy efficiency) upgrades in the retrofit of their buildings. This result is surprising as many global NZC standards recommend always prioritizing energy efficiency. In addition, this study further analysed building occupant preferences for individual retrofit measures under renewable energy sources and changes to building envelope and energy systems. Thus, this study expands the existing theoretical understanding of NZC retrofitting measures through an assessment of their efficacy in accordance with occupant preferences. Further, this study provides significant information for policymakers and industry practitioners, aiding in the application of retrofit measures necessary to attain NZC buildings
WUI READY: A Serious Game for Promoting the Adoption of a Wildland-Urban Interface Fire Hazard Mitigation Methodology
Get PDFThe rising frequency and intensity of wildfires, particularly in wildland-urban interface communities, pose significant risks to residents. To address this, research and government organizations have developed wildfire hazard mitigation strategies. However, effective implementation requires residents to have adequate knowledge about such strategies. Serious games (i.e., designed for learning and training, not just entertainment) offer a promising and effective approach to educating communities about natural hazard mitigation. This paper presents the preliminary results of a research project focused on developing and evaluating a web-based serious game designed to educate residents about wildfire hazards and associated mitigation strategies, thereby enhancing their preparedness for future wildfire events. Four learning objectives were derived from a Hazard Mitigation Methodology to create a gaming framework and storyboard with four modules, which in turn guided the development of a preliminary game prototype. The game evaluation method has also been successfully designed. These results are expected to provide directions for policymakers and authorities, supporting informed decisions on how to develop and implement such educational tools. This project represents pioneering work in disseminating hazard mitigation information through a digital, web-based game, offering a scalable method that could be adopted by other organizations addressing the increasing impact of climate change-related disasters. Ultimately, this project lays the groundwork for further research and development of more comprehensive educational solutions that leverage gamification to promote hazard preparedness across various disaster contexts
Construction Safety Culture and Climate: The Hidden Forces that Shape Safety Performance
No full textConstruction site safety is a critical concern in engineering and management, yet construction safety culture and climate continue to be a widely discussed and debated topic. Specifically, their mechanisms and the interrelationships among them have rarely been addressed or explored. Among others, this has resulted in their interchangeable use and subsequent confusion. To address this gap, this study examines the interrelationship between construction safety culture and climate using a recently proposed framework. The framework was built on the principle of shared responsibility and involved four safety organizational levels: upper management, safety personnel, frontline supervisors, and workers. A case study approach was utilized, involving 33 participants from a single construction firm representing all organizational levels, to evaluate the framework and assess the relative importance of each group\u27s contributions to overall safety performance. The findings revealed a cascading effect, where weak safety commitment at higher organizational levels negatively impacts safety performance at lower levels. These hidden forces are often overlooked and not effectively addressed when unsafe actions are observed at lower organizational levels. The proposed framework is expected to offer valuable insights for the industry, enhancing overall site safety management and addressing the ambiguity currently surrounding construction safety culture and climate
Proactive Risk Identification in New Zealand Infrastructure Projects: A Machine Learning Approach to Classifying Project Risk
Get PDFIn the construction industry, proactive identification and management of challenges such as delays, budget constraints, and regulatory hurdles are essential for effective risk management and successful project delivery. Traditional methods, relying on manual analysis and expert judgment, are often time-consuming, inconsistent, and subjective. This study proposes a data-driven framework to automate the identification and classification of challenges within project descriptions using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) techniques. Utilizing the Pacificon dataset, comprising 254,923 infrastructure projects across New Zealand, the study defines challenge categories through regular expressions and implements a machine learning pipeline with TfidfVectorizer and Logistic Regression. The framework achieves a cross-validation mean accuracy of 74.6%, demonstrating robustness and reliability. Experimental results highlight strong performance in categories like regulatory hurdles and budget constraints while identifying areas for improvement, such as environmental factors. By automating challenge identification, the framework reduces reliance on manual risk assessments, enhances consistency, and enables early intervention for improved project management outcomes. This research contributes to the digital transformation of construction risk management, offering scalable, data-driven solutions aligned with industry demands for efficiency and precision in managing project complexities
Examining Key Factors Influencing Safety Behaviors of Young Workers in the Construction Sector
Get PDFYoung workers form a significant portion of Australia’s construction workforce but face heightened risks due to inexperience and insufficient safety measures. The construction industry accounts for 20% of fatalities in this age group, exacerbated by factors such as inadequate training, peer influence, and poor workplace safety culture. Despite these risks, there is limited research on the safety behaviors of young construction workers. This study addresses this gap by investigating key factors influencing the safety practices of workers aged 18-24 in the Australian construction sector. Through a comprehensive literature review and correlation analysis, this research examines how individual characteristics and safety awareness affect safety behaviors. A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing a survey to capture data on workers\u27 attitudes toward safety. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to identify significant relationships between training, workplace culture, and personal factors such as locus of control, physical fitness, substance use, and stress. The findings reveal strong positive correlations between comprehensive training programs, a robust safety culture, and adherence to safety protocols. While personal attributes like physical fitness and locus of control enhance safety behaviors, factors such as substance use and stress negatively affect them. Fatigue, however, showed minimal impact. The study emphasizes the importance of mental health, targeted training, and fostering a strong safety culture to mitigate risks and enhance the well-being of young construction workers
Exploring Policy influences on the adoption of 3D Concrete Printing technology: A hypothetical model
Get PDFThe global construction industry faces mounting pressure to innovate for sustainability and efficiency, with 3D concrete printing emerging as a transformative technology. Despite its potential, significant challenges such as technological immaturity and insufficient policy support hider widespread 3DCP adoption. Drawing on lessons from the adoption of Building Information Modeling in the United States and Hong Kong, this paper addresses these policy gaps by developing a conceptual framework that facilitates 3D concrete printing adoption.
Through a systematic review of 30 publications and a qualitative content analysis, this study identifies and synthesizes 17 key policy factors across six policy dimensions into a comprehensive framework. The findings underscore the critical role of sustainability, transformative technical development policies, and research and development initiatives in accelerating 3D concrete printing adoption. Additionally, the study highlights a policy shift from profit-driven strategies to eco-innovative and socio-environmental entity as the technology matures, particularly in its early development stages.
The proposed conceptual policy framework provides actionable strategies for policymakers and industry stakeholders to address existing barriers and accelerate the widespread adoption of 3D concrete printing. A critical insight suggests that governments leadership, along with a shift to business models based on usage rights rather than ownership, could reduce financial burden on end users. This coordinated approach combining government leadership, targeted R&D support, eco-innovative policies, and new business models can establish 3DCP as a sustainable and scalable solution for future construction needs
A Holistic Approach to Managing Built Assets\u27 Life Cycle Carbon Footprint
Get PDFAs part of sustainable development, the architecture, engineering, and construction industry is under increasing pressure to minimize its environmental impact, specifically carbon emissions across the life cycle of built assets. Achieving carbon neutrality requires a robust and accurate approach to quantifying and managing emissions from both existing and new assets throughout their life cycle. This paper introduces a holistic approach to life cycle carbon footprint management. In alignment with EN 15978 and EN 15804+A2, the life cycle is divided into distinct stages: production, construction, use, end-of-life, and activities beyond the life cycle. The study explores the application of various tools and technologies at each stage, emphasizing the importance of consistent data sources, standardization, and advanced monitoring techniques such as digital twins for operational carbon tracking. Key findings highlight the critical role of reliable databases and the adoption of standardized processes to eliminate inconsistencies. By providing actionable insights and detailed analyses, this research offers a pathway for stakeholders to implement effective carbon management strategies and contribute to a sustainable built environment