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GHG Performance in UK University Accommodation Retrofits
No full textTo address growing demand, refurbishing existing student accommodation has become a preferred approach,
driven by the need to modernise aging properties and improve energy efficiency and sustainability. Despite this trend,
there is a notable lack of academic research specifically focused on its environmental impact. This study addresses
that gap by employing a comparative case study approach to assess greenhouse gas (GHG) performance across four
student accommodation refurbishment projects in the Northwest region of the UK. The research explores the use of
multiple metrics for quantifying GHG emissions during refurbishment and offers evidence-based recommendations
on their effective application. Findings indicate that conventional indicators such as project cost and duration are insufficient to reliably predict GHG performance. Instead, factors such as gross internal floor area and the number
of rooms provide a more consistent basis for estimating emissions. This paper contributes to a more nuanced
understanding of how GHG performance can be assessed in refurbishment contexts, offering practical guidance for
developers aiming to improve sustainability reporting. The insights gained may also be transferrable to refurbishment
projects in the broader domestic housing sector
Knowledge Foundations, Issue 7 - August 2025
No full textKnowledge Foundations publication (formerly the UCEM e-Library bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research, and resources related to the educational sector and the built environment
From Initiative to Action: lessons form the journey to net zero through retrofit for building regenerative cities
No full textThe transformative changes required to make cities regenerative are like those encountered in the drive to net zero. Investor-side stakeholders are challenged by the emerging and contested discourse of what developing regenerative cities means for their businesses. Whilst challenges may be conceptualised differently, central for
investors is the impact of change on traditional investment models. This research draws on the net zero through retrofit movement to inform the development of frameworks facilitating investment decisions and rationales for regenerative cities.
Aligning with socio-technical perspectives, the research mobilises a case study of a specialist sustainability consultancy, focused on building performance. Informed by
co-creation, open coding of semi-structured interviews and archive documents is used to examine key challenges. Findings suggest confused rationales and vocabularies
between investor-side and operator-side stakeholders, and conflicts between development and investment which cut across debates around the transition to net zero and the development of regenerative cities. These findings underscore the need to develop frameworks which translate sustainable actions and plans into investment rationales to support regenerative cities
Knowledge Foundations, Issue 10 - November 2025
No full textKnowledge Foundations publication (formerly the UBE e-library e-bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research, and resources related to the educational sector and the built environment
Fostering Sustainability through Gender Equality: Perspectives of Lecturers and Students in Vietnamese Higher Education
No full textGlobally, higher education institutions face challenges in ensuring gender equality, particularly in creating
inclusive teaching environments and equitable policies. Vietnam, with its rapidly evolving education system, also
encounters issues in achieving gender equality, raising questions about the perspectives of key stakeholders on this
important issue. This study investigates the views of students and lecturers on gender equality in Vietnamese higher
education, focusing on teaching practices, institutional policies, and personal experiences. Using a quantitative
approach, data were collected through a structured survey, and analyses were conducted using Percentage and
Frequency, Mean Item Score (MIS), Standard Deviation (SD), and the Mann-Whitney U test. The results reveal that
most respondents agreed that Vietnamese universities promote gender equality, although notable differences were
observed based on respondent categories, gender, and age groups. Students highlighted inclusivity in teaching
practices, while lecturers emphasized institutional measures. Female respondents perceived stronger efforts in
equality promotion compared to males, particularly in academic opportunities. Respondents over 20 years of age
expressed higher awareness and appreciation of gender equality initiatives than their younger counterparts. This
study emphasizes the need to bridge gaps in perceptions by enhancing teaching practices, fostering awareness
campaigns, and implementing robust policies to promote inclusivity. These findings are significant for policymakers,
educators, and administrators seeking to strengthen gender equality initiatives in Vietnam’s higher education sector,
contributing to global efforts toward inclusive and sustainable education systems
Towards Sustainable Construction in China: A Systematic Review of Barriers to Offsite Methods
No full textOffsite construction (OSC) has been increasingly promoted as a solution for a more sustainable
construction industry. This method enhances the performance and efficiency of the
construction industry by improving time and cost planning, health and safety, enhanced
construction quality, and fostering a more environmentally sustainable built environment.
China’s Fourteenth Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) mandates that at least 30% of new homes
be constructed using OSC techniques by 2025, with the target of achieving 100% by 2035.
With such a scalable challenge, this systematic research aims to identify and classify OSC
adoption barriers, whether modular, volumetric, or panelised construction, by synthesising
existing research studies. Through the analysis of 48 research articles published from 2013
to 2023, the review identifies key barriers hindering OSC adoption in China. The five most
frequent barriers are as follows: lack of skills and expertise in OSC within organisations,
absence of design codes and national standards for prefabrication, poor cooperation and
integration among stakeholders in the supply chain, immature regulatory systems, and
complexity in OSC project management. Trends in barrier prevalence by publication year
are also discussed to highlight changes in research focus and to inform recommendations
for future work that could support greater uptake of OSC in China
DISCOUNTED CASHFLOWSMAKING THEM MAINSTREAM IN REAL ESTATE
No full textA Knight Frank (London) workshop on discounted Cash flows for market valuations in 2025
Knowledge Foundations, Issue 2 - February 2025
Get PDFKnowledge Foundations publication (formerly the UCEM e-library e-bulletin) is a compendium of news, views, research, and resources related to the educational sector and the built environment
Gender Equality in Brunei Darussalam and ASEAN Higher Education
No full textThis report assesses gender equality in Brunei’s higher education sector, benchmarking progress against nine other ASEAN member states. The analysis focuses on four key dimensions: student enrolment, academic staff representation, leadership positions, and the policy frameworks shaping gender equity. Brunei demonstrates strong performance in educational access. Women now outnumber men in higher education enrolment and make up nearly half of academic staff, indicating that faculty representation is broadly balanced. However, these gains are not reflected at senior levels. Women remain significantly underrepresented in decision-making roles, with only 1 female Vice-Chancellor currently serving in Brunei’s universities (the 2nd female in Brunei’s history of tertiary education). While women are well-represented at the Lecturer level, their representation diminishes at Senior Lecturer and drops sharply at Associate Professor and Professor levels, where fewer than 3% of positions are held by women.
The broader national context reinforces these dynamics. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 (World Economic Forum, 2025), Brunei ranks 107th of 148 countries overall. Its performance across sub-dimensions highlights both progress and persistent challenges:
• Economic Participation & Opportunity (72nd): relatively strong female workforce participation, but continuing leadership gaps.
• Educational Attainment (55th): confirmation of Brunei’s success in achieving gender parity in education.
• Health & Survival (134th): persistent demographic and health-related disparities influencing wider equality outcomes.
• Political Empowerment (135th): very low female representation in parliament and national decision-making.
These results underscore that Brunei has largely solved the challenge of access, particularly in education, but continues to face systemic barriers in progression, leadership, and broader societal representation.
Policy developments, such as the 2023 National Plan of Action on Women, signal positive momentum. Yet, compared with regional peers such as the Philippines and Malaysia, Brunei lacks institutionalised gender offices, mentoring schemes, and structured leadership pathways—critical mechanisms for translating access into advancement.
To address these gaps, the report outlines six priority actions:
1. Institutionalise gender equality and diversity policies within universities.
2. Foster women’s leadership through structured pathways and role-model visibility.
3. Strengthen academic support via mentoring and sponsorship programmes.
4. Promote career advancement with transparent promotion criteria and equitable recognition systems.
5. Deepen regional collaboration to learn from effective ASEAN practices.
6. Engage men as allies, embedding gender equality across institutional culture.
Together, these measures provide a roadmap for Brunei to consolidate its achievements in educational access, address persistent structural barriers, and position itself as a regional leader in advancing gender equality in higher education
Digitalisation in Regenerative Cities: opportunities and challenges in the Built Environment
No full textThe built environment increasingly focuses on delivering sustainable refurbishment and new-build projects to support regenerative city-building. Digitalisation is often positioned as a critical enabler through tools such as BIM, project planning software, and generative AI (GenAI). However, important questions remain about how these
tools are used in practice and how professionals navigate emerging ethical and strategic challenges. This study explores how Built Environment Professionals engage with digital tools on live projects, including how professionals adopt,adapt, or resist GenAI in context. Guided by a Strategy-as-Practice (SaP) lens, the research draws on interviews, surveys, and two embedded case studies, one of which was led by a practitioner-researcher. Findings reveal that digitalisation is not experienced as a seamless transformation, but a situated, relational process shaped by
professional judgement, discretion, and role-specific adaptations. While participants reported informal experimentation with GenAI, they also expressed uncertainty over authorship, accountability, and ethical use - particularly as AI functionality becomes embedded within everyday tools. These insights highlight the need to support digital tool adoption and the strategic enactment of digitalisation by professionals aiming for regenerative outcomes