Challenges in designing for adaptability in (modular) timber construction

The construction industry has an extensive direct impact on the environment, society, and economy since it consumes more than one-half of the world’s physical resources and accounts for 30% to 40% of the world’s energy usage. By 2050, it is expected that city living will reach 6.5 billion people of all humanity. Therefore, the adoption of sustainable construction to accommodate the increase in populations without depleting critical resources will be unsuccessful if the construction industry does not significantly transform its ways of building and managing urban spaces. A thorough examination of that process is necessary to identify the prerequisites needed to develop a model that integrates sustainable design with BIM concept. Thus, this study presents an integrated BIM and sustainable design model for buildings that automates the evaluation and selection of associated construction methods (i.e., conventional, modular, and 3D printing) at the conceptual design stage. The proposed model will provide designers with the ability to assess different design alternatives at the early design stage of the project’s life, which will lead to a suitable construction method. Lifecycle Assessment (LCA), Lifecycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), energy analysis and sustainability certification (LEED rating system) are the modules that will be incorporated and used by the proposed model to execute all necessary calculations, analysis, and simulation. However, this paper is part of an ongoing research; thus, it will be limited to developing and testing the database design engine. To commence a design, COMOTH (the database design engine) is initiated in Revit architecture, with a form requesting users to select an option related to the number of floors and the building construction method. The successful implementation of the proposed model will contribute to advancing the process of integrating BIM and sustainability by providing users with more options during the sustainable design process and afterwards identify the associated construction methods for buildings. That will evolve the adoption of sustainable design and construction processes by the AEC industry.

Robotic Timber Construction has been widely researched in the last decade with remarkable advancements. While existing robotic timber construction technologies were mostly developed for specific tasks, integrated platforms aiming for industrialization has become a new trend. Through the integration of timber machining centre and advanced robotics, this research tries to develop an advanced timber construction platform with multi-robot system. The Timber Construction Platform is designed as a combination of three parts: multi-robot system, sensing system, control system. While equipped with basic functions of machining centers that allows multi-scale multi-functional timber components prefabrication, the platform also served as an experimental facility for innovative robotic timber construction techniques, and a service platform that integrating timber structure design and construction through real-time information collection and feedback. This platform has the potential to be directly integrated into timber construction industry, and contribute to a mass-customized mode of timber structures design and construction.

The demand for affordable housing is growing fast. However, compared to the manufacturing industry, the construction sector has a relatively low level of automation and productivity. Timber construction is relevant for solving current problems like this demand or the huge resource and energy consumption of the construction sector. Well-known methods from manufacturing technology for achieving a high degree of automation are only partly transferable to the construction industry. The reason for this is the heavy project orientation in timber construction. Therefore, the timber construction industry needs an adaptable, highly flexible, and intelligent automation solution that enables the efficient transition of fabrication from project to project. Current advances for automation in timber prefabrication are based on the use of flexible, modular, and reconfigurable manufacturing systems using industrial robots. Since certain tasks in timber prefabrication are difficult to automate and also require the expertise and years of experience of skilled workers, a key factor for successful automation in timber construction is the integration of human workers into the automation solution. Automation based on industrial robots with human-machine cooperation offers a high degree of flexibility, which is needed in the timber construction industry. However, this requires a concept for control integration and interaction for task-sharing between automation systems and human workers. In this paper, we present an interaction concept based on a shared task graph between fabrication systems and humans to integrate workers into such a system in a feasible way in the context of timber construction. The main focus is on the direct interaction of humans with the system. For the implementation of this concept, suitable interfaces between humans and machines are needed. For the first evaluation of these interfaces, a small user study with augmented reality technology is conducted.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the metrics used in the literature to measure social issues in sustainable supply chains. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic literature review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed articles containing metrics pertaining to social issues in the supply chain. A structured content analysis of each identified article was conducted to extract the metrics. This analysis provided a basis for a frequency analysis to determine how often the various metrics appeared in the literature. The metrics were also analyzed to determine whether they: simultaneously addressed the other areas of the triple bottom line, namely, environmental and/or economic issues; were quantitative or qualitative metrics; and could be classified as absolute, relative or context-based metrics. Findings – A total of 53 unique metrics were identified. The analysis of the results showed that a limited number of environmental (3 metrics) and economic (11 metrics) issues were addressed by the metrics as well. A combination of quantitative (39.6 per cent) and qualitative (60.4 per cent) measurements were used. The vast majority of the metrics (90.6 per cent) were further classified as absolute metrics. Originality/value – This paper presents one of the first in-depth analyses of metrics used to measure social issues in supply chains. This is important because social issues are often overlooked in research focused on performance measurement in sustainable supply chains.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is considered an essential enabler of a circular economy (CE) in the construction industry. AI can significantly enhance the efficiency of applying innovative CE practices in other construction projects. However, it has not yet been fully integrated into the application of CE principles and has explicitly been overlooked in the context of timber construction. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the potential contributions of AI applications to achieving CE in timber construction, as well as identifying the associated benefits and challenges. Through a mixed-methods approach, the research utilizes both qualitative data, collected through timber construction industry interviews, and quantitative analysis to explore professional construction perspectives and uncover actionable insights. The findings highlight the transformative potential of AI to enhance sustainability and operational efficiency in timber construction. Moreover, six potential benefits and 11 challenges for integrating AI and a CE in timber construction are identified that can act as an accelerator for advancing circularity in timber construction. Based on the results, the reduction in construction waste and facilitating the deconstruction and reuse process emerge as the most important benefits. Data obstacles, technological integration, finance and resources, and organizational and industry are determined as the main challenges. This study makes novel contributions to the field by providing empirical evidence in the form of qualitative and quantitative data, in addition to practical recommendations for advancing the integration of AI to promote CE goals and improve sustainability in the timber construction sector.

Construction waste minimisation comparing conventional and precast construction (Mixed System and IBS) methods in high-rise buildings: A Malaysia case study

Editorial

As the mitigation of climate change becomes critical, the public perception of wood as a sustainable building material that can facilitate the shift towards a bio-based economy is crucial to consider. This study aimed to explore the attitudes towards timber construction among young millennials in Austria, a cohort that in the coming years will increasingly occupy decision-making positions and gain purchasing power. A representative online survey (quota sample, n = 757) was conducted to explore the attitudes of 20 to 29-year-olds towards timber construction and the forest-based sector. In general, timber construction was described positively in comparison to other construction methods, in particular, it was considered aesthetically appealing and ecologically advantageous. Indecisiveness prevailed regarding the role of wood in climate change mitigation. The industry’s current approach to advertising does not attract much attention. Doubts were expressed about the sustainability of sourcing wood as a building material and certain physical characteristics for building were perceived as a disadvantage. Four distinct market segments were then identified by means of exploratory factor analysis and a cluster analysis using Timber Construction Affinity and Opinion Leadership Wood as categorization factors. Two segments are essential for future marketing measures: Passive Preservers showed the most negative view of the industry, its practices and its offerings, while Active Supporters were in favor of increased wood use and actively promoted timber constructions among peers. Subsequently, marketing implications were given to develop “preserving” into “supporting” clusters and to further involve Active Supporters in the communication of wood and timber construction related topics.

This paper presents an overview on the comparative study between the precast and conventional building construction methods for housing project in Sarawak. In this study, a residential building project with double-storey terrace houses was chosen for the comparative study as they have typical structural layout plans with minor variation. The same building was designed into both conventional and precast structural layout respectively in order to obtain direct comparison results. To ensure the results obtained are representative and unbiased, the structural components integrated in both construction methods are listed and each critical cost component, for instance the project direct and indirect costs were broken down further in order to evaluate the total building construction costs. From the research results, it can induce the relationship between the time and costs evaluation. The overall construction period for the conventional building construction method was 240 days while the precast building construction method was 82 days. As compared across the results for the project construction costs, it shows that precast construction method with RM 354,969.50 is more cost effective with about 19% less than the conventional building method with total amount of RM 422,687.85. The results reflect the significance on selection of the construction method, namely the precast building construction method not only can shorter the construction periods but also reduce the construction costs since it reduces greatly the expenses on the project direct costs particularly the machineries costs.

The Vorarlberg architect Hermann Kaufmann is a pioneer of the modern timber construction with which his name is inseparably linked. In his pleasant but persistent manner, Hermann Kaufmann has never tired of pointing out the qualities of timber construction and, at the same time, developing it further with his buildings through the use of new modern products and the sounding out of new construction methods in order to make timber construction, as he himself says, even better. He has always been open to new developments. Commercial buildings seem to be a good field for trying out these new developments and new construction methods in timber construction. As functional and practical as commercial buildings need to be, they also clearly do leave some leeway for trying out new ideas. Clients, architects, and construction companies use such buildings to experiment, to try out new joints, new material combinations and new engineered woods. By looking at a few examples of industrial developments, we can see how timber construction has changed from a traditional to an ultra-modern method, and better understand the advantages that this building material offers and how Hermann Kaufmann prepared this path with his buildings. This text is an abridged and revised version of an article first published in «Bauband 3: Gewerbebauten in Lehm und Holz», a special edition of the journal DETAIL – Zeitschrift für Architektur + Baudetail.

Circular economy in mass timber construction: State-of-the-art, gaps and pressing research needs

In response to global efforts towards sustainable development, an increasing number of Polish companies are focussing on sustainable construction. The quest to reduce the negative impact of economic activities on the natural environment is gaining popularity in the business sector. The aim of this publication is to analyse how timber construction – one of the sectors of sustainable construction –, contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, with a special focus on the business sector in Poland. The research methods used include: (i) quantitative methods, presenting data on timber construction in Poland, and (ii) qualitative methods, including desk research and the analysis of three timber buildings with different functions - residential, public, and service - to assess the potential for such construction by Polish companies. The analysis shows that between 2018 and 2022, the number of new wooden buildings will increase by 52.18%. However, the share of wooden structures in the Polish residential construction market will remain small, accounting for 0.62% of all projects in 2022, making it the third most popular type of residential investment. The estimated value of the timber construction market in Poland is growing every year, reaching 3.5 billion PLN in 2022. A key factor in the further development of the sector is access to affordable wood materials, which may be limited in the future. In the context of EU regulations, the construction industry, especially those using wood, is gaining in importance and represents an important, though not yet fully exploited, potential for Polish companies.

The industrialization of construction has accelerated significantly in recent years thanks to automation, prefabrication, digitalization and sustainable solutions. In the field of timber construction, these innovations are reflected in more efficient and environmentally friendly production and construction processes. Timber construction plays a key role in sustainable construction, as wood is a natural, renewable and carbon-neutral material. In combination with modern technologies and innovations, they become even more environmentally friendly, energy-efficient and durable. The purpose of this manuscript is to point out, within a limited scope, the principles and aspects related to the above-mentioned topics, both in terms of raising awareness of the given topics and also to initiate new research tasks for increasing the performance of the construction industry as such. Because, for example, innovations in the industrialization of timber construction enable faster, more precise and more sustainable construction. The combination of prefabrication, digitalization, automation and smart solutions is creating a new era of wooden buildings that are not only environmentally friendly but also competitive with traditional building materials.

This study presents a comprehensive review of building materials, construction methods, and building regulations on the U.K. mainland. This provides valuable insights into the historical progression and transformation of the construction industry through a comprehensive analysis of both traditional and modern building construction materials and methods and categorising their evolutionary trajectory. Current building regulations in England, Wales, and Scotland are compared, highlighting differences in fire safety, noise safety, energy conservation, and sustainability. For example, fire safety regulations are analysed in detail, including fire resistance duration, wall cladding combustibility, and limitations on unprotected areas. Advances in knowledge and technology have led to increasingly sophisticated and energy-dependent methods, materials, and regulations. This study showcases the vast array of building construction materials spanning centuries, each possessing unique properties and performances. The selected methods and materials represent those currently employed or widely utilised in the U.K. construction industry, affirming their relevance and applicability in modern construction practices. Limitations in construction practices primarily stem from a lack of knowledge and tools rather than material scarcity. Enhancing knowledge and access to advanced tools is crucial to overcoming these limitations and driving advancements in the field. This study provides insights into the evolution of building materials, construction methods, and building regulations that can inform future developments in sustainable building practices. The findings have significant implications for policymakers, building designers, and constructors, particularly in terms of adopting sustainable materials and construction methods that comply with building regulations while reducing the environmental impact of the built environment.

In recent years, the labor shortage caused by the decline in the working-age population has become increasingly severe across various industries. The construction industry is also facing an urgent situation. Improving productivity is critical in response to this situation. In addition, domestic infrastructure is aging, and climate-change-related incidents such as heavy rainfall and landslides are becoming more common on a global scale. To address these challenges, digital transformation (DX) deployment must be accelerated, and robotic technologies must be efficiently utilized. Although various construction robot technologies have been developed to date, the robotization of construction and inspection work cannot be achieved using standalone technologies, regardless of their technological superiority. Today’s construction robots must function not only as standalone tools but also as part of a system integrated into construction and inspection methods, or even as a robotic system that operates throughout the construction site. From this perspective, we published a special issue titled “Advanced Robotic Technology and System for DX in Construction Industry.” It includes papers and development reports on robotics, mechatronics, and information system technologies relevant to the construction industry. We hope that this special issue will arouse interest in construction robots among researchers and engineers and accelerate the development of construction robots, related technologies, and DX in the construction industry. Finally, we express our sincere gratitude to the editorial board of the Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics, the editorial team at Fuji Technology Press Ltd., and all of the reviewers.