Belonging is not a new concept, it has been around for some time in Higher Education. The “What works? Student retention and success” report concluded that “belonging is critical to student retention and success” (Thomas, 2012). However, this can be difficult to achieve for some students such as those who study online. The research around a sense of belonging amongst online students is limited (Peacock et al., 2020), who have limited time and opportunities to participate in activities used to promote belonging at universities. With an increase in online and blended courses within higher education (Dunford and Miller, 2018), mattering maybe a more important factor for such students.
 Mattering as defined by Dixon and Tucker (2008), is an individual’s perception that they are important and are valued in their interpersonal relationships (2008). Academic advisors have a key role in mattering, by building individual relations with students they can have a positive impact on feelings of mattering. McIntosh et al. (2020 [online]) found that students who feel supported by their academic advisors go on to have successful tutoring relationships.
 In a case study conducted within a Higher Education institute that provides fully online courses for part-time professional students, the author examined feelings of mattering and belonging amongst level 5 and 6 undergraduate students. The case study found that the individual mattering relationships were more important than belonging to students who participated in the study. Students valued members of staff who went “above and beyond” and showed care and mattering. Academic Advisors were key members of staff for these mattering relationships.
 If students feel that they matter, this may well lead to an increased feeling of belonging and this is something that should be explored further.

Purpose This study aims to focus on model development to analyse key factors affecting trust in virtual project teams (VPTs). Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was conducted on construction professionals participating in virtual teams. Structural equation modelling technique was performed to establish the effect of relevant factors on trust-building in VPTs. Findings Team performance is highly affected by the trust among the team members. Trust building can be enhanced by improving the quality of team communication, organisation culture, team bonding and team members’ characteristics. Originality/value The model developed in this study would benefit team productivity and team members’ learning in VPTs.

An ageing population is a global phenomenon. Like other developed economies, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), China, also faces a severe ageing problem. One initiative to enhance the safe living and well-being of the growing elderly population is to assist them by building ageing-friendly living environments with the application of smart home technologies (SHTs). Therefore, this study focused on investigating the perception of professionals on the use of SHTs to improve and enhance the “ageing-in-place” (AIP) of elderly residents in HKSAR, China. A questionnaire survey was employed to obtain the perception of professionals with requisite knowledge of the older people facility needs regarding SHTs in achieving AIP for the elderly. The data retrieved were analysed with different statistical analyses. Based on the results of the analyses, all the professionals had similar perceptions of the use of SHTs for the safety and well-being of the elderly, except for the incongruence observed between the government employees, contractors and academic regarding how SHTs may not help to better monitor elderly daily activities. The possible reasons for the inconsistent opinions of the academics with other groups were linked to the knowledge of human behaviours and early dementia symptoms in gerontology. The findings will help care receivers, healthcare professionals, social workers, policymakers, smart home designers and developers to improve and enhance AIP in elderly residences in HKSAR, China.

AbstractIn most developed nations, a formal recycling industry oversees the management of solid waste. The opposite happens to be the case in underdeveloped nations wherein, the informal recycling sector has assumed such functions. The informal methods used in Nigeria for managing buildings' end‐of‐life situations has shown in many ways to be compliant with the sustainability goal since they provide an excellent example of how the waste hierarchy may evolve independently, with little or no assistance from policy and regulatory bodies. The purpose of this study is to conceptualise the processes through which salvaged materials from buildings in Kano State, Nigeria is processed in a step‐by‐step manner, ensuring that least amounts of materials end up in a landfill. Adopting a qualitative research design to achieve the study's aim, this study engaged 19 purposively selected experts through semi‐structured interviews in the city of Kano, Nigeria. The collected data was analysed using thematic analysis. Using the biomorphic adaptation of an African snail's shell, the study's findings led to the development of a conceptual model that depicts the actual scenario of handling demolition waste in Nigeria while highlighting the important elements and the inherent interactions among them. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the identified limitations in the Nigerian construction industry be addressed for the purposes of practice improvement and emergence of a comprehensive framework for the sustainable handling of building demolition waste (BDW).

Brenton and Tury state: “A successful digital library responds to feedback but proactively seeks and responds to the evidence of the impact of its services by a range of means. Digital library services must also be routinely benchmarked against other libraries, just like physical libraries, in order to ensure the standards of provision are kept and are in line with not only the user needs but also with the requirements of the accrediting and quality assurance bodies.” (Brenton and Tury, 2021, p. 83). In this chapter, we will look at benchmarking an academic online e-Library at University College of Estate Management, UK (UCEM), applying the latest quality research to current working practices and showing how our services at UCEM perform against our peers and the benefit this has in supporting the organization’s future strategic planning.

The focus of this paper is the role of the building industry in post-COVID-19 economic recovery plans. Investment in infrastructure forms a major part of many countries’ strategies to engender economic growth and construction is the pivotal industry in enabling the implementation of the plans in a sustainable manner. This study looks at the effects of investment in infrastructure on the economy with reference to the role of the construction industry in delivering this investment. Basic issues are considered, particularly concerning how relevant investment can be measured and how the contribution of the construction sector can be realistically assessed. A review of data sources and empirically peer-reviewed papers is undertaken. Based on longitudinal time series data from national statistics agencies and international organizations, analysis is undertaken to discover the relationship between infrastructure investment and economic growth. The study focuses on the UK, but comparisons are made with other countries to consider alternative approaches to stimulus investment policies with digitalization, and sustainability and green investment being a growing feature of investment plans. Potential issues of these approaches are examined and the main barriers to their achievement are identified. Emerging trends and a set of policy agendas are proposed to guide future directions.

PurposeA building's Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has a direct impact on the health and productivity on its occupants. Understanding the effects of IAQ in educational buildings is essential in both the design and construction phases for decision-makers. The purpose of this paper is to outline the impact air quality has on occupants' performance, especially teachers and students in educational settings.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to evaluate the effects of IAQ on teachers' performances and to deliver air quality requirements to building information modelling-led school projects. The methodology of the research approach used a quasi-experiment through questionnaire surveys and physical measurements of indoor air parameters to associate correlation and deduction. A technical college building in Saudi Arabia was used for the case study. The study developed an artificial neural network (ANN) model to define and predict relationships between teachers' performance and IAQ.FindingsThis paper contains a detailed investigation into the impact of IAQ via direct parameters (relative humidity, ventilation rates and carbon dioxide) on teacher performance. Research findings indicated an optimal relative humidity with 65%, ranging between 650 to 750 ppm of CO2, and 0.4 m/s ventilation rate. This ratio is considered optimum for both comfort and performanceOriginality/valueThis paper focuses on teacher performance in Saudi Arabia and used ANN to define and predict the relationship between performance and IAQ. There are few studies that focus on teacher performance in Saudi Arabia and very few that use ANN in data analysis.

The twentieth century started with engineers’ new concepts and ideas to develop the built environment, with ideas ranging from reducing weight to automated industrialisation, enhancing energy efficiency, etc. However, they failed to predict the negative impact of automation on the environment and its resources. Therefore, future technologies proposed by engineers should consider the adverse effects on nature and the surrounding ecosystem. Using the science of ecology and integrating it into building typology can help avoid unwanted scenarios. Such technologies prioritise the performance of buildings and cities by using simulation tools to explore more ideas for designing and testing their performance. This work explores the obstacles and challenges opposing the plan to successfully supply Egypt with clean, renewable energy that reaches 42% of its total electricity. Furthermore, some solutions are proposed to tackle those barriers, such as installing thermal cooling systems and ball wind turbines in residential buildings.