Purpose The purpose of this conceptual paper is to explicate the complexities of building systems, their operational structure and functionality through the lens of systems theory. Design/methodology/approach The paper used literature review as a methodology to review existing studies on building systems and systems theory. The aim was to provide a nuanced understanding of building systems and their complexities to aid in the comprehensive exegesis of building systems using systems theory. Findings Using the lens of systems theory, building systems serve as throughputs or channels that receive electricity as a resource input and processes and transform the electricity into output – often in the form of cooled or heated air, light and other energy services – utilized by occupants. As such, occupants provide feedback on the ability of building systems to provide the expected services. This, therefore, informs facilities/building managers on the maintenance needs of the system. Research limitations/implications The illustrations made in the explications of building systems are limited to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, lighting systems and electrical systems. Practical implications The application of systems theory to building systems can inform the design, use, operations and maintenance of building systems. This will enhance the effectiveness, efficient utilization and maintenance of building systems. Originality/value The paper reveals the connectivity and applicability of systems theory to building systems. It therefore serves as a base study that provides a solid theoretical backing to building systems. This will direct future research related to buildings and occupants’ interactions with building systems in their use of energy in buildings.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the critical factors to be considered in converting traditional parking facilities into smart parking facilities in shopping mall complexes. Design/methodology/approach Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process, this study assessed five principal criteria and 15 sub-criteria from 45 respondents who are experts in the construction and facilities management field. Findings This study found that operational efficiency (29.22%) and technological feasibility (27.06%) are the most critical factors for implementing smart parking systems, with system compatibility emerging as the top sub-criterion (18.32%). The findings of this study suggest that a comprehensive evaluation of the technical integration capabilities and current infrastructure conditions is essential before considering operational components to ensure the successful deployment of smart parking systems. Research limitations/implications This study used convenience sampling to gather insights; however, this approach may introduce selection bias and restrict generalizability. Cultural and regulatory differences in parking management across regions and the absence of a user-side survey may limit applicability. However, Analytical Hierarchy Process’ (AHP) structured decision-making model establishes comparisons, calculates the consistency ratio and uses aggregated expert judgment to reduce bias. Practical implications The AHP-based framework ranks critical factors for converting traditional mall parking to smart systems, providing actionable outcomes that guide resource allocation, prioritize high-impact upgrades, support stakeholder alignment and facilitate practical, context-specific implementation in mall facilities. Originality/value This study enhances the understanding of user-centric and effective car parking facilities by applying the AHP within the Sri Lankan retail sector, an area currently underexplored in the literature related to smart parking. This research captures the priorities and constraints in a developing economy, providing valuable insights for facility managers and developers on optimal resource allocation during the transition from traditional to smart parking facilities. This extends the applicability of AHP-based evaluations beyond general contexts to a regionally relevant retail setting.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the adequacy of housing provided by private developers and landlords in the near-campus studentified neighbourhood of Samaru and adjoining neighbourhoods in Zaria, northwest Nigeria using residential satisfaction approaches. Design/methodology/approach Mixed methods involving a reconnaissance and questionnaire survey of 102 students living near-campus were analysed using descriptive statistics, t-tests and principal component analyses in SPSS from Likert-scale ratings of 34 housing attributes. Findings Overall, students were dissatisfied with their housing (mean 2.34 / 4). Eight factors influence residential satisfaction, namely, housing design; facility management and quality of building materials; safety, rules/regulations and cost; social environment; proximity to basic neighbourhood facilities; proximity to urban amenities; basic support services as well as noise control and privacy. Proximity to worship centres (mean 2.79) and privacy (mean 2.74) were the most satisfactory aspects of the housing environment. Proximity to fire service (mean 1.77), police station (mean 1.95) and facility management and maintenance (mean 2.00) were most dissatisfactory. Practical implications Private developers need to maintain proximity to neighbourhood facilities, levels of privacy and noise while improving quality of buildings, safety, rules/regulations, cost and maintenance and facility management, especially within houses of multiple occupation (HMOs). Originality/value The authors expand the description of HMO and purpose-built student accommodation within the mainstream studentification literature to include compounds of rentable rooms or housing units with or without landlords in residence for HMO and medium-sized purpose-built student accommodation accommodating up to a dozen or more suites for students.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a predictive tool that enables urban facilities managers and transportation authorities to forecast transverse cracking in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) with high accuracy. By integrating Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Support Vector Regression (SVR), this study seeks to enhance pavement maintenance planning, reduce infrastructure deterioration and support sustainable asset management practices in urban environments. This study contributes to data-driven decision-making aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). Design/methodology/approach This study uses a hybrid machine learning model combining SVR with GA optimization to predict transverse cracking in CRCP. A data set comprising 395 records from 33 pavement sections in the Long-Term Pavement Performance database is used. Predictor variables include structural, climatic and traffic-related features. The model’s performance is evaluated using five-fold cross-validation and benchmarked against traditional models such as Linear Regression and Decision Trees to assess accuracy and reliability in forecasting pavement distress. Findings The GA-SVR model achieved a mean root mean square error of 4.37 and an R² of 0.921, significantly outperforming Linear Regression and Decision Tree models. Variables such as pavement age, total thickness, precipitation and initial roughness were identified as key predictors. Three-dimensional (3D) interaction plots revealed how these factors jointly influence pavement performance over time. Residual analysis confirmed the robustness of the model, showing randomly distributed errors without systematic bias. These results demonstrate that GA-SVR is a reliable and accurate tool for forecasting pavement cracking in urban infrastructure systems. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to apply GA-optimized SVR for predicting transverse cracking in CRCP within the context of urban facilities management. This study bridges a gap between pavement engineering and smart infrastructure planning by integrating machine learning with sustainable development objectives. The model’s high accuracy and practical utility provide a novel contribution to proactive urban asset management, aligning technological innovation with citizen-focused outcomes. Its methodological framework can be adapted to other infrastructure systems, offering a scalable solution for smart city initiatives.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the determinants of green smart home appliances (Green-SHAs) adoption among elderly residents in urban Pakistan. Using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) framework, this research examines the key factors influencing their behavioral intention to adopt sustainable technologies. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 324 senior citizens from urban Pakistan was selected using purposive sampling. The data was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4 software. Findings The analysis indicates that compatibility (COM) and reachability (RCH) are significant predictors of behavioral intention (BI) toward Green-SHAs among senior citizens. Furthermore, effort expectancy (EE) and performance expectancy (PE) substantially influence BI, whereas facilitating conditions (FC) and social influence (SI) do not exhibit a significant impact. Additionally, environmental knowledge (EK) plays a crucial role in adoption, while personal innovativeness (PI) does not have a notable effect. The findings also confirm that BI strongly predicts actual usage behavior (UB) of Green-SHAs among the elderly. Research limitations/implications This study offers significant insights into Green-SHAs adoption among Pakistan’s elderly population, contributing to the existing literature while acknowledging limitations. The cross-sectional design, although effective for capturing current trends, restricts causal inference and longitudinal analysis. Furthermore, the Pakistan-focused approach, while providing valuable local insights, limits the generalizability of findings to other developing countries with unique cultural, economic and regulatory contexts. Practical implications This study extends the UTAUT framework by identifying crucial predictors of Green-SHAs adoption in developing economies, thereby addressing a notable gap in understanding sustainable technology acceptance among urban elderly populations. The findings provide valuable insights for industry practitioners and policymakers. Specifically, practitioners can develop user-centric and accessible Green-SHAs, while policymakers can implement targeted interventions, including financial incentives, digital literacy programs and infrastructure improvements. Originality/value This study pioneers the application of the UTAUT model to examine Green-SHAs adoption among senior citizens in Pakistan, addressing a notable demographic and regional gap in the literature. By integrating personal and technology-specific factors into the UTAUT framework, this research offers a unique analytical perspective on technology adoption in collectivist, developing contexts.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the physical environment as a safe working environment for home- and healthcare staff in ordinary housing, and the possibilities for a successful aging-in-place for elderly residents. Design/methodology/approach This paper is based on observations of home environments in 20 housing units in different areas in Gothenburg, Sweden. An analysis of the spatial configurations was made according to bedroom capacity, spatial proximity and functional autonomy. Findings The findings show how the staff, in different ways, develop strategies for caregiving in various spatial configurations to give the best care. This paper shows that the spatial configuration of the rooms, in combination with the fittings, determine both the prerequisites for a safe working environment and the possibilities for aging-in-place for the residents. Practical implications The combined perspectives from architecture, nursing, and occupational therapy describe that easy access to bedroom-bathroom-entrance-kitchen is equally important for the staff, regardless of the care situation, whereas with more care needs, the resident/patient will be more limited to bedroom and bathroom. This paper shows that the home environment of the caretakers has a significant impact on staff’s health and safety, prompting an adaptability from the staff to various spatial configurations. Originality/value The multidisciplinary approach, comprising architecture, nursing and occupational therapy, and the mixed-methods design, has allowed us to draw some conclusions and to formulate valid directions for further research.

Purpose The need to evacuate a public area in the event of natural and/or human disasters, with the purpose of ensuring the safety of all the occupants, implies that an evacuation plan is in place. Several possibilities can be studied using computer simulation, thus ascertaining which of these is best for the situation under analysis. This study aims to analyse and improve the evacuation process of the Dragon Stadium using simulation, a key tool in the context of the industry 4.0. Design/methodology/approach This stadium belongs to Porto Football Club and is located in Portugal. PathFinder simulation software was implemented to study and examine ten different evacuation scenarios. Findings Based on this paper, it has been concluded that the time required for the total evacuation of the Dragon Stadium, with a seating capacity of 50,033 spectators, ranges from 1,004 s to 1,158.3 s (between 16.7 min and 19.3 min) for speeds of 1.6 m/s and 1.2 m/s, respectively. The visitors’ area in the Dragon Stadium, in the context of maximum capacity, can be evacuated within a time period ranging from 991.5 s to 1,117 s (between 16.5 min and 18.6 min) for speeds of 1.6 m/s and 1.2 m/s, respectively. Research limitations/implications The main limitation to the present work on what concerns the analysis of the performance of different evacuation scenarios is that it is suited for the Dragon Stadium only, as it was built accordingly to its design, layout and capacity. Furthermore, the simulation model may not totally depict the complexity of the spectators’ behaviour in a stadium during the process in emergencies situations. Originality/value Being simulation a key technology for developing planning and exploratory models, to optimise decision-making, its use for designing and proposing evacuation scenarios, such as those in a football stadium, becomes a clear contribution for the organisation’s operational excellency, because of its possibility to improve occupants’ safety. Although there are some case studies that study the evacuation of sports venues, carrying out this particular case study with the PathFinder software and the combination of variables such as the speed of the fans, the location of the doors and the combination of the number of doors makes this study different from the others in the literature. This contributes to this paper’s distinction within the field.

Purpose In quest of achieving long-term sustainability of co-working spaces (CWSs) and drawing on the cybernetic principles, this study aims to develop a resilient business model promoting economic viability, encouraging environmental responsibility and reinforcing its social impact. Furthermore, to address the transformative shift in way people work in emerging economies, this study probed respondents from India and United Arab Emirates (UAE) and finally identified critical challenges and opportunities bringing in maximum customer satisfaction and achieving long-term business profitability. Design/methodology/approach Using a multi-method qualitative triangulation approach (sentiment analysis), the study collected primary data from India and UAE, analysed through the grounded theory approach. Whereas secondary data in form of tweets was tested using text-mining approach using NVivo. The findings from the dual study were corroborated to identify common dimensions, leading to the development of a hypothetical framework. Findings In CWSs business, dynamic organisation culture holds key in fostering future sustainability, and the study has explored its important antecedents like adaptive management, continuous innovation and technological integration. The impact of these antecedents was found to be moderated by two critical dimensions of regulatory challenges and competitive landscape. Furthermore, the study delved into connecting with the principles of circular economy moderating the impact of dynamic organisation culture towards long-term sustainability of CWSs. Practical implications This study applies cybernetic principles alongside shared and circular economy frameworks to assess consumer perceptions of CWSs. The insights generated can guide researchers, entrepreneurs, urban planners and policymakers in designing flexible business models, strengthening community networks and exploring diverse revenue streams to enhance resilience and long-term growth. Originality/value This research provides empirical evidence on the sustainability dynamics of CWSs, offering a balanced perspective on overcoming challenges and leveraging growth opportunities. Additionally, it bridges the concepts of cybernetics, shared economy and circular economy, presenting a novel framework for ensuring the sustainable development of CWS businesses.

Purpose Thermal comfort in high-occupancy buildings such as mosques, where many gather for worship, is crucial. This study aims to evaluate the effects of thermal comfort on occupants in hot climates and compare the results with acceptable standards. Design/methodology/approach This study evaluated the thermal comfort of mosque occupants by measuring temperature, humidity and air velocity, and compared the experimental findings to acceptable standards. It included a psychosocial perception survey and analyzed Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) to ascertain the thermal comfort zone. Findings The findings identified key factors impacting indoor thermal comfort for mosque worshippers, including air temperature, humidity and air velocity. The presence of draughts from split air conditioning units, particularly in the corners of the prayer hall, diminished thermal comfort by generating localized cold spots during worship sessions. Using the CBE thermal comfort tool, PMV and PPD values were calculated per ASHRAE and EN-16798 standards. PMV values of −1.27 and −1.12 indicate a “slightly cool” sensation, while corresponding PPD values of 39% and 31% represent the percentage of occupants likely to feel thermally dissatisfied, of which both calculated metrics are significantly off the acceptable standards of 10% (PPD) and −0.5 to +0.5 (PMV). Originality/value This study will considerably advance thermal comfort theory, policy and practice in religious buildings, particularly medium-sized mosques in hot climates, by enabling architectural regulatory agencies to implement design best practices and use data-driven insights for more effective and sustainable building codes.

Purpose While work from home has become firmly established in recent years, many office employees are working from home in an inadequate work environment. The sudden need to work from home caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to quickly adopt technologies. At the same time, smart home technologies from different application areas offer a variety of opportunities to support working and living at home. However, the potential of smart home technologies still falls short of expectations. This study aims to analyse the influence of work from home on smart home technology adoption and the mediating effect of personal innovativeness. Design/methodology/approach The empirical study uses data from n = 660 office employees. Based on the theoretical background of task−technology fit theory, data are analysed using a regression and mediation analysis. Findings The results show a positive influence of work from home on smart home technology adoption. This effect is also partly mediated by personal innovativeness. The findings offer a variety of implications for facility management, project developers and public policy engaged in future housing development. Originality/value The study offers initial empirical results of the combined impact of work from home and personal innovativeness on smart home technology adoption.