Building Industry Professionals Research Articles

A Theoretical Framework to Promote LCA in the Construction Industry of Saudi Arabia

The building and construction sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), experiencing rapid growth, is in the early stages of embracing sustainability measures. In the years ahead, the booming building sector in business-as-usual scenarios may pose serious energy and environmental challenges for the Kingdom. This situation will require the Saudi building sector to adopt robust sustainability measures. Embedding life cycle assessment (LCA) as a standard practice can be a useful strategy for improving the energy and environmental footprint of buildings. This paper proposes a theoretical framework within which to promote LCA in the Saudi Arabian construction industry. This framework comprises three pillars: policy, social, and technical. The framework covers the role of the Saudi building sector’s stakeholders such as policy makers, building industry professionals, representatives of relevant governmental bodies, and academics. Adaptation of this LCA framework can help substantially improve the energy and environmental performance of buildings. The proposed LCA framework is aligned with the international as well as the Saudi government’s drive for sustainability in the building sector.

“We Need to Build Carbon-Neutral Houses” – Discourses of Responsible Expertise in Finnish Professional Media

ABSTRACT In this study, we explore how expertise and responsibility are discursively intertwined in professional media. Based on quotations from building and real-estate industry professionals in news texts concerning sustainable building and housing, we identified three responsibility-related discourses: responsibility as a strategic professional vision, responsibility as techno-material expertise, and responsibility as a communal and societal orientation. These discourses of responsible expertise are important for voicing professional perspectives and emphasizing corporate social responsibility (CSR). In the sustainability transition, industry professionals are balancing between organizational and industry-level motives, between utility perspectives for “us” and “others,” and between managing impressions of doing good for the industry and for citizens or society at large. Through and with journalism, these professionals disseminate both individual and organizational expertise to the public in order to “make the industry and the whole society better and more sustainable.”

Investigation of the Use of Drones by Construction Professionals in Addressing Built Environment Tasks

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), also called a drone, has been gaining attention globally to solve different tasks. The aim of this study is to assess the awareness and level of adoption of these types of drones by building professionals and the factors limiting their use in the built environment. The study was carried out in Lagos State, in the southwestern part of Nigeria. Data for this research were collected from primary and secondary data sources. Primary data was obtained by administering a questionnaire to the selected building industry professionals, and the collected data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The results showed that structure inspection and photography are the most rated features of drones in addressing built environment tasks, with a mean score (MS) of 4.50, and security surveillance (MS = 3.86) is the least important feature. The level of adoption of drones in addressing built environment tasks was assessed among the professionals, and the results showed that the practice of an emergency response plan and a health and safety plan to reduce the risk of harm and ensure safety on site is considered to be the most important task. The study found that the fixed-wing hybrid drone with an MS of 1.97 is the most commonly used drone type. Lastly, the study showed that lack of public awareness (MS = 4.81) is rated as the most significant factor that limits its use. Few professionals have practically used drones to solve tasks faced in the building industry. Thus, there is a need to further sensitize built environment professionals to the benefits associated with its wider adoption and applications. Also, the importance of drones and their associated managerial and practical implications in solving relevant built environment tasks can be initiated by deepening their relevance in the curriculum of building industry programs at the professional and academic levels.

The Impact of Property Crime on Public Infrastructure Development in the Nigerian Cities

Property crime in Nigeria incurs billions of Naira in annual rehabilitation costs, significantly straining government budgets and hindering resource allocation for sustainable urban development. This study investigates how public infrastructure development in Nigerian citiesis impacted by property crime focusing on the Lagos metropolis. Utilising both primary and secondary data, including in-depth interviews with five building industry professionals and government records analysis.The research adopts parallel data analysis to assess the financial impact of property crime, its relationship with environmental decay, economic losses, social consequences, and its effect on project delivery timelines. It exemplifies the use of triangulation as a methodological metaphor for drawing inferences from qualitative and quantitative findings. The findings demonstrate that property crime severely hampers public infrastructure development, resulting in increased government expenditure, environmental degradation, economic setbacks, public suffering, and delays in project completion. The study underscores the need for comprehensive strategies to mitigate property crime and ensure sustainable infrastructure development. Effective measures, including enhanced security partnerships and community engagement, are crucial for protecting public assets and informing policymakers in the development of effective policies for managing and maintaining the nation’s public infrastructure.

The Integration of Critical Risk with Building Information Modelling Application Strategies in Building Refurbishment Project Lifecycle

Building refurbishment project has rapidly becoming a significant part of the construction industry in Malaysia. Refurbishment projects are typically higher risk, more complex, and require more coordination than new construction projects. Therefore, the aim of this research is to establish the integration of critical risk with Building Information Modelling (BIM) application strategies for building refurbishment project lifecycle improvement. This study is conducted through a quantitative method using the questionnaire which is distributed by employing a self-administrated approach as a research medium to obtain feedback from contractor grade 7 (G7) from construction organization who are registered with Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia. As a result, 96.5 percent of the response rate are accepted. The analysis shows that the integration of critical risk with BIM application strategies is recognized as important factors and strategies towards building refurbishment projects lifecycle improvement and found that the mean is in very high range. Additionally, the results indicate that the level of critical risk and BIM application strategies have been measured through descriptive analysis. The findings of this study are expected to establish a foundation for future research in order to develop an adequate framework for managing building refurbishment projects and improve the quality of decision making among the building industry professionals.

Heating and cooling supply estimation to control buildings temperature using resistor-capacitor thermal model, unscented kalman filter, and nonlinear least square method.

This research provides a valuable contribution to modern building industry professionals by offering a precise method for estimating heating and cooling supply for temperature control in buildings. By equipping practitioners with an effective tool to optimize energy management, this study addresses a critical aspect of building performance. The practical case studies demonstrate the versatility and applicability of this approach in real-world scenarios. In a world increasingly prioritizing energy efficiency and sustainability, this research empowers professionals to make informed decisions, enhance building performance, and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future, all within a concise and actionable framework.

A study to depict challenges and opportunities building industry professionals face when designing inclusive and accessible buildings

Inclusive Design has been widely promoted in the fields of product, engineering, and user experience design. Despite the educational efforts made by scientists, practitioners, and institutions to raise awareness about accessibility and inclusion, Inclusive Design has not been widely embraced in architectural design practice, where it is often associated with design for disability. This multidisciplinary study, spanning behavioural science, ergonomics, and the social sciences of architecture, explores the challenges architectural design practitioners face when designing inclusively, and identifies opportunities to promote the adoption of Inclusive Design. The results of a questionnaire completed by 114 architectural design practitioners underscore the lack of client awareness of the benefits of inclusive design, highlight the important role practitioners can play in advocating for Inclusive Design, and emphasize the need to develop practices and tools that enhance the design and post-design phases of buildings to ensure inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

The Integration of Critical Risk with Building Information Modelling (BIM) Application Strategies in Building Refurbishment Project Lifecycle

Building refurbishment project is rapidly becoming a significant part of the construction industry in Malaysia. Refurbishment projects are typically higher risk, more complex, and require more coordination than new construction projects. The refurbishment industry has the potential to expand and contribute to Malaysia’s overall building output. The growing demand for refurbishment work in Malaysia will be driven by the increasing number of old and failing structures, as well as the limited space available for new development. Therefore, the aim of this research is to establish the most significance integration Building Information Modelling (BIM) application strategies in managing the risk for building refurbishment project lifecycle improvement. In this regard, this study was conducted through a quantitative method using the questionnaire which was distributed by employing a self-administrated approach as a research medium to obtain feedback from project manager who has been a representative from G7 registered construction organization with Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia. As a result, 96.7 percent of the response rate were accepted. The analysis showed that the integration of critical risk with BIM application strategies was recognized as important factors and strategies towards building refurbishment projects lifecycle improvement and found that the mean is in very high range. Additionally, the results indicate that the level of critical risk and BIM application strategies have been measured through descriptive analysis. The findings of this study are expected to establish a foundation for future research in order to develop an adequate framework for managing building refurbishment projects and improve the quality of decision making among the building industry professionals.

Application of solar PV in the building sector: Prospects and barriers in the GCC region

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) can make a significant contribution towards reducing the energy and environmental footprint of buildings. Helped by features like scalability, ease of use, and declining price, PV has become the predominant renewable technology for application in buildings. Estimates suggest that rooftop PV can help meet 25% to 49% of national electricity requirements in countries around the world. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, having traditionally relied on abundantly available fossil fuel resources to meet their energy requirements, are also planning to diversify their energy mix through the exploitation of solar energy. While several utility-scale PV projects have been initiated in these countries, their building sector remains largely untapped. This study aims to investigate the factors hindering the progress of PV in buildings. It investigates the barriers to the application of PV in buildings under four major categories: sociotechnical, economic, policy, and management. It employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches to determine the perspective of building industry professionals around these barriers. Data is gathered through a questionnaire-based survey and in-depth interviews. Results are then analyzed to determine the most significant barriers and their impact on the use of PV in buildings. The questionnaire reveals that lack of public awareness is the most significant factor that hampers the application of PV while the interviews indicate that the root cause for weak poor public awareness is subsidized tariffs. Policy recommendations are made to overcome the identified barriers and to promote the application of PV in the building sector of the country.

Perceptions of Log and Log Buildings among Finnish Architectural and Building Industry Professionals

Log as building material is undergoing rapid technological changes due to the introduction of industrially developed lamella log. This new material expands the technological repertoire that is available to architects when designing with log. Furthermore, various societal trends relating to ecology, occupant health, and contemporary architectural expression are potentially altering the status and desirability of log as a building material. Thus, from the point of view of architectural research, the log as a building material should be re-investigated. In this paper, our aim is to scrutinise log and log construction through exploring how log is currently perceived as a material among Finnish building professionals. For this purpose, we analyse interviews conducted with 15 professionals in Finland. To gain these research materials, we utilised a method where a traditional semi-structured interview is combined with an in-situ interview in a pavilion construct built by our research team. We complement these materials with brief reviews into wood research and the history of log construction in Finland.

The Inclusive Design Canvas. A Strategic Design Template for Architectural Design Professionals

AbstractDesigning accessible and inclusive buildings is essential if they are to provide enjoyable and inspiring experiences for all their occupants. Research revealed that many architectural design professionals perceive a lack of awareness of the aspects to consider when designing to be a limiting factor in the uptake of Inclusive Design. By involving expert stakeholders this study provides evidence for the demand to create an Inclusive Design Canvas, a strategic design template offering an educational springboard for building industry professionals to embed Inclusive Design in the design process.

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility audit. A post-occupancy evaluation method to help design the buildings of tomorrow

Notwithstanding the increased number of regulations there is a general lack of awareness about Inclusive Design among building industry professionals. This is partly due to the scarcity of available tools to evaluate occupancy feedback on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.How can we implement a tool to evaluate occupancy feedback on inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility that works for the building industry?This study aims to inform the development of a post-occupancy method to evaluate Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) in the built environment.This article reports the results of a multifaceted Delphi study which culminated with co-designing the IDEA audit, a post-occupancy evaluation method to collect data on people's perceptions of inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.With the IDEA audit, researchers, building owners, design teams, developers, facility managers, tenants, and organisation leaders can achieve a baseline of understanding of what people feel in regard to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, clearly identify pockets of inconsistency and use data to decide how to address challenges and points of exclusion.

Critical technical design principles for maximizing the reuse of building components

The reuse of building components plays a pivotal role in construction and demolition waste reduction. Reuse can be a part of the deconstruction process resulting in cost and environmental benefits. Several studies have identified various design principles that facilitate the deconstruction process. These may consequently maximize the reusability of building components. However, the extent to which these measures are effective is unclear. This study examines the importance of these principles in relation to the reusability of building components. A questionnaire survey investigating design principles based on previous studies was administered to building industry professionals including civil engineers, architects and demolition contractors. It was designed to determine the degree of suitability and relevance of the design principles to the practice of reuse. Over 170 responses were collected and analysed using a number of statistical approaches including ANOVA and factor analysis to identify critical technical design principles (TDPs) and to determine the potential relationships among them. Nine TDPs were identified as highly significant for the practice of reuse. Statistically significant differences between the opinions of demolition contractors and of building designers to eight principles were also determined and are also discussed.

Managing energy performance in buildings from design to operation using modelling and calibration

To manage the concerns regarding the energy performance gap in buildings, a structured and longitudinal performance assessment of buildings, covering design through to operation, is necessary. Modelling can form an integral part of this process by ensuring that a good practice design stage modelling is followed by an ongoing evaluation of operational stage performance using a robust calibration protocol. In this paper, we demonstrate, via a case study of an office building, how a good practice design stage model can be fine-tuned for operational stage using a new framework that helps validate the causes for deviations of actual performance from design intents. This paper maps the modelling based process of tracking building performance from design to operation, identifying the various types of performance gaps. Further, during the operational stage, the framework provides a systematic way to separate the effect of (i) operating conditions that are driven by the building’s actual function and occupancy as compared with the design assumptions, and (ii) the effect of potential technical issues that cause underperformance. As the identification of issues is based on energy modelling, the process requires use of advanced and well-documented simulation tools. The paper concludes with providing an outline of the software platform requirements needed to generate robust design models and their calibration for operational performance assessments. Practical application The paper’s findings are a useful guide for building industry professionals to manage the performance gap with appropriate accuracy through a robust methodology in an easy to use workflow. The methodological framework to analyse building energy performance in-use links best practice design stage modelling guidance with a robust operational stage investigation. It helps designers, contractors, building managers and other stakeholders with an understanding of procedures to follow to undertake an effective measurement and verification exercise.

IDENTIFYING OPTIMUM GLAZING PROPERTY FOR CONSERVING ENERGY IN HOT SEMI-ARID CLIMATE REGIONS

ABSTRACT Globally, the building sector is responsible for 40% of energy use and 30% of GHG emissions. The greatest portion of the energy is used during the operational phase (use stage) of buildings. The building envelope, especially the glazed components, plays an important role in determining the energy requirement of buildings. These glazed parts of the building envelope exposed to direct solar radiation are most vulnerable to heat loss and gain. Heat loss and gain through the glazing material depend on glazing properties (U-value, SHGC, VT) and building energy use changes according to the properties of the glazing system. A variety of glazing types has been developed over recent decades that use the properties of the glass as a means of responding to environmental conditions. This study is carried out to identify the optimum glazing property for conserving energy in cooling dominant regions using an early design energy modeling tool. It was found that a low SHGC is the most important glazing property for reducing cooling energy consumption. SHGC of less than 0.3 is found useful. This study would help building industry professionals evaluate the best glazing property while selecting the glazing type.

Mitigating building collapse in Nigeria

The past ten years (2010- 2020), an overwhelming number of buildings (forty-eight) have collapsed in Nigerian urban cities, with about 77% rise from the previous decade. To address this menace, the study aimed at exploring major causes of building collapse in Nigeria as perceived by building industry professionals, policy makers and the public; with a view of establishing effective ways for mitigation. The primary data were obtained from Questionnaires and field observations while secondary data were obtained from textbooks, Journal articles and newspapers. The results revealed that factors such as change of use for building without following professional protocols is a major cause of building collapse. Poor supervision or lack of supervision by qualified professionals; substandard materials, structural failure; government controlling agency not monitoring projects and standards are compromised, a significant amount (27.7%) of collapse cases recorded during constructions. Other factors include faulty architectural and engineering designs; clients not ready to pay for quality jobs and contractors cut corners for profit. The study recommends use of Building Information Modelling to predict behaviour of buildings under various loading and environmental conditions. Also, only certified professionals should carry out design and supervision of projects. Further research should evaluate the role of technology on existing buildings to check the level of safety for occupants’ in such buildings.

Opportunities and barriers to business engagement in the UK domestic retrofit sector: An industry perspective

This paper investigates the opportunities and barriers to business engagement in the UK domestic retrofit sector. There are approximately 28 million UK dwellings accounting for 30% of UK total energy consumption. Almost all of the existing housing stock will require some form of retrofit in order to meet the UK Government’s Net Zero emissions target by 2050. However, adoption has been much lower than required. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with industry professionals to investigate the key barriers and opportunities for businesses in the retrofit market. The results suggest that there is significant opportunity for businesses, but engagement has been suppressed by three main categories of barriers: (1) Those that cause lack of consumer demand; (2) Those that constrain retrofit projects, limiting their volume and scalability; (3) Those resulting from a lack of government will or direction. Business opportunity for retrofit was seen to extend globally, with substantial market growth possible. The paper suggests potential roles and solutions key stakeholders could take to achieve the volume of retrofit required. The findings should be of interest to all stakeholders who wish to overcome the multitude of barriers to business engagement in the retrofit sector and realise the potential opportunities. Practical application: This study aims to understand the barriers preventing the large-scale adoption of domestic retrofit in the UK in order to identify avenues for increasing business engagement in the sector. Potential areas believed to present significant opportunity for businesses when engaging in, developing and upscaling the retrofit process and solutions are highlighted. This paper should be of interest to building industry professionals already or wanting to undertake domestic retrofit works in future. The paper also gathers the views of current building industry professionals through semi-structured interviews providing an industry centric assessment of the sector’s challenges and possible solutions.

Barriers to the implementation of POE practices in the Saudi Arabian building industry

ABSTRACTThis study aims to identify and assess the major barriers to post-occupancy evaluation (POE) implementation in the Saudi Arabian building industry. A literature review was conducted to identify 27 barriers to POE implementation in the building industry. A questionnaire survey was completed by a targeted sample of 150 building industry professionals, including 30 representatives of each influential discipline, namely architectural/engineers (A/Es), construction engineers (CEs), real estate developers (REDs), facilities managers (FMs) and owners. The findings indicated a low level of awareness of POE among these professionals, especially owners. The five most significant barriers according to the five parties were ‘lack of /inadequate resources for the POE (financial, time and man-power)’, ‘POE is not an integrated element of the standard facility delivery process’, ‘lack of knowledge on POE procedures and processes’, ‘there is no legal provision for POE in the building industry’, and ‘management's preference to increase income at the expense of conducting POE’. This research represents the first study to conduct a thorough survey of the key barriers to POE implementation in Saudi Arabia. The findings highlighted the significance of the economic barriers in the implementation of POE practices. The study also demonstrated the lack of awareness about the practice of POE among the owners of building projects. Finally, recommendations for overcoming the barriers to POE implementation in the building industry were provided.

Prostor i etos

The article examines the inextricable conceptual connection of space and ethos with culture and citizenship. It claims that the city is a prominent space for deploying citizens’ codes of conduct, taking into account the particularities of all groups. It also suggests ways of academic activities, like the introduction of bioethical principles in schooling of the young parts of the population, in the education of a new generation of building industry professionals, and the underline of the role of bioethics in understanding the interactions between the built environment and health, human well-being, productivity, energy use and climate change. The article contains several urban space snapshots in order to illustrate the phenomena and it also refers to Thessaloniki, a Northern Greece city, mentioning the conduct of inhabitants or, works of the authorities, who viciously offend city’s memory traces and culture. Finally, it suggests a list of ten points in order to develop our understanding why Space and Ethos are inextricably and culturally bound as a basic bi-pole of Urban Bioethics and thus promote supranational standards of European citizenship. These ten points are certainly relevant and useful to the discussion of the topic, but vary in depth and domain.

Application of Building Performance Simulation to Design Energy-Efficient Homes: Case Study from Saudi Arabia

The per capita energy usage in Saudi Arabia is almost three times higher than the global average. A major contributor is the residential sector which consumes almost 50% of the total national energy consumption every year. Environmental and economic pressures along with the Saudi Vision 2030 reform program advocate for an improvement in energy consumption patterns. For a sustainable residential sector, energy-efficient solutions should be adopted in the design process preferably based on building performance simulation (BPS). This study investigates the existing status and future prospects of BPS in the construction industry of Saudi Arabia. A survey has been carried out with building industry professionals to investigate the existing practices in terms of use of BPS. Energy and environmental savings achievable through application of BPS have been estimated by modelling a typical residential villa as a case study. The results indicate that presently BPS is not being adequately applied by the building industry and a number of barriers exist which need to be addressed. The case study simulation indicates that electricity consumption of a villa based on a BPS-based design process is 51.3% less than the existing typical residential villa.