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The cost of residential building maintenance can harmfully affect low-income earners' expenditure if not checked. A customised maintenance concept via a framework will ensure efficient and proper building maintenance operations. The outcome may keep the life cycle cost down. Studies concerning the low-cost housing (LCH) maintenance concept through a framework are scarce in Malaysia. Thus, the study aims to investigate the state of LCH and develop a framework to improve LCH maintenance practices in Malaysia.

The study adopted a soft system methodology (SSM) to comprehend Malaysia's LCH building maintenance practices. The SSM allowed an alternative approach to improve LCH maintenance practices via a developed framework. Virtual interviews were conducted with experts, and findings were presented. It was in line with the SSM seven steps.

The findings show that apart from the poor state of LCH maintenance, there is the absence of a framework to improve maintenance practices, especially in LCH across Malaysia's cities. The findings developed a framework that would reposition the joint management body and management corporation in collaboration with the proposed maintenance agency for better service delivery via substantive, technical and administrative aspects.

This study's data collection is restricted to Pulau Pinang, Kuala Lumpur and Johor through a qualitative research design approach. Future research is needed to consider more extensive coverage and validate the developed framework from this study via a quantitative research design.

Apart from the conceptual model that was developed, the suggested framework can be employed by Malaysia's maintenance practitioners and policymakers as a guideline to improve LCH building maintenance practices across the cities.

This study examined Malaysia's LCH maintenance practices via SSM to identify the state of the houses, identify the information required and propose a suitable framework to improve Malaysia's LCH maintenance practices.

Asset inventory is an essential part of any building asset management system and is needed by such functions as condition assessment and deterioration prediction. Previous studies in asset management systems have suggested the use of one of the many standard construction classification systems, such as UniFormat or MasterFormat, in achieving the goals of asset management. However, each classification system has its unique features, and it has been developed for different purposes and may not necessarily be directly adaptable to asset management. A proper classification system is thus needed to achieve the goals of building asset management effectively. Such a system must take into consideration the objectives and functions of asset management. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to establish a unified work breakdown structure (WBS)-based framework for building asset inventory.

The WBS-based framework aims to cover the entire lifecycle of an asset so as to provide the unified classification system for asset inventory. The proposed framework is developed based on appropriate building standards. Also, comprehensive levels of details are included for space functions and locations for all assets in any type of building. Furthermore, this framework takes into consideration utilities in any kind of building project. As such, the WBS-based framework proposed in this research endeavor provides the basis for effective asset management. An educational building case study is presented and discussed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework for asset management.

The unified WBS-based framework for building asset management effectively classifies asset inventories and facilitates decision-making in asset management during the lifecycle of an asset.

This research synthesizes a unified WBS-based framework for building asset management, which allows for a more effective lifecycle building asset management.

Inadequate strategic planning and maintenance budget may undermine the maintenance of the Higher Education Institution Building (HEIB). Studies have shown that a customised maintenance concept such as Soft System Methodology (SSM) can improve public building maintenance operations. There is a paucity of studies regarding public HEIB maintenance in Nigeria via an SSM approach. Therefore, the research investigated the state of public HEIB and developed a framework to improve public HEIB maintenance practices in Nigeria.

The research adopted SSM to understand Nigeria’s public HEIB maintenance practices. The SSM permitted a substitute approach to improve public HEIB maintenance practices via a developed framework. Data were collated via virtual interviews with experts, and findings were presented in line with the SSM seven steps.

Findings show that besides the shoddy state of public HEIB maintenance, there is no public digitalised HEIB framework to improve maintenance practices across Nigeria’s higher education institutions. The study developed a digitalised framework with the support of Computerised Maintenance Management System from the findings. It would reposition the public HEIB and stir up various agencies/departments/units managing maintenance for better service delivery via integrated delivery, practical, methodological and managerial aspects.

The research investigated Nigeria’s public HEIB maintenance practices via SSM to identify the required document and propose a feasible framework to improve Nigeria’s HEIB maintenance practices. Besides the developed conceptual framework, Nigeria’s HEIB maintenance practitioners and higher institution chief executives can use the recommended framework as guidelines to improve HEIB maintenance practices.

Building permitting is mostly a manual, labor intensive and time-consuming process. Initiatives for streamlining the process are not always helpful since they often fail to address the core problems within the process. A framework for modeling the permitting process can be useful to identify bottlenecks, core challenges and best practices. Hence, the authors aim to demonstrate and validate a previously suggested workflow for permit process modeling using the permitting process in Israel as a test case.

The authors implement qualitative expert interviews for data acquisition. The collected data are then processed for a qualitative data analysis. The results of the analysis are then validated using a focus group workshop in the field of building permits. In the test case the focus group consisted of Israeli experts.

The authors present a detailed overview of the as-is building permit process in Israel and the existing challenges. Through this test case, the authors found that the framework is applicable in different countries and that it can provide valuable insights into the core problems within the process. In addition, application of the same framework in different countries can provide comparable results that would allow the authors to identify best practices.

The major contribution of this work is the development and validation of a framework for building permitting process modeling which can be used to identify existing challenges and bottlenecks in the process. Implementing a structured and unified approach provides an opportunity to easily compare processes in different countries to identify best practices.

Modular construction is an innovative method that enhances the performance of building construction projects. However, the performance of steel modular construction has not been systematically understood, and the existing measurement methods exhibit limitations in effectively addressing the features of steel modular building construction. Therefore, this study aims to develop a new performance measurement framework for systematically examining the performance of steel modular construction in building projects.

This study was conducted through a mixed-method research design that combines a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art practices of construction performance measurement and a case study with a 17-story steel modular apartment building project in Hong Kong. The case project was measured with data collected from the project teams and other reliable channels, and the measurement practices and findings were referenced to establish a systematic performance measurement framework for steel modular construction.

Considering steel modular construction as a complex socio-technical system, a systematic performance measurement framework was developed, which considers the features of steel modular construction, focuses on the construction stage, incorporates the views of various stakeholders, integrates generic and specific key performance indicators and provides a benchmarking process. Multifaceted benefits of adopting steel modular construction were demonstrated with case study, including improved economic efficiency (e.g. nearly 10% cost savings), improved environmental friendliness (e.g. approximately 90% waste reduction) and enhanced social welfare (e.g. over 60% delivery trips reduction).

This paper extends the existing performance measurement methods with a new framework proposed and offers experience for future steel modular construction. The measured performance of the case project also contributes in-depth understanding on steel modular construction with benefits demonstrated. The study is expected to accelerate an effective uptake of steel modular construction in building projects.

The built environment is taking enormous leaps towards its digitalization. Computer-aided tools such as building information modeling (BIM) are found in the forefront of this evolution, playing a critical role in creating the foundations for the upcoming development of smart low-carbon cities. However, the potential of BIM is still untapped – links will need to be created among the available and forthcoming methodologies under one integral operational system. The purpose of this paper is to present an integrated BIM-based life cycle-oriented framework for achieving sustainable constructions at the pre-construction phase. The developed framework represents an example of the approaches that the construction industry will need to adopt to integrate the different tools under an integrated smart city context.

The methodological approach follows the development of four same-volume different-configuration three-dimensional BIM designs, which are coupled with life cycle assessment (LCA) tools for establishing sustainable building design.

The results of this paper indicated that the choice of building design and shape can play a significant role in reducing the embodied energy and embodied carbon of buildings, achieving a reduction of up to 15% compared to a reference building of same volume and gross floor area.

The originality of this paper is found in its approach application by coupling three-dimensional BIM models with LCA data, the use of reinforcement detailing in an nD BIM study and the employment of country-specific LCA databases.

Green building development practices reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainability in the built environment. To foster green building construction in Malaysia, several strategies and sustainability metrics like the Malaysian Carbon Reduction and Environmental Sustainability Tool (MyCREST) have been established. Yet, the implementation of green office building development in Sarawak still remains low. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to develop MyCREST Embedded Framework (MEF) for enhancing the adoption of green office building construction in Sarawak.

To achieve the research aim, document analysis of the overarching MyCREST Reference Guide was conducted. Then, questionnaire was used to survey 120 green construction professionals in Kuching, the capital of Sarawak. Afterwards, data from the questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science software version 22. As a result, the significant strategies for enhancing the adoption of green office building construction in Sarawak were identified, and ranked hierarchically using the Relative Importance Index.

The established significant strategies include: government policies and incentives, sustainable technological practices, defined process for executing green building projects and adequate information for the public. Moreover, this study recommends MyCREST as the suitable Green Building Assessment Tool for developing green office buildings in Sarawak due to its integration of carbon reduction strategies with sustainability indicators.

This study is limited to Kuching; hence future study should be extended to other cities in Sarawak.

Based on the findings, the MEF is developed to enlighten the industry practitioners on the approaches that will elevate green office building development in Sarawak.

This study aimed to provide a framework that includes the principles of sustainable construction to evaluate their application in the construction of government building projects in various environmental, economic, and social aspects distributed over the project phases throughout its life cycle.

Qualitative methods from literature review and analysis of sustainability assessment tools were used to design the framework. The designed framework included six main categories, comprising 19 indicators that include sustainable building principles to assess application levels in government construction projects. It was used to evaluate applying sustainability practices in Jordanian government construction projects. 133 questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of three government institutions concerned with the design, implementation, and management of government buildings in Jordan.

After collecting the quantitative data, the results showed that there is an application of six sustainability principles during the initial planning, analysis, and design stages of Jordanian government construction projects. The results focused on the application levels in social sustainability principles versus environmental and economical, especially in the operating stages during the project life cycle.

This study contributes by providing a tool to evaluate the sustainability of government construction projects and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these types of buildings in both the short and long term by making them more sustainable. Subsequently, recommendations are made on reorienting government construction projects toward a sustainable building approach.

Variations due to errors and mistakes have caused cost overruns in building projects. Therefore, it is undeniable that the gravity of such variations will be a critical factor in deciding the success of any building project. In addition, the design stage of a building project is considered the most suitable stage to identify and mitigate the causes of potential variations. However, there are no proper mechanisms to minimise the frequency or gravity of variations. Many researchers experienced the promising essence of Poka-Yoke, a mistake-proofing method aimed at increasing efficiency by early detection and eradication of the causes of potential errors. However, less attention has been paid so far to implement Poka-Yoke principles to minimise variations in the building project. Therefore, this study aims to develop a framework to minimise variations in building projects through the integration of the Poka-Yoke principles.

An interpretivism stance is adopted, and a qualitative research approach is used. The data collection technique adopted is semi-structured interviews with ten experts, and the data is analysed using code-based content analysis through NVivo12.

Research findings revealed 23 causes of variations, categorised under client-originated, consultant-originated, contractor-originated and other variations. The identified causes were then mapped with the Poka-Yoke principles to develop the framework. The research findings could prove useful to researchers, academics, government agencies and construction professionals in developing nations that have demographic/cultural and socioeconomic characteristics such as Sri Lanka.

The findings benefitted the Sri Lankan construction sector by minimising the causes of variations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study will be the first of its kind in the Sri Lankan construction industry, leading to a better understanding of the “Poka-Yoke” principle within the building construction context.

Capacity building is a crucial antecedent for socio-economic development. However, an enhanced capacity that is difficult to develop could quickly be eroded, because of rapid changes in competitive forces in industries and markets. Therefore, this paper intends to analyse the extant strategic management and relationship marketing (RM) literature that deal with competition. Eventually, the purpose of this paper is to develop an alternative route for capacity building process that could sustain competitive advantage in a market or industry, which encounters rapid changes in business competition.

An inductive constructivist approach is followed to support arguments, in order to develop a synthesis from the relevant literature to reinforce the current understandings on capacity building and sustained competitive advantage.

An influence of RM on strategic organisational dynamic capabilities (DCs) is recognised, which appears as significant to sustain DCs and subsequent competitive advantage. Based on this influence, this paper proposes a conceptual framework of capacity building that could survive through the “valuable, rare, inimitability and non-substitutability” test, which is fundamental to sustain competitive advantage. Some empirical insights are developed, in support of this conceptual framework.

For research and practice, these insights will be useful to focus on specific attributes in capacity building to sustain the enhanced capacity’s competitive advantage over time, across industries and markets.

Similarly, the insights will be instrumental to sustain the benefit of capacity building to underpin socio-economic progress.

The paper proposes a much needed initial conceptual framework for capacity building to sustain competitive advantage of a hard-earned capacity for socio-economic development.