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Construction materials mostly affect the environment during the first stages of their life cycle. Their placement during the construction stage is of equal importance as it affects their environmental impact during the stage of use and the final stage of demolition and rejection. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the environmental impact of different construction details, which are typically used for different city surfaces in Greece.

The analysis of the environmental impact of construction details is both quantitative and qualitative. The quantitative analysis is mainly based on embodied energy calculations of different possibilities of placement. The qualitative analysis of the different construction details considers other environmental issues, such as the water cycle in cities and the possibility of reuse and recycling, which are strongly influenced by the way materials are attached to the building shell or general substrate. All the data are gathered from bibliographical sources.

For urban open spaces and flat roofed buildings, the placement of various materials with and without the use of cement‐based mortars reveals significant differences in the environmental impact. The same applies to building façades with the current construction (cement‐based mortars or synthetic resins) compared to the ventilated façade system.

Architects and designers can use the methodology and the findings of this study in order to carefully design the construction details of building façades and flat roofs, and urban open spaces.

The study points out the significance of the construction stage in the evaluation of the environmental impact of materials in Greece, where there is extensive use of cement mortars and concrete in the construction of the paving of urban open spaces.

Given increasing user aspirations for comfort, connectivity, health, safety and security, the building services subsector now plays an even greater role in construction. It also contributes heavily to construction debris. Hypothesising that improved materials control can help reduce construction debris considerably, this paper aims to investigate relevant critical production shortcomings that generate construction debris in building services works.

Relevant previous research studies on main causes of waste are first reviewed. Findings from a brainstorming exercise at a focus group meeting provide the basis for a series of structured face‐to‐face interviews with experienced site supervisors. Subsequent analysis of the interview findings, together with deductive reasoning, leads to the development of the proposed improvement strategies.

The most significant causes of production shortcomings identified in the study are poor coordination of processes or trades, inappropriate site storage and inadequate protection of materials. Industrial management principles help to develop suitable building services storage principles and to propose an industrial flow pattern incorporating barcoding and RFID tracking technologies.

These findings are a useful comparative reference for other countries, where the study methodology may be replicated to generate region‐specific findings.

By applying the suggested proposals at the material control stage, this important but little studied subsector can both reduce production shortcomings and help lessen the burden on local landfills by reducing “conflicts” between competing resources and storage areas, and by the early mobilisation of specialist contractors to resolve uncertainties and reduce rework.

The aims and objectives of this research are to establish whether or not the transition into green building in high-rise construction is practical. This is after considering several perspectives including financial, economic, environmental, and social. This subsequently leads to an evaluation on whether or not the continuation with a standard conventional build of high-rise buildings remains to be the most feasible option. Such objectives, therefore, aim to allow for validation of how and why high-rise construction designs are impacted through green buildings effects.

Through six defined steps, the methodology commences with an introductory section of what it means to build green. This section is further broken down to evaluate what factors are involved in constructing a green building. Furthermore, the life cycle energy (LCE) is used as a framework to evaluate the knock-on effects of green buildings and subsequent high-rise construction design implications.

Through defining the ongoing relationship of green materials and sustainable design, various implications for high-rise constructions were discovered. First and foremost, it was determined that the LCE is the central consideration for any high-rise building design. In evaluating the LCE, and overall operating energy of the 50-year cycle of a building was carried out. As the results showed, the operating energy represents around 85% of the total energy that is consumed at the end of the 50 years cycle of the building. Precise LCE calculation can lead to a more efficient design for high-rise buildings. As a result, an increased understanding of the current status of green buildings within the construction industry is paramount. This understanding leads to a better insight into the contributing factors to green building in high-rise construction and the construction industry in general.

The potential contribution that can be gained from this research is the awareness that is raised in the research and development of green buildings in high-rise construction. This can be achieved by using certain materials such as new energy-efficient building materials, recycled materials and so on. This research will contribute to defining a new way of sustainable buildings, particularly for high-rise construction. The outcome of the research will be beneficial for practitioners such as design engineers and other related professions.

The purpose of the paper is to marshal the carbon sources, and explore a computational model to calculate the buildings’ carbon emissions by using building information modeling (BIM) techniques. The study aims to integrate the BIM techniques with the carbon emission and energy analysis tools, which can provide a more exact quantification result.

To define the scope of this study, several standards or regulations have been comparatively analyzed. The BIM technique has also been used to establish the computational model of carbon emissions, including the calculation principle, the basic database, and each process of modeling. Finally, a case study is given to test the theoretical study.

The paper provides a quantitative calculation method for the carbon emissions of buildings, and suggests an approach to integrate the BIM techniques with the low carbon research. This allows the quantity of material consumption and carbon emission to be calculated in real time during the whole construction process.

Because of the chosen American database, the calculation results may lack generalizability. Therefore, the approach of establishing a universal database of carbon emission coefficients will be the next key point.

As this research shows, there is a need for an advanced calculation method to evaluate the buildings’ carbon emission exactly by BIM techniques, which also provides a basis to establish the regulation of carbon transaction tax in the future.

This paper fulfils an identified need to calculate the carbon emission during the buildings’ construction stage, so that better decisions can be made to optimize the construction plan and choose the low emission materials properly.

The purpose of this study is to enhance material conservation and further the knowledge of efficient material management practices on construction sites. This study investigated contractors’ material management practices on construction sites in Nigeria. The factors influencing material conservation on construction sites were also examined.

Data were collected through a survey of 125 contractors who were administered with structured questionnaire, which resulted in 82 valid returned questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using frequency, importance, utility and severity indexes.

This study found checking materials delivered to a site for specification, use of security personnel to safeguard materials and analysis of materials as key material management practices used on construction sites. Critical factors influencing material management are materials double-handling, management of surplus materials, subsequent design changes, excessive paperwork and not receiving materials at the expected time.

The implementation of the material management practices identified in this study will support contractors to efficiently manage materials on construction sites. The factors influencing material conservation reported in this study will also help contractors understand the critical factors that may affect material management in their construction sites and make better plans for future projects.

This study has reported key issues confronting contractors on the conservation of materials on construction site and various material management practices suitable for application in a wide range of infrastructure projects. This is significant because the construction industry is recording outrageous cost and time overruns of infrastructure projects, which are vital to economic prosperity of nations. The issues and panaceas presented in this study had received scant consideration in construction literature in the sub-Sahara Africa. This study represents a novel synthesis and adds value to knowledge in a manner that has not been reported in previous studies.

Because the construction industry is one of the largest waste producers, understanding the primary reasons for waste production is essential. The goal of this study is to identify the major causes of waste production over the project life cycle in Iran's construction industry and to propose effective solutions based on modern technologies like BIM.

After identifying the primary causes of construction and demolition waste production through interviews and literature analysis, solutions based on building information modeling (BIM) were provided. Then, using questionnaires and exploratory factor analysis (EFA), the areas impacting waste reduction were found.

The findings suggest that “prefabrication” is the best approach for improving time and quality, while “detection and prediction of errors in the design and construction phases” is the most cost-effective technique for addressing cost and environmental issues.

Cost, time, quality and environmental concerns may all be influenced by effective waste management throughout the project life cycle. Furthermore, utilizing state-of-the-art technologies has far-reaching implications for reducing material waste, resulting in more environmental-friendly construction.

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of various techniques for enhancing indoor air quality (IAQ) in construction. It analyzed the alterations in the concentration of indoor air pollutants over time for each product employed in controlling pollution sources and removing it, which included eco-friendly substances and adsorbents. The study will provide more precise and dependable data on the effectiveness of these control methods, ultimately supporting the creation of more efficient and sustainable approaches for managing indoor air pollution in buildings.

The research investigates the impact of eco-friendly materials and adsorbents on improving indoor air quality (IAQ) in Dubai's tall apartment buildings. Field experiments were conducted in six units of The Gate Tower, comparing the IAQ of three units built with “excellent” grade eco-friendly materials with three built with “good” grade materials. Another experiment evaluated two adsorbent products (H and Z) in the Majestic Tower over six months. Results indicate that “excellent” grade materials significantly reduced toluene emissions. Adsorbent product Z showed promising results in pollutant reduction, but there is concern about the long-term behavior of adsorbed chemicals. The study emphasizes further research on household pollutant management.

The research studied the effects of eco-friendly materials and adsorbents on indoor air quality in Dubai's new apartments. It found that apartments using “excellent” eco-friendly materials had significantly better air quality, particularly reduced toluene concentrations, compared to those using “good” materials. However, high formaldehyde (HCHO) emissions were observed from wood products. While certain construction materials led to increased ethylbenzene and xylene levels, adsorbent product Z showed promise in reducing pollutants. Yet, there is a potential concern about the long-term rerelease of these trapped chemicals. The study emphasizes the need for ongoing research in indoor pollutant management.

The research, while extensive, faced limitations in assessing the long-term behavior of adsorbed chemicals, particularly the potential for rereleasing trapped pollutants over time. Despite the study spanning a considerable period, indoor air pollutant concentrations in target households did not stabilize, making it challenging to determine definitive improvement effects and reduction rates among products. Comparisons were primarily relative between target units, and the rapid rise in pollutants during furniture introduction warrants further examination. Consequently, while the research provides essential insights, it underscores the need for more prolonged and comprehensive evaluations to fully understand the materials' and adsorbents' impacts on indoor air quality.

The research underscores the importance of choosing eco-friendly materials in new apartment constructions for better IAQ. Specifically, using “excellent” graded materials can significantly reduce harmful pollutants like toluene. However, the study also highlights that certain construction activities, such as introducing furniture, can rapidly elevate pollutant levels. Moreover, while adsorbents like product Z showed promise in reducing pollutants, there is potential for adsorbed chemicals to be rereleased over time. For practical implementation, prioritizing higher-grade eco-friendly materials and further investigation into furniture emissions and long-term behavior of adsorbents can lead to healthier indoor environments in newly built apartments.

The research offers a unique empirical assessment of eco-friendly materials' impact on indoor air quality within Dubai's rapidly constructed apartment buildings. Through field experiments, it directly compares different material grades, providing concrete data on pollutant levels in newly built environments. Additionally, it explores the efficacy of specific adsorbents, which is of high value to the construction and public health sectors. The findings shed light on how construction choices can influence indoor air pollution, offering valuable insights to builders, policymakers and residents aiming to promote public health and safety in urban living spaces.

Due to the increasing size and complexity of construction projects, construction engineering and management involves the coordination of many complex and dynamic processes and relies on the analysis of uncertain, imprecise and incomplete information, including subjective and linguistically expressed information. Various modelling and computing techniques have been used by construction researchers and applied to practical construction problems in order to overcome these challenges, including fuzzy hybrid techniques. Fuzzy hybrid techniques combine the human-like reasoning capabilities of fuzzy logic with the capabilities of other techniques, such as optimization, machine learning, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) and simulation, to capitalise on their strengths and overcome their limitations. Based on a review of construction literature, this chapter identifies the most common types of fuzzy hybrid techniques applied to construction problems and reviews selected papers in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique to illustrate their capabilities for addressing construction challenges. Finally, this chapter discusses areas for future development of fuzzy hybrid techniques that will increase their capabilities for solving construction-related problems. The contributions of this chapter are threefold: (1) the limitations of some standard techniques for solving construction problems are discussed, as are the ways that fuzzy methods have been hybridized with these techniques in order to address their limitations; (2) a review of existing applications of fuzzy hybrid techniques in construction is provided in order to illustrate the capabilities of these techniques for solving a variety of construction problems and (3) potential improvements in each category of fuzzy hybrid technique in construction are provided, as areas for future research.

Accurate and rapid tracking and counting of building materials are crucial in managing on-site construction processes and evaluating their progress. Such processes are typically conducted by visual inspection, making them time-consuming and error prone. This paper aims to propose a video-based deep-learning approach to the automated detection and counting of building materials.

A framework for accurately counting building materials at indoor construction sites with low light levels was developed using state-of-the-art deep learning methods. An existing object-detection model, the You Only Look Once version 4 (YOLO v4) algorithm, was adapted to achieve rapid convergence and accurate detection of materials and site operatives. Then, DenseNet was deployed to recognise these objects. Finally, a material-counting module based on morphology operations and the Hough transform was applied to automatically count stacks of building materials.

The proposed approach was tested by counting site operatives and stacks of elevated floor tiles in video footage from a real indoor construction site. The proposed YOLO v4 object-detection system provided higher average accuracy within a shorter time than the traditional YOLO v4 approach.

The proposed framework makes it feasible to separately monitor stockpiled, installed and waste materials in low-light construction environments. The improved YOLO v4 detection method is superior to the current YOLO v4 approach and advances the existing object detection algorithm. This framework can potentially reduce the time required to track construction progress and count materials, thereby increasing the efficiency of work-in-progress evaluation. It also exhibits great potential for developing a more reliable system for monitoring construction materials and activities.

The construction industry is shifting towards becoming more circular by reducing waste, reusing building materials and embracing regenerative solutions for energy generation and biodiversity conservation. Thus, construction professionals must perform diversified services to achieve a circular built environment (CBE). Implementing resource planning and waste management in CBE has already posed challenges to the quantity surveying profession; thus, quantity surveyors (QSs) should be equipped with new roles and competencies to tackle challenges in achieving a CBE. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the functions and competencies of QSs at the design and building material sourcing stages in achieving a CBE according to 3R principles.

The research apprehended a qualitative approach, including two expert interview rounds adhering to the Delphi technique with 14 and 11 experts per each round. Manual content analysis was incorporated to analyse the collected data.

The research findings revealed the important roles and competencies of QSs in achieving a CBE. In addition, essential functions and competencies were categorised according to the 3R principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) to successfully implement CBE during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. According to the 3R principles of CBE, cost control, cost planning, feasibility studies, measurement and quantification, risk management, value engineering and innovations and technologies were well-received by most interviewees as essential roles of QSs during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. Further, basic/mandatory competencies (personal, interpersonal, professional practice and business skills), economic analysis, BIM management, cost management and risk management are highly regarded by experts for QS as important competencies to achieve CBE.

With new construction trends, QSs must enhance their conventional roles and competencies and search for new skills and competencies. Those skills and competencies could be linked to the CE concept, either directly or indirectly. Since QS holds a prominent place in sustainable construction in CBE, adapting to changes in the construction industry such as CBE is timely for QSs. Further, there is a shortage of literature regarding QSs' roles and competencies in achieving a CBE; thus, this study will contribute by identifying new avenues for QSs in achieving a CBE in the practice and the research.