Search results

The purpose of this paper is to investigate two current transformation processes in the construction industry: the adoption of a novel material, cross-laminated timber (CLT), and the enhancement of digital transformation. This paper depicts the actors and interaction in the business network that is emerging around CLT construction and, in particular, how digital transformation (that is, the deployment of Construction 4.0 solutions) occurs in this business network.

Digital transformation is a relatively new phenomenon in CLT construction, and the authors, therefore, adopt a qualitative inductive research approach and rely on semi-structured interviews.

The findings of this paper suggest that it is critical for actors to adopt an interorganizational perspective in CLT construction, instead of only focusing on internal operations. An interorganizational perspective supports successful CLT construction, as well as the deployment of Construction 4.0 solutions. This will bring about the benefits of digital transformation in the construction industry.

This paper investigates the network created around CLT construction in Finland but more generally illustrates the change toward Construction 4.0 solutions.

For managers, this paper explicates the importance of networking, instead of focusing on the internal development of the company, when adopting novel solutions emerging from both construction and information technology-related advancements.

Stability and traditions are characteristic of the construction industry. New technical solutions and materials, together with calls for sustainability, have challenged the traditional ways of constructing, and for example, the development of CLT construction has led to an emergence of new business networks. This material-related process and the ongoing digital transformation of business form an interesting context for an empirical-based analysis of changing interaction and networks. This paper gives the first insights into how digital transformation can benefit the evolution of the network.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the seasonal performance, occupants’ comfort and cold stress in cross-laminated timber school buildings located in the USA (Northeast region).

The Fall survey was done from October–November 2017. In the Winter, it was considered from December 2017–February 2018. The study measured environmental parameters in the chosen spaces. The research applied the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) model to determine the indexes in various seasons.

In the Fall, the average inside temperature was 21.2°C, the average RH was 50.7 per cent, and the mean dew-point was 9.3°C. The mean inside temperature was 20.5°C in the Winter while the mean RH was 23.9 per cent and the average dew-point was −1.9°C. The overall mean inside temperatures in both seasons were within the ASHRAE comfort temperature limits for cold seasons. During the surveys, higher average values of temperature, RH and dew-point were measured in the offices than the other spaces.

The research showed people might be subject to lower temperatures in the hall than the other spaces. Some design parameters and occupation hours may contribute to the lower temperatures reported in the hall than the different spaces.

The study proposes the WBGT of 16.0°C and 13.7°C as the stress indexes in the Fall and Winter seasons correspondingly. Last, the research suggests a WBGT of 14.9°C as the overall mean stress index within the spaces considered in this study.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is an innovative construction material that provides a balanced mix of structural stiffness, fabrication flexibility and sustainability. CLT development and innovation diffusion require close collaborations between its supply chain architectural, engineering, construction and manufacturing (AECM) stakeholders. As such, the purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary understanding of the knowledge diffusion and innovation process of CLT construction.

The study implemented a longitudinal social network analysis of the AECM companies involved in 100 CLT projects in the UK. The project data were acquired from an industry publication and decoded in the form of a multimode project-company network, which was projected into a single-mode company collaborative network. This complete network was filtered into a four-phase network to allow the longitudinal analysis of the CLT collaborations over time. A set of network and node social network analysis metrics was used to characterize the topology patters of the network and the centrality of the companies.

The study highlighted the scale-free structure of the CLT collaborative network that depends on the influential hubs of timber manufacturers, engineers and contractors to accelerate the innovation diffusion. However, such CLT supply collaborative network structure is more vulnerable to disruptions due to its dependence on these few prominent hubs. Also, the industry collaborative network’s decreased modularity confirms the maturity of the CLT technology and the formation of cohesive clusters of innovation partners. The macro analysis approach of the study highlighted the critical role of supply chain upstream stakeholders due to their higher centralities in the collaborative network. Stronger collaborations were found between the supply chain upstream stakeholders (timber manufacturers) and downstream stakeholders (architects and main contractors).

The study contributes to the field of industrialized and CLT construction by characterizing the collaborative networks between CLT supply chain stakeholders that are critical to propose governmental policies and industry initiatives to advance this sustainable construction material.

Aiming at the characteristics of large stiffness, low ductility, and poor energy dissipation capacity of cross-laminated timber (CLT) shear wall, a method of opening vertical joints and adding low-yield dampers in CLT shear wall is proposed to improve its energy dissipation capacity and ductility.

The finite element model of CLT shear walls with low-yield dampers and dampers assembly was established by ABAQUS. The structural shape of low-yield dampers that meet the requirements of vertical joints in CLT shear walls is studied by numerical analysis. The influence of the number and position of low-yield dampers on the energy dissipation of the shear wall system is studied.

The results show that the low-yield damper with diamond openings should be used in the CLT shear wall, and the energy dissipation effect is the best when the CLT shear wall is uniformly covered with low-yield dampers. After the uniform arrangement of four groups of low-yield steel dampers, the energy consumption of the CLT shear wall increases by 75.38%, and the ductility increases by 13.22%.

There are few studies on replacing connectors between shear walls with low-yield steel dampers, and rectangular soft steel dampers are prone to stress concentration and poor deformation capacity. Therefore, this paper establishes the model of perforated low-yield damper and CLT and makes numerical analysis to determine the opening form, geometric parameters of low-yield damper, and the optimal layout scheme in CLT shear wall.

Measuring onsite productivity has been a substance of debate in the construction industry, mainly due to concerns about accuracy, repeatability and unbiasedness. Such characteristics are central to demonstrate construction speed that can be achieved through adopting new prefabricated systems. Existing productivity measurement methods, however, cannot cost-effectively provide solid and replicable evidence of prefabrication benefits. This research proposes a low-cost automated method for measuring onsite installation productivity of prefabricated systems.

Firstly, the captured ultra-wide footages are undistorted by extracting the curvature contours and performing a developed meta-heuristic algorithm to straighten these contours. Then a preprocessing algorithm is developed that could automatically detect and remove the noises caused by vibrations and movements. Because this study aims to accurately measure the productivity the noise free images are double checked in a specific time window to make sure that even a tiny error, which have not been detected in the previous steps, will not been amplified through the process. In the next step, the existing side view provided by the camera is converted to a top view by using a spatial transformation method. Finally, the processed images are compared with the site drawings in order to detect the construction process over time and report the measured productivity.

The developed algorithms perform nearly real-time productivity computations through exact matching of actual installation process and digital design layout. The accuracy and noninterpretive use of the proposed method is demonstrated in construction of a multistorey cross-laminated timber building.

This study uses footages of an already installed surveillance camera where the camera's features are unknown and then image processing algorithms are deployed to retrieve accurate installation quantities and cycle times. The algorithms are almost generalized and versatile to be adjusted to measure installation productivity of other prefabricated building systems.

This study examined data from 13 international tall residential timber building case studies to increase our understanding of the emerging global trends.

Data were collected through literature surveys and case studies to examine the architectural, structural and constructional points of view to contribute to knowledge about the increasing high-rise timber constructions globally.

The main findings of this study indicated that: (1) central cores were the most preferred type 10 of core arrangements; (2) frequent use of prismatic forms with rectilinear plans and regular extrusions were identified; (3) the floor-to-floor heights range between 2.81 and 3.30 m with an average of 3 m; (4) the dominance of massive timber use over hybrid construction was observed; (5) the most used structural system was the shear wall system; (6) generally, fire resistance in primary and secondary structural elements exceeded the minimum values specified in the building codes; (7) the reference sound insulation values used for airborne and impact sounds had an average of 50 and 56 dB, respectively.

There is no study in the literature that comprehensively examines the main architectural and structural design considerations of contemporary tall residential timber buildings.

Traditional construction materials and methodologies are often perceived to be unproductive, labour-intensive and detrimental to the environment. Mass-engineered timber (MET) is a new structural material that is capable of overcoming numerous issues that otherwise affect the built environment. This study was formulated to assess the current attitude and perception of young Singaporeans towards the concept of Engineered Timber Residential Buildings (ETRBs).

The study employs the mixed-method approach. Questionnaires were used as the primary mode of data gathering. These were disseminated to Singaporeans between the age of 18 and 35 years. A total of 179 valid responses were gathered. Semi-structured interviews were subsequently conducted with six individuals with different demographics in order to gain further insightful opinions and to allow cross validation of responses.

Statistical analysis revealed that 80% of respondents were willing to accept ETRBs, but a lack of awareness and knowledge of MET and the presence of misconceptions, such as an association with deforestation, may present concerns. The study also revealed that individual acceptance of ETRBs is not affected by demographics.

The production of MET involves lower overall carbon emissions than that of conventional materials, and this also allows adoption of the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA) concept and offers the benefit of carbon sequestration. Residential buildings are the second most common building type in Singapore; significant benefits can be gained if MET is used as the primary material for residential buildings. In general, young stakeholders in Singapore welcome the concept of ETRBs, despite possessing uncertainties about ETRBs—understandable given that the material lacks a track record of usage. Public authorities are thus advised to explore the feasibility of materialising the concept of ETRBs as an option for public housing.

In recent years, sustainability considerations in the real estate sector have moved from being a niche market phenomenon to a mainstream trend. The movement has been accompanied by a shift in the industry’s perception of sustainable buildings. Traditional cost-saving goals are now complemented by a growing interest in the potential for sustainable buildings to tackle broader economic and social sustainability challenges as well as issues related to health and well-being. The real estate industry is increasingly expected to adapt its strategies to incorporate new and more stringent environmental and urban development requirements, to cater to shifting demographics, and to utilize new advancements in construction processes and materials. This chapter explores recent research on sustainable real estate and highlights some of the newest trends in the market. The chapter then examines how policy and technological advancements can enable real estate developers to tackle environmental, social, and economic sustainability challenges. This will be exemplified through a focus on carbon taxation and timber construction. Based on these case studies, the chapter illustrates how today’s sustainable real estate sector – marked by its move beyond a focus on cost savings – requires for building practices to be strongly rooted in global, sustainable development policies.

The purpose of this paper is to study the design process innovations that enabled the successful delivery of a hybrid, mass-timber high-rise building in Canada, the Brock Commons Tallwood House at the University of British Columbia. It is one of a set of papers examining the project, including companion papers that describe innovations used during the mass timber construction process and the impact of these innovations on construction performance.

A mixed-method, longitudinal case study approach was used in this research project to investigate and document the Tallwood House project over a three-year period. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques were used. Graduate student researchers were embedded within the project team to observe meetings and decision-making and to conduct periodic interviews.

The research highlights a case of a balanced triple-helix system that provided a context for the successful “clustering” of product and process innovation, which were developed and implemented to flow throughout the project’s lifecycle and across its supply chain to provide benefits at each stage. Four significant process-based innovations were implemented at the design phase of the building project to support radical product innovation: an integrated design process, virtual design and construction, designing for manufacturing and assembling and a rigorous quality control and quality assurance process. The product innovations developed through these process innovations were the structural system and the prefabricated envelope system. The context of innovation was seen to allow this “clustering,” which is believed to be a key condition of success and enabled the efficient and successful delivery of the project. Generally, the approach was successful; however, some factors including the number of stakeholders and good-faith collaboration may limit the replicability of these strategies.

This paper presents an in-depth investigation into the instantiation of an innovation system, identified as a balanced triple-helix system, which enabled and facilitated the design and decision-making process for a radical product innovation. Moreover, this paper describes the deployment of a “cluster” of process innovations that flowed throughout the project’s lifecycle and across the project supply chain. This was seen as a key factor in ensuring the successful delivery of the project.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and provide a synthesis of how services are understood, how they are likely to develop and how future development can be studied more closely in the forest-based sector (FBS). Services are likely to have an increasing role in the FBS in the future.

The findings are based on a literature review of FBS outlook studies, strategies and programs and services-related studies in FBS and general services literature. Three case examples of services businesses in FBS companies are presented, and possible foresight approaches related to them are discussed. Foresight methods used in parallel sectors are also discussed.

The study provides the first systematic introduction, classification and review of FBS services to include both industry- and non-industry-related services. The paper also points out the need for foresight studies and suggests various approaches for an analysis of the potential of FBS services in the future bioeconomy.

The study shows that the role of services in FBS research has been understood too narrowly. As a result, services research has been rather lacking and the future potential of services in the FBS has not been fully acknowledged. The study argues for and points toward the need to use foresight approaches to update FBS strategies, business models and policies to fully benefit from the future potential of services.

The study is a novel introduction, review and discussion of the role of services in the FBS and their future outlook.