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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.

There is a renowned interest in adaptability as an important principle for achieving circularity in the built environment. Circular building adaptability (CBA) could enable long-term building utilisation and flexible use of space with limited material flows. This paper identifies and analyses design strategies facilitating CBA to propose a framework for enhancing the implementation of the concept.

Interviews were conducted with professionals experienced in circular building design to explore the questions “How do currently applied design strategies enable CBA?” and “How can CBA be implemented through a conceptual design framework?”. The interviews encircled multi-residential building examples to identify currently applied circular design strategies. The interviews were analysed through qualitative content analysis using CBA determinants as a coding framework.

The results show that all ten CBA determinants are supported by design strategies applied in current circular building design. However, some determinants are more supported than others, and design strategies are often employed without explicitly considering adaptability. The design strategies that enable adaptability offer long-term solutions requiring large-scale modifications rather than facilitating low-impact adaptation by dwelling occupants. The proposed conceptual design framework could aid architects in resolving these issues and implementing CBA in their circular building design.

This paper’s contribution to CBA is threefold. It demonstrates design strategies facilitating CBA, proposes a conceptual design framework to apply the concept and identifies the need for a more comprehensive application of available adaptability strategies.

The aim of this paper is to develop a framework to enhance building maintainability through facilitating early suppliers’ involvement (ESI) in the design process.

A research methodology consisting of literature review, case studies and survey questionnaire was designed to achieve the above-mentioned aim. Firstly, literature review was used to examine the concepts of building maintenance, maintainability, the design process and ESI. Secondly, three case studies were presented and analysed to investigate the role of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability during the design process. Thirdly, a survey questionnaire was carried out with a representative sample of architectural design firms (ADFs) in Egypt to investigate their perception and application of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability during the design process. Finally, the research developed a framework to facilitate ESI in the design process in ADFs in Egypt.

Through literature review, the research highlighted the relationship between ESI and enhancing building maintainability and identified the roles, benefits, challenges and that encounter ESI in ADFs, factors for suppliers selection and levels of involvement. Results of the data analysis showed that “Difficulty of trusting external parties and sharing information with transparency” was ranked the highest challenge of ESI in ADFs in Egypt, followed by “Legal competitive advantage restrictions”. Moreover, “Better estimation for operation and maintenance costs” was ranked the highest contributions of ESI towards enhancing building maintainability, followed by “Reduce the number of operation and maintenance problems or reworks”. Finally, respondents stated that “Innovation, technical expertise, and competence” was ranked the highest supplier’s selection criteria, while “paying consultation fees for offering advice and recommendations to the design team” was ranked the highest form of supplier’s remuneration.

The proposed framework contributes to the body of knowledge through proposing five functions that aimed to facilitate ESI in the design process, a research area that received scant attention in construction research. In addition, because of the conceptual nature of the framework, it has to be validated to ensure its capability to overcome the challenges of ESI as an approach for enhancing building maintainability during the design process.

This research presents a practical solution that bridges the gap between theory and practice through overcoming the challenges that obstruct suppliers from being involved in the design process as an approach for enhancing building maintainability.

This research discussed the relationship between ESI and enhancing building maintainability as well as the roles, benefits and challenges that encounter ESI in ADFs. In addition, the research investigated the levels of suppliers’ involvement, selection criteria and forms of payment. Moreover, it investigated the perception and application of ESI in ADFs in Egypt towards improving building maintainability. The research proposed a framework to facilitate the integration of suppliers in the early stages of the project life cycle. It represents a synthesis that is novel and creative in thought and adds value to the knowledge in a manner that has not previously occurred.

Contemporary construction techniques provide benefits of speed and cost savings on a large scale, and is viable in urban regions with exorbitant housing demand. In rural areas, where scale and access to technology are unavailable, locally prevalent vernacular architecture and methods are more suitable. Although vernacular construction techniques have historically proven more sustainable and climate-sensitive, the lack of skilled labour and lack of versatility in material selection limits its application on large-scale projects. This study explores the choice of building design and technology, from the context of embodied energy, carbon and other life cycle impacts for housing construction.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) that evaluates impacts due to the products/processes is used to analyse different construction techniques. Further a detailed estimation of embodied carbon and embodied energy is done for both “vernacular” and “contemporary” choices of construction methodology for a case study project.

The building constructed using vernacular techniques has lower embodied carbon and energy by over 30% compared to the other clusters designed using contemporary confined masonry techniques. However, with a few external interventions the contemporary methods can be implemented with improved sustainability.

The limitation of the study is that it presents a case study-based exploration into comparing construction techniques to provide a practical understanding of making sustainable design choices and, hence, is limited to two construction methods. However, the same method could be extended to compare other construction techniques. Furthermore, it does not present a whole building LCA since the operating phase impacts are assumed to be fairly constant for such housing type, irrespective of the chosen method. Similarly, the demolition phase or the potential of reuse of the waste generated, water consumption and cultural and social heritage are not investigated in comparing the alternatives. Nevertheless, future studies could perform extensive exploratory and modelling studies on the operation phase and demolition phase to understand these impacts further.

In mass housing projects that belong to the so-called “affordable housing” or low-income housing category, sustainability concerns are not yet at the forefront of the decision-making process. Therefore, this study emphasizes the importance of incorporating sustainability into building design and construction and making sustainability accessible to even low-income communities. Adequate planning, social awareness initiatives and imparting skills and knowledge of sustainability to these communities are of utmost importance. The choice of design and materials should be encouraged by keeping in mind lower upfront costs as well as low maintenance and operational costs.

The primary implications of the study are that the vernacular technologies are much superior in terms of sustainability in comparison to conventional construction of RCC framed structures as well as contemporary construction methods such as confined masonry. However, the implementation of such techniques presents significant challenges such as a lack of skilled forces, increased maintenance and lack of flexibility to minor modifications. Hence, although being a sustainable choice its acceptance and execution present practical difficulties. Therefore, this study primarily aims to reinforce the belief in vernacular architecture and techniques to build sustainable and resilient communities while highlighting the challenges of the modern world in implementing them.

Most studies advocate using construction methods based on their ease of implementation, maintenance or cost. However, this study highlights the importance of considering the aspect of sustainability in the context of the choice of methods for housing construction in urban and semi-urban areas. This study also addresses the need not to overlook vernacular construction technologies while selecting technology for housing for low-income communities.

We explore the design risk factors and associated managerial practices driving collaborative risk management for design efficacy in green building projects. By illuminating project design risk as an important project risk category in its own right, the study contributes to our understanding of optimising design efficacies for collaborative project risk management.

The study comprises exploratory interviews conducted with 27 industry project practitioners involved in the design and delivery/implementation of Green Star-certified building projects in South Africa.

The findings discursively highlight seven sources of design risk. We also identify seven specific collaborative risk management practices for design efficacy emerging from a consideration of how risk environments vary in the Green Star-certified projects, each with its own project design risk implications.

The study advances our understanding of how collaborations emerging from particular relational yet context-specific practices can be optimised to strengthen project risk management.

This study aims to develop a production-oriented approach for optimal mass-customisation of floor panel layouts in cross-laminated timber (CLT) buildings. The study enables meeting building clients’ unique floor plan requirements at an optimal cost and simultaneously enhances manufacturers’ profit by minimising material and manufacturing process waste.

The present research uses a hybrid approach consisting of field data collection, mathematical modelling, development of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and scenario analysis. Field data includes engineered timber production information, design data and building code requirements. The study adopts the Flexible Demand Assignment (FDA) technique to formulate a mathematical model for optimising the design of mass timber buildings and employs GA to identify optimal production solutions. Scenario analysis is performed to validate model outputs.

The proposed model successfully determines the load-bearing wall placement and building spans and specifications of floor panels that result in optimal production efficiency and the desired architectural layout. The results indicate that buildings made of a single category of thickness of panels but customised in various lengths to suit building layout are the most profitable scenario for CLT manufacturers and are a cost-effective option for clients.

The originality of the present study lies in its mathematical and model-driven approach towards implementing mass customisation in multi-storey buildings. The proposed model has been developed and validated based on a comprehensive set of real-world data and constraints.

This study is carried out to demonstrate the computational practicalities of environmental construction economics necessary to offer early-stage cost advice. A case study of a private sector client’s development proposal is used. This is for the acquisition of a vacant freehold land of 1.2 acres brownfield site to develop a Grade A office complex with plans to achieve the BREEAM Excellent rating green building certification.

A three-stage methodology was deployed: Order of cost estimating, before life cycle costing and then development appraisal. The Order of Cost Estimate is generated using the BCIS online database, following the procedural guideline of the New Rules Measurement (NRM). The life cycle costing was carried out from an environmental perspective to explore two design options – Design A and Design B, in terms of which would offer the best value for money whilst reducing carbon emissions.

Based on the outcome of the life cycle costing computations, Design B was chosen as the advised development due to minimal differences in net present values and annual equivalents. Further evaluation of Design B, using the residual method of developmental appraisal was carried out, with all necessary assumptions made. From the extensive computations carried out, the project is considered unviable, as it reports a loss. Alternative use of the site or an alternative site is thus recommended to check if a greater return on investment is tenable.

The study narratively interweaves the application of three computational techniques that are core to offering early-stage cost advice.

This study explores the impact of biophilic design in built environments on sustainable behaviors through the innovative use of a serious game. By examining how exposure to biophilic elements influences behaviors in real and virtual settings, the research aims to demonstrate the potential of serious games as tools for promoting sustainability.

The study was conducted in three distinct experimental settings: (1) a real environment pre-game, (2) a non-immersive game environment within the same real setting and (3) an immersive game environment post-game. Data were collected from 162 participants who experienced these different conditions. The serious game “Pop a Coffee Corner” was developed based on biophilic design principles and used to assess behavioral changes.

Results indicated that exposure to biophilic design elements in real settings significantly enhanced sustainable behaviors compared to non-biophilic environments. Additionally, playing the serious game in a biophilic environment led to even greater improvements in sustainable behavior than exposure to biophilic design alone. This demonstrates the effectiveness of serious games in fostering sustainable actions.

The study’s findings are based on a specific university setting, which may limit generalizability. Future research could explore long-term impacts and applications in diverse contexts.

The research provides practical guidelines for incorporating biophilic design in built environments, and developing serious games can be a practical strategy for architects, urban planners and educators to promote sustainable behaviors among individuals. This approach can be applied in educational settings, public spaces and workplaces to foster a deeper connection with nature and encourage environmentally responsible behaviors.

By demonstrating the effectiveness of biophilic design and serious games in promoting sustainable behaviors, this study contributes to broader societal efforts to address environmental challenges. Implementing these strategies can lead to increased environmental awareness and pro-environmental behaviors, ultimately supporting sustainability goals.

This study introduces the serious game approach as a novel method to evaluate and promote sustainable behaviors through biophilic design. It highlights the potential for integrating biophilic elements in both real and virtual environments to encourage environmentally responsible behavior, offering valuable insights to architects, designers and policymakers.

This paper aims to analyze the impact of sustainability measures taken during the design and construction phases, by examining two categories of sustainability: energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions and material selection and waste management. These aspects are examined from the perspectives of long-term building performance and maintenance practices, as well as user/tenant satisfaction.

This study includes a literature review related to the two topics under consideration, followed by a comparative case study analysis of four projects to determine practical validity. All case studies in this paper used a semi-structured survey with various project stakeholders, which helped the authors identify measures taken as well as obstacles and challenges during the process.

According to the four case studies, adequate attention should be paid to the two areas of interest during a project’s design and construction phases. Including case studies from around the world (four case studies from three different countries) offers insights into effective sustainability practices in building design and construction, providing instances of successful implementation and emphasizing the obstacles and potential when incorporating sustainability into the design and construction phases.

The findings also show that design and construction participants and companies should reduce waste generation and carbon emissions. In addition, they should make decisions on material selection to enhance projects’ sustainability and to contribute to creating a habitable planet for the future.

The influence of the design and construction phases on long-term project sustainability is of major importance and concern to users, owners, designers, contractors and facility managers. This study illustrates the necessity of including sustainability measures in the design and construction phases, highlighting the importance of sustainability in building design and construction through effective implementation techniques and interdisciplinary teamwork to realize sustainable goals.

This study aims to investigate the interrelationship between critical design criteria (CDC) that affect health, well-being and productivity (i.e. WELL) for residential buildings in developing countries, using Malaysia as a case study. To achieve the aim, the objectives are to identify CDC that affect WELL collectively; determine CDC that affect health, well-being, and productivity simultaneously; and analyze the interrelationship between the CDC.

Data from the semi-structured interviews and a systematic review of the existing literature were gathered for survey development. Next, survey data was collected from 114 professionals living in multistory buildings. Finally, normalized mean analysis, analytic hierarchy process (AHP), agreement analysis and Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze the collected data.

Out of the 51 potential design criteria, 16 are critically affecting WELL collectively. Furthermore, six are critically affecting WELL collectively as well as health, well-being and productivity simultaneously: property price, water flow and supply, water treatment, pest management, management services and waste management. Finally, “water treatment” is highly correlated to “water management” and “water flow and supply.” In addition, “waste management” and “management services,” as well as “fire safety” and “emergency evacuation plans,” are highly correlated.

This study's originality includes investigating the CDC of residential buildings for the first time, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, in a developing country. As a result, this study uncovers holistic design criteria for policymakers to establish holistic building assessment tools for residential buildings.