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The objective of this study is to investigate the concept of “earthquake resistance” in high-rise buildings and assess the current level of structural strength in the areas where these structures are situated. The study aims to identify and implement necessary measures to enhance resilience in these areas. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to develop a conceptual framework focusing on earthquake resistance's meanings, stages and physical elements to achieve these goals.

This study focuses on Istanbul, a city known for its high earthquake risk, specifically targeting the Atasehir district. The research utilizes the DEMATEL (Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) method to evaluate urban resilience parameters. Additionally, the Fuzzy TOPSIS (Preference Ranking Technique by Similarity) method is employed to analyze the location of five buildings in Atasehir, using criterion weights derived from this methodology.

The findings indicate that resilience varies depending on the distance of the buffers. Moreover, the amount and quality of urban equipment in the study areas have a significant impact on the earthquake resistance level of the surrounding areas where high-rise buildings are situated. Building upon this analysis, the study suggests the implementation of measures aimed at augmenting the quantity and quality of urban facilities in the study areas, consequently enhancing urban resilience.

The originality and value of this study lie in its examination of seismic resilience within the context of high-rise buildings and the identification of necessary measures to increase resilience in areas where these structures are prevalent. By focusing on Istanbul, a city with a high earthquake risk, and specifically selecting the Atasehir district as the study area, this research provides a comprehensive conceptual framework for understanding urban resilience and its physical components. Moreover, the study offers a fresh perspective on urban resilience by highlighting the influence of tall buildings on the surrounding areas. Ultimately, it provides practical recommendations for architects, urban planners and other stakeholders to improve regional earthquake resilience.

This article explores the impacts of the changing land-use on urban heat island (UHI) in an urban transformation zone in Ankara (Türkiye). Identifying a characteristic rural landscape until the 1950s, the study area experienced a drastic land-use change by razing the fertile landscape of the city and replacing it with a sealed surface. Development of the squatter houses after the 1960s and, subsequently, the implementation of a new housing morphology have introduced new sceneries, scales and surface conditions that make the study area a noteworthy case to analyze.

Regarding the drastic spatio-temporal change of the study area, this research assesses the impacts of the changing land-use on UHI based on three periods. Using 1957, 1991 and 2021 aerial imaginaries and maps, it analyzes the temperature alteration caused by the changing land-use. To do so, different surface types, green patterns and built-up areas have been modeled using Ankara climatic data and transferred to ENVI-Met to calculate the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) values.

The calculation has been developed over a transect covering an area of 40 m × 170 m, which includes diversity in terms of architecture, landscape and open space elements. To encourage future design strategies, the research findings deliberate into three extents that discuss the lacking climate knowledge in the ongoing urban transformation projects: impervious surface ratio and regional albedo variation, changing aspect ratio and temperature variation at the pedestrian level.

Urban transformation projects, being countrywide operations in Türkiye, need to cover climate-informed design strategies. Herein, the article underlines the critical position of design decisions in forming a climate-informed urban environment. Dwelling on a typical model of housing transformation in Türkiye, the research could trigger climate-informed urban development strategies in the country.

There is an urgent need to translate climate change awareness into tangible climate adaptation strategies. The built environment is identified as one of the kick-off points in making climate change adaptation as the built environment shares a dual-way relationship. While the built environment largely contributes to the climate change-triggering factors, it also becomes highly vulnerable in the face of climate change impacts. Tied up with the interconnectedness of the built environment processes and associated systems, the involvement of numerous stakeholders from different spectrums creates the need for a holistic and multi-stakeholder approach in developing climate response strategies for the built environment. Accordingly, this study aims to identify the roles and responsibilities of the different built environment stakeholders in climate change adaptation.

The study consisted of a scoping review at the initial stage, contextualising studies based on secondary data, and semi-structured expert interviews in five different countries: the UK, Sweden, Malta, Spain and Sri Lanka. The paper summarises the findings of the individual country-level desk studies and 65 built environment stakeholder interviews representing national and local governments, communities, academia and research organisations, civil organisations, professional bodies and the private sector. The findings were validated through focus group discussions in two stakeholder seminars.

The findings summarised a set of key roles and sub-roles for each stakeholder category, considering the current status and needs. The national governments need to set a long-term vision, enabling multi-sector interventions while promoting investment and innovation in climate change adaptation. The local governments overlook local adaptation plans, while the community is responsible for decarbonising operations and practising adaptation at the local level. Civil organisations and professional bodies are the voice of the community, linking policy and practice. Academia and research are responsible for nurturing skills and new knowledge, and the private sector must contribute by adopting climate resilience into their business portfolio and corporate social responsibility.

This research is part of an Europe-Union-funded research project, Built Environment leArning for Climate Adaptation (BEACON), which aims to develop skills and competencies of the built environment professionals so that they will be adequately equipped to handle the adaptation process of the built environment needs to adapt in facing the climate change impacts.

The paper provides an in-depth analysis of the roles and responsibilities pertaining to each category of the different stakeholders in effectively adapting the built environment to withstand the climate change consequences. Demarcation of each stakeholder’s roles and responsibilities separately facilitates collaboration and coordination between the different parties and provides a more holistic approach to climate change adaptation in the built environment.

Studies showed that construction digitalisation could prevent or mitigate accidents rate on sites. Digitalisation applications may prevent or mitigate building project collapse (BPC) but with some encumbrances, especially in developing countries. There is a paucity of research on digital technologies application to prevent or mitigate BPC in Nigeria. Thus, the research aims to explore the perceived barriers that may hinder digital technologies from preventing or mitigating building collapse and recommend measures to improve technology applications during development.

The study is exploratory because of the unexplored approach. The researchers collected data from knowledgeable participants in digitalisation and building collapse in Nigeria. The research employed a phenomenology approach and analysed collected data via a thematic approach. The study achieved saturation at the 29th interviewee.

Findings show that lax construction digitalisation implementation, absence of regulatory framework, lax policy, unsafe fieldworkers' behaviours, absence of basic infrastructure, government attitude, hesitation to implement and high technology budget, especially in developing countries, are threats to curbing building collapse menace via digitalisation. The study identified technologies relevant to preventing or mitigating building collapse. Also, it proffered measures to prevent or mitigate building collapse via improved digital technology applications during development.

This research contributes to the construction digitalisation literature, especially in developing countries, and investigates the perceived barriers that may hinder digital technologies usage in preventing or mitigating building collapse in Nigeria.

This research focuses on the role of facilities management (FM) elements which are people who represent the household, and process, place and technology as the FM elements. The findings of this research include a list of suggestions to improve SSI implementation based on the FM elements. A waste separation behaviour model was established based on the findings, which was then further validated by experts in related fields.

This paper explains how the process, place and technology elements of FM moderate and influence waste separation behaviour among households. A conceptual framework is proposed, grounded on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and a questionnaire survey was conducted to collect primary data from 900 eligible respondents among the residents of high-rise residential units in Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. SmartPLS software was used to analyse the structural equation model (SEM) of the conceptual framework developed to test the moderator’s effects.

The findings show that the process, place and technology moderators significantly and positively affected the relationship between perceived behavioural control and waste separation behaviour. Process and technology moderators significantly and positively affect the relationship between moral norms and waste separation behaviour among households. This research focuses on the role of FM elements which are people who represent the household and process, place and technology as the FM elements. The findings of this research include a list of suggestions to improve Separation at Source Initiative (SSI) implementation based on the FM elements. A waste separation behaviour model was established based on the findings, which was then further validated by experts in related fields.

This study implements the case of categorical moderator type and multiple constructs toward the relationships of formative indicators and contributes to knowledge regarding the analysis of moderator variables and structural equation modelling.

This study aims to assess carbon emissions in urban aged residential buildings in Qingdao, Shandong Province, constructed prior to 2000, and to evaluate retrofitting and rebuilding strategies for potential carbon reduction.

Field investigations and literature reviews were conducted to identify key factors influencing carbon emissions, such as shape coefficient, window-to-wall ratio and envelope structure. A combination of generalization and mathematical statistical methods was used to classify buildings based on construction year, form, structural type and energy-saving goals. Cluster analysis was employed to extract six typical building models.

Results demonstrate that building form complexity positively correlates with carbon emissions per unit area, while longer lifespans reduce emission intensity. Retrofitting exhibits shorter carbon payback periods (1.62–3.92 years) than rebuilding (18.7–49.94 years), indicating superior environmental performance. Pre-1986 buildings are advised for demolition/rebuilding due to limited retrofit benefits. For 1986–1995 buildings, retrofitting is recommended if structurally viable. Post-1996 buildings favor retrofitting over new construction for its shorter payback and lower emissions, enhancing long-term carbon reduction.

This study contributes to the understanding of carbon emissions in urban aged residential buildings by considering various factors and providing specific recommendations for retrofitting and rebuilding strategies tailored to different construction periods. Additionally, it highlights the importance of building form complexity and remaining lifespan in determining carbon emissions, offering insights for sustainable urban development and carbon reduction initiatives.

In metropolitan areas experiencing rapid urbanization and housing production, the size of housing units emerges as a crucial factor to consider in housing policy formulation. This study aims to focus on Turkey, a developing country undergoing rapid urbanization and a construction boom in recent years, to examine households’ housing size preferences. Through a detailed analysis, this research delves into the causal relationships between income, education and housing size preferences.

This study uses the Family Structure Survey in Turkey 2016 data set collected nationwide by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat). To address potential endogeneity issues related to income and education levels in households’ choice of house size, an extended regression model is used. In addition, survey weights are applied to the statistical model to generalize the results of the study.

The study demonstrates that household income correlates with an increase in house size, while household education is associated with a decrease in house size. Variables such as household age, composition and vehicle ownership are found to impact the choice of house size. Particularly, one-person and couple-only households tend to prefer smaller dwellings compared to others. Lastly, the results reveal that the influence of household composition on dwelling size varies according to household age.

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the determinants influencing households’ housing size preferences within the framework of a developing country context, focusing on Turkey. It specifically offers insights into the causal impact of education and income levels on housing size preferences, as well as the intricate interplay between household characteristics in shaping these preferences.

The development of zero-carbon buildings (ZCBs) is beneficial to the society and biodiversity. Despite the benefits of ZCBs, there are challenges limiting its development in construction industry. The current study seeks to examine the technology-related factors affecting the development of ZCB in Lagos Nigeria.

The study designed a questionnaire to achieve the main objective. Data were collected using non-probability and snowballing sampling methods. Questionnaires were distributed, and 272 valid responses were collected. Thereafter, data were analysed using mean value, percentage, frequency distribution, normality test, Kruskal Wallis test and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance.

The results from data analysis showed that, “less technical expertise in new technological advancements”, “research outcomes are not translated effectively into technology innovations”, “high cost of maintenance on ZCB”, “poor knowledge on renewable technologies” and “industry’s ability to embrace ZCB technologies (policy initiatives and industry practices)” were the topmost five technology-related factors hindering development of ZCBs in Lagos, Nigeria. Also, the results from the study show a statistically significant degree of agreement between various groups of construction organisations in Lagos, Nigeria concerning the technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs.

The study contributed to more effective ZCB studies by drawing attention to technology-related factors hindering the development of ZCBs in construction industry. An understanding of these challenges can help construction stakeholders, organisations, policymakers and governments in devising strategies targeted at minimising these challenges and fostering the development of ZCBs in the construction sector. The identified results on technological barriers to ZCBs development can guide targeted interventions and policy adjustments, promoting more effective implementation of ZCBs in Lagos Nigeria and serving as a model for addressing similar challenges in other developing countries. Recommendations for future research on ZCBs were also highlighted.

Reconstruction of old buildings is often necessary after prolonged usage, but these projects encounter various complexities, leading to their failure. However, there is a lack of studies that focus on investigating the complexity of old building reconstruction initiatives. Thus, this study aims to examine the complexity of reconstruction projects for old buildings in Vietnamese urban areas.

Through a literature review and discussions with experienced practitioners, 12 significant complexity factors were identified. The study then utilized the fuzzy decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique to analyze the interrelationships among these complexity factors.

The findings revealed intricate interdependencies among the complexity factors, visualized in a complexity map. The map highlighted the critical complexities of site compensation, clearance and the long project duration. Furthermore, a causal diagram categorized the complexity factors into net-effect and net-cause groups.

By examining the relationships and interactions among these factors, the study emphasizes the interconnected nature of complex systems and the influence of one factor on others. Therefore, decision-makers and stakeholders involved in reconstructing old buildings are suggested to possess a comprehensive understanding of these interdependencies to ensure effective decision-making.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the contradictions inherent to balconies. Despite the attention given to these architectural elements on that moment, there is a knowledge gap concerning the preferences and expectations of the inhabitants in relation to them. For this reason, this paper aims to conduct a critical literature review of the publications about the inhabitants’ perceptions of balconies in order to identify the most relevant criteria to consider during the design process.

The analysis was based on the post-occupancy evaluation (POE) criteria (technical, functional and behavioural).

The results highlighted the relevance of the behavioural criteria for the valorisation of the balconies by the inhabitants and presented indications to the research about these liminal spaces and the design practice of housing buildings.

According to the authors’ best knowledge, this study represents the more holistic study of the kind.