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Infill materials play a pivotal role in determining buildings’ life cycle costing (LCC) and environmental impacts. International standards prescribe LCC and life cycle assessments (LCA) to assess materials’ economic and environmental sustainability. The existing methods of LCC and LCA are tedious and time-consuming, reducing their practical application. This study sought to integrate LCC and LCA with building information modeling (BIM) to develop a swift and efficient approach for evaluating the life cycle performance of infill materials.

The BIM model for a case study was prepared using Autodesk Revit®, and the study included four infill materials (lightweight aggregate concrete block (LECA), autoclaved cellular concrete (AAC), concrete masonry and bricks). LCC was conducted using Revit® and Autodesk Insight 360® to estimate costs incurred across different project phases. LCA was conducted using “One Click LCA®,” a BIM-based platform featuring a comprehensive material inventory. Carbon emissions, acidification, and eutrophication were chosen as environmental impact factors for LCA.

LECA was the preferred choice due to its lower cost and environmental impact. Its lifetime cost of $440,618 was 5.4% lower than bricks’, with 2.8% lower CO₂ emissions than AAC’s, which were second-place options, respectively. LECA had 6.4 and 27% lower costs than concrete blocks, and AAC’s carbon emissions were 32 and 58% lower than concrete blocks and bricks, respectively.

BIM has been employed for life cycle analysis in existing literature, but its efficacy in evaluating the lifetime costs and environmental impacts of infill materials remains unexplored. The current study presents a BIM-based approach for conducting LCC and LCA of infill materials, facilitating informed decision-making during the planning phase and promoting sustainable construction practices.

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.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sustainability performance of modular construction from a life cycle perspective. So far, the sustainability performance of modular buildings has been explored from a life cycle viewpoint. There is no comprehensive study showing which material is the best choice for modular construction considering all three sustainable pillars. Therefore, a life cycle sustainability performance framework, including the three-pillar evaluation framework, was developed for different modular buildings. The materials are concrete, steel and timber constructed as a modular construction method.

Transitioning the built environment to a circular economy is vital to achieving sustainability goals. Modular construction is perceived as the future of the construction industry, and in combination with objective sustainability, it is still in the evaluation phase. A life cycle sustainability assessment, which includes life cycle assessment, life cycle cost and social life cycle assessment, has been selected to evaluate alternative materials for constructing a case study building using modular strategies. Subsequently, the multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) method was used to compute the outranking scores for each modular component.

The calculated embodied impacts and global warming potential (GWP) showed that material production is the most critical phase (65%–88% of embodied energy and 64%–86% of GWP). The result of embodied energy and GWP shows timber as an ideal choice. Timber modular has a 21% and 11% lower GWP than concrete and steel, respectively. The timber structure also has 19% and 13% lower embodied energy than concrete and steel. However, the result of the economic analysis revealed that concrete is the most economical choice. The cost calculations indicate that concrete exhibits a lower total cost by 4% compared to timber and 11% higher than steel structures. However, the social assessment suggests that steel emerges as the optimal material when contrasted with timber and concrete. Consequently, determining the best single material for constructing modular buildings becomes challenging. To address this, the MCDM technique is used to identify the optimal choice. Through MCDM analysis, steel demonstrates the best overall performance.

This research is valuable for construction professionals as it gives a deliberate framework for modular buildings’ life cycle sustainability performance and assists with sustainable construction materials.

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.

Green walls are vertical structures with various plant species that contribute to achieving sustainability in terms of environmental, economic and social aspects. A comparison of green wall performance with a similar type of conventional wall would be the most convincing way of promoting green wall applications than comparing the performance within types of green walls. Hence, this study evaluated the life cycle cost (LCC) of an indirect green facade with a conventional wall in the Sri Lankan tropical climate towards enhancing the adaptation of the green wall concept as an energy-saving solution.

The study involved two stages: (1) assessing the thermal performance and (2) calculating the LCC of the indirect green facade and the conventional wall. On-site temperature measurements were taken from various spots on the exterior and interior wall surfaces of each building in different time intervals per day for 21 days from the end of May to the beginning of July. The LCC analysis was performed using the cost data collected through the market survey and document review.

The temperature difference between the external and internal wall surfaces of the conventional wall (1.06⁰C) is higher than the green wall (0.32⁰C). This implies that green walls help retain 2/3 of the temperature transferred through a conventional wall, thereby reducing the energy requirement for cooling purposes by 70%. Though the initial cost of a green wall is 19% higher than a conventional wall, maintenance costs of green walls result in 29% savings. This results in a 55% overall annual LCC savings compared to conventional walls.

There is a dearth of studies to evidence that the cost performance of green walls is more effective than conventional walls in tropical climates, and this study fulfils this research gap. Thus, the findings would be more convincing to clients towards enhancing green wall applications.

Designing a sustainable bituminous concrete with long-term performance is a challenging problem. In addition, strength of the subgrade has a crucial impact on pavement design. This paper aims to concentrate on subgrade soil stabilization with granite dust powder (GDP) and crumb rubber powder (CRP) to improve the engineering properties of the soil. Further design of bituminous concrete pavement with cement-treated layers in base and subbase course layers was carried out with life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment for 1 km of a four-lane national highway.

Subgrade soil stabilized with GDP and CRP is characterized as per Indian Standards (IS)-2720 to determine the optimum dosage. Further, the mechanistic-empirical pavement design was carried out using Indian Road Congress-37 (2018), analyzed using IITPAVE software and validated with ANSYS software. The life cycle cost analysis is carried out using the net present value method, and the life cycle assessment is performed according to the cradle-to-grave approach.

A soil mix comprising 10% GDP and 2.5% CRP yielded a soaked California bearing ratio value of 6.58%. In addition, the design of bituminous concrete pavement with cement-treated granular layers showed a 26.9% reduction in life cycle cost and 59.4% reduction in total carbon footprint per kilometer compared to the pavement with traditional aggregate layers.

The research on subgrade stabilization with sustainable materials like GDP and CRP incorporating mechanistic empirical pavement design, life cycle cost analysis and life cycle assessment is limited. Overall, the study recommends the use of GDP and CRP to stabilize soil for subgrade application and incorporate cement-treated granular layers, which offer economic and environmental benefits compared to traditional pavement construction.

This study evaluates the economic effectiveness of higher education in Lithuania by measuring returns to investment in higher education for both individual university graduates and the state, particularly aiming to discover how higher education investments impact economic returns at both micro (individual) and macro (national) levels.

A dual methodological approach has been applied, utilizing both the Mincer earnings equation and the full discounting method, to draw a clear distinction between the returns enjoyed by individuals and those accrued to the country. Calculations for individual economic returns are done using the most recent available Lithuanian Department of Statistics data on the wage structure, while national return on education was based on the State Tax Inspectorate and Lithuanian Public Finance databases.

The research confirms that Lithuanian investments in education positively influence both individual earnings and society at large, mainly due to the low cost of education and the high returns. For individuals, net present value varies from €126,000 to €224,000, and the internal rate of return is from 7% to 46%, with the highest return being for males working in companies of 50–249 employees and holding a bachelor’s degree. It is also noteworthy that one additional year spent in education increases earnings on average by 4.1%. The financing of first cycle studies costs the state two times less than second and third cycle studies. For this reason, the net present value (NPV) and internal rate of return (IRR) of first cycle studies are higher than those of second and third cycle studies.

While higher education is generally and globally seen as a way to ensure financial stability and career advancement at the individual level and socioeconomic development at the national one, the question of cost versus benefits at both levels is principal and diachronic. Our research quantifies the NPV and IRR of education investments and highlights the differential economic returns of various education levels, where policymakers can utilize these insights to inform strategic decisions regarding education funding and resource allocation. This study, therefore, provides explicit quantitative answers and presents individuals and policymakers with tangible results and practicable direction in their decision-making. The findings are applicable to the specific country-focus, but also constitute an applicable case study in the international context, particularly for European and other countries of comparable economic structure and developmental stage.

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.

In this study, the authors investigate whether supply chain (SC) strategies (lean or agile) improve or hinder the supply chain transparency (SCT) and what factors affect this relation.

The authors measure the level of SC strategy using natural language processing based on the annual financial reports of listed firms. Secondary data analysis is conducted on various databases encompassing 1,241 listed firms in China from 2011 to 2020. Additional tests are performed to assess the robustness of the results, and alternative explanations are duly considered.

The authors find that firms with an advanced level of SC strategy perform better on SCT. Furthermore, the authors observe that Agile SC strategy and Lean SC strategy have different effects on SCT over a firm’s life cycle. Agile SC strategy (the ratio of the proportion of Agile SC strategy word frequency divided by the proportion of Lean SC strategy word frequency greater than 1) has a significantly positive effect on SCT in the maturity stage; Lean SC strategy (the ratio less than 1) has a positive effect on SCT in the growth and decline stages. An increase in online media coverage negatively moderates the impact of the SC strategy (frequency of Lean and Agile SC strategy-related keywords) on SCT in the maturity stage. An increase in government environmental subsidies positively moderates the impact of SC strategy on SCT in the maturity and decline stages. Additionally, an increase in industrial competition intensity positively moderates the impact of the SC strategy on SCT in the decline stage.

The authors' study contributes to the Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) literature by revealing the positive impact of SC strategy on SCT with objective secondary data. Additionally, the authors examine the moderating effects of moderators over the lifecycle of a firm on this relationship in an emerging market context. The authors' findings offer valuable guidance to companies operating in diverse market environments, providing actionable insights to strengthen their SC strategies and enhance SCT.

This research demonstrates the theoretical merit of a reference architecture-based approach to life cycle cost (LCC) analysis system provision in the built environment. LCC insight is considered fundamental to sustainable decision making by asset managers; however, the current capabilities in practice do not align with the political ambition and the scale of competencies required to realise sectoral emissions–reduction targets.

In pursuing practical outcomes, the study employs a custom design science research-inspired methodology. Domain requirements are gathered via literature research as an initial top-down software reference architecture which is refined, bottom-up, through testing and implementation in a representative case study. A prototype IT system and reference architecture artefact are developed and used to evaluate the concept qualitatively through broad practitioner focus groups.

Sentiment analysis of the expert opinions is broadly positive and helps to substantiate the proposal’s theoretical suitability in addressing the scalability challenge. Additionally, constructive feedback provides guidance towards this trajectory, highlighting the importance of aligning with existing communities and standards, broadening future research scope to consider further scenarios and prioritisation of efforts to build trust around contracts and data quality.

The novelty of the work is the provision of the reusable LCC reference architecture development methodology.

The concept has the potential to provide LCC capabilities to industry at scale while the artefacts developed herein can be appended to existing LCC standards as implementation guidance to support IT system developers. Furthermore, the developed methodology can be employed in harmonisation efforts between policy and practice.