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The construction industry is witnessing a paradigm shift as a consequence of the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0). The implementation of IR4.0 technologies is, however, elementary in emerging economies such as Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to carry out an examination of benefits, challenges and critical success factors for IR4.0 implementation in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia.

The methodology entailed a thorough review of the extant literature and consultation with experienced construction professionals in Saudi Arabia through questionnaire surveys. The data collected was further analyzed using the relative importance index approach and the confirmatory factor analysis.

The most important benefits, challenges and critical success factors established by this study include “Improved Communication and Coordination,” “Cost of implementation (initial investment and maintenance)” and “Clear goals and objectives,” respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis established a theoretical model to serve as a foundation for IR4.0 adoption in the Saudi construction industry.

The limitations may be perceived in terms of the local context of the research, as well as the sample size. This prevents the potential for generalization of the study’s results.

It is of practical value to the Saudi construction industry in facilitating the successful implementation of technology through policies, frameworks and best practice guidance.

The study advances the theoretical knowledge of technology implementation in the construction industry. Emerging economies such as Saudi Arabia seeking to leverage the capabilities of digital technologies will find the results of this to be of crucial value.

Vertical urban settlements are becoming the predominant form of contemporary urban design in response to population increase and rapid urbanization. These developments are, however, perceived to be poorly designed and incongruent with the users’ needs. The purpose of this study was to present a resident satisfaction assessment of Hong Kong’s vertical settlements.

A review of the literature was conducted on the concept of vertical urbanism, residential satisfaction and postoccupancy evaluation. Fifty performance indicators were classified into three groups including indoor environment, safety and maintenance; furniture, utilities and spaces; and privacy, appearance and city life. These indicators were used to develop a Web-based questionnaire administered to residents in the three administrative regions of Hong Kong. Ninety-eight respondents participated in the study, and the results were analyzed using the resident satisfaction index and the overall satisfaction index. A multilinear regression analysis was also made to develop a model describing the most relevant performance indicators for determining the overall residential satisfaction.

The results revealed that residents expressed dissatisfaction with performance indicators, including “level of noise generated from outside the building (neighboring buildings, traffic, noise, etc.),” “variation and stability of indoor temperature,” “sustainable design of the building’s environment (cyclability, walkability, electric charging stations, etc.),” “availability and capacity of car parking,” “size and adequacy of spaces for social interaction” and “considerations for occupants with special needs (disabled, aged people, children, occupants with a medical condition, etc.).” The results also revealed that some indicators such as the maintenance of elevators, adequate interior space and surrounding areas were considered as significantly influencing residential satisfaction. Similarly, the building height and wind-induced motion were not significantly influencing residential satisfaction. The results also revealed that a multilinear Regression model with five variables and an adjusted R² value of 93% could estimate the overall residential satisfaction.

The concept of vertical urban design is the new paradigm in the shaping of future cities. The originality of this study is its adoption of post-occupancy evaluation to assess occupants’ residential satisfaction. As well as the determination of factors that should inform the planning, design and management of vertical urban settlements. Thus, the study has significant implications for research in vertical urban development, as well as the professional practice of building and urban planners, designers and managers.

The construction industry in emerging economies have suffered from productivity issues related to poor resource management as a result of theft. Therefore, this study aims to carry out an exploratory factor analysis of the key causes of theft in the construction industry in Nigeria.

The methodology entailed a review of the literature which identified 58 causes of construction theft. The causes were operationalized through a Likert-scale questionnaire survey, which was revised in a pilot study with ten industry experts. The questionnaire was further distributed to experienced construction professionals in Nigeria. A total of 63 respondents participated in the study, and the results were analyzed through an exploratory factor analysis.

A Kruskal–Wallis test showed no difference in perception of the various group of respondents, while Cronbach alpha test indicated an acceptable level of internal consistency and reliability. The top causes from the literature review were determined through descriptive statistics. However, a Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measurement resulted in the exclusion of ten causes, and exploratory factor analysis yielded twenty causes in six dominant factors that together account for 55.7% of the variance. The six dominant factors were general theft prevention measures, site security measures, site layout planning, management of materials and equipment, construction project management and policy and safety management.

The limited amount of research on construction site theft in emerging construction environments such as Nigeria contributes to poor construction productivity. This study advances our knowledge of construction site theft and is of significant value to construction stakeholders in effective material and resource management through theft mitigation measures.