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This paper aims to identify modern construction techniques for affordable housing, such as prefabrication and interlocking systems, that can save time and cost while also providing long-term sustainable benefits that are desperately needed in today's construction industry.

The need for housing is growing worldwide, but traditional construction cannot cater to the demand due to insufficient time. There should be some paradigm shift in the construction industry to supply housing to society. This paper presented a state-of-the-art review of modern construction techniques practiced worldwide and their advantages in affordable housing construction by conducting a systematic literature review and applying the backward snowball technique. The paper reviews modern prefabrication techniques and interlocking systems such as modular construction, formwork systems, light gauge steel/cold form steel construction and sandwich panel construction, which have been globally well practiced. It was understood from the overview that modular construction, including modular steel construction and precast concrete construction, could reduce time and costs efficiently. Further enhancement in the quality was also noticed. Besides, it was observed that light gauge steel construction is a modern phase of steel that eases construction execution efficiently. Modern formwork systems such as Mivan (Aluminium Formwork) have been reported for their minimum construction time, which leads to faster construction than traditional formwork. However, the cost is subjected to the repetitions of the formwork. An interlocking system is an innovative approach to construction that uses bricks made of sustainable materials such as earth that conserve time and cost.

The study finds that the prefabrication techniques and interlocking system have a lot of unique attributes that can enable the modern construction sector to flourish. The study summarizes modern construction techniques that can save time and cost, enhancing the sustainability of construction practices, which is the need of the Indian construction industry in particular.

This study is limited to identifying specific modern construction techniques for time and cost savings, lean concepts and sustainability which are being practiced worldwide.

Modern formwork systems such as Mivan (Aluminium Formwork) have been reported for their minimum construction time which leads to faster construction than traditional formwork.

The need for housing is growing rapidly all over the world, but traditional construction cannot cater to the need due to insufficient time. There should be some paradigm shift in the construction industry to supply housing to society.

This study is unique in identifying specific modern construction techniques for time and cost savings, lean concepts and sustainability which are being practiced worldwide.

This paper aims to present technical aspects of the assessment method and evaluation of fire damaged steel structures. The current work focuses on the behavior of structural normal steel (hot-rolled and cold-formed) and high-strength bolts after exposure to elevated temperatures. Information on stainless steel, cast iron and wrought iron is also presented.

Because of the complexity of the issue, an elaborate presentation of the mechanical properties influencing factors is followed. Subsequently, a wide range of experimental studies is extensively reviewed in the literature while simplified equations for determining the post-fire mechanical properties are proposed, following appropriate categorization. Moreover, the reinstatement survey is also comprehensively described.

Useful conclusions are drawn for the safe reuse of the structural elements and connection components. According to the parametric investigation of the aforementioned data, it can be safely concluded that the most common scenario of buildings after fire events, i.e. apart from excessively distorted structures, implies considerable remaining capacity of the structure, highlighting that subsequent demolition should not be the case, especially regarding critical infrastructure and buildings.

The stability of the structure as a whole is addressed, with aim to establish specific guidelines and code provisions for the correct appraisal and rehabilitation of fire damaged structures.

The extreme nature of fire makes structural fire engineering unique in that the load actions dictating design are intense and neither geographically nor seasonally bound. Simply, fire can break out anywhere, at any time and for any number of reasons. Despite the apparent need, the fire design of structures still relies on expensive fire tests, complex finite element simulations and outdated procedures with little room for innovation. This paper aims to discuss the aforementioned issues.

This primer highlights the latest state of the art in this area with regard to performance-based design in fire structural engineering. In addition, this short review also presents a series of examples of successful implementation of performance-based fire design of structures from around the world.

A comparison between global efforts clearly shows the advances put forth by European and Oceanian efforts as opposed to the rest of the world. In addition, it can be clearly seen that most performance-based fire designs are related to steel and composite structures.

In one study, this paper presents a concise and global view to performance-based fire design of structures from success stories from around the world.

Mid-rise steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs) with intermediate ductility are a major part of conventional residential buildings in Iran. According to Iranian seismic design codes, in this resisting system, considering the strong-column/weak-beam (SCWB) criterion is not mandatory. Where a metal deck ceiling system is used, the composite action of a concrete slab and steel beams could change the collapse mechanism of the structure, especially in the MRFs with intermediate ductility. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of the composite action in the seismic collapse risk of this type of structures. Seismic collapse risk assessment can be carried out by using simplified pushover-based methods. In these methods, the cyclic deterioration of an equivalent single degree of freedom (ESDoF) system must be considered when the modified Ibarra–Medina–Krawinkler is used for nonlinear modeling of MRFs. Accordingly, a modified method is developed to use in simplified collapse risk assessment process. For these purposes, two mid-rise MRFs with intermediate ductility located in Tehran have been selected as case studies. The results confirm that the composite action is very effective in collapse risk value in the steel MRFs in which their SCWB ratio is less than 1. Moreover, the proposed approach of considering the cyclic deterioration of ESDoF systems increases the accuracy of the simplified collapse assessment approaches.

Identifying seismically vulnerable buildings to collapse requires using robust methods. These methods can be simplified based on pushover analysis methods. An attempt was made to apply one of these approaches for steel MRFs with intermediate ductility. In these frames, the composite action of a concrete slab and steel beams could change the collapse mechanism. Here, two MRFs were investigated in order to assess this effect on collapse risk value. This process was done by modifying the SPO2IDA method as a simplified collapse capacity evaluation approach by developing a relationship to consider the cyclic deterioration effects for the ESDoF systems.

The results showed that it is necessary to consider the slab effects in the analytical model in the collapse assessment process of MRFs with intermediate ductility, especially in the condition in which the SCWB ratios of the frame are less than 1. Furthermore, by utilizing the proposed method of considering the ESDoF cyclic deterioration, the error values of the SPO2IDA program were reduced significantly. Moreover, estimating the collapse risk parameters shows that the utilized simplified method presents suitable accuracy and could be an acceptable approach to collapse risk assessment of mid-rise steel MRFs.

The influence of the composite action in seismic collapse risk of MRFs with intermediate ductility is investigated. Also, a modified relationship is developed to consider the deterioration effects on the ESDoF parameters used in simplified collapse risk assessment process. Also, a framework is presented for utilized methodology.

The purpose of this article is to inform the reader of the various options available today in the management of power and communication systems within a library. These options are measured against several factors: the library’s program goals, its budget, and its structure. As library architects and interior designers, the design of the building must meet the user’s needs and the owner’s goals and be flexible to change as these needs and goals change. The facility’s ability to support technology and provide for adaptation to future changes is key to its success. This article describes six methods of managing and accessing power and communication in both new and renovated facilities. It describes the advantages and disadvantages of each system, and provides examples of their practical applications. The solutions to managing wiring for power and communication within the furniture systems is also discussed relative to how the connections interface with the building and the users. On reading this article, librarians and owners will have a better understanding of the options available and how their decisions regarding these options impacts the future adaptability of the facility.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze a new structural design applied in industrial frames using two type of steels (S275 and fire resistant (FR)) with different mechanical resistance against fire. To do it, the authors have taken into account variables such as intrinsic metallic design, span length, intumescent paint thickness, and fire time exposure, which offers information about new scenarios of design in industry.

The key methodology followed has taken into account a modeling program that uses the following variables: 25 and 35 m of span, 45 and 60 fire exposure times, and seven different intumescent paint thickness. An optimum structural design has been evaluated by discretization of each scenario with the particular type of steel, S275 and FR. The obtained approach could be a good guideline for future designs.

The results and analysis have shown a very good and valid idea of a new structural typology using optimum intumescent paint thickness into the final design of the industrial frame considering that it has two different types of steel. It is in realty a handicap since usually mechanical engineers employ structural steel without paying attention to this new feature.

Cheaper structural designs could be obtained using the two different types of steel considering the proper positioning into the full building.

The validity of design of two types of steel plus intumescent paint in building construction has been shown, and this study will encourage designers to use it, in particular in buildings with high fire risk.

Concrete-filled steel tube structures are widely used for their high bearing capacity, good plasticity, good fire resistance and optimal seismic performance. In order to give full play to the advantages of concrete-filled steel tube, this paper proposes a prefabricated concrete-filled steel tube frame joint.

The concrete-filled steel tube column and beam are connected by high-strength bolted end-plate, and the steel bars in the concrete beam are welded vertically with the end-plates through the enlarged pier head. In addition, the finite element software ABAQUS is used numerically to study the seismic performance of the structure.

The ductility coefficient of the joint is in 1.72–6.82, and greater than 2.26 as a whole. The equivalent viscous damping coefficient of the joint is 0.13–3.03, indicating that the structure has good energy dissipation capacity.

The structure is convenient for construction and overcomes the shortcomings of the previous on-site welding and on-site concrete pouring. The high-strength bolted end-plate connection can effectively transfer the load, and each component can give play to its material characteristics.

This study aims to identify the primary research areas of modern methods of construction (MMC) along with its current trends and developments.

A combination of bibliometric and qualitative analysis is adopted to examine 1,957 MMC articles in the Scopus database. With the support of CiteSpace 6.1.R6, the clusters, leading authors, journals, institutions and countries in the field of MMC are examined.

Offsite construction, inter-modular connections, augmenting output, prefabricated concrete beams and earthquake-resilient prefabricated beam–column steel joints are the top five research areas in MMC. Among them, offsite construction and inter-modular connections are significantly focused, with many research articles. The potential for collaboration, among prominent authors such as Wang, J., Liu, Y. and Wang, Y., explains the recent rapid growth of the MMC field of research. With a total of 225 articles, Engineering Structures is the journal that has published the most articles on MMC. China is the leading country in this field, and the Ministry of Education China is the top institution in MMC.

The findings of this study bear significant implications for stakeholders in academia and industry alike. In academia, these insights allow researchers to identify research gaps and foster collaboration, steering efforts toward innovative and impactful outcomes. For industries using MMC practices, the clarity provided on MMC techniques facilitates the efficient adoption of best practices, thereby promoting collaboration, innovation and global problem-solving within the construction field.

This research aims to create a methodology that integrates optimization techniques into preliminary cost estimates and predicts the impacts of design alternatives of steel pedestrian bridges (SPBs). The cost estimation process uses two main parameters, but the main goal is to create a cost estimation model.

This study explores a flexible model design that uses computing capabilities for decision-making. Using cost optimization techniques, the model can select an optimal pedestrian bridge system based on multiple criteria that may change independently. This research focuses on four types of SPB systems prevalent in Egypt and worldwide. The study also suggests developing a computerized cost and weight optimization model that enables decision-makers to select the optimal system for SPBs in keeping up with the criteria established for that system.

In this paper, the authors developed an optimization model for cost estimates of SPBs. The model considers two main parameters: weight and cost. The main contribution of this study based on a parametric study is to propose an approach that enables structural engineers and designers to select the optimum system for SPBs.

The implications of this research from a practical perspective are that the study outlines a feasible approach to develop a computerized model that utilizes the capabilities of computing for quick cost optimization that enables decision-makers to select the optimal system for four common SPBs based on multiple criteria that may change independently and in concert with cost optimization during the preliminary design stage.

The model can choose an optimal system for SPBs based on multiple criteria that may change independently and in concert with cost optimization. The resulting optimization model can forecast the optimum cost of the SPBs for different structural spans and road spans based on local unit costs of materials cost of steel structures, fabrication, erection and painting works.

The authors developed a computerized model that uses spreadsheet software's capabilities for cost optimization, enabling decision-makers to select the optimal system for SPBs meeting the criteria established for such a system. Based on structural characteristics and material unit costs, this study shows that using the optimization model for estimating the total direct cost of SPB systems, the project cost can be accurately predicted based on the conceptual design status, and positive prediction outcomes are achieved.

This paper aimed to introduce a systematic body of knowledge via a scientometric review, guiding the sustainable transition from conventional construction to prefabricated construction. The construction industry currently faces a challenge to balance sustainable development and the construction of new buildings. In this context, one of the most recent debates is prefabricated construction. As an emerging construction approach, although existing knowledge makes contributions to the implementation of prefabricated construction, there is a lack of a comprehensive and in-depth overview of the critical knowledge themes and gaps.

This study uses the scientometric analysis to review the state-of-the-art knowledge of prefabricated construction. It retrieved data from the Web of Science core collection database. CiteSpace software was used to conduct the analysis and visualization; three analysis methods identify the knowledge hotspots, knowledge domains and knowledge topics. Finally, according to integrating the hidden connections among results, a body of knowledge for prefabricated construction application can be inferred.

The results show that 120 knowledge hotspots, five critical knowledge domains and five prominent knowledge topics are vital for promoting implementation of prefabricated construction. Based on the afore analysis, a body of knowledge for prefabricated construction that can systematically cover a broad knowledge of prefabricated construction-related research and activities are integrated and proposed in this paper.

Body of knowledge systematically covers a broad knowledge of prefabricated construction applications and is vital to guide researchers and practitioners to conduct related research and activities, thereby promoting the sustainable transition to prefabricated construction implementation.