Digital Commons Network^™

Sustainability In Construction Projects During Budgetary Restrictions: A Case From Norwegian Higher Education, Truls-Petter Tofting Mr., Nora Johanne Klungseth, Renate Holiloekk

CIB Conferences

This paper supports practitioners in achieving their sustainability ambitions when budgets are constrained. Sustainability is high on the agenda in research, practice, and governments, and a necessary requirement for us to turn around the climate change challenges we currently are facing. A successful change requires solid evaluation of the contributions to society, economy, and the environment. Growing evidence supports the idea that sustainability enables economic growth. Advancements in technological solutions ensure that organizations can transform their impact on climate-harming actions in positive ways, reducing their CO₂ emissions. In this paper, we analyze a construction project in a higher education …

Reducing Embodied Carbon Emissions Of High-Rise Concrete Modular Buildings Leveraging Lightweight Module Design, Siwei Chen Mr, Yang Zhang, Wei Pan

CIB Conferences

To reduce embodied carbon (EC) emissions from the construction industry, promoting modular buildings, especially for highly populated regions, is of crucial importance. Nonetheless, the heavyweights of concrete modules have been reported to lead to a series of logistical problems in manufacturing, transportation, and hoisting. On the other hand, the double-panel issues in modular buildings posed concerns related to inefficient material usage, thus leading to potential EC increments. This paper aims to adopt the practical and idealized parametric lightweight designs of modules to estimate the EC reductions throughout the cradle-to-end-of-construction stages. Two types of lightweight module designs, i.e., dematerialized module and …

Developing Sustainability-Focused Competencies In Civil Engineering Technology Students, Amanda Bao, Yewande S. Abraham, Satyanarayana Raju Penmatsa

CIB Conferences

As the world tackles climate change impacts, studies have shown a growing gap in green skills and green talent, emphasizing the need for higher education curricula to be aligned with sustainability goals to prepare students to address and mitigate these impacts. Consequently, there is a critical need to enhance sustainability education to equip the future engineering workforce with the knowledge and skills necessary to tackle these challenges and combat the adverse effects of climate change. By enhancing sustainability education, we can better prepare future engineers to lead the charge in creating a more sustainable and resilient world, especially considering the …

Smart Building Retrofitting Acceptance Model (Sbram): A New Angle Of Optimizing Smart Retrofitting Of Aged Residential Buildings, Fan Zhang, Yixin Tong, Yibo Qiang, Tiantian Gu, Hao Wu, Linyan Chen, Albert P.C. Chan

CIB Conferences

As society and techniques develop rapidly, people raise higher requirements for urban buildings where they live and work. Urban buildings should not only provide suitable space for kinds of activities, but also ensure occupants’ security and health, respond to the changing environments, and provide a better living environment for occupants. In order to improve age residential buildings, smart building retrofitting solutions are widely adopted, such as automatic control of indoor environment, activity detection, health monitoring, smart energy optimization, and other solutions based on IoT, digital twin, computer vision, and other techniques. Even lots of smart building retrofitting solutions have been …

Robotic Teleoperation Of Construction Machinery: Technologies, Applications, And Future Directions, Songbo Hu, Yihai Fang, Yingbin Feng, Tanghan Jiang

CIB Conferences

Robotic teleoperation of construction machinery effectively separates operators from hazardous environments, greatly enhancing safety for tasks in challenging working conditions such as earthmoving. Furthermore, by utilising advanced technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), automated hazard recognition, Mixed Reality (MR), and robotics, it facilitates a more thorough capture of reality, immersive and augmented visualisations, and refined control precision. Consequently, robotic teleoperation is swiftly gaining prominence in the construction industry, and the considerable development of teleoperation systems over recent decades, featured by a growing diversity of incoporated technologies, necessities a comprehensive review. Thus, this review paper delves into the deployment …

Examining The Impact Of Socio-Economic Factors On Residential Water Use In An Aquifer-Based Urban Environment, Assessing Urban Hydrology: A Case Study Of Four Communities In Alachua County, Florida, Shirley N. Tandoh, Robert J. Ries, Jian Xiaoxun

CIB Conferences

One of the key challenges to urban development is balancing water demand with availability, particularly in rapidly growing populations, which is central to the United Nations' sustainable development goals. In aquifer-dependent water delivery systems, addressing water shortages requires a focus on urban hydrology, preserving groundwater levels, and understanding the interactions within the water cycle. Additionally, socio-economic dynamics significantly impact water use and must be considered in this balance.

This study developed a GIS-based Python simulation to assess the water cycle components using an urban water balance model. The simulation examined land use changes and cultural factors affecting water use, including …

A Review Of Passive Building Research: Energy Performance Influencing Factors, Research Trends And Future Directions, Patrick X.W. Zou, Hui Tian, Ji Bian, Xiaoxiao Xu, Linna Geng

CIB Conferences

The building sector accounts for one-third of the global energy consumption, making it a critical focus for energy efficiency initiatives. To reduce building energy consumption, various technologies have been developed and implemented, and among them, passive building technology has been viewed as effective. However, the development and application of passive building technology faces challenges due to different climate zones, different geographical locations and different social-cultural-technological contexts. Systematically reviewing existing research and analyzing its adaptability and challenges under varying climatic conditions, locations and contexts is important for advancing passive building technology. This study provides a comprehensive review of research progress, over …

A Novel Approach To Delivering Superabsorbent Polymers For Internal Curing Of Concrete, Chibueze Sylvester Ajuonuma, Raikhan Tokpatayeva, Jan Olek, Kendra A. Erk

CIB Conferences

This study investigates feasibility of incorporating dry superabsorbent polymer (SAP) particles as internal curing agents in concrete utilizing two delivery methods: direct addition of the particles and addition of the particles encapsulated in dissolvable bags. The use of dissolvable bags provides a practical method of storing, handling, and dosing pre-measured amounts of dry SAP particles into cementitious mixtures. Concrete specimens containing SAPs were prepared using both methods, and their properties were evaluated through compressive strength tests at 3, 7, and 28 days, flexural strength tests, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) measurements, and dynamic elastic and shear modulus determinations. Results indicate that …

Future Perspectives On Enhancing The Delivery Of Construction Projects Based On Bim Technology, Hosam Hegazy, Meta Soy, Jiansong Zhang

CIB Conferences

Recently, the construction industry stakeholders in developed and developing countries have been utilizing advanced technologies such as building information modeling (BIM) to help with the delivery of construction projects. This study aims to provide a future perspective on enhancing project delivery using BIM. In this paper, the authors explore the role of BIM in the delivery of a construction project throughout its lifecycle. This paper highlights the findings and benefits of BIM to explore BIM's future use perspectives in the construction industry. Survey result indicates that the BIM applications are still limited, and further efforts are needed to improve its …

Geospatial Analysis Of China’S Overseas Development Finance (Codf) Projects With Protected Areas In Africa, Suyash Padhye, Jenan Almullaali, Makarand Hastak

CIB Conferences

Global infrastructure development is booming given the rise in various bilateral and multilateral infrastructure investment initiatives, like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the G7 Partnership for Global Infrastructure Investment (PGII). These investments have covered various sectors such as transportation (road, rail, airports, ports) and energy (fossil fuels, renewables) that are expected to facilitate trade and connectivity between countries. The sub-Saharan Africa constitutes the majority of these development finance-based infrastructure projects (44 out of 149 participating BRI countries are in the sub-Saharan Africa). However, no previous study has explicitly focused on investigating the extent of the overlap between these …

Computing Infiltration For Sewer Asset Management, David Devine, Philip S. Dunston

CIB Conferences

Sanitary sewer flows are greatly impacted by infiltration and inflow (I&I), which is water that enters the sewer but is not wastewater. The presence of increased wastewater flows due to I&I increases costs to wastewater utilities and ultimately the public as well as causes detrimental impact to the environment. Water measurement techniques, both from water distribution systems and also from wastewater collection systems, available now, allow near real time data collection that has not been possible in the past. The potential to measure, for a well-defined system, water into the sewer system from a water distribution network and water out …

Concept Development Of Framework For Workplace Violence Prevention Through Building Components Modifications In Hospitals, Ali Mahmoudi, Gabriel Castelblanco

CIB Conferences

Workplace Violence (WPV) is a pervasive issue in healthcare systems worldwide, which significantly impacts the wellbeing of healthcare personnel and the efficiency of care delivery systems. This study aims to review the relationship between the influence of the physical environment attributes and the WPV risk mitigation within general service hospitals and academic medical centers to develop a preventive concept. The review focuses on the physical attributes of hospitals that contribute to creating safe and resilient environments for staff and patients. The conducted review included 22 out of 116 studies after full-text review. The synthesized findings were used to cluster the …

Energy: From Efficiency To Sufficiency, Laura Almeida Dr

CIB Conferences

Energy sufficiency emerges as the next step in driving sustainable developments to carbon neutrality. Energy is an existential component of modern societies subjected to geopolitical influences, resource availability, and type. The paradigm shift to fully electric societies and rapid urbanization calls for rethinking the roadmap to Net Zero. This paper explores energy sufficiency as complementary to efficiency and its integration within Net Zero. It intends to answer questions such as whether efficiency is enough to face the increasing demand for energy, renewable resources and reliable storage systems. Moreover, the paper briefly addresses the human impact on energy and questions how …

Self-Supervised Learning Framework For Automated Material Grouping Of Demolition Waste: Advancing Sustainable Waste Management, Ahmad Alshami, Juyeong Choi

CIB Conferences

The construction and demolition (C&D) sector generates significant waste, necessitating efficient sorting and recycling to promote sustainable waste management. Traditional sorting methods in C&D waste management often depend on manual processes, which are labor-intensive and prone to errors, thus limiting recycling efficiency. While automated sorting systems have been introduced, they face challenges with the complex, heterogeneous nature of C&D debris and require large datasets that are manually labeled—meaning every image must be tagged with material types by experts—for training. This study addresses this gap by developing a self-supervised learning framework that reduces reliance on labeled data for effective feature extraction …

Computer Vision-Based Yolo11 For Automated Damage Assessment Of Public Building Roofs Supporting Maintenance Management, Alisson Souza Silva, Walisson Santos Oliveira, Pedro Afonso Vieira Fernandes Braga, Luara Lopes De Araujo Fernandes, Dayana Bastos Costa

CIB Conferences

Maintenance Management (MM) of aging buildings is a critical challenge due to complex maintenance operations and limited resources. Digital technologies, such as Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), have improved inspection efficiency and accuracy, while Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances the reliability of automated analysis of UAS data. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding operational methods and systems that effectively integrate these technologies to provide timely, actionable information for decision-making. Moreover, there is a lack of studies integrating multiple damage classes and roof typologies for automated roof inspections across diverse scenarios. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the application of …

Investigating Heart Rate Responses To Different Speaking Behaviours Under Different Thermal Sensations, Xuange Zhang, Minhyun Lee, Nyme Mohammad Uddin, Junjiang Luo

CIB Conferences

This study examines the effects of different speaking behaviors—Silent, Speech, and Conversation—on heart rate (HR) under varying thermal sensation (TS) levels. The research investigates how HR responds to the interaction of behaviors and thermal conditions, using statistical analyses and polynomial regression to identify trends and patterns. The results show distinct HR responses across the three behaviors, with Silent exhibiting the most stable and consistent patterns, Speech showing the highest variability, and Conversation displaying intermediate responses. These findings highlight the dynamic interplay between speaking behaviors and thermal environments, demonstrating that behaviors like Speech and Conversation can influence physiological responses differently depending …

Critical Assets And Value Networks In Resilient Innovation Ecosystems In The Eu Outermost Regions, Oliver Schwabe, Eduardo Leite, Juan Diego Lopez, Khalid Addi, Nuno Almeida

CIB Conferences

The authors share key insights gained regarding the effective management of critical assets in Resilient Innovation Ecosystems (RIEs) in the EU Outermost Regions (OR) through a program to “Discover, Incubate, and Accelerate Start-ups and SMEs” (DIAS) applied to 22 Start-Ups and SMEs in the Azores, Canaries, La Réunion and Madeira in the EU funded project “Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education in Europe’s Outermost Regions” (INCORE) project.

DIAS is an experimental inductive case-study based research approach using Qualitative Comparative Analysis for assessment based on Diffusion of Innovation, Value Network Analysis and Knowledge Diffusion concepts. It is used to determine when …

Integrating Circular Economy Principles In Construction: Comparing Product Data Templates, Material Passports, And Other Digital Tools, Elham Bayazidi, Mostafa Jelodar, Wajiha Shahzad, Vishal Kumar, Salman Shooshtarian Dr

CIB Conferences

The construction industry is increasingly adopting Circular Economy (CE) principles to transition from traditional linear processes to sustainable practices such as recycling, reusing, and remanufacturing. Digital tools like Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twins (DTs), and material passports (MPs) have emerged as key enablers, offering innovative solutions for lifecycle management and resource optimization. This paper presents a systematic review of 21 studies to explore how these technologies integrate with CE principles in construction workflows. Using a structured methodology involving keyword-based searches and thematic analysis, nine initial themes were refined into four overarching categories: product data management in BIM, CE strategies, …

Assessing The Impact Of Reflective Building Envelopes On School Indoor Thermal Autonomy And Energy Efficiency In Montreal: Historical And Future Climate Perspectives, Bahador Ziaeemehr, Hua Ge, Michael A. Lacasse

CIB Conferences

This study investigates the impact of high-performance polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene (P(VDF-HFP)HP), a reflective material, on the energy performance and Indoor Thermal Autonomy (ITA) of a primary school building in Montreal under historical and future climate scenarios. Energy simulations, conducted using Rhino-Grasshopper, analyze heating and cooling demands for an ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 school prototype designed according to the 8th edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC), reflecting construction practices the 1980’s. The results reveal that reflective materials slightly increase heating demand due to reduced passive solar heat gains during winter but significantly lower cooling demand by minimizing solar heat absorption. …

Measuring Innovation In New Zealand Construction Organisations: Developing A Measurement Tool For New Zealand’S Medium And Large Companies, Hossein Sadeghzadeh Fasaghandis, Suzanne Wilkinson, Mostafa Jelodar

CIB Conferences

New Zealand’s construction industry is the cornerstone of economic development and the labour force but is slow in innovation when compared to other sectors. To minimise this problem, this research developed a comprehensive, multidimensional tool which measures and improves innovation inside medium and large construction companies of New Zealand. The developed tool measures innovation through two main dimensions: Innovation Potential - consisting of categories such as Workforce Skills, Organisational Structure, Business Strategy, Technology, and External Influences - and Business Innovation Score, which measures the actual innovation outputs of the company. A mixed-methods research approach was used for the development, testing, …

Sustainable Financing Strategies For Circular Infrastructure Projects: A Systematic Review And Pareto Analysis, Portia Atswei Tetteh, Robert Osei-Kyei, Vivian Wy Tam

CIB Conferences

The shift to circular infrastructure projects faces multiple obstacles, with funding access being a major hurdle. Stakeholders in the infrastructure sector are looking for ways to overcome this financial challenge while still achieving strong financial performance. The study aims to identify and prioritize the key sustainable financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. The study adopts a systematic literature review to identify 25 relevant studies to investigate the sustainable financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. Pareto analysis was then conducted to prioritize the key financing strategies for circular infrastructure projects. The study identified 33 sustainable financing strategies which were then categorized …

Site Selection Of Low Carbon Data Center, Yu-Hsing Lu, Luh-Maan Chang

CIB Conferences

The site selection of a data center is one of the most challenging tasks with which decision maker for operation must face.

The purpose of this paper is to present a research result which was to construct a generic framework for selecting a low-carbon data center site. To achieve the purpose, the modified Delphi method was used to inquire domain experts for providing critical parameters to select the site of low carbon data center.

Thirty-one experts who had the authority of making decision on selecting the site of the data center were inquired. The questionnaire used Likert Scale. Based on …

A Comprehensive Approach To Strategic Research & Innovation Development: The Case Of The European Construction And Built Environment Sector, Sylvain Kubicki, Alain Zarli, Clémentine Coujard

CIB Conferences

The built environment and construction industry has an essential role to play in the socio-economic transition towards a sustainable and climate-neutral economy and society. The way we design and build our buildings and infrastructures impacts the way we live, as individuals and communities. It also impacts the climate, resources, and biodiversity on the planet. On both dimensions, industry must undergo some deep transformation to deliver a more sustainable, resilient, inclusive built environment. The role of research and innovation is instrumental in such transition, and this is why a sectoral Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) has been developed recently in …

Menstrual Cycle Health Effects On Productivity In Male-Dominated Fields: A Narrative Review, Mariam Akinlolu, Nenpin Dimka

CIB Conferences

While there is increasing awareness around gender diversity in construction health and safety, there is limited research examining the influence of different menstrual cycle phases on workplace productivity. Understanding the impact of the menstrual cycle on women’s health, safety, and

productivity is necessary to formulate appropriate occupational policies and support systems in

physically demanding work, such as construction. This narrative review synthesises existing literature examining the relationship between menstrual cycle phases and workplace productivity and discusses implications for the construction industry. The review analysed 40 peer-reviewed publications from 2008-2024, identified through systematic database searches. Findings reveal that menstrual cycle phases …

The True Environmental Cost Of Data Centers: An Insight Into The Construction Phase Of The Era Of Artificial Intelligence, Juan D. Núñez-Morales, Yoonhwa Jung, Mani Golparvar-Fard

CIB Conferences

In recent years, there has been a significant adoption of commercial applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). These applications have created a demand for infrastructure that support data storage, mining, and throughput compute power services, commonly known as data centers. This demand, which is projected to substantially increase over the next decade, places data centers to be a major contributor to the construction industry's global carbon emissions. However, with research mostly focusing on minimizing carbon emissions during the operation phase of most buildings, environmental impacts incurred during their construction phase are still deserving a deeper study. To address this gap, this …

A Discussion On Sustainability In Terms Of Building Production And Use For Smart Urbanization, Salih Demirkaya, Harun Tanrivermis, Deniz Besiktepe, Yesim Tanrivermis

CIB Conferences

Technological developments and population growth have caused many effects in the construction sector and triggered developments in the construction of cities. Effects such as energy use, construction conditions, building economy draw attention as a war of technology and naturalness within the framework of the concept of sustainability. Constraints such as the need for building production and capacity increase needed by the population, labor and resource use are effective in decision-making. While technology enables the building sector to produce rapidly, it causes negative effects on the balance of nature. Production factors should be evaluated with a holistic approach and systems that …

Driving Gender Diversity In Construction: Mapping Exisiting Policies Through The Behavioral Change Wheel Framework, Ruwini Edirisinghe, Bimali Rathnayake

CIB Conferences

Achieving gender diversity in the construction industry remains a critical challenge despite global efforts to reduce workplace inequality. Women remain significantly underrepresented in technical, trade, and leadership roles, with the majority occupying clerical or administrative positions. This study systematically categorises existing gender diversity policies in the construction sector using the Behavioural Change Wheel (BCW) framework to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. A systematic literature review was conducted using the PRISMA methodology, analysing peer-reviewed studies and reports published over the last 30 years. The identified policies were mapped to the BCW’s seven categories: communication/marketing, guidelines, legislation, regulation, fiscal measures, environmental/social …

Rethinking Sustainability Of Modular Integrated Construction For High-Rise Buildings: Dialectics In System Boundaries, Wei Pan, Zhiqian Zhang, Yang Zhang, Siwei Chen Mr

CIB Conferences

Modular integrated construction (MiC) has been adopted in over 100 building projects in Hong Kong. The sustainability of MiC may vary from different socio-technical contexts such as module designs, which however has not been systematically understood. Therefore, this paper aims to systematically examine the sustainability of MiC for high-rise buildings in a dialectical manner. The examination emphasizes systems thinking of MiC from multiple perspectives such as various performance indicators, building types and modular systems, i.e. dialectics in system boundaries. A new concept of total factor sustainability (TFS) is proposed for systematically examining the dialectics of MiC sustainability. TFS is measured …

Sustainability In The Age Of Innovation: Negative Impacts Of Jobsite Construction Technologies, Niveditha Kuppula, Sagata Bhawani Dr.

CIB Conferences

The construction industry is undergoing transformation driven by the rapid advancement and adoption of emerging technologies to reshape the traditional design and construction processes. Building information modelling (BIM), internet of things (IoTs), robotics and process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML), 3D-printing or additive manufacturing (AM), Exoskeletons and Wearable devices, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) promise increased visualization, productivity, efficiency, safety, and accuracy; they also introduces sustainability challenges. This study used the PRISMA method to conduct a systematic review guided by two questions. First: What are the prevalent technologies currently being used on construction jobsites, and how …

Impact Of Covid-19 On The Construction Industry And Investigation Of Post-Pandemic Progress, Kasim Korkmaz

CIB Conferences

The construction industry was adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in several problems, including a lack of materials and workers, decreased production rates, shipping delays, concerns with the labor market, cash flow issues, and the requirement for new health and safety regulations. Research has shown that all these factors lead to increased risks, legal problems, and disputes within the industry. This paper aims to determine the procedures for using force majeure clauses in construction contracts as well as the rights of parties affected by such events. Based on a review of the literature, the authors investigate how construction …