Hasil untuk "Construction industry"

Thuy Duong Oesterreich, Frank Teuteberg

Sofiat Abioye, Lukumon O. Oyedele, L. Àkànbí et al.

The growth of the construction industry is severely limited by the myriad complex challenges it faces such as cost and time overruns, health and safety, productivity and labour shortages. Also, construction industry is one the least digitized industries in the world, which has made it difficult for it to tackle the problems it currently faces. An advanced digital technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), is currently revolutionising industries such as manufacturing, retail

De-Graft Joe Opoku, S. Perera, R. Osei–Kyei et al.

Abstract The construction industry is faced with numerous challenges including low productivity, lack of research and development, and poor technology advancements. Advances in digital technologies such as digital twin (DT) has seen enormous utilisations in digitally advanced industries including the manufacturing and automotive industries. It presents an opportunity for the integration of the physical world to the digital world. DT technology has the potential to transform the construction industry and provide responses to some of its challenges. As a result, the concept of DT has attracted much attention and is developing at a rapid pace. The overarching aim of this study was to analyse the current state of DT applications in the construction industry. This study comprehensively reviews and analyses DT concept, technologies, and application in the construction industry using a systematic review methodology while incorporating the science mapping method. After a complete search of several databases and careful selection in line with the proposed criteria, 22 academic publications about DT application in the construction industry were identified and classified accordingly. The research analysed in detail the status, evolution of the concept, key technologies, and six areas of application in the lifecycle phases of a project: building information modeling, structural system integrity, facilities management, monitoring, logistics processes, and energy simulation. This research shows that there is a high potential for DT to enable solutions to the numerous challenges in the construction industry. Thus, this study raises the level of awareness and need for the application of DT in the construction industry.

Massimo Regona, Tan Yigitcanlar, Bo Xia et al.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful technology with a range of capabilities, which are beginning to become apparent in all industries nowadays. The increased popularity of AI in the construction industry, however, is rather limited in comparison to other industry sectors. Moreover, despite AI being a hot topic in built environment research, there are limited review studies that investigate the reasons for the low-level AI adoption in the construction industry. This study aims to reduce this gap by identifying the adoption challenges of AI, along with the opportunities offered, for the construction industry. To achieve the aim, the study adopts a systematic literature review approach using the PRISMA protocol. In addition, the systematic review of the literature focuses on the planning, design, and construction stages of the construction project lifecycle. The results of the review reveal that (a) AI is particularly beneficial in the planning stage as the success of construction projects depends on accurate events, risks, and cost forecasting; (b) the major opportunity in adopting AI is to reduce the time spent on repetitive tasks by using big data analytics and improving the work processes; and (c) the biggest challenge to incorporate AI on a construction site is the fragmented nature of the industry, which has resulted in issues of data acquisition and retention. The findings of the study inform a range of parties that operate in the construction industry concerning the opportunities and challenges of AI adaptability and help increase the market acceptance of AI practices.

Mohd Hanifa, R. Agarwal, U. Sharma et al.

W. Alaloul, M. S. Liew, N. Zawawi et al.

Abstract The trend of digitization, automation and the increased use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) have been envisioned as the main concept of the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0. Comparing the progressions between multiple industries, the construction industry is reluctant in incorporating these innovative technologies into its common practices despite the drastic developments demonstrated by the other industries. Numerous challenges exist from multiple aspects which prevent the engagement of IR 4.0 within the construction industry. A comprehensive review is conducted to identify the main problems which delay the implementation of IR 4.0 related technologies within the construction industry and opportunities attained in the long run. Then a questionnaire survey was conducted where the collected data was analyzed. This study shows that the critical factor affecting the successful implementation is the social and technical factors. However, all the contributing factors established a significant influence on the successful implementation despite the identified critical factor.

Abdullah Alsharef, Siddharth Banerjee, S. J. Uddin et al.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the largest global health crisis in decades. Apart from the unprecedented number of deaths and hospitalizations, the pandemic has resulted in economic slowdowns, widespread business disruptions, and significant hardships. This study focused on investigating the early impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the U.S. construction industry since the declaration of the national emergency on 13 March 2020. The study objectives were achieved through 34 telephone interviews with project managers, engineers, designers, and superintendents that represented different states and distinct industry sectors in the United States (U.S.). The interviewees offered information on their experience with the pandemic, including the general and adverse effects experienced, new opportunities created, and risk management efforts being undertaken. The reported adverse effects included significant delays on projects, inability to secure materials on time, reduction in productivity rates, material price escalations, and others. The new opportunities that were created included projects involving the fast-track construction of medical facilities, construction of residential buildings, transportation-related work, and opportunities to recruit skilled workers. The risk management measures that were widely adopted included measures to enhance safety and reduce other project risks. The safety measures adopted included requiring employees to wear cloth face masks, adoption of social distancing protocols, staggering of construction operations, offering COVID-19-related training, administering temperature checks prior to entry into the workplace, and others. Measures to manage other project risks included the formation of a task force team to review the evolving pandemic and offer recommendations, advocating that construction businesses be deemed essential to combat delays and taking advantage of government relief programs. The study findings will be useful to industry stakeholders interested in understanding the early impacts of the pandemic on the construction industry. Industry stakeholders may also build upon the reported findings and establish best practices for continued safe and productive operations.

L. Lima, Emanuelly Lidiany Gomes da Trindade, L. H. Alencar et al.

Abstract The construction industry is criticized for causing adverse impacts on the environment. To minimize these impacts, the industry has been seeking to introduce sustainable practices throughout its entire production chain. Therefore, the objective of this study is to run a quantitative bibliometric research through meta-analysis methodology and, consequently, to evaluate the articles used by qualitative methods in the area of sustainability in civil construction. For this, a search was carried out on the Web of Science. Thus, a set of keywords was used, followed by a filtering method, resulting in a review of 433 articles published in 18 years. VOSviewer software was used in the quantitative analysis of documents. The results demonstrated a lack of quantitative methodologies to assess sustainability in the civil construction industry. Thus, this research presents the evolution of studies, the main areas addressed, the main certifications and methodologies for environmental assessment, and the distribution of the on-site work stages in articles. This revealed the main contributions found in the literature, presenting the article’s focus, being as main areas explored material, project management, sustainability assessment, and energy; the most used methodology (LCA) and environmental certification (LEED). It was seen that the social and economic pillars are less frequently tackled when compared to the environmental one. It was also perceived that most of the papers focus on the planning and execution stages of the on-site work, being necessary to develop more studies on operation and maintenance stages. These results serve as a source of reference for future research.

Beatriz C. Guerra, Fernanda Leite

Abstract Increasing environmental concerns and resource scarcity risks have drawn attention to a Circular Economic (CE) model during the last decade. Nevertheless, literature related to the state of practice of CE in the built environment in the United States (U.S.) is still limited. In this context, this study investigates U.S. architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry stakeholders’ awareness of CE. The investigation also covers major barriers for the implementation of strategies aligned to the CE model, and enabling factors for a transition from a linear economic model to a CE model in the construction industry in the U.S. A mixed-methods approach was deployed through a combination of online survey and interviews with AEC industry stakeholders from different regions of the U.S. Results revealed that some strategies are widely disseminated (i.e., open-loop recycling, selective demolition, and prefabrication), whereas others are hardly adopted (i.e., design for disassembly, design in layers, closed-loop recycling). Additionally, findings indicate budget and upfront costs, project schedule and timeline, lack of awareness and regulations, and current business models as major barriers for the implementation of strategies aligned to a CE model. Furthermore, four enabling factors for a transition to a CE model in the construction industry were identified (i.e., education and cultural change, data availability, policies and incentives, and novel voluntary stewardships). Notably, contributions of this study include fostering a much needed debate around circular construction and its challenges, and expanding the limited existing body of knowledge.

B. Sizirici, Y. Fseha, C. Cho et al.

Construction is among the leading industries/activities contributing the largest carbon footprint. This review paper aims to promote awareness of the sources of carbon footprint in the construction industry, from design to operation and management during manufacturing, transportation, construction, operations, maintenance and management, and end-of-life deconstruction phases. In addition, it summarizes the latest studies on carbon footprint reduction strategies in different phases of construction by the use of alternative additives in building materials, improvements in design, recycling construction waste, promoting the utility of alternative water resources, and increasing efficiencies of water technologies and other building systems. It was reported that the application of alternative additives/materials or techniques/systems can reduce up to 90% of CO2 emissions at different stages in the construction and building operations. Therefore, this review can be beneficial at the stage of conceptualization, design, and construction to assist clients and stakeholders in selecting materials and systems; consequently, it promotes consciousness of the environmental impacts of fabrication, transportation, and operation.

Hossein Omrany, K. Al-Obaidi, A. Husain et al.

This paper presents a comprehensive understanding of current digital twin (DT) implementations in the construction industry, along with providing an overview of technologies enabling the operation of DTs in the industry. To this end, 145 publications were identified using a systematic literature review. The results revealed eight key areas of DT implementation including (i) virtual design, (ii) project planning and management, (iii) asset management and maintenance, (iv) safety management, (v) energy efficiency and sustainability, (vi) quality control and management, (vii) supply chain management and logistics, and (viii) structural health monitoring. The findings demonstrate that DT technology has the capacity to revolutionise the construction industry across these areas, enabling optimised designs, improved collaboration, real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, enhanced safety practices, energy performance optimisation, quality inspections, efficient supply chain management, and proactive maintenance. This study also identified several challenges that hinder the widespread implementation of DT in construction, including (i) data integration and interoperability, (ii) data accuracy and completeness, (iii) scalability and complexity, (iv) privacy and security, and (v) standards and governance. To address these challenges, this paper recommends prioritising standardised data formats, protocols, and APIs for seamless collaboration, exploring semantic data modelling and ontologies for data integration, implementing validation processes and robust data governance for accuracy and completeness, harnessing high-performance computing and advanced modelling techniques for scalability and complexity, establishing comprehensive data protection and access controls for privacy and security, and developing widely accepted standards and governance frameworks with industry-wide collaboration. By addressing these challenges, the construction industry can unlock the full potential of DT technology, thus enhancing safety, reliability, and efficiency in construction projects.

Prashnna Ghimire, Kyungki Kim, Manoj Acharya

In the last decade, despite rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) transforming many industry practices, construction largely lags in adoption. Recently, the emergence and rapid adoption of advanced large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s GPT, Google’s PaLM, and Meta’s Llama have shown great potential and sparked considerable global interest. However, the current surge lacks a study investigating the opportunities and challenges of implementing Generative AI (GenAI) in the construction sector, creating a critical knowledge gap for researchers and practitioners. This underlines the necessity to explore the prospects and complexities of GenAI integration. Bridging this gap is fundamental to optimizing GenAI’s early stage adoption within the construction sector. Given GenAI’s unprecedented capabilities to generate human-like content based on learning from existing content, we reflect on two guiding questions: What will the future bring for GenAI in the construction industry? What are the potential opportunities and challenges in implementing GenAI in the construction industry? This study delves into reflected perception in literature, analyzes the industry perception using programming-based word cloud and frequency analysis, and integrates authors’ opinions to answer these questions. This paper recommends a conceptual GenAI implementation framework, provides practical recommendations, summarizes future research questions, and builds foundational literature to foster subsequent research expansion in GenAI within the construction and its allied architecture and engineering domains.

A. Saka, R. Taiwo, Nurudeen Saka et al.

Large Language Models(LLMs) trained on large data sets came into prominence in 2018 after Google introduced BERT. Subsequently, different LLMs such as GPT models from OpenAI have been released. These models perform well on diverse tasks and have been gaining widespread applications in fields such as business and education. However, little is known about the opportunities and challenges of using LLMs in the construction industry. Thus, this study aims to assess GPT models in the construction industry. A critical review, expert discussion and case study validation are employed to achieve the study objectives. The findings revealed opportunities for GPT models throughout the project lifecycle. The challenges of leveraging GPT models are highlighted and a use case prototype is developed for materials selection and optimization. The findings of the study would be of benefit to researchers, practitioners and stakeholders, as it presents research vistas for LLMs in the construction industry.

Wenmei Fei, Alex Opoku, K. Agyekum et al.

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development, which set out 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets and 231 unique indicators as a significant initiative towards socio-economic development. The SDGs provide the construction industry with a new lens through which global needs and desires can be translated into business solutions. This paper explores the role of the construction industry in achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The paper uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. Following a comparative review of the literature on the 17 SDGs, a questionnaire was designed and administered among 130 respondents, and 105 responses were received. These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with 16 sustainable construction experts. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through side-by-side comparisons of the qualitative data with the quantitative data. The findings show that the construction industry has a critical role in achieving almost all the 17 SDGs. The roles were, however, prevalent in 10 key SDGs, namely: sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11); climate action (SDG 13); clean water and sanitation (SDG 6); responsible consumption and production (SDG 12); industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9); life on land (biodiversity) (SDG 15); gender equality (SDG 5); good health and well-being (SDG 3); affordable and clean energy (SDG 7); decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). The study confirmed the role played by the construction industry in achieving these SDGs. The findings from this study provide further insights into the ever-increasing state-of-the-art regarding the construction industry’s role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

A. Pamidimukkala, Sharareh Kermanshachi

The COVID-19 outbreak is the greatest global health crisis in many years. It has had a dramatic effect on workforces and workplaces all around the world, as it has spawned a massive change in the working atmosphere and raised the level of employees’ concerns about their mental health and physical wellbeing. The construction industry has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and has been challenged to improve the safety and wellbeing of its workforce. The objectives of this study are to identify the health and safety issues that construction workers have encountered during the pandemic and to recommend management strategies to combat them. A thorough literature search on recently published literature, industry experiences, reports, and other related documents was performed to collect and categorize the required data. Seventeen COVID-19 challenges were identified and classified into five categories, and the results revealed that the lack of a safe environment in the workplace, heavy workloads, home situations, and concerns about job stability often contribute to anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Eleven strategies were identified to overcome these challenges, and the results demonstrated that redefining worksite safety by placing signs, ensuring a safe distance between workers, providing sanitizers and washing stations in the fields, and utilizing effective technologies would enhance project productivity while keeping workers safe. The findings of this study will help the project managers and authorities in the construction industry understand the challenges of the pandemic and adopt effective strategies that will improve the health and safety of their workforce.

Shengxi Zhang, Zhongfu Li, X. Ning et al.

The construction industry has aided rapid urbanization in China, significantly contributing to CO2 emissions. However, few studies have investigated the impacts of urbanization on CO2 emissions from the construction industry and the regional heterogeneity or considered the construction-related factors for urban construction scale to represent urbanization. To compensate for these limitations, this study aimed to explore the impacts of urbanization on CO2 emissions from the construction industry. Herein, the urban construction scale was used to represent urbanization, along with population size, economic growth, and technology level. An augmented Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology model was used to estimate the cross-province panel data from three regions in China during 2008-2017. The heterogeneity due to regional differences in urbanization levels was addressed by classifying China into three regions- urbanized, urbanizing, and under-urbanized. The findings suggest that population size, economic growth, construction of residential buildings, and technology level were the primary factors impacting CO2 emissions, and the impact presented a declining trend from the urbanized to the urbanizing and under-urbanized regions. Specifically, an inverted U-shaped relationship existed between CO2 emissions and urban economic growth, and the urbanized region indicated a higher inflection point than other regions. The urbanization ratio was negatively correlated with CO2 emissions, while the energy intensity, per capita floor space of urban residential buildings, and per capita length of drainpipes were positively correlated with the CO2 emissions in all three regions. Further, the technology level was conducive to CO2 emissions reduction, however, it requires further improvement. The per capita area of paved roads exerted significantly negative effects in the urbanized region and insignificant in the urbanizing and under-urbanized regions. Overall, these results can help formulate policies to mitigate the construction industry's carbon emissions.

S. Navaratnam, Aarani Satheeskumar, Guomin Zhang et al.

The construction industry has played a huge role in sustaining the economy of Australia during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. However, construction activities tend to be limited due to the restrictions on travel, transport, and workforce availability which in turn affects the lack of materials and workforce for construction. On the other hand, the prefabricated construction method is known to provide a sustainable solution to reduce the labour and material demand. However, prefabricated construction methods are less preferred over traditional construction in Australia. This is due to the lack of knowledge on the benefits, limitation, design and construction of the prefabricated construction. Therefore, in this study, the authors have conducted a survey to identify the construction industry views on the prefabricated construction in terms of sustainability, technical, cultural, economic, practical and other aspects. A total of 310 construction professionals responded, and the data were analysed using both qualitative (thematic) and quantitative (Severity index) analyses. Results revealed that reduced construction time, high levels of quality control, and reduced on-site noise and disruption were the major benefits when using prefabricated construction compared to traditional construction. The restrictions and limitations of transport;reduced on-site design flexibility;and shortage of specialised workforce hindered the growth of prefabricated construction. These survey results also highlighted that production and manufacturing of prefabricated construction are not affected significantly by the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, significant amount of traditional, residential and commercial construction projects were replaced by prefabricated construction during Covid-19 pandemic, suggesting a future growth in prefabricated construction in Australia.

Hee-Wook Choi, Hyung-Jin Kim, Sung-Keun Kim et al.

The integration of drones in the construction industry has ushered in a new era of efficiency, accuracy, and safety throughout the various phases of construction projects. This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the applications of drones in the construction industry, focusing on their utilization in the design, construction, and maintenance phases. The differences between the three different types of drones are discussed at the beginning of the paper where the overview of the drone applications in construction industry is then described. Overall, the integration of drones in the construction industry has yielded transformative advancements across all phases of construction projects. As technology continues to advance, drones are expected to play an increasingly critical role in shaping the future of the construction industry.

Dawn M Torrisi, Magnus R Campler, Janice Y Park et al.

Currently, the swine industry is lacking an efficient method for large-scale emergency depopulation. Class A water-based foam (WBF) has been demonstrated as a viable option for large-scale depopulation of pigs in all stages of development. However, these studies exclusively used the PHOS-CHEK WD881 (WD881) Class A foam concentrate based on previously demonstrated efficacy for depopulation. This study investigated the suitability of 15 other commercially available WBF concentrates for depopulation based on foaming performance, physiological effects, and efficacy. The performance of each product was evaluated and compared to WD881 at 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0% water-foam concentrations for low- and high-pressure pump systems. The time to fill an 11.5 m3 construction container and decay rate over a 10-minute dwell time were assessed for each WBF. Top-performing foams were further evaluated for behavior and short-term physiological changes and gross lesions during a 15-minute exposure test on piglets. Finally, the top-performing foams were tested for their suitability to depopulate adult swine during large-scale field conditions. Subcutaneous dataloggers recorded swine activity which was used to estimate the time to cessation of movement (COM), an approximate analog for loss of consciousness. Four WBF concentrates (FireIce Polar EcoFoam, Buckeye Platinum, National Foams Knockdown and BioFor N) were shortlisted based on performance at 1% concentration. These products had a mean (±SD) fill time of 62.4s (± 14.9) and decay rate of 0.5 (± 0.66) cm/min compared to WD881 with 50.0s (± 3.5) and 0.2 (± 0.1) cm/min, respectively. No differences between treatment groups were observed during the exposure testing and subsequent necropsy. For the large-scale field trials, the mean (±SE) time to COM was 151.5 s (±10.5). All foams achieved 100% mortality of swine. This study identified four additional WBFs suitable for swine depopulation which are commercially available on the U.S market. These additional WBF options may facilitate large-scale swine depopulation during widespread infectious disease outbreaks by mitigating potential bottlenecks resulting from product availability.

Zhi-Xin Cai, Zhi-Heng Zeng, Wen-Zhi Chen et al.

Abstract Agaricus bisporus is a widely cultivated edible fungus globally. However, the mechanisms underlying the differences in flavor and nutritional traits between wild-type (W) and cultivated-type (C) strains remain unclear, which hinders the artificial breeding of high-quality varieties. This study systematically revealed, for the first time, the molecular and metabolic basis of flavor divergence between wild and cultivated A. bisporus by integrating transcriptomics and metabolomics. A total of 43 strains (23 wild-type and 20 cultivated-type) were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to dissect differences in gene expression and metabolite profiles. Results showed that although total protein and amino acid contents exhibited no significant differences, transcriptomic analysis identified significant upregulation of AGABI2DRAFT_188981 and AGABI2DRAFT_191000 (genes associated with high-affinity methionine permease MUP1) in cultivated strains, suggesting their indirect regulation of flavor formation via methionine metabolism. Metabolomic analysis further revealed a marked increase in uridine levels in cultivated strains (3.2-fold higher than wild-type, p < 0.01), indicating potential medicinal value, while wild strains were enriched with flavor precursors such as fumaric acid and isoleucine (fold change ≥ 2.5). In contrast, cultivated strains accumulated metabolites like 2-hydroxybutyric acid and α-ketoglutarate (VIP > 1.5). This study pioneered the construction of a gene-metabolite correlation network, identifying a strong positive correlation between AGABI2DRAFT_191352 (6-phosphofructokinase) and 2-hydroxybutyric acid (r = 0.82), highlighting the regulatory role of glycolytic flux in flavor metabolism. These findings not only elucidate the impact of artificial cultivation on metabolic reprogramming in A. bisporus but also provide critical molecular targets for targeted breeding of strains with enhanced flavor and nutritional value, offering practical significance for advancing the edible fungi industry.