Quarry dust, produced as a byproduct during rock processing in quarries, presents both environmental challenges and opportunities for sustainable construction. When strategically used in construction applications, this material offers a promising way to reduce environmental impacts while improving economic viability through lower material costs and reduced carbon footprints. This paper reviews recent research on the application of quarry dust in cement-based materials within the construction industry. It highlights and concludes the chemical composition of quarry dust and the outcomes of replacing aggregate and cement. It often reported optima in the 10–30% range for replacing cement, while replacing aggregates can achieve 100%.
In this paper, the forked-web joint configuration was introduced first, in order to transfer the shear and moment forces better and avoid the local buckling problem that usually happens in narrow steel beams and concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) column joints. Experiments including three specimens of that joint were then conducted, considering different axial compression ratios of the column. The test results indicated that no failure phenomenon happened to the proposed joint when the equivalent rotational angle was no more than 1/50. However, the final failure mode of each specimen was still local buckling and tearing failure of beam flanges due to the excessively large stress. Finally, based on the tests and FEA results, a corresponding improvement, including a single-web configuration with U-shape and triangular stiffeners, was thus brought forward and numerically verified in terms of rotational stiffness, failure mode, and the hysteretic curve. The FEA results revealed that the rotational stiffness of the proposed single-web joint with triangular stiffeners for beams and U-shape stiffeners for CFST columns efficiently increased from 0.87 to 3.83, and it was almost twice that of the narrow beam-column joint with internal horizontal diaphragms. Moreover, the previous undesirable tearing failure mode was finally avoided by adopting high-strength steel Q550 for the joint beam part.
Integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) into Construction Project Management (CPM) curricula is crucial for preparing industry-ready professionals with the digital competencies needed in the rapidly evolving, technology-driven construction sector. This systematic literature review evaluated gaps and challenges in BIM education within CPM courses, including limited faculty training, inconsistent curricula, and insufficient hands-on, interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities for students. These deficiencies hinder consistent BIM competency development among graduates, resulting in disparities in skill levels and readiness for industry demands. This study identified essential digital management skills and BIM competencies required for effective industry practice by examining global academic research. The findings revealed that despite advancing BIM adoption, significant gaps persist in its teaching, particularly the lack of collaborative education within project management disciplines, and need for enhanced collaboration between academia and the industry to bridge the skills gap. Industry professionals and academics emphasise the deficit in BIM knowledge among project management graduates and advocate for a cohesive educational framework aligning with industry requirements, emphasising hands-on experience and interdisciplinary collaboration. This study highlighted significant gaps and opportunities for integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) into Construction Project Management (CPM) education, with the aim to enhance the competency and employability of future construction project managers. By proposing a phased approach and a BIM educational framework tailored to the Australian context, this review recommended the integration of BIM, supported by other emerging technologies, to better align educational outcomes with industry demands. The recommendations focus on curriculum design and implementation strategies to bridge the identified gaps.
The biopharmaceutical industry, serving as the core driving force in the realm of modern medicine, assumes an irreplaceable role in safeguarding national health, propelling economic development, and fostering technological advancements. When juxtaposed with the global vanguard of pharmaceutical innovation, China’s pharmaceutical industry still exhibits a notable generational disparity in terms of innovation capabilities. This study analyzes the current development status of China’s biopharmaceutical industry, delving into the issues and challenges encountered during its development. It also examines the development trends and competitive landscape of the international biopharmaceutical industry. Subsequently, considering China’s national circumstances, this study proposes development strategies and policy recommendations for the biopharmaceutical industry in several aspects. These include intensifying policy support, bolstering innovation-driven impetus, strengthening talent cultivation, optimizing the industrial chain, and enhancing international cooperation. The overarching aim is to facilitate China’s transition from a large biopharmaceutical nation to a strong biopharmaceutical power, thereby offering the public more high-quality, efficient, and accessible medical services and contributing to the construction of the Healthy China initiative.
The article explores the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the transformation of the Building Information Modeling (BIM) environment. It focuses on current trends and developments in the field of AI, its applications in BIM, and future perspectives. AI introduces process automation, design optimization, and efficient management of construction projects into the BIM framework. Among its many benefits is the ability to quickly retrieve information, identify and describe problematic areas, and suggest alternative solutions during the design phase. In the construction phase, AI can enable more efficient and faster responses to project changes and construction challenges. When transferring data to the operation and maintenance phase, AI can sort large volumes of information and present it in a clear and actionable format for facility managers. This article analyzes both theoretical and practical aspects of AI integration into BIM and evaluates its potential benefits for the construction industry.
Limestone or river aggregates have been traditionally used as aggregates in ready-mixed concrete from the past to the present. The depletion of these natural aggregates used in ready-mixed concrete has led the concrete industry to investigate aggregate resources and search for alternative aggregates. In this study, natural rocks defined as basalt type from Karacadağ, located within the borders of Diyarbakır, Şanlıurfa, and Mardin provinces in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye, were used as aggregate materials. The mechanical strength of concrete produced with basalt aggregate was examined. In order to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the produced basalt aggregate concretes, unit weight, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength experiments were carried out on hardened concretes. In addition to the physical and mechanical properties of basalts, their chemical composition properties have been investigated. In the experimental study, crushed basalt aggregates with size fractions 0–5, 5–11.2, and 11.2–22.4 mm were used. The water/cement ratio of the concrete produced in the study was 0.45, and the selected cement contents were determined as 300 kg/m3, 350, and 400 kg/m3. The fracture parameters of the produced concrete were presented with the two-parameter fracture model (TPFM). Statistical analyses of this study show that the fracture parameters of cube samples made with basalt aggregate commonly found in the region are acceptable for use in construction sites.
Modular integrated construction (MiC) is now widely adopted by industry and governments. However, its fragile and delicate logistics are still a concern for impeding project performance. MiC logistic operations involve rigorous multimode transportation, loading-unloading, and stacking during storage. Such processes may induce latent and intrinsic damage to the module. This damage causes safety hazards during assembly and deteriorates the module’s structural health during the building use phase. Also, additional inspection and repairs before assembly cause uncertainties and can delay the whole supply chain. Therefore, continuous monitoring of the module’s structural response during MiC logistics and the building use phase is vital. An IoT-based multi-sensing system is developed, integrating an accelerometer, gyroscope, and strain sensors to measure the module’s structural response. The compact, portable, wireless sensing devices are designed to be easily installed on modules during the logistics and building use phases. The system is tested and calibrated to ensure its accuracy and efficiency. Then, a detailed field experiment is demonstrated to assess the damage, safety, and structural health during MiC logistic operations. The demonstrated damage assessment methods highlight the application for decision-makers to identify the module’s structural condition before it arrives on site and proactively avoid any supply chain disruption. The developed sensing system is directly helpful for the industry in monitoring MiC logistics and module structural health during the use phase. The system enables the researchers to investigate and improve logistic strategies and module design by accessing detailed insights into the dynamics of MiC logistic operations.
Engineered biomaterials play a crucial role in the construction industry. The study and development of engineered biomaterials with high-strength are necessary to fulfill the construction requirements for medium and high-rise buildings and long-span bridges. Further promoting the localization of high-strength engineered biomaterials is crucial in terms of reducing CO2 emissions, effectively utilizing land resources, and taking into account the unique structure of forest resources in China. The goal of this modification is to satisfy the rising demand for eco-friendly living spaces.
Nedeljković Marija, Tošić Nikola, Schlangen Erik
et al.
Demand for high quality recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) to offset the use of primary materials is significantly rising due to circular economy goals and high-value reuse of concrete. The quality of RCA significantly affects their availability for new concrete production due to the variability of parent concrete streams. The optimization of recycling procedures is under development to improve the quality of RCA, however, the costs and energy efficiency of such processes are of practical concern. With this in mind, this paper presents a new framework for reducing the variability of RCA quality by identifying concrete members before their demolition. The goal of identifying demolished concrete members from a structure is to provide groups of concrete members with similar mechanical and chemical properties through a systematic classification of the structural members. The quality assessment of concrete structures and their mechanical and chemical (composition, contamination) properties prior to demolition is generally recognized as challenging due to the absence of guidelines and the lack of easy-to-use in situ characterization techniques. This paper proposes experimental approaches that can non-destructively determine the properties of concrete structures, with a major emphasis on the measurement of the chemical composition of concrete before demolition. Characteristic quality indicators to classify concrete members are first proposed and can be instrumental in setting up future studies. A new method is proposed for in situ chemical composition testing of existing concrete structures; assuming that no records about the parent concrete are available. Next, the challenging parameters for in situ, non-destructive measurements are outlined. The practical application of the proposed method and its uptake in industry can potentially unlock a huge potential for optimized material recovery and contribute greatly to a fully circular construction industry.
Roman Evgenyevich Abdalov, Kirill Yurevich Kulakov
The scientific paper is devoted to the issues of pre-project marketing research and its impact on the quality of investment and construction project (ICP) and the quality of finished construction products. In modern conditions of economic crisis and increased competition of goods and services marketing plays a special role in all spheres of activity, including the construction industry. The authors note that not all organizations in their practical activities pay due attention to pre-project marketing research. In order to develop the methods of pre-project marketing research already used in practice by marketing departments and to form new unique approaches in organizations, the authors have developed a conceptual model of pre-project marketing research. The author's conceptual model is aimed at improving the effectiveness of pre-project marketing research — obtaining information that meets the established requirements. The article presents these requirements, in particular, the requirement for completeness of information is considered in the most detail, negative consequences of information insufficiency and excess for the project and its participants are outlined, methods of ensuring completeness of information are proposed. Attention is paid to the high value of marketing information obtained at the pre-project stage of a project for decision-making at subsequent stages of ICP and for building a marketing strategy within an organization's project activities. Based on the analysis, the authors provide a logical justification for the positive impact of pre-project marketing research on the quality of individual processes and activities within the life cycle of ICP and, ultimately, on the consumer and production quality of finished construction products.
Aminu Darda'u Rafindadi, Nasir Shafiq, Idris Othman
et al.
Accident analysis is used to discover the causes of workplace injuries and devise methods for preventing them in the future. There has been little discussion in the previous studies of the specific elements contributing to deadly construction accidents. In contrast to previous studies, this study focuses on the causes of fatal construction accidents based on management factors, unsafe site conditions, and workers' unsafe actions. The association rule mining technique identifies the hidden patterns or knowledge between the root causes of fatal construction accidents, and one hundred meaningful association rules were extracted from the two hundred and fifty-three rules generated. It was discovered that many fatal construction accidents were caused by management factors, unsafe site circumstances, and risky worker behaviors. These analyses can be used to demonstrate plausible cause-and-effect correlations, assisting in building a safer working environment in the construction sector. The study findings can be used more efficiently to design effective inspection procedures and occupational safety initiatives. Finally, the proposed method should be tested in a broader range of construction situations and scenarios to ensure that it is as accurate as possible.
Kesavan Manoharan, Pujitha Dissanayake, Chintha Pathirana
et al.
Purpose – Labour efficiency is the key component for the long-term sustainability of construction firms. Recent studies show that modernising organisational/managerial processes is necessary to raise labour efficiency in many emerging nations. Construction supervision is a crucial element in organisational/managerial practices, which provide blood circulation to the project operations by directing labour. Accordingly, this study aims to quantify the impacts of crucial organisational/managerial elements on the efficiency of labour in building construction projects based on the viewpoint of construction supervisors. Findings – A total of 28 factors were determined as critical, where lack of labour motivation, poor labour training facilities, poor performance evaluation practices, no labour rewarding mechanism and poor communication/cooperation between parties were judged to be the top five key issues in the list. The validity and reliability of the study findings were ensured through statistical tests and the experts' discussion outcomes. In view of the evolving challenges facing the industry, the results indicate that the organisational policies of construction enterprises in place addressing financial procedures, communication strategies, resource management and performance management practices must be enhanced. Research limitations/implications – The study findings will make a substantial contribution to reducing the disparity between organisation/management policies and labour practices towards changing how the sector operates to increase labour efficiency in construction projects. Originality/value – This study contributes to addressing the knowledge gap in the industry associated with the organisational protocols, especially to understand/predict how such elements are significant, how much they influence the efficiency of construction practices and what steps can be made to limit their effects on labour efficiency in construction. These could be crucial in modernising organisational policies and procedures for construction management.
Industrial engineering. Management engineering, Production management. Operations management
The price fluctuation of the real estate market has become an important factor affecting the stability of the national macro-economy. In the history of the worldwide financial crisis, there have been many times related to the real estate market. China's real estate industry occupies a pivotal position in the national economy, and entered a rapid development period in 2000, gradually becoming a pillar industry of the national economy. It ushered in the process of rapid expansion, with investment scale, construction scale, transaction scale and transaction price rising. From the perspective of noise and landscape, this paper discusses the possibility of applying landscape analysis to the price and pricing of apartment complexes. The noise, landscape and sunlight are analyzed based on the landscape analysis (including the point and line through the view analysis, and the line of sight analysis) to provide a basis for the unit price classification of the area.
Oluseye Olugboyega, Abimbola Windapo, Clinton Aigbavboa
et al.
Purpose – Because BIM adoption is still afflicted by various types of hurdles, a complete BIM implementation model is required to provide the necessary methods for driving BIM adoption. As a result, this study looked into the parts of the BIM implementation model that had the most impact on increasing the percentage of BIM adoption in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach – This study developed a four-wheel model of BIM implementation based on implementation process theory, which includes BIM inspiration, BIM capacity development, BIM use and BIM commitment. To assess BIM capacity development, two sub-constructs (BIM learning process and BIM learning methodologies) were used. Two sub-constructs were used to assess BIM utilisation (efficient BIM application and effective BIM application). The sub-constructs employed to quantify BIM motivation were organisational competitiveness, societal conformity and contractual obligations. Incentives, investments and obligations were used to assess BIM commitment. The model was validated using four assumptions and maximum likelihood estimation – structural equation modelling (MLE-SEM). Findings – The MLE-SEM results demonstrated unequivocally that all of the constructions are critical components of the BIM deployment paradigm in the South African construction industry. BIM motivation, as characterised by organisational competitiveness and social compliance, has the greatest impact. The findings on BIM motivation also revealed that the desire for technological sophistication, competitiveness and social acceptance by clients are encouraging construction organisations and professionals to embrace BIM adoption. Research limitations/implications – This study's findings have contributed to the increasing body of literature on BIM deployment. The study has significant implications for achieving BIM implementation in underdeveloped nations where BIM deployment is either non-existent or in its early stages. The theoretical component of the study serves as the foundation for further analysis of BIM deployment. Practical implications – This research is important for identifying BIM goals, developing a BIM implementation framework, allocating resources for BIM implementation and defining key performance indicators for BIM implementation. The BIM implementation aspects outlined in this study will be effective in lowering BIM adoption hurdles. Originality/value – This study makes a unique contribution to BIM research by providing theoretical and empirical analysis into the elements of the BIM implementation model in a developing country. The study offers an excellent opportunity to further our understanding of BIM application in underdeveloped nations.
Faisal Allafi, Md Sohrab Hossain, Japareng Lalung
et al.
Natural fibers are getting attention from researchers and academician for utilization in new technology due to their ecofriendly nature and sustainability. This paper reviews advancements of utilization of natural wool fiber in industry and agriculture. Sheep wool is one of the natural and renewable sources which is widely used in the textile industry to make clothes, rugs, socks, and carpets, besides some uses in agriculture as fertilizers. Recently, wool has become alternative material in some industrial sectors, which increases the value of wool fiber. Increasing demand for alternative materials in buildings sectors has driven the production of sheep wool fibers with comparable and unique properties, for example thermal and sound insulation. Wool with enlarged pores is commercially available for sorption of dyes, oil spill, and volatile organic compounds (Greener Cleaner). Wool is also chemically modified for use in catalytic converter. The unique composition of wool has made it favorable in construction of light aircraft, ships, and trains upholstery. The self-extinguish property makes wool promising as a seal insulator for heat-generating appliances. Substances such as lanoline, ceramide, peptone, and keratin have been proposed for manipulation with wool to be utilized in pharmacotherapy cosmetics, and medical treatment.
Science, Textile bleaching, dyeing, printing, etc.
Thathsarani Hewavitharana, Samudaya Nanayakkara, Asoka Perera
et al.
Inefficient and ineffective practices in the construction industry have hindered productivity even though it is considered as one of the largest sectors in any county. One best solution to overcome these inherent problems in the construction industry is to move forward with digital technologies. For that, organizational structure, technical aspects, and, most importantly, human factors need to be considered. The aim of this research is to find out human behaviors that affect the digital transformation of the construction industry based on the well-accepted model Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). An in-depth literature review was carried out using fifty-five journal papers to develop a conceptual model for the acceptance of digital transformation, and it was validated and further reviewed using ten expert interviews. The model consists of seven constraints: Personal Benefits, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Risk, Facility Conditions, Attitudes, and Subjective Norms. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was carried out to rank these seven factors according to individual priorities in the construction industry. Further, the model was extended and modified using factors derived from literature review and expert feedback. It is proved that “Perceived Personal Benefits” is the major consideration of an individual who is willing to move towards digital transformation. This research fulfills the lack of knowledge in the digitalization of the construction industry as per a human perspective, and it provides a prerequisite to finding the solutions for the issues which emerged within the industry towards digitalization. Further, the framework developed in the research can be used to systematically adopt the human factor for the digital transformation of the construction industry. In addition, this enables the analysis of changing demands for humans in digitally transformed environments, such as Industry 4.0 environments, and contributes towards a successful digital transformation that avoids the pitfalls of innovation performed without attention to human factors. The paper concludes by highlighting future research directions on the human factor in digital transformation as well as managerial implications for successful application in practice.
Vahid Zeinalabedin Tehrani, Omid Rezaeifar, Majid Gholhaki
et al.
Background and aims: Construction industry is known as one of the most perilous industries in that it is involving the hazardous projects as well as the high manpower activities correlating with a high rate of work-related accidents. On the other hand, the high rate of accidents in the industry demanding a big budget for the damages; therefore, safety is strongly emphasized in the construction industry projects.
One of the large-scale projects is the construction project of power plant in the construction industry; since they are involved in various administrative tasks, they are extremely complicated and consequently highly susceptible to accidents. Iran hold 15th site in the worldchr('39') rank in terms of electricity generation and as a developing country needs to boost its electricity production by about five percent annually. On the other hand, some factors indicate the necessities of a focus on promoting safety and a safety culture in these projects; the risky nature of power plant construction, the increment in the number of contracting companies, the size of projects and the complexity of work procedures, and the natural outsourcing of activities, to name but a few.
The accidents of the construction industry caused by a variety of causes are generally categorized into two groups, those which are caused by dangerous situations or physics and ones with the reason correlated to the unsafe behaviors or the actions. Accordingly, many studies have focused on the behavior of individuals as one of the first-line factor of accidents, and it is believed that fostering an appropriate safety culture in the organization and individuals is a crucial strategy lessening the work-related accidents. The safety culture of an organization is the product of group and individual values, perspectives, anticipations, adequacies, and behavior patterns that ascertain the extent of their commitment to the organization proficiency, health style, and safety management. In general, the organizations with a strong safety culture which are gradually enhancing by time effectively prevent from individual and organizational disasters. According to several studies, there are disparate factors affecting the safety culture of the organization and the individuals. Given to the results of numerous studies, the safety investment in the projects has an impact on the safety culture and the safety performance. However, the degree of influence of each safety factor on the culture improvement is not assessed in the previous studies. Furthermore, it is necessary to recognize the effective type of investment impacting on the enhancement of the safety culture, in that the amount of safety investment in each project and the contracting company has limitations. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact of various safety investment methods on improving safety culture in the construction industry projects and for this reason we investigate the thermal power plant projects.
Methods: The current study inspecting the interactive effects of safety investment factors embodying the cost of safety training, the safety incentives, the safety personnel and the safety equipment on the safety culture in the power plant construction projects in Iran. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) method explores the interactive effects of various types of safety investments on the safety culture. The SEM as a multivariate method helps us to simultaneously investigate the relationship between independent and dependent structures in a theoretical model. The SEM is one of the most useful techniques analyzing the relationships between variables. Although variables are probably hypothetical or invisible (hidden variables), this method can specify complex relationships between variables.
Among different types of SEM method, the Partial Least Squares SEM (PLS-SEM) method was selected for this study since the data of the study were abnormal and abnormal data can be analyzed using PLS method. Additionally, the PLS method does not require a big sample size and it can compute the hidden structures in the small statistical population by linearly combining the observable variables through their weight relations. The PLS method can also be used both to evaluate hidden (or dependent) variables measured by observed variables (or indices) and to evaluate the relationship between variables (i.e., path coefficients of hypotheses). The software used in this study is Smart PLS Version 2.0.M3.
To achieve the objectives of the research, a conceptual model with four hypothetical paths was presented to investigate the impact of different types of investment methods on safety and ten indicators were used to evaluate the safety culture. The four hypotheses of this study including 1- Cost for safety training has a significant impact on the safety culture 2- Cost for promoting safety and incentives has a significant impact on the safety culture 3- Cost for safety personnel has a significant impact on the safety culture 4- Costs for safety equipment have a significant impact on the safety culture.
Structured questionnaire was used to collect data needed to evaluate the safety culture measurement model and safety investment. The statistical population is the contracting companies involved in the construction of gas, steam and combined cycle power plants to collect the required data. In order to collect the required research information, we made a connection with the project manager of 28 power plant projects, 19 of which participated in the study through which we receive the questionnaires from 62 specialized contractors. Having utilized the data collected from power plant construction projects, the proposed model was empirically tested using the SEM-PLS method and it was determined which method had a significant impact on improving the safety culture.
Results: according to the results of data analysis in this study, the factor analysis of all questions for assessing the indices of the safety culture is between 0.6 and 0.9 which is more than 0.4 and indicates that these criteria are suitable for measuring indicators. Also the results of the measurement model parameters have acceptable reliability and validity. The results of the structural model also show that overall spending on investing in safety improves the safety culture in projects and shows three hypotheses of impact of cost of training, cost of incentives and cost of safety personnel with the path coefficients of +0.46, +0.26 and +0.09, respectively. They were confirmed with 95% confidence level. The path coefficient of +0.46 in the first hypothesis indicates that the investment in the safety training accounts for 46% of the variation in the safety culture variable. Hence, given the significant amount of path coefficients for this hypothesis, it can be concluded that increased investment in the safety training by contractors in power plant construction projects has a significant impact on improving their safety culture. +0.26 as the amount of the path coefficient of the second hypothesis showed that the costs of safety incentives in projects has an impact on the safety culture. Considering the path coefficient of +0.09 for the third hypothesis, which is not a significant amount, it can be concluded that the cost of safety personnel has a small impact on the safety culture; accordingly, merely compulsory investments such as costs for safety personnel, have little impact on improving the safety culture. The fourth hypothesis, namely, the effect of cost of safety equipment on safety culture was not confirmed by t = 1.384 on the bases of significant coefficient. Although this result indicates that the cost of the safety equipment reduces the accidents, does not directly have an impact on improving the safety culture.
Conclusion: Among the various methods of investing in the safety, the cost of safety training has the most significant effect on improving the safety culture of contractors, indicating that the safety training positively improves safety participation, awareness, knowledge, behavior, and motivation. The safety training directly effect on the safety culture. After the cost of safety training, the cost of safety incentives and publicity owned the second place in improving the safety culture. The costs for safety personnel have also been relatively influential on safety culture. The costs for safety equipment have no impact on improving the safety culture. The costs for safety equipment would be effective in the project if the safety training be emphasized to improve contractor safety performance. The results of this study help construction industry contractors to optimize safety culture, therefore, reduce work-related accidents by optimally spending on the safety.
The first limitation is that the research findings is not generalizable. As mentioned earlier, the culture of safety varies across different regions and industries. The findings of this research are based on the information of the construction of power plant projects in Iran and these findings should be interpreted within this limited context. The current study suffers from the other limitation which is the small sample size; since there is limited number of power plant projects and the accountability of the contractors is low. It is worth noting that PLS method, which is the most appropriate method of the structural equation analysis for the data with small sample size, was utilized to solve this problem. Moreover, this study merely investigates the impact of four investment methods. In the future for the future studies, by collecting additional datasets, different factors can be explored in other projects and regions and presented with separated models.