Sustainability in Construction Engineering

On Use of Construction Technology Designs for Expert Opinions

This article describes the basic principles and results of an expert system for construction planning and management. In the field of expert opinions, the system greatly helps to determine the limit of unreasonably low construction prices on the basis of a rapid cost analysis. Additionally, it can determine the technologically shortest possible construction periods or can answer the question of whether it is possible to complete the construction in the specified period, provided that a certain amount of construction is currently underway, which is very useful in expert opinions. The system is based on modeling the construction process using the so-called construction technology network graphs. This method allows, among other things, to create and use so-called typical network graphs as preprepared models of individual types of objects in the form of computer files, which can be modified according to the spatial structure of real buildings or facilities when used in creating a feasibility study or efficient time and financial planning and management of the building process. The system also enables the automatic creation of quality assurance checklists (inspection and acceptance plans for quality assurance), environmental plans (plans for the elimination of adverse effects of construction activities on the environment), and safety and health plans. Direct links to the bills of quantities (list of works and supplies with numbering of individual items), budgets (list of works and supplies with prices), or production calculations, despite the operational records of the actual construction process also on the company’s accounting agenda, are available.

An Interval-Valued Intuitionistic Fuzzy Model Based on Extended VIKOR and MARCOS for Sustainable Supplier Selection in Organ Transplantation Networks for Healthcare Devices

The selection of proper healthcare device suppliers in sustainable organ transplantation networks has become an essential topic of increasing life expectancy. Assessment of sustainable healthcare device suppliers can be regarded as a complex multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) problem that consists of multiple alternative solutions with sustainable criteria. For this reason, this paper proposes a new integrated MCDM model based on combining an extended vlsekriterijuska optimizacija i komoromisno resenje (E-VIKOR) and measurement alternatives and ranking according to the compromise solution (MARCOS) approaches under interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVIFSs). The aggregating technique of the E-VIKOR method is a strong point of this method compared to the original approach. The IVIFS is taken to cope with the uncertain situation of real-world applications. In this regard, an IVIF-similarity measure is introduced to compute weights of the decision-makers (DMs). The IVIF-Shannon entropy method is utilized to calculate the criteria weights, and a new hybrid proposed model is developed by presenting the IVIF-E-VIKOR method and IVIF-MARCOS, to calculate the ranking of sustainable supplier alternatives in organ transplantation networks to supply the surgery devices. Afterward, an illustrative example is introduced to evaluate the performance of the proposed model, and a comparative analysis is presented to confirm and validate the proposed approach. Moreover, sensitivity analysis for essential parameters of the proposed model is performed to assess their effects on outcomes.

An Interdisciplinary Systematic Review on Sustainability in Tunneling—Bibliometrics, Challenges, and Solutions

Sustainability is defined by current research as an interdisciplinary field comprising environmental, social, and economic aspects. This paper presents a systematic literature review following the PRISMA guidelines investigating how authors currently view sustainability issues in the specific context of tunneling. Thereby, we introduce a new methodology for reviewing sustainability aspects in an interdisciplinary way, where key bibliographic metrics are derived from the metadata of the reviewed literature. Regarding the content of the articles, we cluster sustainability aspects into specific topics and discuss challenges and solutions. In addition, we examine the role of digital technologies applied in sustainable tunneling. Our results show that there is a lack of interdisciplinary studies and that the current research does not represent all three dimensions of sustainability equally. The current research focuses on assessing the status quo instead of presenting specific solutions. Finally, we see great potential to further leverage digital tools to enable sustainable tunneling.

Multi-Criteria Optimization of Mechanized Earth Processes and Its Impact on Economic and Environmental Sustainability

The optimization of mechanized construction processes has a very important impact on economic and environmental sustainability. Our analyses evaluate key factors that affect the quality, environment, and economics of mechanized earth processes. This paper also presents approaches in this area in Slovakia and abroad, and existing mathematical models for the optimal design of earthmoving machinery. The main goals of our paper are the proposal of a method of machine selection for excavation including a multi-criteria optimization method with software support and application and verification of this method in a model example. A total of nine scientific methods applied in our paper are analyzed. The key results of the research work in terms of the set goals are given in the Conclusion, where the key research results are summarized. The results of the research work presented in the paper have a direct impact on economic and environmental sustainability, which can be achieved already in the phase of construction preparation. Applications of information technologies in multi-criteria optimization of the selection of construction machines for earth processes enables their use in the BIM (building information modeling) model.

An MCDM Model for Sustainable Decision-Making in Municipal Residential Buildings Facilities Management

Measuring and monitoring sustainability plays an essential role in impact assessment of global changes and development. Multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) represents a reliable and adequate technique for assessing sustainability, especially in the field of municipal buildings management, where numerous parameters and criteria are involved. This study presents an MCDM model for the sustainable decision-making, tailored to municipal residential buildings facilities management. The main outcome of this research concerned normalized and weighted decision-making matrixes, based on the complex proportion assessment (COPRAS) and weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) methods, applied for ranking investment alternatives related to the management of the buildings. The delivered model was applied to 20 municipal buildings of Kaunas city municipality, located in Lithuania, which an EU member state employing practices and regulations in accordance with the EU acquis, as well as a former Soviet Republic. The proposed model aspires to enhance sustainability practices in the management of municipal buildings and to demonstrate a solid tool that will allow informed decision-making in the building management sector.

Teaching Multi-Criteria Decision Making Based on Sustainability Factors Applied to Road Projects

Currently, there is a need for civil engineering programs to train their students in subjects associated with sustainability. Additionally, civil engineers in their work must constantly make decisions, so their training is necessary. Therefore, the goal of this research is to present a methodology for teaching multi-criteria decision-making methods in the context of civil engineering and road infrastructure projects using sustainable factors. To achieve the objective of this study, a decision-making simulation activity has been designed based on a five-step research process: (1) definition and contextualization of the case study; (2) design and planning of the simulation activity; (3) implementation of this activity; (4) evaluation of indicators; and (5) statistical analysis of metrics. The teaching methodology used is of a practical-theoretical type and allows for the step-by-step teaching of three multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods that, according to the literature review, are widely used in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. This teaching activity is intended for undergraduate students and professionals in the AEC industry who require a decision-making tool that promotes transparency in problem-solving and who have no knowledge of MCDM. The results obtained in this research show that the method perceived by the group of students with the least difficulty was the weighting rating and calculating (WRC), because of its previous familiarity and use in academic environments. It is recommended that MCDM methods be taught in semester courses to students in training so that they can develop a deep understanding of these tools and can demonstrate their usefulness for decision making where there are many variables to consider, where there are many decision-makers, and for the incorporation of sustainable factors for project evaluation.

Research Challenges and Advancements in the field of Sustainable Energy Technologies in the Built Environment

Inevitably, the 21st century has initiated a series of developments in the construction industry, leading to its digitalization and resulting in a series of innovative approaches and practices. At the same time, the construction industry, being one of the main global environment polluters, should fulfil well-established, as well as novel, sustainability requirements in order to evolve in harmony with the rising concerns on the availability of natural resources. This overview study aims to present the main developments, research, and scientific challenges in the field of sustainable construction, emphasizing the field of energy. The study aims to present a state-of-the-art scientific discussion on the sustainable built environment topic by analyzing cutting edge topics in the fields of building elements and whole building energy assessment, of indoor air quality and low carbon buildings, as well as on sustainable energy systems and smart buildings. The study also presents the state-of-the-art in existing tools which are adopted for the assessment of the sustainable built environment, including the use of digital tools and building information modelling for the energy assessment of the built environment, as well as the application of Life Cycle Assessment on building-related processes. Cross cutting issues related to the analysis of the building sector in the Industry 4.0 era, such as sustainability management topics and environmental geomatics are also discussed. The study concludes in those fields which will be of interest of the scientific community in the following years, towards achieving the goals of the sustainable development of the building sector.

Implementation of Adjusted Fuzzy AHP Method in the Assessment for Reuse of Industrial Buildings

With rapid economic development and restructuring, the number of old or obsolete buildings is growing in large cities. Construction practice has actively focused in recent decades on the regeneration of brownfield areas and creating opportunities for their cost-effective and sustainable reuse. Some of the buildings could be identified as-built industrial heritage whose purpose could be modified and used differently. Adaptive reuse can make a major contribution to sustainable development by reducing construction waste and saving natural resources. In the reuse management process, the problem is how to deal with multiple criteria that are imposed as factors in assessing the reuse of a building. Using the adjusted fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP), we explore the potential for the adaptation and new use of industrial buildings in the former area of Electronic Industry Nis (EI Nis) in Serbia. The standard FAHP, in which we determine the weights of each sub-criterion based on the expert’s evaluation, we adjusted for use when no pairwise comparison of existing alternatives was available. Multiple criteria evaluation was performed by applying many criteria and sub-criteria, taking into account the different spatial and physical performance of buildings, as well as their locational indicators. A case study is used to demonstrate the application of the method and show its effectiveness.

Development of Concrete Mixture Design Process Using MCDM Approach for Sustainable Concrete Quality Management

The development of a concrete mixture design process for high-quality concrete production with sustainable values is a complex process because of the multiple required properties at the green/hardened state of concrete and the interdependency of concrete mixture parameters. A new multicriteria decision making (MCDM) technique based on Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) methodology is applied to a fuzzy setting for the selection of concrete mix factors and concrete mixture design methods with the aim towards sustainable concrete quality management. Three objective properties for sustainable quality concrete are adopted as criteria in the proposed MCDM model. The seven most dominant concrete mixture parameters with consideration to sustainable concrete quality issues, i.e., environmental (density, durability) and socioeconomic criteria (cost, optimum mixture ingredients ratios), are proposed as sub-criteria. Three mixture design techniques that have potentiality to include sustainable aspects in their design procedure, two advanced and one conventional concrete mixture design method, are taken as alternatives in the MCDM model. The proposed selection support framework may be utilized in updating concrete design methods for sustainability and in deciding the most dominant concrete mix factors that can provide sustainable quality management in concrete production as well as in concrete construction. The concrete mix factors found to be most influential to produce sustainable concrete quality include the water/cement ratio and density. The outcomes of the proposed MCDM model of fuzzy TOPSIS are consistent with the published literature and theory. The DOE method was found to be more suitable in sustainable concrete quality management considering its applicable objective quality properties and concrete mix factors.

Multi-Criteria Analysis of Design Solutions in Architecture and Engineering: Review of Applications and a Case Study

The primary goal of this paper is to present the application potential of MCDM/MCDA (multi-criteria decision-making/multi-criteria decision analysis) methods in the field of architecture and urban planning and in energy efficient construction, especially in the context of sustainable development paradigm. The first part of this paper is devoted to literature studies pertaining to multi-criteria decision-making support in the selected fields. On the basis of the delivered review, it was demonstrated that the most popular methods belonging to the MCDM/MCDA group that have been used so far for the purpose of resolving selected decision-making challenges, is the AHP (analytic hierarchy process) method with modifications, TOPSIS (technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution) method, as well the up-and-coming COPRAS (complex proportional assessment) method. In addition, by reviewing the literature, it was found that MCDM/MCDA methods constitute an effective support tool at the stage of evaluating and selecting project solutions, and are especially helpful in framing various social, economic, environmental criteria that are permanently linked to the rule of sustainable development. The empirical section of this paper, through a case study, presents a comparative analysis of the classical AHP method with its extension onto fuzzy sets. The case study pertained to the criteria for the location of single-family residential buildings with solar installations.

Improving Sustainability in Architectural Research: Biopsychosocial Requirements in the Design of Urban Spaces

There is an ever increasing interest in identifying the links between architecture and public health and in how urban design can positively influence the latter. The psychology of sustainability and sustainable development represents an innovative research area as a recent contribution to sustainability science and its trans-disciplinary configuration. The research topic deals with the importance and the centrality of the user-centered approach in the observation of the relationships among mankind, technological systems, and built environments, for projects that guarantee the conditions of physical, mental, and social well-being. Starting from the plurality of different disciplinary sectors, from anthropometry and sociology to psychology, “human experience” and user’s expectations are explored, understood, and systematized. The analysis of the relationship between health and urban design has allowed researchers to identify design strategies to improve the level of urban livability. The city of Pisa is the case study; mobility within the city is redefined through various levels of the use of space so that paths and areas of inclusion and socialization are re-valued, while new scenarios for some urban spaces open up. In this perspective, the design strategies synthetically follow two main directions: the re-appropriation of these places by the citizens and, at the same time, the promotion of their well-being from both a physical and psychological point of view.

Application of MCDM Methods in Sustainability Engineering: A Literature Review 2008–2018

Sustainability is one of the main challenges of the recent decades. In this regard, several prior studies have used different techniques and approaches for solving this problem in the field of sustainability engineering. Multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) is an important technique that presents a systematic approach for helping decisionmakers in this field. The main goal of this paper is to review the literature concerning the application of MCDM methods in the field of sustainable engineering. The Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection Database was chosen to identify 108 papers in the period of 2008–2018. The selected papers were classified into five categories, including construction and infrastructure, supply chains, transport and logistics, energy, and other. In addition, the articles were classified based on author, year, application area, study objective and problem, applied methods, number of published papers, and name of the journal. The results of this paper show that sustainable engineering is an area that is quite suitable for the use of MCDM. It can be concluded that most of the methods used in sustainable engineering are based on traditional approaches with a noticeable trend towards applying the theory of uncertainty, such as fuzzy, grey, rough, and neutrosophic theory.