Management’s Perspective of Safety Culture in the Construction Industry: Cross-cultural Insights from Australia and China

The construction industry’s high accident rates underscore the importance of a strong safety culture as a critical strategy for improving safety performance. Developed countries like Australia have successfully embedded safety culture into their practices, achieving significant safety advancements. In contrast, developing economies such as China face persistent challenges in fostering mature safety culture, despite notable efforts by academia and industry practitioners. Recognizing the pivotal role of management in driving a positive safety culture, this study explores how construction management teams in Australia and China perceive, adapt, and implement safety culture within their respective socio-cultural and regulatory contexts. Using a qualitative approach, thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 construction professionals reveals substantial differences in safety culture perceptions and managerial strategies between the two countries: Australian managers adopt an engagement-focused approach, emphasizing individual responsibility, transparent communication, and active employee engagement. Safety culture practices are deeply integrated into organizational processes and reinforced through consistent leadership and collaboration. Conversely, Chinese managers rely more on compliance-driven strategies, shaped by hierarchical organizational structures and a focus on collective harmony. Proactive engagement and individual accountability receive comparatively less emphasis. These findings highlight how societal values and regulatory frameworks influence the implementation of safety culture, shaping managerial strategies and practices. The study underscores the importance of culturally tailored approaches in enhancing safety culture, particularly in addressing the unique challenges within each country’s context. This comparative research provides actionable insights into improving safety outcomes and contributes to the development of adaptive safety culture frameworks for the global construction industry

Sustainability in Valuation: Emerging AI-Driven Real Estate Approaches

In response to evolving sustainability regulations, this study addresses the need to quantify sustainability within real estate valuations. Traditional Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) models face limitations in capturing the full impact of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) factors, resulting in undervaluation of sustainable assets. The proposed solution shows the evolution of the DCF model into a meta-instrument for the real estate life cycle integrating sustainability and digitalization. The future proof DCF framework introduces seven key new tech approaches driven by emerging AI and established Building Information Modeling: dynamic cash flow and discount rate adjustments, predictive sustainability analytics, scenario modeling, advanced sensitivity analysis, automated ESG data integration and transparency. These emerging approaches offer a granular, forward-looking valuation method that better reflects the financial benefits of sustainability across the real estate life cycle. The model provides a transparent tool for investors and property managers, aligning valuations with regulatory standards and supporting informed, sustainable investment decisions. By merging advanced digital technologies with traditional valuation methods, this study challenges established property valuation tools, offering an adaptive, accurate, dynamic, and data-driven approach that meets the demands of an evolving real estate development market

Exploring the Effect of Communication on Sustainable Knowledge Management

Effective communication abilities are vital for facilitating Knowledge Management within the construction sector, especially in relation to sustainable development goals objectives. This study examines the influence of communication skills on sustainable Knowledge management practices, stressing how effective and clear communication promotes collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovative thinking. A thorough systematic literature review was adopted to point out best practices and strategies for enhancing communication to advance sustainable results in construction initiative

The Significance of Trust in Fostering Meaningful Learning

Introduction to Special Section: Trus

Mass Timber Construction: Products, Performance and Design

Due to their high strength, dimensional stability and positive environmental performance, mass timber building products are quickly becoming materials of choice for sustainably‐minded designers. This presentation will provide a detailed look at the variety of mass timber products available, including glue‐laminated timber (glulam), cross laminated timber (CLT), nail laminated timber (NLT), heavy timber decking, and other engineered and composite systems. Applications for the use of these products under modern building codes will be discussed, and examples of their use in U.S. projects reviewed. Mass timber’s ability to act as both structure and exposed finish will also be highlighted, as will its performance as part of an assembly, considering design objectives related to structural performance, fire resistance, acoustics, and energy efficiency. Other topics will include detailing and construction best practices, lessons learned from completed projects and trends for the increased use of mass timber products in the future

Improving Workability of Recycled Cement Pastes

Laboratory produced cement stone was reactivated through thermal treatment at 650°C. Superplasticizers added to improve flowability of reactivated cement pastes and reduce their water demand