Design and energy performance analysis of a hotel building in a hot and dry climate: a case study

In times of unprecedented climate change and energy scarcity, the design and delivery of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings are of utmost importance. This study aimed to design a hotel building for hot and dry climate conditions and perform its energy performance analysis using energy simulation tools. The model of the hotel building was constructed by a graphical tool OpenStudio and EnergyPlus following the ASHRAE Standard 90.1. To reduce the energy demand of the hotel, parametric analysis was conducted and building envelope parameters such as the thickness of insulation layer in the exterior wall and the roof, thermal conductivity of insulation layer, rate of infiltration, U-factor of windows, and thermal resistance of air gap in the interior walls (R-value), window-to-wall ratio, and orientation of the building were tested and the impact on the energy use of the building was analyzed. It was found that most of the design assumptions based on the ASHRAE standard were already optimal for the considered locality, however, were still optimized further to reach the highest efficiency level. Apart from this, three sustainable technologies—thermochromic windows, phase change materials, and solar panels—were incorporated into the building and their energy consumption reduction potential was estimated by energy simulations. Cumulatively, these sustainable technologies were able to reduce the total energy use from 2417 GJ to 1593 GJ (i.e., by 824 GJ or 34%). Calculation of payback period and return on investments showed that thermochromic windows and solar panels have relatively short payback periods and high return on investments, whereas PCM was found to be economically nonviable. The findings of this study are deemed to be useful for designing a sustainable and energy-efficient hotel building in a sub-tropical climate. However, the overall design and energy performance analysis algorithm could be used for various buildings with varying climate conditions

Construction professionals' perspectives on drivers and barriers of sustainable construction

With the associated environmental challenges and unsustainable patterns of construction, there is also notable awareness and willingness among the state bodies to adopt sustainability measures and practices in Kazakhstan. This study explores the drivers of and barriers inhibiting the adoption of sustainability paradigm in the construction context of Kazakhstan. The drivers and barriers were validated through the survey and structured workshop with the construction professionals to ensure their relevance to the local context, which were then ranked according to their levels of influence through the lens of the industry professionals in Kazakhstan. Delphi technique was the last stage before consolidating the specified lists. Stakeholder opinions were then consolidated to develop a context-oriented decision support system. The findings reveal that addressing environmental issues is vital to increase the level of sustainability leading to the more efficient use of construction materials and resources. Various social aspects are also found to be driving forces for the effective adoption of the SC concept. On the other hand, a great portion of SC barriers is related to economic aspects, which are followed by government as well as awareness and education related barriers. The findings are hoped to contribute to the body of knowledge in terms of drivers of, and barriers to SC in developing countries, particularly in Central Asian countries due to similarities in context. The findings may also be useful for the construction forefront players seeking ways to improve sustainability performance of the construction industry

Contributions of safety critical success factors and safety program elements to overall project success

Implementing a safety program is an essential step toward improving safety performance. This research aims to develop an overall project success (OPS) model for building projects through investigating the direct and indirect impact of safety critical success factors (CSFs) on OPS mediated by safety program elements. First, interviews were carried out with experts in the Iraqi construction industry, and then a questionnaire survey was utilized to obtain feedback from construction professionals. The results revealed that 20 elements are needed to confirm and improve effectiveness. These elements were categorized into four constructs: management commitment and employee involvement, worksite analysis, hazard and prevention control, and health and safety training. The analysis confirms that the relationship between safety CSFs and OPS are mediated by safety program elements. These findings offer a glimmer of hope for implementing safety programs in the Iraqi construction sector, and can also be used to enhance safety performance

Assessment of green practices in residential buildings: a survey-based empirical study of residents in Kazakhstan

In the lead-up to the Paris climate change conference, the majority of the UN Member States submitted their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions on carbon emissions reduction to be met by 2030. Kazakhstan is no exception. The government made pledges and, therefore, has to adapt its national policies and regulations to meet the set ambitious goals. In this regard, the role of residential building sector is of the utmost importance due to its significant share in the country’s energy consumption and carbon emissions profile. Thus, this study presents the types of residential buildings available and assesses how far they are from meeting the green building (GB) indicators set in various certification schemes and standards. This would help in suggesting practical steps to improve the sustainability levels of the residential building stock of Kazakhstan. This study collected a robust set of data on existing residential buildings in Astana, chosen as a case study location, classified them and, based on a developed checklist, evaluated their performance compared to GB standards. The study has found that old buildings tend to have a rather poor level of sustainability, whereas the sustainability of new buildings depends on the class of the building—steadily increasing from economy to premium class in all categories of the checklist. A detailed analysis of the results has led to the development of recommendations on how each type of building should be improved to meet the GB standards

Assessment of sustainability indicators for urban water infrastructure in a developing country

Purpose: This research aims to study a broad range of sustainability aspects and develop a set of indicators with their subjective relevance to each of the sustainability dimensions that will help to improve the sustainability level of the water system of Nur-Sultan (Kazakhstan). Design/methodology/approach: The broader list of indicators (which were identified through a thorough review of the literature) was assessed by water-related industry professionals and experts who were asked to assess the compliance of suggested indicators to five criteria of sustainability using a Likert scale. Findings: It was found that the highest-ranked indicators across all five categories were mainly related to the chemical and physical quality of water, followed by availability of individual water meters as well as water supply tariffs' adjustment to users' income, and issues of ageing infrastructure. The lowest-ranked indicators among all categories were mainly related to investments into research and development, water management and awareness, feedback systems and flexibility. The least ranked indicators are seen to be more related to the scenarios when basic needs are covered and the stakeholders have extra time and resources for advancing the levels of water infrastructure sustainability. Practical implications: The ranked and categorized indicators can be used as a powerful decision-making tool to improve the sustainability of the water system of Nur-Sultan or any other city in a developing country. Originality/value: By conducting this study, it was aimed to address the aforementioned gap in the field in terms of running a wider scope assessment of indicators rather than looking at conventional environmental and socio-economic aspects. This provides novelty to the study, especially in the context of developing countries that need more guidance in terms of sustainable development of the water-related infrastructure

Understanding construction stakeholders' experience and attitudes toward use of the structurally insulated panels (SIPs) in New Zealand

New Zealand faces a housing shortage with construction struggling to meet demand. Structurally insulated panels (SIPs) have been demonstrated internationally as a method of construction which could reduce construction time frames, improve the standard insulation in housing, as well as reduce the amount of waste generated on construction sites. However, anecdotal evidence shows that the SIPs’ adoption is lacking, which is, perhaps, attributed to its industry-wide acceptance level. Thus, in this study, the construction stakeholders, such as architects/designers, builders, territorial authorities and homeowners were targeted to shed light on current status of SIPs use, benefits offered and any barriers inhibiting its industry-wide implementation. This was done through a survey, which was designed to understand the construction stakeholders’ experience levels regarding SIPs use in New Zealand as well as their opinions about any problems associated with the SIPs adoption. Although the stakeholders were happy with the thermal performance offered by SIPs, the results indicate that lack of familiarity and understanding are one of the main barriers to the widespread use of SIPs in New Zealand. Moreover, proper training and clear design information are reported to be crucial to make the building and consenting processes efficient, which will ultimately improve the cost-effectiveness. Despite the barriers (to SIPs adoption) documented by stakeholders, the common belief is that SIPs offer wide-range of benefits to improve performance of the built environment; hence, the stakeholders expressed their willingness to design/build/recommend SIP homes. It is hoped that the findings of this study will guide the industry practitioners in investing their efforts in wider adoption of SIPs in New Zealand

Sustainable Supplier Selection in Construction Industry through Hybrid Fuzzy-Based Approaches

Due to increase in the public and stakeholders’ awareness regarding economic, environmental, and social issues, the construction industry tends to follow the sustainability policies and practices in supply chain management. Hence, one of the most crucial aspects for a construction company in this regard is sustainable supplier selection, and, to this end, an accurate and reliable model is required. In this paper a hybrid fuzzy best-worst method and fuzzy inference system model is developed for sustainable supplier selection. In the first phase of this study, after determining 19 criteria in three main aspects, the final weight of each aspect and criterion is obtained using fuzzy best-worst method approach. In the second phase, the most sustainable supplier is selected by running the weighted fuzzy inference system both in aspect and criterion level, providing more accurate results compared to the use of other available models. Finally, two different tests are employed to validate the results and evaluate the robustness of the proposed model. The novel developed model enables the decision-maker to simulate the decision-making process, reduce the calculations loads, consider a large number of criteria in decision making, and resolve the inherited uncertainties in experts’ responses

On-site construction productivity in Malaysian infrastructure projects

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors constraining the on-site construction productivity and measures for its improvement in Malaysian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: Questionnaire survey is administered to 171 respondents, comprising government authorities and construction players. A total of 39 constraints are found to be significant factors in various risk levels. Findings: Consequently, improvement measures are recommended addressing those constraints to on-site construction productivity. It is believed that the findings of this study will assist in achieving high level of on-site construction productivity by focusing and acting upon the most risky constraints, where construction players in Malaysia could be guided well in their efforts in a time-, cost- and quality-effective manner. Originality/value: It is believed that the findings of this study will assist in achieving high level of on-site construction productivity by focusing and acting upon the most risky constraints, where construction players in Malaysia could be guided well in their efforts in a time-, cost- and quality-effective manner

The build-operate-transfer model as an infrastructure privatisation strategy for Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is in the process of privatising the state-owned enterprises that help to provide infrastructure for economic development. Build-operate-transfer (BOT) has become a popular mechanism in developing countries for infrastructural privatisation. A Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis is provided whilst the factors for successful BOT implementation are discussed. To evaluate BOT application in Turkmenistan, a descriptive survey of stakeholders is conducted and the results are used to identify and rank the most significant factors affecting BOT implementation. Recommendations to address future challenges faced by both the private and public sectors are provided

A quantified model for assessment of drivers of acquiring green buildings by potential clients

In the context of an ongoing crisis related to climate change resulting from human activities as well as global attempts to reverse or mitigate this process, the role of sustainable buildings is of utmost importance. Although this study is a part of the continuous effort to investigate the attitudes of potential clients toward green buildings (GB) from the drivers’ point of view. The proposed study developed a quantified model for assessing the drivers in the context of a developing country, thus filling the gap in the field. The methodology adopted in this study is of a mixed nature and is based on (a) an extensive literature review aimed to identify some of the most influential drivers in the international context, and (b) an analysis of primary data collected via a survey among the general population (potential clients) to understand their perceptions regarding the identified drivers (factors). Various factors that may trigger potential homebuyer’s purchase intention were combined and presented in a form of a conceptual model. The structural equation modeling technique, which combines factor analysis and multiple regression, was applied to carry out the analysis of the obtained data. This is the primary technique to examine and quantify the relative influence of latent variables on the measured phenomena. The results of the study indicate that the ‘client’s environmental concern’ has the highest impact on the attitude toward purchasing GB (β = 0.7812). In turn, ‘marketing and promotion’ efforts (especially promotional events and a word of mouth) were found to be the highest and second impact to intention to purchase (β = 0.7402) and attitude toward purchasing (β = 0.6617) ‘Client’s awareness and knowledge’ (β = 0.7279) and ‘governmental incentives’ (including tax incentives, grants, and soft loan incentives) were identified as the next most influential drivers. Despite the limitations that could be linked to the demographics, the findings of the paper identified and ranked the potential drivers which are mostly related to awareness, marketing, and incentives from the government. It is recommended to follow the presented methodology to identify the drivers of acquiring GBs in any context. However, the identified and ranked list of drivers could be referred as an indicative list which should be taken into consideration while developing policies and strategies