New Metrics for Spatial and Temporal 3D Urban Form Sustainability Assessment Using Time Series Lidar Point Clouds and Advanced GIS Techniques

Monitoring sustainability of urban form as a 3D phenomenon over time is crucial in the era of smart cities for better planning of the future, and for such a monitoring system, appropriate tools, metrics, methodologies and time series 3D data are required. While accurate time series 3D data are becoming available, a lack of 3D sustainable urban form (3D SUF) metrics, appropriate methodologies and technical problems of processing time series 3D data has resulted in few studies on the assessment of 3D SUF over time. In this chapter, we review volumetric building metrics currently under development and demonstrate the technical problems associated with their validation based on time series airborne lidar data. We propose new metrics for application in spatial and temporal 3D SUF assessment. We also suggest a new approach in processing time series airborne lidar to detect three-dimensional changes of urban form. Using this approach and the developed metrics, we detected a decreased volume of vegetation and new areas prepared for the construction of taller buildings. These 3D changes and the proposed metrics can be used to numerically measure and compare urban areas in terms of trends against or in favor of sustainability goals for caring for the environment

Computational Workflow for Three-Dimension Printing in Construction: Digital Tools and Methodological Limitations

Three-dimensional printing in construction (3DPiC) is known as a trending technology in the construction industry. While scholars and practitioners seek to learn more about the applications of 3DPiC, there are no efficient workflows and open data sets available for further investigations. This paper intends to present the data produced in a laboratory for creating new models. The paper first presents the experimentation data collected from 60 models, and selected thermal digital images can be used for further sustainability analysis. The recorded data includes the time of crafting each layer of the model, the total time of creating a model and thermal measures. Based on the 60 experimentations and an intensive literature review, the paper presents a proposed computational workflow, including the use of Revit, Dynamo, Fusion 360, Navisworks and a selected 3D printer, which can be utilised for further data collection and analysis in the field. This model will assist in automating the cost estimation as an upgrade for 3DPiC. This paper is helpful for scholars and practitioners since it shows how laboratory data can be helpful for construction operation design

5D BIM Applications in Quantity Surveying: Dynamo and 3D Printing Technologies

Digital construction is increasingly introduced to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. The fifth dimension of Building Information Modeling (5D BIM) has a significant contribution to the AEC industry, such as managing time and costs and resources management. However, 5D BIM has not fulfilled its promise completely. The major challenge of implementing the 5D BIM technology and applications is the interoperability between technologies and the low accuracy of measurement estimations. Dynamo is adopted in this chapter for detailed quantity measurement. Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is one of the additive manufacturing technologies which is recommended to be used in construction. 3DP is aiming to create complex and customized geometries. This chapter demonstrates how to apply the Dynamo scripts of detailed quantity take-off for estimating the volume of elements created by 3DP. Dynamo as a quantity take-off Add-in in Revit is always used for detailed quantity take-off or precise model created. After the detailed quantity take-off from Revit, the data can be exported into Excel extension, which allows the quantity surveyors to insert the price per unit to the file and to generate a Bill of Quantity (BOQ). This chapter will offer a procedure for applying Dynamo through two selected case studies

A GIS-Based Risk and Safety Analysis of Entrance Areas in Educational Buildings Based on Students’ Experience

The architecture of educational buildings is required to meet the contemporary needs and follow regulations concerning safety issues in an intelligent, resilient, and systematic manner. However, the current literature generally neglects to identify geo-referenced risks within GIS environment based on the users’ perceptions of educational environments. This research aims to present a newly formulated risk evaluation criteria for assessing the spaces within and outside educational buildings. This chapter investigates students’ experience of using different micro-spaces, architects’ predesign assumptions and expectations of the spaces, and post-design assessment of the spaces. Two case studies of educational spaces within University of New South Wales campus in Kensington, Sydney was selected, and the questionnaire method was employed to collect data from students, who routinely use the selected areas. By comparing the results of the two buildings and mapping them in GIS, it is suggested that feelings of safety and security can be increased via improving the building features and enhancing the building control and security control, for example, installing CCTV and other security infrastructure. Data-driven findings mapped into GIS create a prototype for the identification of problematic areas on a map. The results help decision-makers to understand risks and strengthen risk reduction strategies. This work is also a step towards smarter buildings and enhanced preparedness for an effective response to a security threat, both minimal and extreme

Introductory Chapter: Intelligence, Sustainable and Post-COVID-19 Resilience Built Environment: An Agenda for Future

Digital communication and information technologies were the core of businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many businesses and tasks have been done remotely, such as business meetings, education, and e-commerce. There are many reports that show technology played an essential role in response to the pandemic and is predicted to be the core strategy for long-term resilience. The recent reports show that the use of digital technologies and further technical advances occurred due to COVID-19 in different sectors, including infrastructure and transportation. The initial readiness for adopting the Fourth Industrial Revolution concept in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector was helpful for industry resilience during COVID-19. The current reports show that the adoption process of Industry 4.0 technologies will be accelerated due to the community’s higher demand in terms of working remotely with less human close interactions. The current investigations show that site managers and operational teams in the construction, transportation, and infrastructure sectors need to monitor the progress of tasks and keep track. In addition, they should assist their team members and ensure they will achieve the project objectives, including time, cost, and quality. However, the investigations show that the lockdown caused many difficulties to managers’ tasks and attending the construction site or infrastructures. However, designers using digital technologies such as Building Information Modeling (BIM) or Geographic Information System (GIS) experienced much less difficulties. This chapter aims to provide an insight into the recent literature of COVID-19 in the built environment. Then, suggestions for future studies are presented

Measuring Urban Sustainability over Time at National and Regional Scale for Addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11: Iran and Tehran as Case Studies

It is evident that relations between political conditions and community development have become sophisticated in recent years. More people now live in urbanized areas, and this ongoing urbanization has various ramifications. Many countries are facing swift urban transformation which alters their regional development patterns. Urban sprawl, migration and rural depopulation, regional inequalities, increasing urban poverty, and social injustice are some of these emerging problems. Assessing regional development for identifying the aforementioned predicaments is really imperative and related to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. However, there are limited studies that focus on the assessment of regional sustainable development at both national and regional scales, simultaneously. Thus, this study aims to fill the gap by developing a robust method that can assess and compare the level of sustainability in various regions and at varying scales. This helps to identify areas where urgent prevention or mitigation strategies and action plans are required. In this study, we strived to evaluate Iran’s regions and Tehran’s provinces based on sustainability indicators. To end this, the authors use factor analysis and F’ANP model in both assessments. The results of the study show that Tehran Province was the most developed province, and its F’ANP result was 2.006. Tehran is 10% more sustainable than the third region in the country which is Khorasan Razavi. Isfahan and Khorasan Razavi provinces were in the next in rank with scores of 1.984 and 1.8, respectively. At the bottom of the list, the northern Khorasan, Ilam, and Kohkiloye-Boyerahmad provinces were in the lowest ranked in terms of access to sustainability indices. It is patently obvious that Iran suffers from uneven development, and the majority of border provinces have moderate or bad situations. This uneven development also intensifies migration to Tehran, which already has one-sixth of Iran’s population which has led todeteriorating social inequity and environmental injustice, nationally. The results of the regional assessment of Tehran also show that there is uneven development in Tehran Province. Tehran County is twice as good and sustainable as 68 percent of the counties in this region. The F’ANP result for Tehran County was 0.580, and it has been ranked first over a period due to the exceptional number of facilities in this region. Tehran County became 20% more sustainable during this decade. After Tehran, Firoozkoh and Damavand counties were in the next ranks with scores of 0.389 and 0.343, respectively. Qarchak, Ghods, and Baharestan counties were the weakest based on the sustainability indices, and their F’ANP results were below 0.2

A GIS-Based Spatiotemporal Analysis of the Relationship between the Outbreak of COVID-19, Delta Variant and Construction in Sydney and Melbourne

The outbreak of the Delta Variant of COVID-19 presents a natural experiment without modern precedent. As authorities scrambled to control the spread of the disease in Australia’s largest cities, construction workers were allowed to keep working on site without the benefit of mandatory vaccination, unlike their peers in healthcare, defense, education or aviation. Using publicly available COVID-19 surveillance data, we analyzed the geographic spread of the Delta Variant and its relationship with construction in both cities. The period of this study covers the identification of the first case of community transmission to the achievement of 90% full vaccination in the eligible population. We show how the risk profile of construction workers varies according to socio-economic status such that Machinery Operators and Drivers were most at risk, followed by Laborers, owing to where they tend to live in each city. Moreover, these highly mobile workers may unknowingly serve as vectors for the spread of infectious disease to the most vulnerable communities in an urban setting. Remarkably, we also found that the risk profile of construction businesses can also be described similarly in terms of annual income. Sole traders and small businesses were mostly located in vulnerable areas, which presents threats to business continuity that public policy must address. We observed that the first eight weeks of an outbreak are critical; after this time, vulnerable workers and most construction businesses will see steep rises in their exposure to the risk of infection until the disease is brought under control. Accordingly, we recommend short, sharp pauses of all construction works on site to control the spread of future pandemic outbreaks once cases of community transmission are detected. Fiscal policy must support workers and small business owners, so they are not forced to choose between their health and earning a living during these periods. The government and trade unions must commit to mandatory vaccination for construction workers to safeguard their communities. Health authorities must continuously engage with particularly vulnerable workers as immunity wanes and vaccine boosters become necessary. Digital disinformation must be tirelessly countered by consistent expert medical advice at all levels of the industry

The Impact of Increased Density on Residential Property Values in Sydney, New South Wales

This paper investigates the impact of high-density development on low-density residential property values in Sydney, New South Wales (NSW). To do so, it conducts a literature review to ascertain the existing knowledge surrounding the study of property valuation and its economic and societal implications. Limitations within academia were identified and addressed as the objectives of this research. Subsequently, the key objective of this research is to “study the sociological factors dictating the attractiveness of low-density (LD) properties within proximity to high-density (HD) local characteristics.” In addressing this objective, research questions explore the interactions of an area’s local characteristics, its residents’ property types and the perceptions surrounding these interactions. This research studies property value through the lens of market perceptions, as the price of land is a basic indicator of the attractiveness, economic value and amenities accessible to a specific site. Through this seminal understanding, the research methodology was formed in which a questionnaire was completed by Sydney residents, providing data for analysis and discussion. The primary research question determines that “low-density residents perceive high-density local characteristics to be attractive”. Through this determination and its associated discussion, this study proposes that ‘if high-density local characteristics are able to be utilised by low-density properties, low-density residents will consider these properties to be more valuable’

Development of Urban Sustainability Index Using 3-D Spatial Metrics

Advanced spatial technologies such as photogrammetry and lidar have improved the quality of spatial information and enable data processing for more accurate estimation of urban environment parameters. This study aims to develop a quantification method for urban sustainability indexes by using spatial metrics such as compactness, complexity and density. Although building height information is an important element of urban morphology, it has been neglected in previous studies. Hence, height information obtained by lidar is incorporated into the spatial metrics in this study. The spatial metrics are applied to four study cases. We have examined the metrics and concluded that the developed metrics can quantify the sustainable urban form concept more effectively. The main finding of this study confirms that the 3-dimensional spatial metrics differentiate the complexity of urban areas significantly. Another significance of this study is the high capability of spatial metrics for the quantification of sustainable urban forms in terms of complexity, compactness and density. The developed indexes can be used for the determination of the spatio-temporal changes of sustainable urban forms or the comparison of the cities in terms of a sustainable urban form using remotely sensed data