A 5D Building Information Model (BIM) for Potential Cost-Benefit Housing: A Case of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

The Saudi construction industry is going through a process of acclimatizing to a shifting fiscal environment. Due to recent fluctuations in oil prices, the Saudi construction sector decided to adjust to current trade-market demands and rigorous constitutional regulations because of competitive pressures. This quantitative study assesses and compares existing flat design vs. mid-terrace housing through cost estimation and design criteria that takes family privacy into consideration and meets the needs of Saudi Arabian families (on average consisting of seven members). Five pilot surveys were undertaken to evaluate the property preference type of Saudi families. However, Existing models did not satisfy the medium range family needs and accordingly a 5D (3D + Time + Cost) Building Information Modelling (BIM) is proposed for cost benefiting houses. Research results revealed that mid-terrace housing was the best option, as it reduced land usage and construction costs. While, 5D BIM led to estimate accurate Bill of Quantities (BOQ) and the appraisal of construction cost

A 5D Building Information Model (BIM) for Potential Cost-Benefit Housing: A Case of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

The Saudi construction industry is going through a process of acclimatizing to a shifting fiscal environment. Due to recent fluctuations in oil prices, the Saudi construction sector decided to adjust to current trade-market demands and rigorous constitutional regulations because of competitive pressures. This quantitative study assesses and compares existing flat design vs. mid-terrace housing through cost estimation and design criteria that takes family privacy into consideration and meets the needs of Saudi Arabian families (on average consisting of seven members). Five pilot surveys were undertaken to evaluate the property preference type of Saudi families. However, Existing models did not satisfy the medium range family needs and accordingly a 5D (3D + Time + Cost) Building Information Modelling (BIM) is proposed for cost benefiting houses. Research results revealed that mid-terrace housing was the best option, as it reduced land usage and construction costs. While, 5D BIM led to estimate accurate Bill of Quantities (BOQ) and the appraisal of construction costs

Cost vs. safety:A novel design for tornado proof homes

AbstractTornadoes are dangerous and destructive weather phenomena. The strongest category of tornadoes on the enhanced Fujita and TORRO scales is responsible for 75% of property destruction and deaths across the globe. These issues highlight the need for new design practices aimed at producing tornado proof homes in particular 3D CAD models in tornado prone zones at current climatic scenarios. Previous studies were entirely based on traditional slants and failed to offer a reliable tornado proof home, other than small rooms and trailers, while, none of the literature concentrated on multiple factors (cost, safety and high-wind proof). Therefore, a knowledge gap exists. In order to address the current research gap, this study attempts to develop an innovative 3D CAD model for tornado resistant homes by incorporating 2 PA (Two Path Analysis). Consequently, this study provides a new design using a 3D-CAD model for a tornado resistant home as in Path One and cost and safety scenarios in Path Two. However, this new design utilizes missile steel and shield technology. Preliminary results showed that, while this new design is safer and more technically sophisticated, it involves an increase of 25–30% in construction costs. However, this increased expense is low in comparison with rebuilding costs

Public views on coastal disasters

In recent decades, the perception of coastal disasters has become a vital subject to policy and decision makers concerned with coastal risk and resilience issues. Public opinion on coastal issues was considered as a critical feature in contemporary coastal zone management field as it drives the growth of efficient and effective coastal infrastructure management and resilience strategies. The current study intended at obtaining vision into the perception of coastal disasters and risk along the Welsh coast. Specified the significance of the industrial growth, existing infrastructure expansion on the Welsh coast, the qualitative survey (n= 86) considered the both experts and non-experts opinions. Results revealed that most of the public (non-subject experts) has a sound knowledge on coastal disasters, and it’s related issues but not on storm damage costs and other associated costs. Besides, major percent of people (subject experts) have an excellent knowledge on coastal disasters and vulnerability issues but not on the allocation of budget for construction of coastal defenses at national and regional and sub-regional levels. However, the majority of the people requests additional communication about the intensity of coastal disasters and risk

Virtual Behavioral Intervention to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: A Feasibility RCT during COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: the COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on human health, affecting many lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, sedentary behavior, dietary habits and sleep. Purpose: to assess the feasibility of six sessions of a virtual behavioral intervention to promote healthy lifestyle practices during a stay-at-home advisory phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A participant-blinded randomized controlled trial was performed through a virtual platform setting. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups. They were assigned to a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention or attention group, with pre- and postintervention assessments. The MI treatment consisted of six sessions (twice each week). The same number of virtual structured sessions were provided for the attention group, and they provided brief advice to promote healthy lifestyles. The study was conducted from April to June 2020. Results: The feasibility outcomes indicated that 39 of the 50 participants (78%) completed the trial. The dropout rate was 21.7% for the attention group and 22.2% for the intervention group. Participating in MI had a significant positive interventional effect on physical activity level, distress and fear of COVID-19. Conclusions: It is feasible to deliver behavioral change interventions virtually. Further, MI can be used as a useful strategy for the favorable promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Trial registration: NCT05392218 (26/05/2022)

Tailoring strontium-promoted alumina-zirconia supported Ni-catalysts for enhanced CO2 utilization via dry reforming of methane: Sr loading effects and process optimization

An urgent need exists in the dry reforming of methane (DRM) community for a cost-effective and high-performance catalyst system to facilitate the industrial production of H2-rich syngas. In this study, we propose a catalyst composed of a 10 wt% ZrO2-90 wt% Al2O3 support, Ni as active sites, and a strontium promoter, which offers a promising solution. Characterization of the 5NixSr/10Zr+Al catalyst series (x = 0–4 wt%) was conducted using XRD, surface area and porosity analysis, and TPR, TPO, TPD techniques, revealing the stability of metallic Ni derived from the reduction of ''moderately interacted NiO-species'' under oxidizing-reducing conditions. Incorporating 3 wt% Sr in the 5Ni/10Zr+Al catalyst enhanced reducibility and promoted efficient oxidation of carbon deposits by CO2. The resulting 5Ni3Sr/10Zr+Al catalyst exhibited additional strong basic sites, leading to ∼82% H2 yield and effective inhibition of parallel H2-consuming reactions. Remarkably, the H2 yield remained stable at ∼79% over a 51-hour time on stream, while process optimization using response surface methodology yielded an optimized H2 yield of 89% under specific conditions. Experimental validation demonstrated an H2 yield of 87.4% with excellent stability for a 10-hour time on stream. Overall, the proposed catalyst system demonstrates cost-effectiveness, high performance, and stability, making it a promising candidate for DRM applications