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Buildings
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Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction
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Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Building Energy, Physics, Environment, and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 24305

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sara Shirowzhan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
City Futures Research Centre, School of Built Environment, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia
Interests: sensing technologies; AI; machine learning; advanced GIS; BIM; digital twins; city analytics methods; digital construction; smart cities; smart construction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Samad Sepasgozar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Built Environment, UNSW Sydney, Sydney, NSW 1466, Australia
Interests: sustainability; energy efficiency; artificial intelligence; smart city; digital twin; applications of the internet of things; advanced GIS; LiDAR; BIM; digital technology in infrastructure; mixed reality applications; information and communication technology; spatial analysis and visualization; authentic education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on topics of sustainability and energy efficiency is crucial for cities to improve the quality of life for generations in an era of climate change and the global warming trend. While research shows that the amount of energy used during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed dramatically in many cities, the global warming trend continues:

“The combined global average temperature over the land and ocean surfaces for November 2020 was 0.97 °C (1.75 °F) above the 20th century average of 12.9 °C (55.2°F). This was the second warmest November in the 141-year global record, behind the record warm November set in 2015 (+1.01 °C/+1.82 °F).” [https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/202011 and https://www.co2.earth/global-warming-update]

It is expected that the post-pandemic recoveries in construction areas and cities will consider improving energy efficiency in both domains, considering the lessons learned for possibilities of working remotely that reduce energy consumption during commuting and office use. Investigations on this topic can be one of such topics encouraged for inclusion in this Special Issue. We invite all scholars of the field, who have investigated the following topics, to contribute to this Special Issue through submission of articles detailing their recent research or case studies:

  • Implementation of innovative approaches, proposed novel methods, or tools that can be used for monitoring, measuring, and managing environmental issues (as well as social and economic challenges) in construction and cities at the construction, building, or city scale.
  • Sustainable practices, case studies, technology development, and/or policies developed for smart construction and smart cities.
  • Review papers and conceptual developments discussing the role of regulatory frameworks and complementary policies for further implementation of sustainable cities and building initiatives.

The following useful references in different areas, such as sustainability and digital technologies (e.g., BIM and GIS), are recommended:

Global warming and sustainability:

  • Liang, Y., Gillett, N.P. and Monahan, A.H., 2020. Climate model projections of 21st century global warming constrained using the observed warming trend. Geophysical Research Letters, 47(12), p.e2019GL086757 . https://doi. org/10.1029/2019GL086757
  • Sepasgozar, S.M., Li, H., Shirowzhan, S. and Tam, V.W., 2019. Methods for monitoring construction off-road vehicle emissions: a critical review for identifying deficiencies and directions. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 26(16), pp.15779-15794. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05003-6
  • Sepasgozar, S.M. and Blair, J., 2019. Measuring non-road diesel emissions in the construction industry: A synopsis of the literature. International Journal of Construction Management, pp.1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2019.1573479
  • Sepasgozar, S.M., Hui, F.K.P., Shirowzhan, S., Foroozanfar, M., Yang, L. and Aye, L., 2021. Lean Practices Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Digital Twinning for Sustainable Construction. Sustainability, 13(1), p.161. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010161

Digital technology applications in construction and smart cities:

  • Sepasgozar, S.M., Hawken, S., Sargolzaei, S. and Foroozanfa, M., 2019. Implementing citizen centric technology in developing smart cities: A model for predicting the acceptance of urban technologies. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 142, pp.105-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.09.012
  • Shirowzhan, S., Sepasgozar, S.M., Edwards, D.J., Li, H. and Wang, C., 2020. BIM compatibility and its differentiation with interoperability challenges as an innovation factor. Automation in Construction, 112, p.103086. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autcon.2020.103086
  • Ramirez Lopez, L.J. and Grijalba Castro, A.I., 2021. Sustainability and Resilience in Smart City Planning: A Review. Sustainability, 13(1), p.181. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010181

Suggested areas:

  • Sustainable smart construction and cities
  • Digital technologies (such as BIM-based and web tools as well as GIS and digital twin-enabled energy management systems) for energy efficiency
  • Waste construction and demolition
  • Recycled green building materials, structural analysis, and architectural design considering sustainability approaches
  • Stakeholder management for sustainable construction and resilience cities
  • Blockchain, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Things (IoT) network applications for a circular economy in the construction, smart city, and engineering contexts
  • Noise analysis and management
  • Carbon emission in construction and smart cities
  • Big data-driven sustainable city and infrastructure
  • Data fusion strategies for energy efficiency in smart cities and individual buildings
  • Lean practices using building information modeling (BIM) and digital twinning

Dr. Sara Shirowzhan
Dr. Samad M. E. Sepasgozar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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22 pages, 2613 KiB  
Article
The Potential of Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) to Supply Net Zero Carbon Housing
by Stephen Finnegan, Robert Edwards, Bushra Al-Derbi, Iona Campbell and Matt Fulton
Buildings 2022, 12(12), 2081; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12122081 - 28 Nov 2022
Viewed by 2187
Abstract
Governments throughout the EU and the UK face a persistent challenge of satisfying the continual growth in demand for housing and create zero carbon buildings. This paper presents a novel conceptual framework and empirical results to evaluate the potential for Structurally Insulated Panels [...] Read more.
Governments throughout the EU and the UK face a persistent challenge of satisfying the continual growth in demand for housing and create zero carbon buildings. This paper presents a novel conceptual framework and empirical results to evaluate the potential for Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) to address this challenge. Firstly, we present a comprehensive analysis of the energy performance of a SIPs building in the UK to evaluate the potential for such technologies to satisfy the energy and carbon objectives. Using our unique data set we show that SIPs can exceed the necessary energy efficiency standards and reach Net Zero Carbon. Secondly, we introduce game theory as a novel conceptual framework to understand the incentives of the manufacturers of SIPs and UK/EU authorities. This enables us to identify potential sources of incentive conflict, which inhibit the diffusion of such technologies. We demonstrate that it benefits both parties to engage in medium investment, but the inferior under investment scenario can emerge if the UK/EU does not provide leadership and commitment to SIPs technologies. Regardless of the market design in terms of the timing of decisions, the maximum level of support by both the UK/EU and the SIPs manufacturers cannot be achieved. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction)
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32 pages, 4509 KiB  
Article
A Study on Evaluation of Influencing Factors for Sustainable Development of Smart Construction Enterprises: Case Study from China
by Sidong Zhao, Ping Zhang and Weiwei Li
Buildings 2021, 11(6), 221; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11060221 - 21 May 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4191
Abstract
Smart construction enterprises are the key subjects in the development and practical transformation of smart building technology, and their sustainable development has been a hot research topic in the new era. In the context of the new round of technology and industrial revolution, [...] Read more.
Smart construction enterprises are the key subjects in the development and practical transformation of smart building technology, and their sustainable development has been a hot research topic in the new era. In the context of the new round of technology and industrial revolution, the rapid accumulation of development uncertainties and their possible transformation into risks at any time, as well as the ambiguity of growth mechanisms and the loss of strategies, have become major challenges that may constrain the development and strategic management of enterprises. Based on SWOT, BCG, GE, QSPM and principal component analysis methods, this paper constructs a new framework combining theory and practice organically for quantitative identification and evaluation of influencing factors, and analysis of strategy selection and the decision-making process. It will provide a scientific basis for sustainable development and strategic management of smart construction enterprises. DK Company is a typical smart building enterprise in China, and the results of its empirical study show that: Firstly, the 28 variable elements influencing the sustainable development of smart construction enterprises can be summarized into six key factors, with significant differences in their influence, and the external influence far greater than the internal driving force. Secondly, a priority set of six alternatives for strategic decision-making and implementation is proposed, based on the quantitative strategy selection and matching analysis, which improves the accuracy and practicality of the study findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction)
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Review

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23 pages, 1799 KiB  
Review
Sustainable Construction through Resource Planning Systems Incorporation into Building Information Modelling
by Tokzhan Junussova, Abid Nadeem, Jong R. Kim, Salman Azhar, Malik Khalfan and Mukesh Kashyap
Buildings 2022, 12(10), 1761; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12101761 - 21 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2160
Abstract
The latest industrial revolution 4 enabled significant performance improvement through technological advancements. Simultaneously, the industry is setting high-level expectations for changing business practices toward long-term benefits in all three sustainability dimensions. The concept of sustainability embraces all production and operation processes in the [...] Read more.
The latest industrial revolution 4 enabled significant performance improvement through technological advancements. Simultaneously, the industry is setting high-level expectations for changing business practices toward long-term benefits in all three sustainability dimensions. The concept of sustainability embraces all production and operation processes in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. This study systematically explores the literature on sustainability with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies in the AEC industry and the sustainability vision for their integration. The different types of ERP and BIM implementations have similarities in addressing the broad scope of functionalities. The emergence and proliferation of ERP and BIM have brought crucial changes to the business environment. Further evolution to cloud-based operations is transforming companies from technology-oriented practices to data-centric decision-making smart infrastructures. The narrative literature review investigates the sustainability insights and ideas in ERP and BIM solutions, presenting state of the art on systems integration topics. The relevant literature was retrieved to achieve the research objectives which were qualitatively analyzed to generate the basis for further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction)
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16 pages, 5637 KiB  
Review
Differentiating Digital Twin from Digital Shadow: Elucidating a Paradigm Shift to Expedite a Smart, Sustainable Built Environment
by Samad M. E. Sepasgozar
Buildings 2021, 11(4), 151; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings11040151 - 02 Apr 2021
Cited by 144 | Viewed by 14099
Abstract
Construction projects and cities account for over 50% of carbon emissions and energy consumption. Industry 4.0 and digital transformation may increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. A digital twin (DT) is a key enabler in implementing Industry 4.0 in the areas of construction [...] Read more.
Construction projects and cities account for over 50% of carbon emissions and energy consumption. Industry 4.0 and digital transformation may increase productivity and reduce energy consumption. A digital twin (DT) is a key enabler in implementing Industry 4.0 in the areas of construction and smart cities. It is an emerging technology that connects different objects by utilising the advanced Internet of Things (IoT). As a technology, it is in high demand in various industries, and its literature is growing exponentially. Previous digital modeling practices, the use of data acquisition tools, human–computer–machine interfaces, programmable cities, and infrastructure, as well as Building Information Modeling (BIM), have provided digital data for construction, monitoring, or controlling physical objects. However, a DT is supposed to offer much more than digital representation. Characteristics such as bi-directional data exchange and real-time self-management (e.g., self-awareness or self-optimisation) distinguish a DT from other information modeling systems. The need to develop and implement DT is rising because it could be a core technology in many industrial sectors post-COVID-19. This paper aims to clarify the DT concept and differentiate it from other advanced 3D modeling technologies, digital shadows, and information systems. It also intends to review the state of play in DT development and offer research directions for future investigation. It recommends the development of DT applications that offer rapid and accurate data analysis platforms for real-time decisions, self-operation, and remote supervision requirements post-COVID-19. The discussion in this paper mainly focuses on the Smart City, Engineering and Construction (SCEC) sectors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in Smart Cities and Construction)
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