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Architectural and Construction Technologies for Industry 4.0: Towards the Digital...
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Architectural and Construction Technologies for Industry 4.0: Towards the Digital Transformation of the Built Environment

A special issue of Architecture (ISSN 2673-8945).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 10002

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Fahim Ullah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Surveying and Built Environment, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield Central, QLD 4300, Australia
Interests: construction management; digital construction; project management; digital built environment; smart cities
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,  

The traditional architecture and construction methods need a technological transformation in line with the Industry 4.0 requirements to enable the digital transformation of the built environment. To achieve this, digital innovation and associated disruptive technologies must be adopted and implemented in the built environment, especially in construction and architecture, which are still largely managed through traditional methods and paper-based approaches. The technologies in focus include Building Information Modeling (BIM), Infrastructure Information Modeling (IIM), Tunnel Information Modeling (TIM), Digital Twins, Ubiquitous Computing, Blockchains, Renewable Energy, Autonomous Vehicles and 5G Communications, the big9 technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Clouds, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Wearable Technologies, Big Data, 3D Scanning, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Software as a Service (SaaS), Robotics, 3D Printing, and other green technologies. Such technologies can help to revolutionize the wider built environment and improve the current architectural and construction practice while ensuring the sustainability, security, and safety of the data and enhancing the stakeholders' trust through distributed control. Accordingly, such technologies, if adopted, can help to disrupt the otherwise traditionally operated fields of construction and architecture. The applications and associated effects include but are not limited to construction and architectural education, construction and architectural simulations, the safety of buildings and infrastructure, stakeholder collaborations and communications, enhanced risk management in architecture and construction, efficient architectural and construction project management, enabling smarter and sustainable construction, architecture, cities, and societies, mitigating urban heat issues, etc. However, currently, the research around the adoption and implementation of these smart technologies is limited. This Special Issue invites and aims to attract contributions from architects, architectural project managers, construction managers, civil engineers, city and urban planners, real estate and property managers, data scientists, IT managers, computer systems analysts, software developers, web developers, and others. 

Dr. Fahim Ullah
Guest Editor

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. Architecture is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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.

Keywords

  • disruptive digital technologies in architecture and construction
  • disruptive digital technologies in architecture and construction education
  • sustainable architecture and construction
  • smart buildings, cities, and societies
  • building information modeling in architecture and construction
  • infrastructure information modeling (IIM) in architecture and construction
  • tunnel information modeling (TIM) in construction
  • disruptive technologies for industry 4.0 and industry 5.0 concerning architecture and construction
  • digital project management in architecture and construction
  • digital technologies for urban planning and urban climate management
  • decision support systems in architecture and construction
  • unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in architecture and construction management
  • artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in architecture and construction
  • internet of things (IoT) in architecture and construction
  • big data in architecture and construction
  • 3D scanning and wearable technologies in architecture and construction
  • virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) in architecture and construction
  • blockchains and 3D printing in architecture and construction
  • digital twins in architecture and construction

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 489 KiB  
Article
Diverse Impact of Sensitive Sub-Categories of Demographic Variables on Safety Climate of High-Rise Building Projects
by Hafiz Zahoor, Rashid Mehmood Khan, Babar Ali, Ahsen Maqsoom, Khwaja Mateen Mazher and Fahim Ullah
Architecture 2022, 2(1), 175-195; https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture2010010 - 21 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3399
Abstract
The identification of significant areas impacting safety performance has always been a key concern for construction management researchers. This paper aims to examine the diversified influence of sensitive sub-categories of demographic variables on construction safety climate (SC). The data relating to fourteen demographic [...] Read more.
The identification of significant areas impacting safety performance has always been a key concern for construction management researchers. This paper aims to examine the diversified influence of sensitive sub-categories of demographic variables on construction safety climate (SC). The data relating to fourteen demographic variables and twenty-four formerly validated SC statements were collected from forty-one under-construction high-rise buildings in Pakistan. The variances in respondents’ distribution among various sub-categories of demographic variables, and influence of each sub-category of demographic variables on SC statements were analyzed using cross-tabulation, Spearman’s rho correlation coefficients, independent sample Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests. The study comprehends that the employees in the age group of 20 years or below and between 41 and 50 years, engaged for over 48 h per week, having 4 dependent family members, primary education, and/or lesser working experience, attained a comparatively lower SC level. Likewise, frontline workers and foremen are observed to be employed for extended working hours, causing them fatigue. It also discovers that safety alertness level steadily declines once employees get acquainted with their tasks, thus necessitating to arrange periodic refresher safety training sessions. The study recommends concentrating on frontline workers and foremen who are less educated and fall in the age group of 41–50 years by resolving their safety concerns and providing them adequate safety training, promptly replacing their defective equipment, improving worksite conditions, and counselling them about the significance of wearing PPE and adhering to all the safety rules regardless of the difficulty in their enactment. A joint focus on the heightened personal attributes of employees and risky SC statements is expected to enhance safety performance on under-construction building projects. Moreover, the study’s results can be cautiously generalized and applied to other countries having similar work environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architectural and Construction Technologies for Industry 4.0: Towards the Digital Transformation of the Built Environment)
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22 pages, 6007 KiB  
Article
Adoption of Sustainable Supply Chain Management for Performance Improvement in the Construction Industry: A System Dynamics Approach
by Maria Ghufran, Khurram Iqbal Ahmad Khan, Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem, Abdur Rehman Nasir and Fahim Ullah
Architecture 2021, 1(2), 161-182; https://doi.org/10.3390/architecture1020012 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4975
Abstract
Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) involves the managing of information, materials, cash flows, and collaboration among enterprises along the supply chain, integrating sustainable development goals. This research paper aims to determine challenges in SSCM adoption and to address related complexity using the system [...] Read more.
Sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) involves the managing of information, materials, cash flows, and collaboration among enterprises along the supply chain, integrating sustainable development goals. This research paper aims to determine challenges in SSCM adoption and to address related complexity using the system dynamics (SD) approach utilizing modeling and simulation techniques. This research identified challenges from the literature using content analysis. Causality among these identified challenges was determined using interviews and questionnaire surveys that led to the development of a causal loop diagram (CLD), which was used in the development of the SD model. Among the 19 shortlisted variables, CLD had IV reinforcing and II balancing loops. Moreover, CLD was used to build an SD model with two stocks, and a new stock named ‘project performance’ was added to envisage the cumulative impact of all stocks. The model was simulated for five years, and the results predict that the lack of top management commitment and corporate social responsibility adversely affects project performance. This implies that there is a need to improve numerous factors, in particular corporate social responsibility and top management commitment, which would lead to the adoption of SSCM, thus leading to a performance improvement for the construction industry (CI). The model was validated using boundary adequacy, structure, and parametric verification tests, which showed that the developed model is logical and approximately replicates the industry’s actual system. The research findings will help the CI practitioners to adopt sustainability principles in terms of the supply chain and will not only enhance productivity and performance but will also help in the minimization of delays, promote long-term relations, and reduce communication gaps and project complexities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Architectural and Construction Technologies for Industry 4.0: Towards the Digital Transformation of the Built Environment)
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