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Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2022) | Viewed by 22103

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Elżbieta Radziszewska-Zielina

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Guest Editor

Division of Management in Civil Engineering, Cracow University of Technology, 24 Warszawska Street, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
Interests: civil engineering; multi-criteria decision making; sustainable construction; organization; management; marketing in construction; construction project management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Małgorzata Fedorczak-Cisak

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Guest Editor

Malopolska Energy Efficiency Laboratory, Cracow University of Technology, 24 Warszawska Street, 31-155 Cracow, Poland
Interests: nZEBs (nearly Zero Energy Buildings); sustainable buildings and complexes; sustainable and innovative materials and technologies; energy consumption in new and thermomodernised buildings; energy performance; sustainable design; cost-optimal analysis; air quality; building user comfort
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Grzegorz Śladowski

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Guest Editor

Division of Management in Civil Engineering Tadeusz Kościuszko Cracow University of Technology ul. Warszawska 24, 31-155 Kraków, Poland
Interests: systems engineering; operational research; network science; meta-networks; dynamic network analysis; multi-agent systems; deep learning; risk and uncertainty in construction, restoration of historical building
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development has ceased to be a fashionable idea—it is a necessity. This approach requires an interdisciplinary and multi-aspect perspective. In the context of relevant challenges, modern materials and technologies are continuously developed in the sustainable building sector, as are planning, organization, and construction management systems.

This Special Issue will discuss efforts to support sustainable construction, and, in particular, aspects associated with technology, organization, and management in this sector. The subject matter aligned with this question includes the design, construction, modernization, and occupancy of both individual buildings and entire building complexes, as well as the management of smart infrastructure and construction.

Sustainable building
Smart infrastructure and construction
Sustainable management
Nearly zero-energy buildings
Indoor air quality
Sustainability materials and technologies
Building materials and structures
Construction processes
Construction economics, cost management
Risk management
Construction procurement, public procurement, construction work
Competitive bidding procedure organization
Construction management and organization
Construction company management
Construction company marketing, construction market research
Decision-making support systems in the construction sector
Building life-cycle analysis
Information technologies, computer-aided problem solutions
Construction project management
Planning and organization of construction
Communication at the construction site
Self-organizing networks of communication,
Social network analysis (SNA),
Multiple-criteria analysis
Fuzzy modeling and control (expert systems)
Network methods, graph theory
Survey studies and interviews
Statistical analysis and correlation and regression models
Operational research, optimization methods

Assoc. Prof. Elżbieta Radziszewska-Zielina
Dr. Małgorzata Fedorczak-Cisak
Dr. Grzegorz Śladowski
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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2400 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

sustainable building
smart infrastructure and construction
nearly zero-energy buildings

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 4649 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Possibility of Providing Acoustic Comfort in Hotel Rooms as an Element of Sustainable Development

by Krzysztof Nering, Alicja Kowalska-Koczwara, Anna Shymanska and Michał Pawluś

Sustainability 2022, 14(20), 13692; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142013692 - 21 Oct 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1538

Abstract

The noise problem in hotel rooms is strictly connected to noise generated by heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) devices. Hospitality industry companies in many countries have specific requirements and monitor the noise level with technical equipment inside the hotel room. To ensure an adequately low level of noise from the HVAC system, proper calculations and tests are performed before the final application of the system in the hotel room. One of the best methods for assessing the noise level from HVAC devices in hotel rooms is to create a testing room (mock-up) in a certain available space, e.g., in a warehouse, and to perform appropriate standard measurements for the noise level. This method is a popular choice in the hotel industry because the noise level can not only be verified, but also, the installation and operation of the HVAC system inside the room can be checked. The main factors in choosing the space in which the mock-up will be made are availability and appropriate volume. It is not always possible to provide a hall space with a very low background level of noise. This article shows that the selection of a mock-up space is also determined by the noise level in the selected space. The background noise level—thus, the noise level in the mock-up room—must be low enough to be able to reliably measure the noise level from the HVAC equipment to avoid the phenomenon of acoustic masking by other noise sources (background noise) not related to the measurement. Background noise at too high a level will lead to invalidation of the measurement results or overestimation of the actual noise level in the room from the tested HVAC devices. In this study, background noise level measurements made in the testing rooms are described. The results are discussed, and a conclusion is drawn. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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11 pages, 706 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Method of Assessing the Risk of Implementing Railway Investments in Terms of the Cost of Their Implementation

by Jan Kowalski, Mieczysław Połoński, Marzena Lendo-Siwicka, Roman Trach and Grzegorz Wrzesiński

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13085; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313085 - 26 Nov 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1515

Abstract

Exceeding the approved budget is often an integral part of the implementation of construction projects, especially those where unforeseen threats may occur. Therefore, each construction investment should contain elements of risk forecasting, mainly in terms of the cost of its implementation. Only a small number of institutions apply effective cost control methods, taking into account the specifics of a given industry. Especially small construction companies that participate in the structure of the implementation of large construction projects as subcontractors. The article presents a method by which it is possible to determine, with certain probability, the final cost of railway construction investments carried out in Poland. The method was based on a reliable database of risk factors published in sources. In this article, the main presumptions of the original method are presented, which take into account the impact of potential, previously recognized, risks specific to railway investments, and enable project managers to relate them to the conditions where the implementation of a specific object is planned. The authors assumed that such a relatively simple method, supported by a suitable computational program, would encourage teams that plan to implement railway projects to use it and increase the credibility of their schedules. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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12 pages, 780 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Method of Optimizing a Set of Programs for Mitigating Threats Related to the Undertaking of a Contract for the Execution of Construction Works

by Katarzyna Budek-Wiśniewska and Roman Marcinkowski

Sustainability 2021, 13(21), 12309; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132112309 - 08 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1859

Abstract

This article deals with the problem of limiting the risk of taking up a construction contract for the execution of construction works. The authors have developed an advisory system that will support the analysis of threats on the basis of existing experiences for a specific activity without having to construct an individualized organizational model of an investment. In order to identify a relatively complete set of threats that occur in investment and construction processes in road construction investments, as well as to identify possible programs of their reduction, a model and a method of optimizing programs for reducing risks related to contracts was developed. Threats are considered to be possible events that take place during the preparation, implementation and settlement of any contract. The programs concern specific actions that can be taken in relation to specific threats. Every program contains a set of threats that will be limited as a result of its execution and also has a specific implementation cost. The aim of the proposed optimization is to determine, with regard to costs, a combination of risk reduction programs that is appropriate for the risk states that are accepted by a decision maker. The problem is solved using graph theory and a minimum cover determination algorithm with the use of the minimum alternative formula (mfa) of the Boolean function. A method of actively responding to identified threats during the implementation of a construction contract should take the form of an advisory system that will provide an answer as to what risks should be taken into account when undertaking a contract, as well as what actions can be taken to reduce these risks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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22 pages, 1071 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sequential Model for Long-Term Planning of Building Renewal and Capital Improvement

by Robert Bucoń and Agata Czarnigowska

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9575; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179575 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1709

Abstract

The paper puts forward a mixed integer linear programming model to support the long-term planning and budgeting for renewal and capital improvements of residential buildings, i.e., to select the optimal sequence of repair and improvement actions over a predefined planning horizon. The input is provided by the evaluation of the building performance according to a set of criteria. Then a set of possible repairs, replacements and improvements needs to be proposed together with the estimates of their cost and benefits; the latter are expressed by increments of building performance ratings according to predefined criteria. The renewal and modernization measures are not mutually independent: at least some of them are complementary and should be carried out in a specific order. The optimization problem was to define the order of renewal/improvement measures resulting with the highest benefits available within the budget, or to achieve the required levels of building performance at the lowest cost. A unique feature of the model is the approach to the constraints on sequential relationships between the measures and to their selection. The model can be used to construct long-term renewal and capital improvement plans. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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13 pages, 2179 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Simulation Model of Construction Projects Executed in Random Conditions with the Overlapping Construction Works

by Sławomir Biruk and Łukasz Rzepecki

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 5795; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13115795 - 21 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1794

Abstract

Reducing the duration of construction works requires additional organizational measures, such as selecting construction methods that assure a shorter realization time, engaging additional resources, working overtime, or allowing construction works to be performed simultaneously in the same working units. The simultaneous work of crews may affect the quality of works and the efficiency of construction processes. This article presents a simulation model aimed at assessing the impact of the overlap period on the extension of the working time of the crews and the reduction of a repetitive project’s duration in random conditions. The purpose of simulation studies is to provide construction managers with guidelines when deciding on the dates of starting the sequential technological process lines realized by specialized working crews, for sustainable scheduling and organization of construction projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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12 pages, 1633 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Thermal–Technical Properties of Modern Log Structures

by Jozef Švajlenka and Mária Kozlovská

Sustainability 2021, 13(5), 2994; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13052994 - 09 Mar 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1507

Abstract

“Ecological buildings” and “energy-efficient buildings” are concepts which we encounter on a daily basis and which define modern trends. The purpose of their design is to create an optimal thermal microclimate by means of heat flows that form within it or enter it. A balanced combination of heat flows creates suitable conditions for thermal comfort—a factor contributing to the quality of the internal environment of buildings. This research addresses the problem of heat distribution in construction materials based on wood and their thermal–technical properties in relation to the sustainability requirements for the thermal–technical properties of constructions and buildings. The research examines the structural parts of the external walls of modern log constructions. The objective of this work is to analyse the thermal–technical properties of the structural parts of modern log wood constructions in laboratory conditions and verify them against calculated values and values declared by manufacturers. This publication is also a contribution to the current needs in terms of the sustainability and internal environment quality of constructions in general. The publication is also a contribution to the current needs in the field of heating technology in terms of sustainability and the quality of internal environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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20 pages, 2632 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Renovation Management Method in Neglected Buildings

by Beata Nowogońska and Magdalena Mielczarek

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 929; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020929 - 18 Jan 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2365

Abstract

Renovation works to buildings are often not carried out or there are shifts in time, which causes degradation of the building. The article presents an analysis of the consequences of abandoning renovation works. The aim of this article is to present a method of preliminarily planning renovations of a MRUB (Managing Renovation in Un-renovated Buildings). This method of decision-making support is based on the consequences in the case of the omission of renovations. The omission of renovations may lead to a threat to the stability of the building’s structure, threaten the lives of its users, and further damage the building by damaging further elements, or even cause a building disaster. Often, as a result of the abandonment of renovation, usually caused by the lack of the owner, improper manager, or irresponsible owners, these objects are degraded. The consequences of the failure of renovating buildings lead to irreversible processes of destruction. As a result of the research, it was found that it was not only a bad technical condition that was a prerequisite for carrying out the renovation. The consequences of the absence of renovation works, in addition to the technical condition, should be a motivating factor. The problem of the abandonment of renovations is presented using the example of the palace in Drwalewice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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24 pages, 25027 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of the Impact of Omitted Accidental Actions and the Method of Land Use on the Number of Construction Disasters (a Case Study of Poland)

by Anna Szymczak-Graczyk, Ireneusz Laks, Barbara Ksit and Maria Ratajczak

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 618; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020618 - 11 Jan 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2242

Abstract

As climate changes progress we are dealing with violent and excessive environmental actions. However, the impacts of loads acting on a building object caused by unlikely phenomena such as: fire, explosion, flood, vehicle impact, plane impact, excessive snowfall, and excess wind gusts are still being ignored when analyzing the structure of building objects in the combinatorics of loads. The paper presents a multi-criteria approach to accidental actions and analyzes design situations and load combinations in relation to accidental actions. The existing legal acts were used to define the concept of a construction disaster. The authors verified, on the basis of applicable legal acts and design guidelines, individual analysis strategies for ensuring the safety of building objects and divided them into consequence classes of structural damage. They collected and analyzed the number of construction disasters which occurred in Poland between 1995–2019 (25 years) based on the data from the General Office of Building Control. The number of disasters was divided by voivodeships and causes and supplemented with the data on the number of people injured. The article presents the direction of research development that could be undertaken in order to eliminate future catastrophes caused by the omission of the analysis of the impact of accidental actions at the design stage. Statistical analyses were carried out to show whether land use, population density, and weather factors (wind) affect the number of recorded disasters. It has been shown that regions that have preserved the sustainable development of their territories are less vulnerable to disasters resulting from extreme weather events. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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22 pages, 4185 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Preferences of Construction Managers Regarding the Quality and Optimization Criteria of Project Schedules

by Michał Tomczak and Piotr Jaśkowski

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 544; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020544 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 1887

Abstract

In the literature on the scheduling of construction projects it is difficult to find a justification for adopting the criteria for evaluating work schedules based explicitly on the preferences of those who develop them. This article tries to fill this gap and provide information on the preferences of construction site managers for sustainable scheduling and organization of construction projects. The publication focuses on the views and needs of construction site engineering staff regarding methods of work organization, the need to reduce downtimes in the work of crews, the deadline for project realization and the selection of crews for tasks. This information was obtained on the basis of surveys conducted among managerial staff of various levels (74 people). The authors hope that the information provided in this publication will allow the creation of more reliable tools to support construction managers better adapted to their preferences and needs, and therefore more likely to be applied in practice. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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18 pages, 3592 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Annoyance Based Vibro-Acoustic Comfort Evaluation of as Summation of Stimuli Annoyance in the Context of Human Exposure to Noise and Vibration in Buildings

by Krzysztof Nering, Alicja Kowalska-Koczwara and Krzysztof Stypuła

Sustainability 2020, 12(23), 9876; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12239876 - 26 Nov 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2070

Abstract

This paper presents the issues of assessing the comfort of people staying indoors who are exposed to vibrations and material noise caused by vibrations of partitions like floors and walls (ground-borne noise). Current criteria in the evaluation of vibrational and acoustic comfort cannot be assessed in the context of the simultaneous occurrence of stimuli such as noise and vibration. Railway transport, including passenger and cargo transport, is becoming increasingly prevalent, and new railway lines are being planned for environmental reasons. Sometimes, there are changes in stimuli produced by existing railway lines. For example, high-speed trains appear on an old railway track. Such a situation appeared on the Central Railway Line in Poland, which is still used by old trains, yet its operator plans to raise their speed limits. The analysis of the problem of the simultaneous occurrence of stimuli presented in this paper was based on measurements performed in a residential building located near the Central Railway Main Line in the city Zawiercie. Noise and vibration as the analyzed stimuli in both cases meet comfort requirements, yet when exposure to two stimuli was considered, comfort may be at risk. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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Review

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26 pages, 3839 KiB

Open AccessReview

Decision-Making Support for Housing Projects in Post-Industrial Areas

by Elżbieta Radziszewska-Zielina, Dagmara Adamkiewicz, Bartłomiej Szewczyk and Olga Kania

Sustainability 2022, 14(6), 3573; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14063573 - 18 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1839

Abstract

Post-industrial areas, despite often showing immense damage and high soil contamination, equally often stand out via many positive assets, displaying immense potential. Post-industrial areas, in most cases, commemorate the modernisation and development of a country’s market in urban space. It is expressed in surviving buildings and urban complexes, many of which possess high historical and aesthetic value. We reviewed the literature, identified gaps and demonstrated that this subject is relevant and topical. Insofar as analyses of the urban and architectural structure of post-industrial heritage and assessments of their potential use appear often in the literature, we found that scholars rarely discussed redeveloping post-industrial areas via housing projects. The publications, methods and tools we discussed lacked solutions that could support decision-making in redeveloping post-industrial areas into housing while accounting for the needs and requirements of all stakeholders. Our initial study was based on an online survey performed among a group of specialist experts with close ties to the Polish construction market. Due to the specificity of decayed and degraded areas, any action taken entails high risk and requires a broad range of analyses, which are often not carried out due to said specificity. The main focus of our study was to determine the need to develop a new tool and the necessity of accounting for aspects that directly affect housing projects to be sited in post-industrial areas. As a result, we demonstrated that Polish practitioners displayed a need for a tool to be developed that could aid in decision-making and assessing the potential of redeveloping post-industrial areas into housing areas and that would account for the legal, organisational, technical and economic aspects and that of market analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Technology, Organisation and Management in Sustainable Construction)

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