Despite its status as an advanced economy, Australia grapples with a paradox: an economic reliance on fossil fuel and raw material exports that impedes its commitment to curtailing global climate change. This paper underscores the potential of Australia’s wind resources, comparable to those in the North Sea, as a transformative force capable of accelerating its renewable energy integration. This strategic shift not only holds the promise of decarbonising the national economy but also positions Australia as a frontrunner in the burgeoning global green manufacturing market. Highlighting a pivotal declaration by Australia’s energy market operator – that there are no technical barriers to increasing variable renewable energy levels to at least 75% – the paper delves into the intricate landscape of wind energy. It explores how the levelised costs of electricity from solar and wind, incorporating additional transmission expenses, decisively outcompete fossil fuel–fired electrical generation. Against this backdrop, this paper meticulously examines the challenges and opportunities inherent in advancing wind energy in Australia. By unpacking the intricate interplay between economic interests, environmental commitments, and technological feasibility, the research contributes to the broader conversation on addressing the contemporary headwinds facing globalisation, particularly in the context of climate change mitigation and sustainable energy transitions.
The use of expanded clay as a supplementary cementitious material in mortar offers potential for reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and improving thermal insulation, but is limited by reduced mechanical performance. This study investigates combined effects of expanded clay incorporation (0%, 10%, 20%, 30% cement replacement) and elevated temperature exposure (25°C–800°C) on quarry sand-based mortars. Mechanical properties, mass loss, and microstructural changes were evaluated, along with statistical and sustainability assessments. Results show increasing expanded clay content reduced bulk density by 1.27%–2.14% and improved thermal insulation by 13.47%. Compressive and flexural strength decreased by 2.88%–6.97% at ambient temperature for 30% replacement. After high-temperature exposure, expanded clay mortars showed improved thermal stability, retaining 47.3%–61.21% of original strength at 800°C against 32.6%–33.3% for control. Performance declined significantly at 800°C due to cracking, void formation, and microstructural damage, with ultrasonic pulse velocity values below 3000 m/s. Elastic modulus variation was similar across all mortars. Statistical analysis confirmed significant effects of both variables (p < 0.05). Partial cement replacement reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 15%–30%. Overall, optimised expanded clay use balances mechanical performance, thermal resistance, and sustainability for low-carbon, temperature-resistant mortar systems.
Construction industrialisation is regarded as a core pathway to improve construction efficiency and reduce resource consumption amid the global urbanisation. However, existing research has verified that the instability of its supply chain system hinders the sustainable development of cities. Firstly, this study established an indicator system to scientifically evaluate the resilience level of the construction industrialisation supply chain (CISCR). Secondly, a dynamic evaluation and analysis of CISCR of 35 large and medium-sized cities in China from 2015 to 2024 was conducted. The results show that (1) CISCR is on the rise, but there exists unbalanced and gradient distribution characteristics among regions. (2) Based on the evaluation of the cloud model of 35 cities from 2015 to 2024, China’s CISCR has steadily improved from a low resilience to a medium resilience level, showing a trend of developing towards high resilience. (3) According to the Monte Carlo simulation prediction (2025–2034), China’s CISCR will increase in a stepwise manner and enter a bottleneck period in 2031. Finally, differentiated improvement strategies were proposed for cities with different grades of CISCR, which can provide specific action guidelines for policymakers to promote the sustainable development of China’s construction industrialisation.
Reinforced cement concrete (RCC) panels are widely used in reinforced earth retaining structures for transportation infrastructure. However, the high embodied carbon and greenhouse gas emissions associated with cement-based materials necessitate the development of sustainable alternatives aligned with the goals of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 11. Glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites offer advantages such as high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and durability, making them promising materials for sustainable geotechnical infrastructure. This study evaluates the feasibility of corrugated GFRP sandwich panels as an alternative to RCC panels in reinforced earth retaining systems. Panels were fabricated using glass fibre and epoxy resin through a hand lay-up technique. Tensile, lap-shear and flexural strengths were determined in accordance with relevant codal provisions. A panel measuring 0.52 m × 0.60 m × 25 mm was tested under reinforced backfill with relative densities of 35%, 55% and 75%, and surcharge loads up to 20 kPa. The GFRP specimens exhibited linear elastic behaviour up to brittle failure, with an average tensile strength of 161.3 MPa and Young’s modulus of 8.80–11.37 GPa. Reinforced earth wall tests showed pressure responses consistent with theoretical predictions and negligible deformation, demonstrating that GFRP panels can serve as a sustainable alternative to RCC panels.
The global demand for sustainable construction materials has accelerated interest in alternative binders to ordinary Portland cement due to the significant environmental and energy impacts of conventional cement production. Metakaolin () and other supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) have emerged as promising candidates for enhancing the mechanical performance, durability, and environmental sustainability of geopolymer and alkali-activated concretes. This review comprehensively examines the influence of on alkali-activated and conventional concrete systems, focusing on fresh and hardened properties, curing conditions, hydration mechanisms, and interactions with SCMs such as fly ash, ground granulated blast furnace slag, silica fume, rice husk ash, and calcium hydroxide. The synergistic effects of with these SCMs show notable improvements, including compressive strengths up to 70 MPa and strength increases of about 20% compared to conventional mixes. In repair applications, MK-based geopolymers demonstrate bond strength up to 1.5 times higher than epoxy systems, while impact resistance improves significantly, with increases up to 63% and impact values reaching 658/712 under drop-weight testing. These materials also exhibit enhanced structural compatibility and durability. Advanced characterisation methods, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance, are discussed to elucidate the structural evolution and geopolymerisation processes influenced by and MgO additions.
This study investigates the mechanical, shrinkage, thermal, and microstructural behaviour of thermally cured high-strength engineered geopolymer composites reinforced with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polypropylene () fibres. Fly ash and ground granulated blast furnace slag served as binders, while fine and coarse MWCNTs were incorporated at dosages up to 0.4%. Specimens were subjected to a two-stage thermal curing regime and later exposed to temperatures between 60 degrees C and 600 degrees C. Fresh properties, compressive and tensile performance, drying shrinkage, and residual properties after thermal exposure were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared, and thermogravimetric analysis analyses were conducted alongside economic and statistical assessments using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's honestly significant difference tests. incorporation significantly enhanced composite performance. At 90 days, compressive strength increased from 90.0 MPa for the control mix to 104.0 MPa with 0.4% coarse MWCNTs, while comparable strength was achieved using only 0.2% fine MWCNTs. Tensile strength increased from 6.09 to 7.78 MPa, while tensile strain capacity reached 11.01%. Drying shrinkage decreased by 26.0%. Moderate thermal exposure improved residual strength by 15.9%, whereas limited reductions occurred at 140 degrees C because of fibre softening. Microstructural analyses confirmed enhanced gel formation and crack-bridging effects. Statistical results confirmed the significant synergistic influence of MWCNTs and thermal exposure on performance.
The use of recycled aggregate in structural concrete is limited by reduced workability, strength, and durability, primarily due to adhered mortar and a weak interfacial transition zone. This study proposes, for the first time, a systematic integration of a triple-stage aggregate treatment approach with response surface methodology (RSM), establishing a unified experimental-statistical framework for performance optimisation. The treatment involves sequential acetic acid soaking to weaken adhered mortar, controlled abrasion to remove loosened mortar and improve particle morphology and carbonation to densify the aggregate surface through calcium carbonate formation. Concrete containing 0%-100% combinedly treated recycled aggregate (CTRA) was evaluated for workability, strength, and durability indicators. Increasing CTRA content reduced performance of concrete; however, progressive abrasion significantly mitigated these effects. At 60% CTRA, compressive strength improved to 40.9 MPa, accompanied by reduced water absorption and enhanced surface resistivity. Quadratic RSM models demonstrated strong predictive capability with R-2 close to 0.97 and statistically significant terms with p-values below 0.0001. Multi-response optimisation identified an optimal condition at 60% CTRA and 500 abrasion revolutions, with a desirability value of 0.72, representing a balanced optimisation of workability, strength, and durability. The results demonstrate that higher recycled aggregate utilisation can be achieved in structural concrete while maintaining required engineering performance.
Embodied energy (EE), embodied carbon (EC), and operational energy (OE) are essential indicators for evaluating the sustainability of building envelopes. This study examines how window joinery materials and glazing configurations affect these impacts in residential buildings, underlining the necessity of a life cycle assessment approach to inform sustainable design decisions. A scenario-based analysis was conducted on a model residential building in Edirne, Tu & uml;rkiye. Fifteen scenarios were generated by combining aluminium, timber, and polyvinyl chloride joinery with five glazing types. Embodied impacts for Stages A1-A4 were calculated using ICE v3.0 data and transportation distances, while OE for Stage B6 was estimated through the TS 825 simulation software. Results reveal that material choice and glazing configuration substantially shape the energy and carbon profile of window systems. Aluminium joinery produced the highest EE and EC values, whereas timber alternatives yielded the lowest; in particular, Scenarios AL2-AL5 exhibited EE levels up to 436% higher than Scenario TI1. Increasing cavity thickness reduced OE but elevated EE, highlighting the trade-offs between embodied and operational performance. These findings demonstrate that optimal window design requires integrated evaluation of both embodied and operational impacts to achieve balanced environmental performance and long-term sustainability.
Nanocellulose, a nanostructured cellulose with high modulus, large specific surface area, and excellent mechanical properties, has shown great potential in cementitious materials. This study first presents a bibliometric analysis of research on nanocellulose-modified cementitious materials and then comprehensively reviews four nanocellulose types, namely, cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, bacterial cellulose, and cellulose filaments. Their effects on the mechanical performance, hydration, shrinkage, rheological behaviour, microstructure, and durability of cementitious materials are compared and discussed. The results indicate that different nanocellulose types influence cementitious materials in different ways. Appropriate incorporation of nanocellulose, together with suitable mixture parameters such as water-to-cement ratio, supplementary cementitious materials, and mix design, can effectively improve the mechanical, rheological, and durability-related properties of cementitious composites. Finally, promising application scenarios, such as oil well cement and dental materials, are highlighted, while major technical bottlenecks, including dispersion difficulties caused by nanoscale agglomeration and alkaline instability due to glycosidic bond hydrolysis, are discussed.
This study addresses city-scale carbon analysis by analysing the spatiotemporal distributions of both operational and embodied carbon flows in the urban building stock and extending single-building frameworks to urban stock assessments. By way of the use of cleaned point of interest data reclassified by functional typology and integrated with geographic information system technology, we modelled the spatiotemporal distributions of operational/embodied carbon flows across Chongqing’s public facilities and residential, industrial, and transportation sectors. The framework enables multiscale analysis of emission dynamics and sectoral variations. With the Kaya identity and logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition methods, we identified the drivers of emission trajectories. The results revealed that metropolitan areas exhibited higher population densities and increased emission levels. Public building emissions were evenly distributed district-wide, yet urban cores remained emission hotspots. Embodied carbon flows reflected operational emission patterns, which were concentrated in central zones. Decomposition analysis revealed capital investment and economic growth as the primary drivers of increased emissions, whereas technological progress and investment efficiency gains served as critical mitigation factors. A scalable methodology is proposed, and empirical insights are provided to support urban carbon management and low-carbon policy design.
The green retrofit of existing industrial buildings is a critical strategy for energy conservation, emission reduction, and carbon neutrality, and is essential for achieving the 'dual-carbon' goals. Although the effective operation of this market relies on the endogenous dynamics of owners, this role remains underexplored. This study constructs a multi-level evaluation indicator system to assess the effectiveness of owners' endogenous dynamics in green retrofit projects. The system integrates market-driven effects and comprehensive benefits, covering owner behaviour, market relationships, operating environment, and social, environmental, and economic outcomes. Using the network analytic hierarchy process and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation, the study quantifies indicator weights and evaluates a real-world case in China. Evaluation results show that 'effective owner behaviour' (52.00) and 'market operating environment' (51.16) receive the lowest scores, indicating critical bottlenecks. Therefore, two practical improvement recommendations are proposed: 'focusing on owner needs to enhance the effectiveness of owner behaviour' and 'improving market mechanisms to create a good market operating environment'. This study provides a scientific basis for strengthening the role of owners' endogenous dynamics and promoting sustainable development in the green retrofit market for existing industrial buildings.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly recognised as a transformative enabler of engineering sustainability, yet its adoption requires more critical reflection than celebration. This article contends that AI's true contribution lies not in isolated efficiency gains but in reshaping how engineers design, manage, and govern sustainable systems. By examining applications across construction, energy, waste management, predictive maintenance, and urban planning, this paper highlights both the opportunities and tensions that emerge when AI is embedded in sustainability practices. A central argument advanced here is that the promise of AI must be balanced against its risks - data privacy concerns, algorithmic bias, socio-technical displacement, and the significant carbon footprint of large-scale computational models. Far from being inherently 'green', AI itself demands sustainable design and ethical safeguards. The commentary emphasises three perspectives: the need to integrate AI tools into holistic system-level strategies rather than siloed applications; to embed ethics, fairness, and low-carbon computing at the design stage; and to adapt AI deployment to diverse local contexts while aligning with global sustainability goals. In doing so, the paper offers an expert perspective on where research, practice, and policy must converge to ensure that AI advances sustainability without reproducing new forms of inequality or environmental harm.
Residential solar photovoltaics (PVs) can play a pivotal role in the UAE’s energy transition, yet adoption in the housing sector remains uneven. This paper presents a qualitative, policy-oriented review of opportunities and constraints for residential PV, including grid-connected rooftop systems and solar home systems. Evidence is synthesised from peer-reviewed literature, official strategies and programme documents, and stakeholder perspectives and benchmarked against leading residential PV markets (Australia, India, Saudi Arabia, and the USA). Challenges are organised into geographic, legislative, economic, social, and technical dimensions. Recent national and emirate-level initiatives have strengthened deployment pathways; however, persistent barriers, particularly fragmented and evolving regulations, tariff and crediting structures that extend payback periods, high soft costs, limited awareness, and gaps in installation quality, operation and maintenance (O&M), and supply chains, continue to constrain uptake. The review is triangulated with recent UAE household survey evidence on adoption drivers and with programme-performance studies, and reports indicative economic metrics (installed cost, payback ranges, and levelised cost of electricity) for rooftop PV. The paper concludes with an integrated roadmap linking regulatory harmonisation, streamlined permitting, targeted finance, and long-term O&M capacity and data transparency to accelerate equitable residential PV diffusion.
The construction industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, primarily through energy-intensive activities during the construction phase. This study investigated the carbon dioxide emissions associated with flexible road pavements by comparing activity- and cost-based calculation methods. The activity-based approach incorporates detailed equipment activity data, considering variations in equipment conditions, whereas the cost-based method relies on generalised emission factors linked to project costs. The results revealed significant discrepancies between the two methods, with the activity-based approach reporting substantially higher emission values. For example, the emissions for the wearing course (AC-WC) layer were 6 659 kgCO2 for activity-based calculations compared to only 443 kgCO2 for cost-based estimates. Such underestimations by the cost-based method demonstrate its inadequacy in accurately capturing construction emissions. Furthermore, the cement-treated base layer was identified as the largest contributor to emissions in activity-based analyses, contradicting the cost-based method’s attribution of the highest emissions to the AC-Base layer. This study emphasises the importance of using activity-based approaches for carbon accounting in road construction to ensure accurate assessments and inform sustainable construction practices. Policymakers are encouraged to adopt region-specific, activity-based methods to enhance carbon accounting accuracy and guide effective environmental policies for road construction.
Utilising digitalisation to strengthen urban resilience is a viable strategy for sustainable urban development. Based on the data of 11 provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China, the entropy method and the fixed effect model were adopted to explore the impact of digitalisation on urban resilience. The results indicate that: (1) the digital development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is unbalanced, with economic digitalisation being the highest, followed by social digitalisation, and government digitalisation being the lowest. Meanwhile, the spatial heterogeneity of digitalisation of the Yangtze River Economic Belt is significant, decreasing from east to west. (2) The digital development significantly improves the urban resilience of provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. Economic digitalisation enhances urban resilience by developing high-tech industries and promoting the transformation of traditional industries. Social digitalisation enhances urban resilience by relying on the popularisation of the internet to improve the efficiency of information transmission. Government digitalisation enhances urban resilience by optimising business processes, information processing and collaborative modes. (3) The impact of economic digitisation and social digitalisation on urban resilience in the Yangtze River Economic Belt presents regional heterogeneity, while the impact of government digitalisation on urban resilience shows regional convergence.
Green rating systems (GRS) are playing a vital role in achieving sustainable construction practices. These rating systems are helpful in creating and operating green buildings. However, the adoption rate among stakeholders is limited, as they consider implementing rating systems involves perceived costs. Therefore, to predict whether construction stakeholders are likely to adopt GRS, a machine learning (ML)-based approach is used in this study. This study used two different approaches. At first, ML algorithms - logistic regression (LR), random forest, support vector machine, Na & iuml;ve Bayes, and extreme gradient boosting - are used to predict how construction stakeholders (224) will make a decision to adopt GRS. Then, a web-based application was developed to enable real-time use of the predictive model. It can be observed that LR combined with regularisation and evaluated with K-fold stratification gave an accuracy of 71%. This study underscores the potential highlights of ML in influencing environmentally sound decision making processes in sustainable building.
Dams and culverts monitoring and maintenance work is vital for water management, flood risk mitigation, and public safety. Conventional methods are arduous, protracted, and pose safety threats to workers. There was a need to design an integrated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based framework for the maintenance of culverts and dams. This paper presents a UAV-based integrated conceptual framework for structural health monitoring of hydraulic structures and systems. The framework consists of five elements: mission design, data collection, data processing, decision making support, and feedback mechanisms. Using UAVs equipped with LiDAR (light detection and ranging), thermal, and multispectral cameras, remote and accurate assessments of structures and landscapes can be conducted, with improved inspection accuracy, reliability, and operational safety, and with artificial intelligence-based maintenance scheduling. The framework is evaluated through return on investment and SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analyses. Based on benchmarks drawn from the existing literature, the framework demonstrates potential for cost reductions up to 50% and inspection time savings of 40%. The framework enhances safety, predictive maintenance, and climate-resilient infrastructure management, transforming traditional inspection into proactive, data-driven strategies.
Malcolm Slesser (1926–2007) – a Scottish engineer, mountaineer and writer – was at the forefront of the development of ‘energy analysis’ (EA), based on the principle of energy conservation stemming from the first law of thermodynamics. He acted as rapporteur of a 1974 international workshop of energy analysts and economists held in Stockholm. First Law EA is re-evaluated here in the light of modern ideas in thermodynamics arising from the Second Law, such as those incorporated into ‘exergy analysis’ and related methods. EA also became one of the founding elements of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), alongside eco-toxicology. EA has been incorporated into software tools for performing LCA studies concurrently while evaluating climate change impacts and a range of other ecological/environmental burdens. Slesser and his co-workers went on to devise ways of modelling societies using resource or ‘natural capital’ accounting. This approach utilised ‘systems dynamics’ techniques like those originally employed in world dynamics studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (for the ‘Limits to Growth’ series) to plot a pathway towards sustainability. The present review therefore pays tribute to these various scientific contributions of the late Malcolm Slesser in the form of a critical appraisal from a modern perspective.
Environmental concerns of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) promote the advancement of alternatives. Limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) is expected to emerge as a novel and sustainable type of cement. This study examines locally available non-kaolinite clayey soil in two phases. Initially, the calcination temperature, the proportion of calcined clay of 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, and 50% of OPC weight, and the ratio of calcined clay to limestone powder (CC:SL) 1:0, 1:1, 2:1, and 3:1 were examined. The outcomes were 700°C, 40%, and 2:1, respectively. The best combinations were augmented with recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and carbon fibre (CF) at proportions of 0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 1.5% of the binder’s weight. The flowability of the fresh composite was assessed. The mechanical parameters were examined, such as compressive strength, flexural strength, and splitting tensile strength. The durability characteristics of fire resistance, water absorption, water sorptivity, and porosity were studied. According to the results, 1.5% and 1% of the PET and CF fibre contents showed the best mechanical and durability properties. Nevertheless, the augmentation of fibres regularly diminished flowability. This study illustrates the feasibility of utilising locally sourced clayey soil as a pozzolanic material for the production of LC3.
