Purpose The built environment is a major contributor to global carbon emissions, making the transition to zero-carbon buildings essential. Achieving this transition depends on construction professionals' awareness and readiness to implement zero-carbon initiatives (ZCIs). However, empirical evidence on their preparedness in the Nigerian construction industry remains limited. This study assesses Nigerian construction professionals' knowledge and awareness of ZCIs supporting the zero-carbon transition. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative research design was adopted using a structured questionnaire administered to 225 Nigerian construction professionals. The questionnaire was validated through expert review and pilot testing. Purposive sampling was used to ensure representation of key industry stakeholders, and data were subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques. Findings The results reveal substantial awareness and capacity gaps among Nigerian construction professionals. Awareness of international climate agreements, national climate policies, and industry-led ZCIs was generally low. Familiarity, experience, and training in carbon assessment, building performance assessment, life cycle assessment, and energy modelling were also limited. These deficiencies indicate inadequate sectoral preparedness for the effective implementation of ZCIs in Nigeria's construction industry. Originality/value This study provides one of the first empirical assessments of Nigerian construction professionals' awareness of zero-carbon policies and initiatives alongside their preparedness to implement zero-carbon building practices. By identifying critical gaps in policy awareness, technical knowledge, practical experience, and professional training, it contributes context-specific evidence on zero-carbon transitions in developing economies and highlights the need for targeted capacity-building and institutional support.
Purpose The implementation of situated learning (SL) in project-based settings is hindered by a lack of empirical research on its success factors (SFs). This paper addresses this gap by investigating the SFs for cultivating SL in construction projects, with the aim of providing insights into effective implementation strategies. Design/methodology/approach Purposive sampling method was utilized to obtain a sample size of 203 respondents and data solicited through a structured questionnaire survey. The data set was analyzed using a four-level analytical protocol. These include – pretesting the data set, mean score ranking, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE). Findings Fuzzy synthetic evaluation revealed that SFs at the team level had the highest criticality index (4.292), followed by organizational-level (4.202) and individual-level factors (4.193), all exceeding the 3.50 threshold. Although individual-level factors explained the greatest variance (22.587%), team dynamics were perceived as most decisive for SL outcomes. Mean ranking identified participatory decision-making (M = 4.47), ease of information flow (M = 4.45), team composition (M = 4.44), team leadership (M = 4.43) and behavioral conditioning (M = 4.35) as the top five critical SFs. The results indicate that team-level factors constitute the primary mechanism for cultivating SL, supported by organizational enablers and individual capacities. Originality/value This study provides the first empirical validation of SFs for cultivating situated learning in projects, addressing a gap in literature dominated by cognitive knowledge management models.
Purpose Public building project abandonment remains a critical challenge in Nigeria, leading to financial losses, stalled service delivery and declining public confidence in infrastructure governance. Although prior studies identify various causes, most are descriptive and fail to quantify the combined and relative effects of key drivers. This study empirically models the multi-dimensional determinants of public building project abandonment in Nigeria to inform policy and project management interventions by identifying the relative influence of key factors. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative design was used with survey data from 107 construction professionals with public building project experience, selected through snowball sampling. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) examined the effects of political leadership, funding and resource constraints, administrative capacity, socio-cultural dynamics and external factors on project abandonment. Reliability and validity were assessed using standard PLS-SEM criteria, while the structural model was evaluated through path coefficients, effect sizes and predictive relevance to determine relative importance. Findings The results show a clear hierarchy of influence on public building project abandonment. Political leadership factors are the strongest driver, followed by funding and resource constraints and socio-cultural/community dynamics, while administrative capacity and external factors show comparatively weaker effects within the overall structure. Originality/value The study develops and validates an integrated PLS-SEM framework that moves beyond significance testing to rank the relative effects of political, financial, administrative, socio-cultural and external drivers of abandonment, addressing a gap in Nigeria-focused research.
Purpose Concrete pavements are vital to transportation infrastructure, yet their timely condition assessment remains a major challenge because conventional monitoring techniques, such as visual inspection and the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), are often costly, time-consuming, and spatially constrained. This study examines the applicability and reliability of hyperspectral remote sensing as a non-destructive and scalable method for assessing the condition of concrete pavements. Design/methodology/approach A total of 36 field spectrometer data and Airborne Visible and Infrared Imaging Spectrometer–Next Generation imagery were integrated to analyze concrete pavements. Reflectance data from normal and cracked surfaces were compared to identify diagnostic absorption features and quantify spectral indices, including normalized indices, near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave infrared (SWIR) ratios. Findings The analysis revealed distinct absorption bands at approximately 478 nm, 1,060 nm, and 2,207 nm, corresponding to iron oxide, hygroscopic water, and clay minerals, respectively. Compared with normal surfaces, cracked pavements exhibited a 10–15% decrease in overall reflectance and a significant increase in spectral indices. Regression analysis demonstrated a strong field-to-image correlation (R2 = 0.77–0.81), confirming methodological reliability. Research limitations/implications The study is limited to one urban context; validation is required across diverse regions, materials, and traffic conditions. Practical implications The approach provides a robust and cost-effective method for assessing pavement conditions. Combining field spectroscopy with airborne hyperspectral imagery enables the early detection of deterioration and scalable monitoring to support innovative infrastructure management. Originality/value This research presents a novel framework for monitoring concrete pavements in India, demonstrating the potential of hyperspectral remote sensing to enhance large-scale urban road assessments.
Purpose This study adopts a governance perspective to clarify the frictions arising when building supply chains are decarbonised through a transition toward Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM). It addresses two questions: which governance gaps recur in SSCM and what causes them, and how these gaps translate into decision points shaping embodied-carbon outcomes across building supply chains. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidance was conducted. After screening 5,181 Scopus records across business, management, engineering, and construction categories, 41 management-oriented articles were analysed through directed content analysis to derive six recurrent governance gaps. Findings were then contextualised within a three-layer, nine-step building supply-chain framework and interpreted through institutional theory, stakeholder theory, and transaction cost economics to locate decision points where gaps impede embodied-carbon reduction. Findings Informational, communication, and power gaps arise mainly from SSCM internal structures, whereas compliance, geographic, and legitimacy gaps are more strongly shaped by external institutional and environmental conditions. These frictions narrow low-carbon options in early design, weaken evidentiary requirements and comparability during tendering and award, and reduce the credibility of process verification in construction. Cases including Kering, High Speed 2, Burj Khalifa, and the UK Embodied Carbon in Buildings initiative illustrate how each gap appears at specific decision nodes. Originality/value This study offers the first governance-centred mapping linking SSCM gaps to embodied-carbon decision nodes in buildings. It proposes a pragmatic agenda integrating carbon training, horizontal and vertical collaboration, and digital governance, and converts it into testable research questions for future empirical work.
