Abstract Digital technologies such as sensing systems, computer vision, and data analytics are increasingly proposed to support safety monitoring and inspection on construction sites. Despite rapid technological advances, their adoption in practice remains uneven. Existing review studies have primarily cataloged technological innovations but provided limited insight into how these tools align with onsite inspection workflows and managerial decision-making. This study addresses this gap by reframing digital safety monitoring and inspection as a managerial implementation challenge rather than a purely technical problem. A systematic literature review of 297 publications was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, combining bibliometric analysis with inductive content analysis. The results identified six domains of onsite safety monitoring and inspection activities and 17 technology-assisted tasks. Deployment readiness was evaluated across these domains based on reported validation settings, operational robustness, and integration feasibility with existing inspection practices. To explain the persistent research–practice gap, adoption barriers were synthesized using the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework. The analysis showed that implementation constraints cluster around technical reliability, organizational readiness, and governance conditions. Workflow integration emerged as a key cross-cutting challenge linking technological capability with managerial feasibility. By organizing digital safety research around inspection activities rather than technologies, the study provides an activity-centered deployment readiness map and a management-oriented synthesis of adoption barriers. The findings offer guidance for researchers, contractors, and industry stakeholders seeking to develop and implement digital safety solutions that are operationally deployable and aligned with construction management practices.
Abstract Cross-regional engineering projects require cooperation among organizations operating under different legal and institutional systems. However, the evolution of these cooperation networks over time remains insufficiently understood. This study investigates the evolutionary dynamics of cross-regional cooperation networks in construction projects in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area from 2000 to 2024, employing a two-mode social network analysis and exponential random graph models. Drawing on data from 218 project organizations, this study models contractual relationships between buyer and supplier organizations to capture the asymmetric and role-specific nature of project-based collaboration. The results reveal a phased trajectory of network evolution, from early decentralization to policy-driven expansion, followed by temporary recentralization during the COVID-19 shock and a more balanced hybrid reconfiguration in the recovery period. The formation of new cooperation relationships was shaped by the distinct roles of buyers and suppliers, existing network patterns, and regulatory environments. These influences also varied across phases. This study advances understanding of how cross-regional construction cooperation adapts to policy changes and external disruptions and provides implications for governance and resilience in multijurisdictional organization networks.
Abstract Circular economy (CE) in the building sector has been largely constrained to recycling, despite reuse offering significantly greater resource benefits. Building materials differ in their reuse potential, with steel and plasterboard representing opposite ends of the reusability spectrum. However, the criteria for assessing reusability are yet to be fully investigated. This study aims to develop a reusability assessment framework for building materials. A series of semistructured interviews and a survey involving 30 supply-chain stakeholders were conducted to identify reusability assessment criteria through a comparative analysis of barriers across the two material cases. The proposed framework comprises 24 criteria classed under two dimensions: material attributes and building lifecycle stages. The plasterboard case identified economic value and ease of deconstruction as gating criteria, positioning plasterboard at the low end of the reusability spectrum that requires a “start-up” strategy. Potential pathways were proposed to unlock plasterboard reuse, including adaptive reuse, modular construction, standardization, reversible fixings, servitization, and community-based business models. At the high end, barriers to the “scale-up” of steel reuse highlighted additional criteria, such as pricing, stockholding, and market demand. The study proposes a practical reuse guidance aligned with the Royal Institute of British Architects stages and informs policymakers by distinguishing “scale-up” and “start-up” strategies for materials with differing reuse potential, while recognizing material substitution where reuse is not feasible. It supports a phased policy approach in which interventions are aligned with market maturity and combine both “carrots” (incentives) and “sticks” (mandates). Future research should validate the framework across additional materials and develop a weighting system to improve its applicability.
Abstract This study presents a quantitative framework for evaluating the feasibility of bridge component reuse to support circular-economy principles in bridge infrastructure. Unlike prior studies that focused mainly on whole-bridge reuse or qualitative assessments, this study develops a component-level method reflecting how material recovery decisions are made during bridge demolition. The framework was developed through a review of quantitative assessment methods, including whole-bridge-level evaluations and component-level approaches from other infrastructure and building contexts. Based on this review, bridge-specific metrics were identified and adapted to account for structural and logistical conditions. The proposed framework introduces a reusability index, a composite metric that integrates factors such as disassemblability, uniqueness, and transportability to determine whether individual bridge components are suitable for reuse. The framework was demonstrated through three bridge case studies in Florida. Results show that reusability varies substantially by bridge type and component characteristics, with reusable portions ranging from 0% for concrete bridges to approximately 9% for steel-girder bridges. In contrast, all bridges examined were found to be fully recyclable at the end of their service life. Cost analysis further demonstrates the economic benefits of sustainable demolition strategies over conventional landfill disposal, including 49.10% savings from reusing a steel girder and recycling-related savings ranging from 17.75% to 84.93% across different components and locations. Interviews with engineers from the Florida Department of Transportation validated the framework’s assumptions and confirmed its alignment with real-world demolition and material recovery practices. Overall, these findings carry implications at multiple levels: for contractors, the framework offers a practical tool for identifying reusable components; for project managers, the cost analysis demonstrates the economic case for sustainable demolition; and for policymakers, promoting standardized component designs in new bridges could accelerate circular-economy adoption.
Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal.
