Cracks in reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) pose significant structural risks, including water ingress, corrosion of reinforcement, and, in extreme cases, potential collapse. The challenge is worsened by the lack of accessible RAAC crack data, making it difficult to develop accurate and consistent detection frameworks. This limitation restricts the ability to perform timely interventions and implement effective maintenance strategies for RAAC cracks. Therefore, the study aims to assess the impact of data augmentation by using StyleGAN3, one of the generative adversarial networks, to address limited RAAC crack data. Furthermore, advanced convolutional neural network architectures were explored for improved semantic segmentation of RAAC cracks. Results revealed that StyleGAN3-generated data augmentation boosted model performance, and the newly developed RAAC-UNet++ model markedly enhanced segmentation accuracy. These findings offer valuable insights for improving RAAC crack detection, ultimately aiding in the effective maintenance and management of RAAC structures.

Purpose Reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) panels have been extensively used in the UK since the 1960s as structural roofs, floors and walls. The lack of a longitudinal, objective, consistent defect data capture process has led to inaccurate, invalid and incomplete RAAC data, which limits the ability to survey RAAC within buildings and monitor performance. Therefore, an accurate, complete and valid digital data capture process is needed to facilitate better RAAC performance and defect monitoring. This paper presents the development of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven RAAC crack defect capture tool for improving the quality of RAAC survey data. Design/methodology/approach RAAC crack defect image data were collected, curated and trained. A deep learning approach was employed to train RAAC surveyed defects (cracks) images from two hospitals. This approach mitigated unavoidable occlusions/obstructions and unintended “foreign” objects and textures. Findings An automatic RAAC crack identification tool has been developed to be integrated into RAAC survey processes via an executable code. The executable code categorises RAAC survey images into “crack” or “non-crack” and can provide longitudinal graphical evidence of changes in the RAAC over time. Originality/value This paper identifies the role of AI in addressing the intrinsic defects data capture issues for RAAC and extends current debates on data-driven solutions for defect capture and monitoring.

Purpose The recent failures and insolvencies of organisations related to the modern methods of construction (MMC) have gained increased attention and controversy across the UK construction sector. Such failures are linked to their inability to achieve an economy of scale and drive key clients to accept the MMC as an alternative to traditional methods. This paper aims to unravel whether a phenomenon of “innovation negativism” has manifested and is contributing to public clients' indecision towards broader MMC, whether this is only linked to past negative experiences formed after the Second World War or whether additional contributing reasons exist to influence adoption. Design/methodology/approach This study focusses on exploring the decision-making of the UK public construction sector; therefore, this paper adopts a qualitative approach, utilising interviews with 14 carefully selected MMC experts, government advisors and public clients. The phenomenological stance adopted herewith enables the authors to make better sense of the perceptions of the interviewees, leading to the conceptualisation of the innovation negativism phenomenon. Findings The paper identifies nine themes that may be argued to promote a profound understanding of the MMC negativism influencing public clients' decision-making. The study has found that more than just the previous negative perceptions formulated post Second World War are driving innovation negativism in the UK public sector. Notably, the emerging themes are incomprehension, lacking evidence, communication, relationship history, bad experiences, uncertainty, inadequate experimentation, the business case and localism. Originality/value This study is the first construction management research that acts as a fair departure point to conceptualise the reasoning behind innovation negativism in the construction setting. Through mirroring demand's unipolarity for traditional methods, policy and decision-makers can now rely on the conceptualised reasoning to determine practical solutions to overcome clients' indecisions towards MMC.

UK industry has recently highlighted concerns relating to the structural safety of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in existing structures, together with a small number of without warning collapses. A broad body of scholarly academic research already exists on AAC in Building Structures, though much less on RAAC. Against the fact that extant research is primarily industry-led, there is a lack of a systematic critical review of the body of academic literature available. To achieve this, the paper systematically reviews 92 academic papers filtered from over 480 published studies on AAC/RAAC, each included after applying an exclusion criterion, from 1980 to 2024. The review identifies four drivers for AAC applications in building structures, namely AAC being: 1) a lightweight material, useful in reducing load transfers, 2) an insulating material, against fire, temperature, and sounds, 3) a sustainable material, of a recyclable nature with relatively low carbon emissions, and 4) an economical material because of its composition and ease of use and application. Moreover, it also identifies the popular areas of AAC application within buildings, the processes involved in its production, the material's behaviour and characteristics, the types of reinforcement, and the modes of AAC failure. Such a review of knowledge from the last 40 years will help scholars identify the understudied research gaps and several untapped research areas that are included in the proposed research agenda.

Outdoor air temperature represents a fundamental physical variable that needs to be considered when characterising the energy behaviour of buildings and its subsystems. Research, for both simulation and monitoring, usually assumes that the outdoor air temperature is homogeneous around the building envelope, and when measured, it is common to have a unique measurement representing this hypothetical homogeneous outdoor air temperature. Furthermore, the uncertainty associated with this measurement (when given by the research study) is normally limited to the accuracy of the sensor given by the manufacturer. This research aims to define and quantify the overall uncertainty of this hypothetical homogeneous outdoor air temperature measurement. It is well known that there is considerable variability in outdoor air temperature around the building and measurements are dependent on the physical location of outdoor air temperature sensors. In this research work, this existing spatial variability has been defined as a random error of the hypothetical homogeneous outdoor air temperature measurement, which in turn has been defined as the average temperature of several sensors located randomly around the building envelope. Then, some of these random error sources which induce spatial variability would be the cardinal orientation of the sensor, the incidence of solar radiation, the outdoor air temperature stratification, the speed and variations of the wind and the shadows of neighbouring elements, among others. In addition, the uncertainty associated with the systematic errors of this hypothetical homogeneous outdoor air temperature measurement has been defined as the Temperature Sensor Uncertainty ( U T ( S ) ) , where this uncertainty is associated with the sensor's accuracy. Based on these hypotheses, a detailed statistical procedure has been developed to estimate the overall Temperature Uncertainty ( U T ) of this hypothetical homogeneous outdoor air temperature measurement and the Temperature Sensor Uncertainty ( U T ( S ) ) . Finally, an uncertainty decoupling method has also been developed that permits the uncertainty associated with random errors (Temperature's Spatial Uncertainty ( U T ( SP ) ) ) to be estimated, based on U T and U T ( S ) values. The method has been implemented for measuring the outdoor air temperature surrounding an in-use tertiary building envelope, for which an exterior monitoring system has been designed and randomly installed. The results show that the overall Temperature Uncertainty ( U T ) for the whole monitored period is equal to +/- 2.22 degrees C. The most notable result is that the uncertainty associated with random errors of measurement (Temperature's Spatial Uncertainty ( U T ( SP ) ) ) represents more than 99% of the overall uncertainty; while the Temperature Sensor Uncertainty ( U T ( S ) ) , which is the one commonly used as the overall uncertainty for the outdoor air temperature measurements, represents less than 1%.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) is a viable technology towards increasing renewable energy production and achieving low carbon footprints for buildings. Mauritius, with a daily average of 5.6 kWh/m2 of solar radiation over 2350 h annually, has been targeting at achieving its low carbon goals by focusing on photovoltaic technology including the uptake of BIPV. However, BIPV has not been well researched in terms of its overall thermal impact especially overheating on the building envelope and the resultant energy performance for buildings for the tropical climatic condition in Mauritius. This research, by means of validated simulation modelling, adopted a novel approach of coupling thermal finite element analysis (FEA) with whole building dynamic simulations to assess the heat transfer characteristics of BIPV either on facades or roof and the resultant energy consumptions of a typical office building in Mauritius. The facade scenario had two options, namely BIPV curtain wall and BIPV double-skin facade (BIPV-DSF), while the roof scenario also had two options, namely uninsulated and insulated roof BIPV membranes. Results show that roof BIPV membrane options had a better thermal performance in reducing overheating for the building compared to the BIPV facade options, with a reduction in cooling load of 8% and 15% for the uninsulated and insulated BIPV membranes, respectively. In terms of energy performance, both BIPV facade options were not capable of reducing the energy consumption of the building, as the BIPV curtain wall resulted in 1.66% more net energy consumption on a yearly basis. This shows an ineffectiveness of using vertical BIPV glazing for typical office buildings in Mauritius. Although the BIPV-DSF achieved an annual net energy saving of 5.16% benefited from the BIPV energy production, it was not as good as the net savings of 160% and 172% from the respective uninsulated and insulated roof BIPV membrane options.

Purpose Construction research comprises quality contributions to the modern methods of construction (MMC) context in terms of their benefits and relative advantages. However, the uptake of MMC is yet deemed very low in the public sector. Knowing that public clients acquire the purchasing power and the influential status to drive industry change, understanding their low MMC uptake is necessary. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review of literature has been chosen to extract the key variables contributing to the limited adoption of MMC across the public sector, reinforced by a qualitative semi-structured interview with 12 industry leaders and public clients. This methodology enables the authors to explore works from the past decade, paving a direction for an adequate empirical investigation by reviewing and critically analysing 49 academic articles and interviewing 12 industry leaders and public clients. Findings The study captured and argued the characteristics that have an influence on public clients' decision, inhibiting the extraction of values associated with greater MMC deployment. A critical analysis resulted in identifying 13 characteristics under 4 main themes, providing a new argument to existing knowledge by calling on the need to better understand public clients and the influence of their own characteristics on their MMC uptake. Originality/value This paper utilises the diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory which offers constructs that help explain the influence of the characteristics of a decision-making unit. The authors’ knowledge on public construction clients is limited, and more research in this direction may help in better aggregating construction demand. Overall, arguments provided in this paper enable relative improvements in supply's business models when approaching the public market. The study is believed to be in support of the relative governmental efforts to shape effective policies that can enhance innovation uptake among public bodies.

Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) is a lightweight, aerated cementitious material with no coarse aggregate, hence the material properties and structural behavior vary significantly compared with “traditional” reinforced concrete. It was a popular form of precast concrete panelized construction in the 1970s, especially in critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and government buildings, and many of these structures are now at the end of their design life. Although the quality of contemporary RAAC precast elements and structures is considered to be good, concerns exist regarding the durability, serviceability and structural reliability of 40–50 year old RAAC panels still in service. Ongoing survey regimes and preliminary site observations and investigations of multiples structures in the United Kingdom have revealed significant problems in a small number of panels such as excessive cracking and deflection, insufficient cover, and reinforcement that is corroding and/or incorrectly placed. This paper therefore presents data on the structural performance and integrity of aged RAAC panels from the 1960s and 70s still in service in the United Kingdom, and presents the outcomes of the most significant and largest research project in the United Kingdom in the last 10 years, which investigated the material properties, structural performance, and monitoring strategies of aged RAAC panels. Structural testing on full scale panels in the laboratory and in situ have been conducted, together with petrographical examination and computational finite element modeling of RAAC panels form different structures and locations around the United Kingdom. The research has developed considerable new knowledge and understanding regarding the structural and material performance of aged RAAC panels and their associated failure modes, which will have significant implications for the repair, monitoring and management of these national critical infrastructure.

Despite the calls to transform construction and the potential of modern methods of construction (MMC) to address traditional construction concerns, the global construction industry is yet to embrace the benefits. The purpose of this review is to theoretically explain the low uptake of MMC in the public sector by exploring the relative pressure points that are contributing to clients' indecision. The study argues the five functional constructs of the diffusion of innovation theory against MMC attributes. A systematic review of 67 articles through a preferred reporting item for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) led to key arguments that explain the lesser drive for MMC adoption. Results reveal that previous literature plurally discards the dynamics between supply and demand, decision-making, and supply's business models. An improved understanding of these dynamics would, therefore, support research efforts in disclosing the necessary considerations to promote clients' favorable innovation decisions. This study echoes previous calls and acts as a departure point for future research to assess MMC beyond its technical attributes from a theoretical lens to better understand how construction innovations flow in the public construction sector.

Background There is a persistent lack of understanding on the influence of the environment on behaviour and health. While the environment is considered an important modifiable determinant of health behaviour, past research assessing environments often relies on static, researcher-defined buffers of arbitrary distance. This likely leads to misrepresentation of true environmental exposures. This exploratory study aims to compare researcher-defined and self-drawn buffers in reflecting the spaces and time adolescents engage in physical activity (PA) and sedentary behaviour. It also investigates if adolescent’s access the PA facility and greenspace nearest their home or school for PA, as well as examine how much time adolescents spent in PA at any PA facilities and greenspaces. Methods Adolescents (aged 14–18 years; n = 34) were recruited from schools in West Yorkshire, England. Seven consecutive days of global positioning system (GPS) and accelerometer data were collected at 15 second intervals. Using ArcGIS, we compared 30 different researcher-defined buffers including: radial, network and ellipse buffers at 400m, 800m, 1000m, 1600m and 3000m and participant-defined self-drawn neighbourhoods to objectively measured PA and sedentary space and PA time. Location of PA was also compared to Points of Interest data to determine if adolescents use the nearest PA facility or greenspace to their home or school and to examine how much PA was undertaken within these locations. Results Our exploratory findings show the inadequacy of researcher-defined buffer size in assessing MVPA space or sedentary space. Furthermore, less than 35% of adolescents used the greenspaces or PA facilities nearest to their home or school. Approximately 50% of time spent in PA did not occur within the home, school, PA facility, or greenspace environments. Conclusion Our exploratory findings help to begin to quantify the inadequacy of researcher-defined, and self-drawn buffers in capturing adolescent MVPA and sedentary space, as well as time spent in PA. Adolescents often do not use PA facilities and greenspaces nearest their home and school and a large proportion of PA is achieved outside PA facilities and greenspaces. Further research with larger samples are needed to confirm the findings of this exploratory study.

BACKGROUND:Modifying the environment is considered an effective population-level approach for increasing healthy behaviours, but associations remain ambiguous. This exploratory study aims to compare researcher-defined buffers and self-drawn neighbourhoods (SDN) to objectively measured availability of physical activity (PA) facilities and greenspaces in adolescents. METHODS:Seven consecutive days of GPS data were collected in an adolescent sample of 14-18 year olds (n = 69). Using Points of Interest and greenspace data, availability of PA opportunities within activity spaces were determined. We compared 30 different definitions of researcher-defined neighbourhoods and SDNs to objectively measured availability. RESULTS:Findings showed low agreement for all researcher-defined buffers in measuring the availability of PA facilities in activity spaces. However, results were less clear for greenspace. SDNs also demonstrate low agreement for capturing availability to the PA environment. CONCLUSION:This exploratory study highlights the inadequacy of researcher-defined buffers and SDNs to define availability to environmental features.

Building surveying is a rare blend of art, science, and management. As many people have observed – assessing building performance and failure is a science, and surveying buildings is an art, so building surveying combines art and science, attracting people interested in many different fields. This chapter discusses some of the differing activities and approaches used in building surveying. Building surveying as an occupation or profession has developed from the earliest times. When building works are to be undertaken, surveys of the site and relevant property are conducted. The surveyor could be the building owner/occupier, architect/building surveyor, or building contractor. The anticipatory survey approach is required for the prevention of future problems. It requires a different approach to either the data collection or the diagnostic approaches. Current guidance for surveys focuses on identifying existing problems, not on anticipating the potential risks associated with undertaking proposed works.

EDITORIAL article Front. Built Environ., 25 March 2021 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2021.670559

The benefits and risks associated with installing internal wall insulation (IWI) and thin internal wall insulation (TIWI) retrofits into solid wall homes are researched and evaluated for BEIS. In order to deliver this, a holistic approach was adopted and the project was split into four main sections, each of which has an accompanying Annex to this summary report: Annex A: Review of existing literature as well as primary investigations using house surveys, householder questionnaires and installer focus groups into the sociotechnical barriers to IWI and TIWI. Annex B: Technical evaluation of the performance of IWI and six novel TIWI retrofits installed in field trial solid wall Test Houses using before and after building performance evaluations. Annex C: Modelling of the impact on annual energy consumption, EPC rating, overheating risk, condensation risk and moisture accumulation made by IWI and TIWI retrofits in a range of UK house archetypes. Annex D: Laboratory testing of test walls using hygrothermal chambers to quantify the change in moisture and thermal performance of solid brick walls when they are insulated with IWI and TIWI to determine how weather

Currently human power in developed countries has grown to such an extent that the exploitation of natural resources and use of fossil fuels are having a devastating impact on the ecosystem and its ability to support the human life form. Over the next few decades, deprived communities are likely to suffer most with the lack of food, clean air and water. Eventually the extreme weather conditions and changed climate will affect all on the planet. The closed ecosystem means that everything is affected by anthropogenic activity. The paper offers a review of our activities, the exploitation of natural resource and the environmental and social impact. Discussion centres around those with the economic, political and community power to influence change and where the lack of responsibility and social cohesion are preventing the change to a culture of social sustainability.

An asset is anything with actual or potential value to an organisation. An asset costs money to operate and its performance should be measureable; therefore, an asset could be a university building, an office block, a meeting room, a lift or an air conditioner unit. Sustainability within a built environment should be considered throughout the asset’s whole lifecycle – from design and build (D&B) phase into operational phase and with insights fed back into D&B/refurbishment or decommissioning phase. A holistic and cyclic end-to-end approach for sustainability throughout the whole lifecycle asset management should cover key areas such as (1) building/refurbishing only what is needed using evidence-based data; (2) reducing waste, inventory, reworks, unnecessary resource effort and energy consumption; (3) using right suppliers, products and materials, and only ordering and using parts when needed – ensure right time, right part from preferred supplier; (4) measuring, optimising and maximising existing asset performance and demonstrating ‘fit for purpose’; and (5) improving compliance, health and safety and well-being. To deliver these, organisations need to be collaborative to ensure respective solutions and services within a whole lifecycle asset management approach are open, interoperable (non-proprietary), modular that can be tailored to meet customer needs as well as remaining cost-effective and able to deliver on desired business outcomes including the growing importance of sustainability. Our proposed smart enterprise asset management ecosystem brings together partners covering innovative technology such as IoT, asset management (CMMS, CAFM), 3D scanning and BIM, digital twin, E-procurement and supply chain, big data analytics and blockchain, all underpinned by industry sector expertise and academic rigour. This unique breadth and depth of partner collaboration focuses on end-to-end asset whole lifecycle management which helps remove silos and barriers for the end customer, therefore allowing them to deliver on desired business outcomes such as energy sustainability, performance, cost reductions, well-being, etc., rather than them getting embroiled and lost with systems and technology architecture.