Asset management (AM), critical to sustainability during the operational phase, remains largely economically driven, often neglecting material flow, carbon impacts, resource efficiency, and circularity. This study addresses how circular economy (CE) principles can be integrated into AM decision-making. The research aims to: (1) identify CE-enabled AM decision-making criteria across the asset lifecycle, and (2) develop a methodology using a systematic literature review and focus groups. The findings identify five interconnected decision-making dimensions environmental, economic, social, circularity, and functional applicable at both element and building levels. Key indicators include embodied carbon, residual value, material toxicity, and the Material Circularity Index. A CE-enabled decision-support framework is proposed through a unified digital platform integrating Material Passports, Building Information Modelling, and AM systems. The framework supports lifecycle stages including acquisition, operation, maintenance, renewal, repair, and disposal, enabling building professionals to transition from linear to circular AM practices and achieve improved sustainability outcome.

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are essential for the transition towards net-zero energy buildings, yet a comprehensive multi-regional understanding of how energy yield, temporal complementarity, and economic feasibility interact across diverse configurations remains limited. Task 15 of the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme conducted a cross-regional, multi-objective assessment of 357 BIPV design options across eight application types in 44 cities, using a standardized 1 m2 module with efficiencies between 5% and 25%. Energy yields were simulated using climate-specific irradiance datasets, and economic viability was assessed under three price tiers. A multi-objective Genetic Algorithm optimized the azimuths of vertical BIPV based on temporal complementarity and smoothness of the aggregated generation profile with optimal-yield rooftop BIPV system and conventional PV system (BIPV-PV). The combination of rooftop and vertical BIPV demonstrates strong daily and seasonal complementarity, enhancing the stability and continuity of solar energy conversion across time scales. Complementary area-ratio analysis indicates that vertical BIPV surfaces require approximately 1.7–2.5 times more area to match the yield of optimally tilted rooftop BIPV-PV systems. At low BIPV prices, over 90% of configurations become economically viable for efficiencies starting at around 18%, and in some cases even lower. Even at high price ranges, more than half remain viable, highlighting BIPV's increasing competitiveness and cost-reduction potential through improved installation practices and knowledge sharing. Overall, BIPV economic performance depends on complex, interdependent factors, indicating that single measures such as product cost-reduction are insufficient without holistic financial and market integration.

Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) is expected to play a relevant role in decarbonising our cities, both in new buildings and retrofit projects, making them more sustainable, resilient and pleasant. However, BIPV remains a niche market. To understand the reasons and help boost its development, this paper provides insights into BIPV through a holistic and systematic analysis that considers BIPV’s dual nature as both photovoltaic and building product. The methodology is based on the analyses of several BIPV technological innovation systems (TISs) developed in six countries, as well as extensive comparative assessments and investigations to identify key global features of BIPV. Social aspects, market status and forecast, perspectives from the photovoltaic and building sectors, and related regulations and standardisation are key aspects analysed to develop recommendations for policymakers. Outcome examples are low to moderate acceptance of BIPV among building owners, who give cost reasons for choosing building-added photovoltaics (BAPV) over BIPV, as well as a need for information, official guidance, skilled personnel, improved cross-sector collaboration, availability of BIPV products, proper digital tools and specific regulation to improve BIPV’s legitimacy in the construction sector. Essential is developing policies that encourage the adoption of BIPV, including standardisation, promotion and financing.

Visual building condition assessment is resource-intensive, particularly when inspections are repeated across large areas. This study seeks to reduce this burden by predicting the visual condition of surface-level architectural and structural elements and the latent risk in underlying elements using condition graphs. The proposed Scan-to-Condition prediction workflow builds on Scan-to-BIM and extends it to support ongoing inspection and prediction. This is demonstrated in a case study of an 818 m2 mixed-use building in Melbourne that lacked prior BIM documentation. The workflow consisted of 4 components: (1) an optimised terrestrial laser scanning protocol for repeatable documentation and manageable data volumes, (2) a Scan-to-BIM modelling schema enriched with element-level confidence metrics and hidden-profile inference (3) a unified, multimodal condition documenting platform, and (4) an automated BIM-to-Graph Markup Language (GraphML) conversion method that generated graph representations for condition prediction using a custom Graph Attention Network (GAT) model. The workflow was designed as an iterative cycle in which baseline and follow-up point clouds, a semantically enriched BIM, and inspector reports were progressively integrated to form a longitudinal dataset. Future predictions are proposed to drive inspections and maintenance, progressively reducing manual human inspections over time.

Inspections and condition monitoring of the stormwater pipe networks have become increasingly crucial due to their vast geographical span and complex structure. Unmanaged pipelines present significant risks, such as water leakage and flooding, posing threats to urban infrastructure. However, only a small percentage of pipelines undergo annual inspections. The current practice of CCTV inspections is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and lacks consistency in judgment. Therefore, this study aims to propose a cost-effective and efficient semi-automated approach that integrates computer vision technology with Deep Learning (DL) algorithms. A DL model is developed using YOLOv8 with instance segmentation to identify six types of defects as described in Water Services Association (WSA) Code of Australia. CCTV footage from Banyule City Council was incorporated into the model, achieving a mean average precision (mAP@0.5) of 0.92 for bounding boxes and 0.90 for masks. A cost–benefit analysis is conducted to assess the economic viability of the proposed approach. Despite the high initial development costs, it was observed that the ongoing annual costs decreased by 50

This report analyzes the Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) industry in Australia using the Technological Innovation System (TIS) approach. It examines the industry’s evolution, pinpointing its strengths and weaknesses to enhance understanding of its development trajectory. Targeting BIPV suppliers, design consultants, building developers, and government authorities, the analysis identifies strategic opportunities and barriers to BIPV adoption. It reviews the industry from its early installations in 2000 to its recent advancements and presents strategic recommendations aimed at expanding the BIPV market in Australia. This includes boosting knowledge sharing, improving regulations, and increasing market engagement.

PurposeProject-based learning is one of the most effective methods of transferring academic knowledge and skills to real-world situations in higher education. However, its effectiveness is not much investigated focusing on the students' narrative. This study aims at evaluating the students' experience and perspective on adopting project-based learning in master by research and doctoral programmes for proactive skills development.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates the self-reflection of 10 postgraduate students and their supervisor who have participated in developing a software tool for solar photovoltaics (PV) integrated building envelope design, management and the related education.FindingsFindings reveal that the students have effectively improved their knowledge on the subject via collaborating with the industry, self-learning/observation, peer learning, problem-solving and teamwork. Dividing the project into student-led tasks has improved the decision-making and leadership skills, risks identification, planning and time management skills. The overall experience has (1) built up confidence in students, (2) enhanced their creativity and critical thinking and (3) improved their proactive skills and context knowledge.Originality/valueA clear research gap can be seen in exploring the effectiveness of project-based learning for master by research and doctoral programmes, which mainly focus on extensive research. These programmes do not necessarily focus on developing students' proactive skills, which is the main requirement if they intend to work in the construction industry. This paper addresses the above research gap by demonstrating the effectiveness of project-based learning for developing the proactive skills in a research-intensive learning environment.

The demand for building-integrated photovoltaics is constantly increasing, which is reflected in an increasing number of innovative BIPV products on the market and attractively implemented BIPV installations. To support architects, system developers, and other stakeholders involved in the planning of new BIPV projects, the experts of IEA-PVPS Task 15 have developed a multi-dimensional assessment tool based on the experiences and learnings of already installed BIPV-projects. The creation of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary evaluation methodology makes it possible to compare the multi-dimensional performance of existing BIPV systems, to derive strengths and weaknesses and to use this knowledge to plan application-optimized new BIPV systems. In a systematic step-by-step development process, four performance categories were defined: energy-related, economic, environmental and optical/visual. After defining the relevant performance indicators per category, a numerical rating system was established. In addition, a classification scheme for all relevant BIPV installation types was defined. Initial analyses were performed by a group of experts on several case studies of BIPV-roofs, facades and external devices in order to test and validate the methodology and approaches. Multiple iterations were required to optimize the methodology, as issues such as (i) lack of data availability for full project assessment or (ii) objectivity in visual assessments exist and will remain demanding. The research work also identified challenges and limitations in the context of pioneering and pilot building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) projects, which often used newly developed, immature or early-stage technologies at the time of their construction. The evaluation results of such lighthouse projects can vary significantly from those of BIPV installations using standardized products and well-established processes.

Building and construction sector contributes up to 40

The design of a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) system involves considering various factors such as geophysical, technical, economic, and environmental aspects throughout its lifecycle. Although many studies have proposed approaches to support the BIPV design process, there is a need for a comprehensive BIPV design framework that integrates climate, BIPV product, regulation, technical, and economic data to create optimal BIPV solutions for individual building projects. This study proposes a solution that provides a comprehensive solution for all BIPV stakeholders including those in the solar power, energy, construction, and regulatory fields. The study examines the process of designing and analyzing BIPV in Australia during the conceptual design phase. The study employs a literature review, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey to investigate the current practices, methods, and workflows employed in BIPV design and analysis in Australia. The objective is to develop a framework that can facilitate this process. The framework includes five segments for simulation and analysis: Analysis of building design and solar performance, Assessment of BIPV system energy output, Evaluation of cost-benefit analysis for BIPV systems, Environmental assessment of BIPV systems, and Optimization of BIPV system designs. An example tool is developed based on the proposed framework and the effectiveness of the framework has been verified through a case study. The findings indicate that the suggested framework has the potential to assist professionals in the building design, construction, and BIPV industry in identifying viable BIPV design alternatives during the initial design phase. The proposed framework can serve as a valuable resource for guiding the design of BIPV projects in Australia, facilitating the development of efficient and cost-effective solutions. This, in turn, has the potential to promote the widespread adoption of BIPV in building projects across the country.

Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) which can be applied to various parts of the building envelope such as walls, roofs, windows, and facades provides untapped opportunities to produce green energy even to meet total building’s energy need. Although, there are buildings with successful applications, the growth of the BIPV among both PV and building industries is inadequate due to various reasons particularly technical complexities. However, currently, many technological advancements have been emerged meeting market expectations, eliminating the current obstacles. System performances always lead to the decision of BIPV adoption are varied continuously. This paper aims to investigate the impact of technology developments on the multiple performances: economic; structural substitutable; environmental of 46 BIPV projects in non-domestic buildings in western countries using levelised cost of energy, net present value, material offset and greenhouse gas emission savings. Sensitivity analysis identifies generate four scenarios i) capital cost, 2) electricity conversion efficiency, 3) share of grid supply and 4) lifetime. The results revealed that capital cost has substantial influence than others to uplift the performances. It is significant to optimise the share of grid supply and onsite consumption for favourable performances. The outcome empowers stakeholders to explore the significance of technology deployment.

Solar building envelopes, also known as Building Integrated PV (BIPV) show significant growth in Asia and Europe, although other regions such as Australia are still lagging. The decision to uptake BIPV is complex due to the heterogeneous interest of adopters and multi-dimensional features. Instead of redesigning BIPV in hypothetical buildings, we built a machine learning model using a database of real BIPV and building-attached PV (BAPV) applications, for the purpose of learning and predicting a BIPV adoption decision-making in nondomestic buildings in western countries. We used Australia as a case study to execute the support vector machine (SVM) prediction model. It was revealed that the combination of project determinants such as geographical conditions, equivalent building materials, interest rates and capital cost influenced the decision of BIPV. The prediction model provides pieces of information for stakeholders across the BIPV ecosystem to take their decision on investment, policymaking, and research directions. The current global industry transformation and innovations in technology are favourable to politically promoting and investing in BIPV. Such promotion and investment would help both expand the current market and reach the greenhouse targets.

Building-integrated photovoltaic technology (BIPV) is a decentralised renewable energy source with a building material function. Lack of confidence in the economic viability of BIPV has become one of the critical issues in investment decisions. Therefore, there is a need to review the real economic value of recent BIPV projects to dispel the common myth of the high cost of BIPV. This paper reviews forty-five (45) BIPV projects attached to non-domestic buildings located in twelve (12) western countries between 2009 and 2018 to understand their real economic value. Levelized cost energy, net present value and discounted payback periods are estimated to identify both direct and indirect benefits of BIPV. The economic assessment revealed that projects are economically feasible when both direct and indirect are measured. Analysis further discovered that 1) curtain wall, double-skin facades, discontinuous roofs and skylights among the building application types, 2) educational buildings among the functions of non-domestic buildings and 3) c-Si among the module technologies are economically feasible performances. BIPVs are complex and unique designs with diverse economic performances. It is important to carefully select the parameters to assess the performance levels of the application before any decision is made. The study confirms that understanding the broad values facilitates the quantification of the real contribution of BIPV. The outcome of the paper assists decision-makers and policymakers in developing strategies to decide BIPV adoption.

The transition to renewable energy system in the building industry is a complex process comprising various technology elements and influenced by multiple stakeholders and various functions. Without unravelling how technical systems are embedded with social components, the opportunity for successful implementation is compromised. Therefore, this paper examines the influence of sociotechnical elements on renewable energy uptake in the building industry. This study adopts a sociotechnical network perspective and proposes a meta-network analysis (multi-link and multi-node network) to assess complex sociotechnical systems and uses an example of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) uptake to demonstrate the approach. A comprehensive literature review and 20 interviews assisted in the development of the sociotechnical network. The adoption process is transformed to a three-node network,with nodes as social actors, technical artefacts and actions (drivers that influence the deployment). The findings reveal significant sociotechnical elements as adopters/clients: governments, BIPV panels, energy storage systems and the building. The system performances, uniform standards, regulations and building codes, stakeholder collaborations, incentives and upfront cost are highlighted as critical drivers influencing deployment. The goal of the study is to inform practitioners and researchers how social and technical dynamics shape successful renewable energy transition in the building sector.

Integration of PV modules into the building envelope is obviously the paradigm shift in the building industry. PV modules with a greater degree of architectural appealing and facade requirements are slowly acknowledged. With the growing concerns of this technology, many more developments are introduced to eliminate the current obstacles. Besides, the system performances continuously shift due to various uncertainties in the industry, causing diverse decision choices. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the potential uncertainties that alter the performances of the systems. Environmental aspect, architectural suitability and economic benefits are observed the most concerning performances of systems and are quantified using LCOE, NPV/kW and DPP, material offset and CO2 emission savings. The sensitivity analysis is conducted on four uncertainties recognized in industry such as capital cost, electricity conversion efficiency, conventional facade material cost and financial incentives. Assessment is conducted for the thirty-six facade integrated PV systems in Australia, North America and Europe with the limited to non-domestic buildings. It is noticeable that decisions should not be compromised by looking only at single decision criteria. The results revealed that the influence of capital cost, financial incentives and conventional building material values are substantial that electricity conversion efficiency. The projects reveal favourable economic performances even with the absence of financial supports by taking consideration of both direct and indirect benefits. It is promising to replace conventional building materials with the PV modules. Learning from the current experiences would be the ideal solution to guide future directions on research, investment decisions and policy makings

Building-integrated photovoltaic technology (BIPV) is a promising renewable energy technology which generates electricity onsite. Due to the advancement of technology, BIPV enables the transformation of untapped facades into electricity generators with standard material design objectives. This is simply an alternative option for producing substantial electricity onsite, in particular for buildings with limited rooftop areas in dense urban areas. However, facade-integrated photovoltaic (PV) systems are often disregarded by stakeholders for various reasons, including their high cost, lack of performance and lack of information. A common myth is that photovoltaic facades are expensive, but there are success stories in the building industry. Understanding the economic viability of such applications is required to inform decision-makers of their successful deployment. This study employs an innovative approach to the examination of the economic performance of existing BIPV facade systems based on a lifecycle approach and the multi-functionality of the technology. This study proposes a model including the following direct and indirect economic parameters: i) standard net present value (NPV) ii) standard levelized cost of energy (LOCE), iii) standard discounted payback period iv) advanced NPV, v) advanced LCOE and vi) advanced discounted payback period. 28 facade-integrated PV applications in non-domestic buildings were selected based on i) availability of the required information ii) location (11 western countries) and iii) recent completion (2009 – 2018) for comparative analysis. The case studies use three module technologies: amorphous silicon (a-Si), crystalline silicon (c-Si), and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) with system capacities of 1-700 kW. According to the results, the average standard LCOE and advanced LCOE are 0.71 and (0.31) (negative) AUD/kWh, the average value of standard and advanced NPV are (3,668) (Negative) and 6,327 AUD/kW and standard and advanced payback period are 42 years and 5 years, respectively for the cohort. Low cost, system efficiency and financial incentives contribute to the achievement of economically favourable projects. The study reveals that quantifying direct and indirect benefits facilitates the disclosure of the actual value of BIPV applications. More importantly, recent projects are nearer to producing economic benefits than past projects. We believe that the dissemination of reliable information among stakeholders will dispel the myths or fears surrounding BIPV. The results of this study can be used to inform decision-makers of the economic performance of BIPV systems and accelerate their penetration in facade-integrated PV applications in dense urban areas.

Current approaches for the reduction of energy consumption in buildings are often predicated on the integration of bespoke renewable technologies into building projects. Among various renewable energy sources, solar energy is an attractive option in many countries with access to abundant solar resources. Although photovoltaic technologies have experienced exceptional cost reductions among electricity-conversion technologies since 2008, the integration of solar panels into building envelopes has been deployed slowly in most countries. Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) still exists in a niche market in comparison to Building Attached Photovoltaics (BAPV) and most of the building professionals are reluctant to implement BIPV mainly due to the high capital cost. BIPV cost includes a number of cost elements from the design stage to disposal stage of its life cycle. This paper intends to identify the cost reduction potentials and deployment drivers of BIPV modules and propose a timely relevant solution of integrating PV and offsite building industries to produce PV integrated prefabricated building modules. Automation and process optimization, resource utilization, integrating PV technology with prefabricated building construction, mass production and bulk purchasing of materials, continuous R&D on alternative materials and waste reduction, government support and minimising capital expenditure are the main cost reduction potentials identified for hardware cost. Introducing BIPV specific design tools, effective stakeholder collaboration via decentralized information platforms, integration of PV and building industries for stakeholder collaboration, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) blockchain-based supply chain information sharing platforms to avoid errors in supply chain, unified practice for permit, inspection and interconnection (PII) procedures, BIPV specific building codes, standards, policies and incentives and low interest loans are some soft cost reduction potentials identified in the study. In order to obtain a rapid uptake, the study recommends the integration of PV and building industry elements through (1) participation of BIPV manufacturer/installer in the building design process, and (2) BIPV integrated prefabricated building construction.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify enablers for setting up relationally integrated value networks (RIVANS) for total facilities management (TFM) as a holistic approach to bridge the Project Management (PM) phase to the facilities management (FM) phase, aiming for better service delivery while optimizing the life-cycle cost. These enablers are proposed as required driving forces for the industry to bridge current gaps through RIVANS for TFM so as to improve the value of the facility and deliver better value to its stakeholders over its life span. Design/methodology/approach A literature review elicited 11 typical better values that could be achieved by suitably linking the PM and FM supply chains in general. While these were tested in parallel research exercises in Hong Kong, the UK and Singapore, this paper reports on the specific findings from Sri Lanka, where a Web-based questionnaire survey was conducted to identify potential better values for proposed relational networks (including the clients, consultants, contractors and suppliers in the supply chain). Better values were then clustered under principal domains/components using factor analysis to establish synergetic enablers. Findings In total, 11 significant better values for TFM were identified and four enablers were extracted as building long-term integrated networks, establishing a common resource pool linking PM and FM, enhancing sustainability of TFM and developing a similar protocol between PM and FM. Originality/value The study carried out in this paper contributes to knowledge by identifying drivers to bridge the gap between PM and FM to best achieve clients' long-term aspirations through a holistic life-cycle approach. Furthermore, all stakeholders in TFM can revisit their practices to establish and strengthen the identified enablers.