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Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 29794

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ivan Marović

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Guest Editor

Department of Construction Management and Technology, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
Interests: project management; decision support; decision support systems (DSS); multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM); construction management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Georgios Aretoulis

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: construction budgeting and cost monitoring and control; construction enterprises performance; information technologies and expert systems in construction management; multi-criteria decision-making
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The construction industry is one of the fundamental industries worldwide, accounting for between 5 and 10% of gross domestic product in most countries and commonly being driven by projects. Despite good ideas, great efforts, and high investment, many of those projects do not end with success, especially if we are looking at long-term success. The reasons for projects’ failure are varied and can be seen as the result of inner (such as project organization) and/or outer risks (such as project environment) of the built environment.

Sustainability assessment, as well as risk assessment, are certainly two of the most complex types of appraisal methodologies for driving engineering construction projects towards success. Not only does this entail multidisciplinary aspects (economic, environmental, and social) but also cultural and value-based elements in supporting decision making and policy development in a broad context. The current digital transformation, from Industry 4.0 and 5.0 and consequently Construction 4.0 and 5.0, drives all involved stakeholders to shift and focus their construction projects towards smart and sustainable outcomes. The digital transformation of the construction industry enables it to deal with large amounts of data and acquire digital blueprints to develop more resilient projects in our built environment. Adequate sustainability assessment tools and good risk management can also help tremendously in sustainably managing construction projects.

Therefore, the objective of this Special Issue is to develop and demonstrate both theoretical and practical insights that will enable us to exploit known project management tools and techniques in construction projects and merge them with digital technologies to enhance the built environment more sustainably. To achieve this, multidisciplinary research is needed where the key technologies, management philosophies, and business models are adopted from different fields and applied to the management of construction projects under the contemporary digital transformation in the built environment.

Specific topics include but are not limited to:

Sustainability assessment tools and frameworks.
Dealing with uncertainty and risks in sustainability assessment.
Stakeholder involvement and decision-making.
Multi-criteria decision analysis in the built environment.
Digital transformation of construction processes and organizations.

Dr. Ivan Marović
Dr. Georgios Aretoulis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

sustainability assessment
risk management
construction projects
project management
decision support
sustainable development
digital transformation
built environment
policy support

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 2064 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining Priorities in Infrastructure Management Using Multicriteria Decision Analysis

by Ana Bošnjak and Nikša Jajac

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 14953; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014953 - 17 Oct 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1177

Abstract

This paper aims to form a concept of infrastructure management based on a multicriteria approach to determining management priorities. As the complexity of infrastructure construction and maintenance management requires looking at this problem from different aspects, the proposed multicriteria approach in this paper is based on the application of a two-phase analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method and technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) method. Using the two-phase AHP method, the process of determining the relative weights of the criteria is improved with the aim of providing better management of stakeholders as one of the essential preconditions for the success of the entire management process. In this way, it is desired to simulate the decision-making process as realistically as possible, in which the opinions and interests of all stakeholders are respected, but the key decision-maker is responsible for the final decision. Furthermore, with the help of the TOPSIS method, a ranking list of maintenance management priorities is formed, based on which it is possible to distribute limited financial resources intended for annual maintenance more rationally. The stability of the TOPSIS results was confirmed by a sensitivity analysis when changing the relative weights of the criteria. The proposed allocation of financial resources represents the basis for a better design of the maintenance management plan of the analyzed infrastructure elements, thus completing the observed gap in the existing literature. The aim of the above is to improve the planning function and at the same time to improve the implementation, monitoring, and control management functions, which creates a more efficient management system that can preserve the value of the analyzed infrastructure elements and extend their lifetime. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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25 pages, 7230 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Protocol Proposal for Data Collection and Processing in Productivity Assessment of Earthworks Using Audio-Visual and Location-Sensing Technology

by Martina Šopić, Mladen Vukomanović and Diana Car-Pušić

Sustainability 2023, 15(16), 12358; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612358 - 14 Aug 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1516

Abstract

During earthworks, monitoring and controlling the actual productivity of construction machines enables insight into the progress of tasks, calculation of expected duration and costs, favorable use and allocation of machines, and the application of appropriate decisions and corrective measures, which is of great interest to contractors. Excavators and tipper trucks are primarily used in earthworks. Manual collection of data from the construction site to assess the actual productivity of machines is today considered an outdated, time-consuming, and subjective method. Therefore, audio–visual and sensing technology devices are replacing manual data collection. The paper aims to propose an innovative protocol for optimal recording/tracking of the work of excavators and tipper trucks using audio–visual (a video camera or smartphone) and location-sensing technology (GPS). The protocol proposal enables a precise statement of the time cycle of excavators and tipper trucks and an estimate of their actual productivity. The application of the protocol proposal on the construction site demonstrated its practicality and functionality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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31 pages, 9874 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Prefabricated Construction Risks: A Holistic Exploration through Advanced Bibliometric Tool and Content Analysis

by Merve Anaç, Gulden Gumusburun Ayalp and Kamil Erdayandi

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11916; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511916 - 2 Aug 2023

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2666

Abstract

Prefabricated construction (PC) offers advantages to the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry such as quality production, fast project completion, low waste output, high environmental sensitivity, and high security. Although PC has several advantages, knowledge gaps persist, necessitating a comprehensive bibliometric study. This research adopts a holistic bibliometric approach, combining qualitative (systematic literature review) and quantitative (bibliometric analysis) methods to assess the current state of prefabricated construction risks (PCRs) research and identify the literature trends. Unlike previous PCRs studies, our research capitalizes on the quantitative analysis capabilities of the Bibliometrix R-tool. We introduce innovative measures, such as the h-index, thematic mapping, and trend topic analysis, to deepen the understanding of the PCRs research landscape. Moreover, this study explores the intellectual structure of PCR research through keyword analysis, cluster analysis, and thematic evaluation, providing valuable insights into scientific studies, collaborations, and knowledge dissemination. In our study, following a systematic literature review to understand the existing knowledge, the R-studio Bibliometrix package is used to map the field, identify gaps in the field, and analyze the trends. This study involves a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of 150 articles in the field of PCRs, with data obtained from the Web of Science spanning from 2000 to 2023. The findings from the analyses reveal that the studies were divided into four different clusters: management, programming, logistics, and supply chain. Additionally, themes such as the integration of PC with Building Information Management (BIM), barriers, and stakeholders were also explored. The analyses indicate a growing awareness of PCRs, particularly in specific areas such as management, performance, and supply chain. This study stands out for its unique methods, analytical approach, and the use of specialized software. It provides valuable insights and suggestions for future studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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21 pages, 3898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Priorities in Croatian School Building Maintenance: A Comparison of the Main Stakeholders’ Views

by Ksenija Tijanić Štrok, Diana Car-Pušić and Saša Marenjak

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11767; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511767 - 31 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1191

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the opinions of the main recognized stakeholders in the maintenance of school buildings (i.e., the construction experts within the founders’ organization, the school staff, and the students), compare their views on the maintenance priorities, and identify certain differences. These data provide information about user needs, can help school founders make maintenance decisions, and are the basis for developing a new, balanced system of maintenance priorities. In the research, the survey questionnaire method was used to collect the data, whereby three groups of stakeholders evaluated the priority of eliminating certain defects in school buildings on a 5-point scale. For the purposes of the questionnaire, a model of 32 defects of the school buildings was created. In the questionnaire, 76 experts, 338 school staff, and 297 students participated. The research is limited to the Republic of Croatia. By conducting non-parametric statistical tests (Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney), it was shown that there were statistically significant differences in the stakeholders’ attitudes towards most maintenance priorities. There were also defects where statistically significant differences were not recognized, namely, regarding faulty lighting fixtures, faulty toilets, faulty sinks, faulty space cooling systems, faulty space heating systems, and faulty hot water heating systems. According to the experts, it is most urgent to remove faulty electrical installations, while according to the school staff, the highest priority is faulty sewage installations. The students believe that the priority is faulty toilets. The lowest priority is removing damage to the external environment (experts) and the facade (school staff and students). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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25 pages, 1458 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risks Caused by Information Asymmetry in Construction Projects: A Systematic Literature Review

by Ivona Ivić and Anita Cerić

Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 9979; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15139979 - 23 Jun 2023

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3615

Abstract

The construction industry has a great impact on the environment and, more than ever, bears responsibility for achieving global sustainability goals. Despite the increasing technological development in the industry, information asymmetry between construction project participants affects communication and causes risks that have the potential to seriously harm project goals. The main objective of this systematic review is to collect and analyze existing scientific papers to summarize knowledge on the risks influenced by information asymmetry in construction projects. The established PRISMA 2020 methodology was used to collect and analyze papers from the two largest databases of scientific literature, Web of Science and Scopus. The coding rules were set up to evaluate the 94 articles that were assessed as eligible. Furthermore, the content analysis was applied with a set of coding rules and with the help of the software Mendeley. This study finds that research on risks caused by information asymmetry is still new, limited and not well connected with theoretical concepts. The most common methods used by researchers are simulation and case study. With a thematic analysis of current knowledge, this study provides a synthesis of identified risks, consequences and mitigation measures, as well as directions for future research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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15 pages, 310 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Management on Concrete Structures as a Tool for the Control of Construction Efficiency

by Matej Špak, Tomáš Mandičák, Marcela Spišáková and Dominik Verčimák

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9577; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129577 - 14 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1815

Abstract

Risk management in the construction industry has a significant role in the impact of a construction project. Risk management is needed to make processes more efficient in terms of the implementation of construction projects. This research is oriented to the management of risks regarding the concrete structures of residential buildings in Central Europe. This research provides insights into risk management procedures, based on a risk’s frequency, the probability of occurrence, and its impact on the effectiveness of construction projects for concrete structures. The aim of the research is to analyze the impact of risk management on the efficiency of construction projects for residential buildings and to propose a method of quantifying this impact, in terms of the technical and economic aspects, based on the calculated coefficients. This will assist in risk management by prioritizing those risks that will have the most significant impact on both the technical aspects and the efficiency of the project. The research results herein provide coefficients for determining the technical and economic impacts that can be implemented for risk management regarding the concrete structures used in the construction projects of residential buildings. The potential risks of concrete structures have been identified and divided into three groups. The scope and content of this study were chosen on the basis of the processes at individual stages. Construction management experts quantified the risk and probability levels according to the implemented projects. Based on the acquisition of these data, the rates of occurrence and impact, i.e., the extent of damaged parts (intensity), were determined. Subsequently, the significance factor was determined. To determine the efficiency, the net present value method was used, reflecting the investment’s time value. The values were adjusted for time and inflation, affecting the overall efficiency coefficient of construction projects. These data were obtained from Eurostat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

19 pages, 3621 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Energy Strategies for Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs)

by Marios Stanitsas and Konstantinos Kirytopoulos

Sustainability 2023, 15(8), 6638; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15086638 - 14 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5726

Abstract

During the last years, renewable energy strategies for sustainable development perform as best practices and strategic insights necessary to support large scale organizations’ approach to sustainability. Power purchase agreements (PPAs) enhance the value of such initiatives. A renewable PPA contract delivers green energy efficiently to organizations that seek sustainability benefits. Consequently, various approaches that define PPAs are utilized to motivate both interested parties to participate in such deals. Highlighting sustainability tactics during negotiations and identifying relative impacts during the projects’ implementation are both necessary. Following the methodological approach of this study, open-ended criteria are used to identify vital negotiation pricing patterns that permit practitioners to deliver win–win outcomes. The aim of this research is to introduce a multicriteria decision analysis-based method, namely PROMETHEE, to evaluate the implementation of sustainability-related strategies using PPAs. This paper proposes a method for ranking alternative sustainable energy strategies in order for decision-makers to be able to select the most appropriate PPA structure for an organization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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20 pages, 807 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Meta-Analysis of Studies on Accident Contributing Factors in the Greek Construction Industry

by Fani Antoniou and Nektaria Filitsa Agrafioti

Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 2357; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15032357 - 28 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2419

Abstract

Occupational accidents, especially in the construction sector, are a worldwide phenomenon. There is a large and important collection of repeated studies at an international level, which has identified and categorized construction accident contributing factors in different countries individually. This paper is a quantitative meta-analysis of data from existing research that identifies and ranks a comprehensive list of the main factors contributing to occupational accidents in the construction sector in Greece. The methodology includes: (i) the identification of common factors through a systematic literature review and content analysis (ii) the categorization and development of a comprehensive accident factor breakdown structure and (iii) the evaluation of the importance of the common factors through statistical meta-analysis by calculating the overall ranking index (ORI). The results indicated that six out of the top ten contributing factors to construction site accidents are from the Occupational Risks category, only one from each of the Safety Culture, Worker Training Deficiencies, and Safety Equipment/Measures categories. The amalgamated insights of 25 Greek scientific studies are certain to be used to shape safety management processes by construction companies, clients, and safety policy decision makers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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16 pages, 2363 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Water Quality Index Prediction for Improvement of Treatment Processes on Drinking Water Treatment Plant

by Goran Volf, Ivana Sušanj Čule, Elvis Žic and Sonja Zorko

Sustainability 2022, 14(18), 11481; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811481 - 13 Sep 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2132

Abstract

In order to improve the treatment processes of the drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) located near the Butoniga reservoir in Istria (Croatia), a prediction of the water quality index (WQI) was done. Based on parameters such as temperature, pH, turbidity, KMnO₄, NH₄, Mn, Al and Fe, the calculation of WQI was conducted, while for the WQI prediction models, along with the mentioned parameters, O₂, TOC and UV254 were additionally used. Four models were built to predict WQI with a time step of one, five, ten, and fifteen days in advance, in order to improve treatment processes of the DWTP regarding the changes in raw water quality in the Butoniga reservoir. Therefore, obtained models can help in the optimization of treatment processes, which depend on the quality of raw water, and overall, in the sustainability of the treatment plant. Results showed that the obtained correlation coefficients for all models are relatively high and, as expected, decrease as the number of prediction days increases; conversely, the number of rules, and related linear equations, depends on the parameters set in the WEKA modelling software, which are set to default settings which give the highest values of correlation coefficient (R) for each model and the optimal number of rules. In addition, all models have high accuracy compared to the measured data, with a good prediction of the peak values. Therefore, the obtained models, through the prediction of WQI, can help to manage the treatment processes of the DWTP, which depend on the quality of raw water in the Butoniga reservoir. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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Review

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17 pages, 1691 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Accessible Design of Pedestrian Bridges

by Ivana Štimac Grandić, Paulo Šćulac, Davor Grandić and Iva Vodopija

Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1063; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031063 - 26 Jan 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 5573

Abstract

Pedestrian bridges are an important component of an active transportation system. As part of digital and green transformation, active travel is recognized as an essential strategy for reducing vehicle fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, but also for improving public health. Pedestrian bridges and other active travel infrastructure must be designed to be accessible to all users. Bridges that do not meet the conditions for comfortable use can force detours that discourage walking and bicycling. Adapting bridges that are not universally accessible requires challenging and expensive construction work. When accessibility issues are considered in the planning and design of new bridges, cost-effective, and often cost-neutral solutions, can be found. Some countries ensure the accessible design of pedestrian bridges through national regulations, but it is important to educate and raise awareness among all bridge designers about the importance of accessible design to achieve sustainable structures. Therefore, this paper provides an overview, comparison and commentary on the most comprehensive current standards, guidelines and manuals for pedestrian bridges that contain information on accessible design. Special attention is given to the design of stairs and ramps as critical elements of bridge accessibility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainability Assessment and Risk Management of Engineering Construction Project)

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