With the emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM), a critical criterion for the qualification of a suitable Construction Supply Chain (CSC) for projects is the ability of individual organisations to deliver through the use of BIM. Despite emerging research on BIM capability assessment, there are very few studies which look specifically at the qualification (pre-qualification and selection) of CSC organisations for projects. Furthermore, there is a general dearth of knowledge about the links between often pre-emptive qualification criteria and actual delivery success, particularly, in the BIM or CSC context. This research identifies the most relevant BIM qualification criteria for CSC organisations, as well as investigates their relative importance and influence on various aspects of BIM delivery success. A sequential exploratory mixed method research strategy was adopted in a three-phase design. The first phase explored BIM expert views on appropriate BIM qualification criteria in the UK, through interviews with BIM specialists (n=8). The next phase consisted of two rounds of a Delphi study with experienced construction practitioners (n=30 and n=25) to ascertain the most critical among the BIM qualification criteria derived from the first phase. This was achieved through statistical determination of Delphi participant consensus with the inter-rater agreement (rwg) test. The final phase involved a survey of practitioners on BIM-enabled projects in the UK (n=64) in order to empirically establish the relationship between the critical BIM qualification criteria and various dimensions of BIM delivery success in practice. This was achieved through survey respondents’ independent appraisal of CSC organisations on recent projects in relation to quality of BIM deliverables, delivery of BIM within schedule and on budget, plus collaboration, coordination and integration of project CSC through BIM. Various multivariate statistical analysis techniques including correlation analysis, mean weighted contribution analysis, multiple regressions modelling and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were engaged to identify qualification criteria influence on success. A decision support framework (DSF) was developed and proposed, based on the coefficients and weightings computed from the inferential statistical analysis of survey data. The research findings and DSF were validated through convergence analysis, as well as elicitation of expert respondent feedback to ensure adequacy, suitability and relevance in practice. The findings highlight the multi-dimensional nature of the relationship between BIM capability and various elements of delivery success. It is surmised that individual BIM capability attributes influence various aspects of BIM delivery success to different extents and this must be taken into consideration when selecting CSC candidates. BIM ‘staff experience’ and the ‘suitability of proposed methodology’ prior to BIM project commencement were identified as the most influential criteria on BIM modelling success (quality of BIM models, delivery of BIM within schedule and on budget). Individual competencies were found to be most influential on modelling quality and delivery of BIM within budget while execution planning adequacy influenced ability to deliver BIM on time. On the other hand, the ‘administrative and strategic’ level capacities were found as the most influential in relation to leveraging BIM to achieve project CSC objectives namely, collaboration, coordination or integration on projects. From a consolidation of the findings, a DSF is proposed for prioritisation of CSC organisations based on their propensity to succeed in the delivery of BIM. The work also provides an enhanced guidance on the relationship between various dimensions of BIM capability and delivery success, as well as how this knowledge enhances the prediction of CSC candidate propensity to succeed at the pre-qualification and selection phase of construction projects.

There is an inextricable linkage between sustainable construction (SC) and carbon emissions -- the former cannot be effectively attained if the latter is ignored. Since the building sector accounts for one-third of annual global carbon emissions, taking action to reduce buildings’ emissions is necessary so as not to undermine SC. However, the predominant focus on the operation phase of buildings has increased the relative importance and magnitude of embodied carbon (EC), which are emissions associated with constructing buildings. Accounting for EC is necessary, since it presents a plethora of opportunities to enhance SC. This initiative should be extended to developing countries in which, although EC assumes significant importance, it is hardly researched about. This work contributes to understanding and possible enhancement of SC in the building sector in Uganda by investigating the integration of EC accounting in construction practices. Process modelling was used to describe the existing practice (as-is system) so as to identify potential areas for improvement. Mathematical modelling was used to develop a model that was implemented as a software tool, using rapid application development. Using process modelling, the model was integrated into the as-is system to create a new (to-be) system. This system was empirically evaluated using structured interviews with built environment professionals. Findings show that the to-be system can facilitate SC. It was also found to be institutionally feasible, although high implementation costs were envisaged. The to-be system addresses distributional considerations, such as legitimacy, transparency, and fairness. The challenges and recommendations for implementation were identified. This research provides a tangible option for Uganda’s building sector, and developing countries alike, to explore alternatives of promoting SC through EC accounting. Although the to-be system is unique to Uganda, its components, such as the mathematical model, provide new insights into improving quantification and accounting for EC worldwide.

Over the last decade, the use of BIM methodology, both in terms of technology and process, has experienced a rapid growth in the construction industry, there is a worldwide increase trend on the use and investment in this new technologies. Although, the benefits associated with the use of BIM in the construction industry, the literature has been demonstrated that BIM as a digital collaborative environment between construction stakeholders is here to stay. However, some aspects of the technology are still unfamiliar within the industry, several problems associated with BIM application and adaptation has been surfaced. Unsurprisingly when new technologies are used, such of these problems will appear, this is because BIM approaches represent new concepts and untested in construction industry. Therefore the challenge to overcome problems facing a using BIM, and identify the key risk factors becomes tangible more than any time before. From this perspective, the aim of this study is to identify the emerging risk that influence BIM use in the projects, investigate these risks based on the perception of academics and professionals from the Western world. In this research was to identify 128 of the risk factors based on a review of previous literature, these factors have been categorized into five key clusters (contractual, legal, technical, managerial, application and security). The study employs an online survey, which was sent to 426 respondents. The respondents were drawn from websites and professional networks. The statistical techniques of descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, ANOVA analysis, and analysis of variance were used for data analysis. The analysis findings show that four contractual risks were assessed to be important: LC2 "Trades on site may not be working from the model", LC1"Unclear how to deal with BIM documents’ precedence", and LC5 “Misplaced assumptions that the design team, with a “push of a button” is able to produce a perfectly coordinated series of documents through BIM”. In the legal risk cluster, the respondents agreed on the importance of L.IPR1 "Lack of clarity of the ownership of the BIM objects"; LD4 "Lack of knowledge of the missing data" and likewise, LP1 “Modelling participant does not meet the standard of care required” risk factors. The research findings also indicate that four technical risks will have an influence on BIM usage: TC1 “Complexity of transferring modelling data between programs from one program to another", TI2 "Lack of understanding of BIM for the different software platforms", TI3 "Interoperability shortcomings", TQ9 "Failure to discover errors in the model", and TI1 "Risks of different software platforms”. The results appear to show that the respondents thought ten managerial risk factors are of relevance: MX5 "Lack of understanding of the expectations from BIM modelling"; MX4 "Lack of experience and skilled personnel”; MC4 "Lack of clarity on integration BIM with the current business practice"; MS1 "Conflict due to dissimilar expectations from BIM"; MS4 "Lack of collaborative work processes and standards"; MX7 "Lack of understanding of BIM processes"; MX6 "Lack of understanding of modelling behaviors"; MX8 "Lack of expertise within the project team"; MX9 "Lack of expertise within the organizations"; and MS3 "Lack of criteria for BIM project implementation". Only three application risks were deemed important: PS6 "Implications of amendments are unclear or not defined"; PT10 "Lack of updating the designed model to incorporate the BIM changes made during construction"; and PT11 "Model not updated along with progress reviews" risk factors. The results showed that the respondents strongly agreed that eight out of ten BIM security risks are relevant in BIM application and are very likely to emerge: S9 "Disclosure of confidential information that need to integrate with BIM programs"; S6 "Lack of understanding or ignoring security policies"; S3 "Disclosure of BIM data"; S10 "Unauthorised access and remote access"; S5 "Weakness in technical controls"; S4 "Weakness in security procedures"; S8 "Corporate surveillance"; and S7 "Opening non-trusted e-mail" risk factors. The ANOVA analysis results revealed a variety of interrelationships between the identified risks based on respondents’ profiles, affect in adapting with application and the use of BIM, this requires to be considered by BIM stakeholders, and developing an international standard for BIM risk management, finding optimal solutions for such these identified factors, in addition to further studies and researches in this field. This thesis investigates the emerging risks from BIM application and delivers an original contribution to knowledge in the form of identifying and classifying BIM application risks, which will enhance the level of stakeholder awareness and avoid any risks associated with usage of BIM in the future projects and assist in the maturity of BIM usage.

There is a continuously growing interest on ‘Sustainable Construction (SC)’ both within the UK and globally. In the UK, a myriad of policies and guidance have been published in this regard by various government offices, departments and other industry related institutions. However, similar to sustainable development, SC is without an agreed upon definition. There is lack of agreement on the interpretation of SC, both within the industry and in academic literature. Further evidence point at a gap between the technological abilities of the construction industry and what is actually achieved in terms of SC. Therefore, it appears that the problem may lie with the understanding of and the effective implementation of SC at project level. The aim of this research therefore, was to understand the interpretations of SC and to develop a framework that can assist in its effective uptake and implementation within construction project environments. A more qualitative research approach was used to achieve the aforementioned aim. An analysis of 18 advisory documents (chosen using criterion sampling) was carried out using qualitative content analysis to ascertain how SC was interpreted in these documents. Case study methodology and the principles of grounded theory analysis were used in order to allow for an understanding on the interpretation of and the process of implementing SC to emerge at project level. Three case studies were selected and semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from four different stakeholder groups (i.e. client, contractor, design team and facilities management) within each case. Through the advisory document analysis, a view of SC at strategic level was developed comprising of 15 characteristics and 80 objectives of SC. The study found that there was a strong focus on the environmental element of SC within the advisory documents. At the construction project level, there was a tendency to focus upon the issues that are capable of bringing in tangible, ‘quick-wins’ in terms of cost savings. The proposed framework for uptake and implementation of SC within a construction project environment consists of four main sections. The first section addresses the contextual considerations in developing SC agendas for construction projects. The second section provides a comprehensive view of the nature and objectives of SC. This provides the basis upon which SC objectives can be set for a particular construction project. The third and fourth sections of the framework address the implementation of SC at project level. The actions for SC implementation are presented within the third section divided into four lifecycle phases. The internal and external influence factors affecting the said process are presented within the fourth section of the framework. The developed framework also highlighted the need for feedback at two levels (i.e. within the construction project level and from project level to strategic level). The findings of the research emphasise the need for streamlining the development of advisory documents on SC and increasing the level of comparability between the existing advisory documents. Further attention should also be given towards providing more conceptual understanding on SC, especially for those project team members, who do not possess specific educational backgrounds or experience in addressing SC. At project level, there is a need to consider SC as an integral part of the construction process itself rather than something superfluous or extra that has been necessitated through mandatory legislations. The project level SC objectives should align with the national and sector level policies and guidance on SC. However, the ultimate applicability of these SC objectives for projects should be decided taking into consideration the specific requirements of each project. The study was limited to PPP/PFI projects in the healthcare sector. Hence, opportunities for further investigation exist by expanding the number of case studies to widen the scope of the research; for example by including projects in other sectors and using other types of procurement. The outcomes of the research can be used by the project level stakeholders, particularly clients, in adopting pro-active approaches in the uptake and implementation of SC within construction project environments.

The overall aim of this project was to utilise green chemistry methodology to capture potentially harmful, toxic or valuable compounds from wastewater. Novel mesoporous materials, Starbon®, prepared from naturally abundant polysaccharides, have demonstrated significant potential as adsorbents for the uptake of a range of dyes and phenols. Through the use of different polysaccharide starting materials (starch and alginic acid) and different preparation temperatures, six materials were produced. The resulting materials were characterised by techniques including: solid-state NMR, nitrogen porosimetry, FT-IR, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The experimental results revealed that the materials exhibited high efficiency to remove dyes and phenols from aqueous media due to their high mesoporous nature. The adsorption process was described well by the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms. Thermodynamic analysis of the results indicated that adsorption was a physical process. Investigations into the capture of palladium from liquid waste and also greener methods of supported nanoparticle formation were also carried out. Biosorption of palladium by alginic acid and seaweed was highly successful, resulting in nanometer sized palladium deposits within the adsorbent. The catalytic activity of these materials was successfully demonstrated through the use of Heck and Suzuki reactions. Preliminary work exploring the first use of living plants to recover palladium from water and in situ production of catalytically active palladium nanoparticles also is presented. This novel process eliminates the necessity for nanoparticle extraction from the plant and reduces the number of production steps compared to traditional catalyst palladium on carbon. These plant catalysts have demonstrated high catalytic activity in a range of C-C coupling reactions, outperforming traditionally used palladium catalysts.

Green business models (GBMs) have the potential to deliver a much better performance compared to conventional business models (BMs) in this age of sustainability. The question of how construction companies can transform their BMs based on green value propositions is both highly relevant for management and poorly understood to date. This study empirically investigates GBMs transformations in the UK construction industry. The study closely scrutinises how GBMs are defined and understood by adopting a set of defined five elements from business and management literature: namely, green value proposition (GVP); target group (TG); key activities (KA); key resources (KR); and financial logic (FL). It also identifies changes, benefits, and challenges associated with GBMs to ultimately propose a guideline for GBMs implementation. It adopts a qualitative method to provide a diagnostic exploratory study and conducts 19 semi-structured interviews with academics and managers from various construction companies. This study applies thematic analysis as the main data analysis technique and further analyses and validates the findings by utilising interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and interpretive ranking process (IRP) techniques. ISM and IRP techniques are novel contributions to GBMs and construction research. The emergent findings are then validated and refined by conducting structured interviews with 4 academics and 1 director from a contractor practice. A BM is considered to be green when a business changes element (s) of its BM to create and capture a business opportunity or a proposition for TGs that provides environmental improvement coupled with economic benefits. The key findings reveal that GBMs can link environmental sustainability with economic success in a systematic manner. They show that GBMs transformations require strong change capabilities and radically influence the way in which companies conduct business. In addition, they demonstrate the interrelation between the different GBMs elements and show that the GVP and FL represent the foundation of GBMs. The challenges that emerged from this research include: government constraints; financial constraints; industry constraints; company constrains; and lack of demand. However, the ISM analysis demonstrates that government policies are the root challenges that hinder GBMs transformations. Despite the challenges posed, GBMs have the potential to deliver credibility, financial and long-term viability benefits for construction companies. The study proposes and validates a guideline for GBMs implementation for the UK construction industry. The guideline starts with creating top-management receptiveness and support the importance of capturing green demand to be converted into GVPs. It also stresses the importance of out-sourcing of some of the KA and KR and highlights the function of marketing and promotions. In addition, the guideline includes various reviewing and monitoring points to be fed to the top-management. Although the BMs and GBMs are new in the construction discipline, this research, as far as can be established, is one of the few empirical academic works introducing and defining GBMs in the construction context. This study contributes originally to GBMs research by developing a structured relationship between the different GBMs elements and by ranking the elements with reference to benefit areas. The relationship between the GBM elements informs construction managers that the smallest details are not vital in a GBM instead how every element of it fits together as a whole reinforcing system is important matter. Consequently, the different elements of the GBM should never be analysed or developed in isolation. To capture economic benefits offered by environmental sustainability, construction companies need to concentrate on greening the whole BM rather than products and processes only. Finally, the study draws a list of recommendations for increasing GBMs uptake and suggests further research opportunities, particularly in the areas of GBMs elements and networks. Key words: Business models, construction industry, environmental sustainability, green business models, UK.

Decision making during the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in current AEC projects is believed as a key element to improve both BIM performance and project outcome. In order to provide the most informed decision and strategic plan, two vital elements are required: a comprehensive set of decision making criteria and a reasonable priority system. The literature analysis has revealed that existing assessment frameworks have limitations concerning these two elements. Therefore, this research has been designed to develop a more effective BIM evaluation Framework (BeF), to assist new BIM users and also provide a more effective implementation approach for BIM. In order to accomplish this objective, research steps of theoretical and empirical nature have been adopted: (a) a multi-dimensional BIM implementation Framework (BiF) was proposed based on the literature review; (b) use of a case study to test the proposed BiF on a real-life project; (c) a questionnaire approach to test the comprehensiveness of the proposed BiF on an industry level; (d) applying the Delphi method to further refine the proposed criteria in a specific context; (e) using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) to develop a BeF and providing priority shifting for a more preferable strategic goal in Arup ShenZhen office (ASZ); (f) developing a validation system to prove the efficacy of the proposed BeF. The adoption priority and approach of BIM could be influenced by policies, culture, business structure, legislation etc. As a result, a specific context, China has been selected for this work. The research result could assist decision making in BIM management in the ASZ for a higher BIM performance. The framework by the Delphi method is suitable for the selected context: China. The proposed Delphi and AHP methodological framework can be replicated to assist decision making of BIM management in any AEC organisation.

In the last few decades, there has been well documented evidence that the performance of the public building projects in local authorities in Indonesia does not fully meet the expectation of the stakeholders involved and demonstrates sustainable practices. This mediocre performance impacts on the competitiveness of building industry, and therefore would require the development of a strategic approach to address these fundamental structural and cultural issues. The strategic approach, which facilitates sustainable practices, to a large extent, depends on the local priorities, goals and success criteria, which are dynamic and influenced by the expectations of various stakeholders involved in the procurement of public buildings. This research aims to develop a conceptual framework that will help local authorities to enhance sustainable practices of public building management. The empirical research work adopted case study strategy involving interviews with 24 public building practitioners and investigation of building defects on 34 projects. This research proposes LACU model, which represents a triangular relationship between contractors, local authorities and building end-users to illustrate the interactions between parties when undertaking their tasks throughout the project lifecycle. A framework of Sustainable-Dynamic Capabilities was developed and applied to enhance understanding of sustainability provisions in public building development. Based on this framework and stakeholders’ mapping illustrated by LACU model, this research has enhanced understanding on strategies of local authority to implement sustainable practices on public building projects. A template analysis through interview transcripts has been adopted to identify strategic approaches of local authority to deliver successful project by determining the roles of stakeholder at three different levels, provincial, regency or city and special authority. This research provides a novel empirically-based guidance for the local authorities to undertake sustainable public building procurement throughout project life cycle by adopting strategic approaches, such as employing innovative construction method, appropriate policy intervention by local leader, and changing business orientation.

Σκοπός της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι να αναδείξει της νέες τεχνολογίες που ενσωματώνονται στα κτίρια. Πρόκειται για τεχνολογίες φιλικές προς το περιβάλλον, αφού ελαχιστοποιούν τους ρύπους του κτιρίου, εξοικονομούν ενέργεια και στηρίζονται κυρίως σε ανανεώσιμους πόρους για την παραγωγή της. Η χρήση του κτιρίου και ο εντοπισμός των αναγκών του επιδέχεται προσανατολισμένες λύσεις. Έτσι, σε κατοικίες, γραφεία, αποθήκες, εμπορικά, βιομηχανικά και ειδικά κτίρια, μπορούν να ενσωματωθούν νέες τεχνολογίες, αυξάνοντας το ενεργειακό τους αποτύπωμα. Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία αναφέρεται σε ενσωμάτωση, φιλικών προς το περιβάλλον, τεχνολογιών, ειδικά για υφιστάμενα κτίρια. Μέσω της ριζικής και λειτουργικής ανακαίνισης και αποκατάστασης αυτών, τα αποτελέσματα τείνουν προς την επίτευξη ενός κτιρίου χαμηλής ενεργειακής κατανάλωσης και ελάχιστων ρύπων. Οι τεχνολογίες αυτές διαχωρίζονται σε τρεις κατηγορίες. Αρχικά, οι βασικές τεχνικές/τεχνολογίες που απαιτούνται σε κάθε είδος κτιρίου, προκειμένου να παρέχει στον χρήστη οπτική και θερμική άνεση και να επιτύχει τους περιβαλλοντικούς και ενεργειακούς στόχους. Πρόκειται για τεχνολογίες που έχουν ήδη εφαρμοστεί ή θα έπρεπε να εφαρμοστούν ευρέως. Έπειτα, είναι οι ειδικές τεχνικές/τεχνολογίες, που προχωρούν τις βασικές ένα βήμα παρακάτω, και που αναφέρονται σε τεχνικές που συνεχώς εξελίσσονται. Η ενσωμάτωσή τους στα υπό ανακαίνιση κτίρια αποκτά ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον, εξυπηρετώντας εκτός από τους περιβαλλοντικούς στόχους και μια αξιόλογη αισθητική. Την τελευταία κατηγορία αποτελούν οι καινοτόμες τεχνολογίες, όπου κυρίως βρίσκονται σε ερευνητικό στάδιο, ή παρουσιάζουν ελάχιστες εφαρμογές. Επιστήμονες όλων των ειδικοτήτων, εργάζονται προς επίλυση των παραγόντων, που αποτελούν τροχοπέδη, για την ευρεία παραγωγή και εφαρμογή τους. Σωστή ενημέρωση των χρηστών κάθε κτιρίου, ορθολογική χρήση των υπαρχόντων τεχνολογιών, πιθανά κρατικά κίνητρα και παροχή σωστών τεχνικά μελετών και εφαρμογών είναι θέματα που απαιτούν ιδιαίτερη προσοχή. Ο κτιριακός τομέας, από ενεργειακής πλευράς, είναι ένας εκ των τριών κύριων υπαιτίων για την κλιματική αλλαγή, το φαινόμενο του θερμοκηπίου και άλλα παγκόσμια περιβαλλοντικά προβλήματα. Τα ενεργειακά αποθέματα που προέρχονται από μη- ανανεώσιμους πόρους τείνουν προς εξάντληση. Νέες τεχνολογίες έρχονται για να καλύψουν απαραίτητες παγκόσμιες ανάγκες. Η ενημέρωση είναι ένα καλό ξεκίνημα. / The aim of this thesis is to highlight the new technologies incorporated in buildings. These technologies are environmentally friendly, since minimize pollutants building and energy saving are mainly based on renewable resources for energy production. The optimal use of the building and the identification of it, contribute to the needs, open-oriented solutions. Thus, in homes, offices, warehouses, commercial, industrial and special buildings can incorporate new technologies, increasing their energy footprint. This thesis refers to integration of environmentally friendly technologies, especially for existing buildings. Through a radical and functional renovation and restoration of those, the results tend towards a building with low energy consumption and of minimum emissions. These technologies are divided into three categories. Initially, the basic techniques / technologies required in each type of building, in order to provide the user visual and thermal comfort and achieve environmental and energy goals. These are technologies that have been or should be implemented widely. Then, there are the specific techniques / technologies that move the key a step below and are referred to techniques constantly evolved. Their integration in buildings under renovation is of special interest, apart from raising environmental objectives and a remarkable aesthetics. The last category comprises innovative technologies, which are mainly found in the research stage, or having few applications. Scientists of all disciplines are working to resolve the factors which hold for the large-scale production and implementation. Properly informed users for buildings rational use of existing technologies, potential government incentives and suitable technical studies and applications, are issues that require special attention. The buildings sector is, from the energy point of view, one of the three main culprits of climate change, global warming and other global environmental problems. Energy supplies from non-renewable resources tend to exhaustion. New technologies are coming to meet essential world needs. The awareness is a good start.

This thesis delivers a significant contribution to knowledge through the construction of a validated framework, that supports value creation for the QS organisation, when adopting and implementing BIM. It also reports on the current misconceptions in terms of the threat posed by Building Information Modelling (BIM) to the QS profession. This research has found that the QS role will evolve and transform with the opportunities that BIM presents, and will survive as consequence of value creation. The thesis identified 9 critical success factors, 5 success factors specific to BIM and 4 success factors specific to the organisation, all of which contributed towards the development of the framework. The study was conducted by adopting a mixed methods design by extracting knowledge from the literature review to inform the semi structured interviews, the results of which informed the design of the questionnaires and finally all results informed the development of the framework which was finally validated via a focus group. The major findings of this research were threefold. Firstly, from a theoretical perspective it was found that a unified understanding of BIM definition aligning the perceptions of the individual QS with those of the organisation, was the foundation from which to develop the framework. It was found to be of far more significance than most theorist purport, as the adoption process requires systemic transformation at all levels within the organisation, based on a unified vison. This stems from individual and organisational perceptions of BIM, which in turn go back to definition. Secondly, the research identified that the BIM barriers reported by the theorists are not the dominant barrier to implementation, but it is more specifically the lack of understanding of the benefits of BIM to the individual, that restrict adoption. Finally, the research has provided the QS organisation with a holistic overview of the key critical success factors necessary to support BIM level maturity and ultimately value creation.