Publications from the Centre for Advanced Built Environment Research (CABER)

This edited book addresses a gap in literature by advancing current understandings of the applications of immersive technology within the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. Globally, the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) sector makes an enormous contribution to the socio-economic development of nations, which is primarily evidenced by its creation/provision of the built environment. The sector has, however, often been criticised for inefficiencies, waste, and diverse forms of adverse impacts that are associated with the lifecycle of the provision of built assets – design, construction, operations & maintenance, and end-of-life phases. Over the years, the inefficiencies, waste and adverse impacts have often been a catalyst for calls and initiatives to transform the AEC sector. The advent of the fourth industrial revolution (commonly referred to as, ‘Industry 4.0’), which entails the automation and digitalisation of production, presents opportunities to leverage emerging technologies to improve the image and productivity of the sector. Prominent among the emerging technologies in the Industry 4.0 era is that of immersive technology, which includes virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality. The capability of immersive technology to deliver beneficial impacts for multiple construction sector stakeholders throughout the construction lifecycle has been acknowledged within the industry and this continues to stimulate interest amongst practitioners, policymakers, and researchers. Despite this phenomenon, at present there is no dedicated compendium of research-informed text that focusses on the multifaceted applications of immersive technology throughout the lifecycle of the provision of built assets right from concept design to end-of-life. This book thus addresses this gap in literature by advancing current understanding of the applications of immersive technology within the AEC industry.  Readers will understand how the technologies are applied, the resulting array of impacts including benefits, drawbacks, challenges and future directions for applications, research, and development.

This Handbook presents opportunities, best practices, and case studies backed by cutting edge research on the drivers of continuous improvement of health, safety, and wellbeing in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facility management sector. The book consists of 23 chapters with six themes covering: ● Drivers of the business case for healthier and safer construction ● Opportunities and drivers of digital technologies for improving health and safety ● Drivers of human factors for improving health and safety ● Drivers of safer design and procurement ● Drivers of better health and wellbeing for construction. ● Opportunities for driving equality and inclusivity for safer construction. The book will be beneficial to academics, undergraduate and postgraduate (research and taught) students, professional institutions (such as the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health), health and safety professionals (health and safety officers, consultants and managers), occupational health professionals, mental health and wellbeing professionals, construction managers, architects, project professionals, engineers (design, construction, project, site, electrical, mechanical, civil, building services, and structural), facilities managers, quantity surveyors, and site managers. The aim of the book is to provide critical perspectives alongside evidence based practical examples of success stories, that should inspire readers and engender continuous improvement in health, safety, and wellbeing in the construction industry.

Pushing the boundaries of flood risk management research, this comprehensive Research Handbook presents pragmatic insights into all areas relating to flood risk. Through its use of dynamic and people-centred paradigms, it explores urban flood management within localities, properties, neighbourhoods and cities. Structured around the flood risk management cycle, chapters explore the critical importance of managing the consequences of flooding whilst examining key concepts such as mitigation, preparedness, emergency management and recovery. An international range of expert contributors from an array of disciplines recognize the inadequacies of existing governance approaches and mechanisms when it comes to addressing urban flooding, and identify the ways in which these can be strengthened in order to create an integrated flood and water management framework. Adopting a forward-thinking approach, the Research Handbook also investigates future directions of flood risk management research. The Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management will be an indispensable resource for academics, researchers and students interested in environmental geography, environmental governance and regulation, urban studies, politics and public policy, and the management of natural resources.

This handbook explores the critically important topic of embodied carbon, providing advanced insights that focus on measuring and reducing embodied carbon from across the built environment, including buildings, urban areas and cities, and construction materials and components. Split into five distinct sections, international experts, researchers, and professionals present the recent developments in the field of embodied carbon from various perspectives and at different scales of material, building, and city. Following an introduction to the embodied carbon question, the chapters in Section 1 then cover the key debates around issues such as the politics of embodied carbon, links between embodied carbon and thermal mass, and the misuse of carbon offsets. Section 2 reviews the embodied carbon policies in a selected number of countries. Sections 3, 4, and 5 approach the topic of embodied carbon from urban-, building-, and material-scale perspectives, respectively, and use case studies to demonstrate estimation techniques and present opportunities and challenges in embodied carbon mitigation. This will be important reading for upper-level students and researchers in Architecture, Urban Planning, Engineering, and Construction disciplines. Presenting case studies of embodied carbon assessment, this book will also help practicing architects, engineers, and urban planners understand embodied carbon estimation techniques and different mitigation strategies.

This edited book presents a significant and timely contribution to our understanding of a broad range of issues pertaining to COVID-19 and its relationship to occupational safety, health and well-being (OSHW) in the global construction industry. The editors first introduce the industry and its poor OSHW history before highlighting some of the broader impacts of the pandemic on the sector. The book is then divided into two sections. Section One focuses on the management of COVID-19 transmission risk. It captures insights, practices, technologies and lessons learned in relation to what has and is being done to prevent or mitigate the risk of COVID-19 transmission among the construction workforce. Construction Safety, Health and Well-being in the COVID-19 Era also details case studies, lessons and best practices for managing sites and workforces when infections inevitably do occur. Section Two brings together international chapters discussing the impacts of COVID-19 on the OSHW of the construction workforce both on and off-site, as well as the management of those impacts. Furthermore, this presents implications of the pandemic (at the short-, medium-, and long-term) for other performance measures of construction projects such as cost, schedule, quality and, most importantly, how the pursuit/non-pursuit of such performance measures have impacted/will impact the OSHW of construction workers and professionals in the industry. This book addresses the gap in literature by offering global perspectives on the OSHW impacts and implications of COVID-19 in the construction industry and will help its wide readership (including construction industry organisations, professionals, researchers, government bodies/policy makers and students) to understand a broad suite of issues pertaining to COVID-19 and its relationship to OSHW in construction.

SmartSocks® is a novel wearable technology developed by Milbotix. The socks continuously monitor physiological measures such as pulse rate, skin temperature, and movement in real-time to detect early signs of distress and agitation. In so doing, they support timely and individualised care interventions for people living with dementia. This presentation reports on a participatory study evaluating the usability and acceptability of SmartSocks® across care settings. Over 4 focus groups and co-design workshops, and 3 interviews with people living with dementia, carers, healthcare practitioners and commissioners, 31 people discussed the benefits and expectations of wearable health technologies, key functional requirements and possible barriers to their adoption. Findings prioritised usability, aesthetics, and integration within caregiving routines, along with comfort, ease of use, and personalisation for enhanced acceptability. The results provide actionable design and implementation suggestions, based on stakeholder’s views to ensure assistive technologies are clinically effective, usable and acceptable for dementia care.

Why do cameras exist? While investigating possible futures with product design students in the ‘Design Futures’ module, staff witnesses arising challenges deriving from an all-encompassing excitement for technology. Students increasingly favour ‘tech’ over real issues. The module re-centres the human-tool relationships through critical, humanistic reflection. The final-year module provides thinking methods, encouraging learners to reflect why/if certain tools remain relevant—by meeting fundamental human needs. Where higher education precautionarily prioritizes data-driven approaches over humanistic discussion, this risks overlooking the deeper, more meaningful connections between people and the tools they use. This also directly corelates with environmental issues and the tendency to abandon human values in the wake of AI. Based on this the module evolves specific methods for delivery, reflection and discourse which is appreciated by the learners as they see how their individual human needs can be met in their practice of design. Our presentation will elaborate on the elementary methods and outcomes, including: Focusing on Humanities over the scientific approach, Basic human needs - empathise with generations to understand our symbiosis with tools (e.g. analyse what meaning cameras had for older generations) and Bag it until needed - Technology is just a means to an end.

The rapid expansion of solar energy has raised critical concerns regarding the disposal of end-of-life photovoltaic (PV) panels. This research aims to assess the current landscape of solar panel recycling and explore the effectiveness of regulatory frameworks, recycling technologies, and policy interventions in supporting a sustainable solar energy future. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study combines secondary data analysis of regulatory framework and policies from European Union, United Kingdom, United States and Asia with cross-national case studies of Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The research evaluates recycling infrastructure, cost implications, material recovery rates, and public awareness to understand existing gaps and opportunities. Findings indicate that while recycling offers substantial environmental and economic benefits—such as resource conservation, job creation, and emissions reduction—barriers including high costs, limited facilities, and low consumer engagement impede widespread adoption. Emerging innovations in mechanical and chemical recycling processes show promise in improving material recovery rates and reducing energy input. The study also highlights how extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and circular economy policies can strengthen compliance and investment. Addressing these challenges is essential to reinforce solar energy’s contribution to climate goals and to ensure that PV technology remains sustainable over its entire lifecycle. The study’s implications call for coordinated global action, stronger regulatory enforcement, technological advancement, and public awareness to build an efficient and economically viable recycling ecosystem for solar panels.

The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies offers considerable potential to enhance occupational safety and health (OSH) in modern methods of construction (MMC). Maturity models provide a structured approach to guide this transition effectively. Although the previous studies have focused on the development of maturity models for Industry 4.0, OSH management, and MMC, there is a lack of a comprehensive review that thoroughly evaluates and compares the existing maturity models related to Industry 4.0, OSH, and MMC. To fill the mentioned gap, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines, which identified 30 pertinent articles from Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. This SLR determined the research principle, model development method, and model structure. This state-of-the-art review offers both theoretical and practical contributions. It provides a theoretical contribution by systematically analysing maturity models associated with Industry 4.0, OSH, and MMC, highlighting existing gaps and establishing a foundation for creating a unified framework to evaluate readiness and improve safety outcomes in prefabricated construction. Regarding practical contributions, the review can pave the way for construction managers and safety officers to assess their organisations’ current maturity level towards implementing Industry 4.0 technologies for improving OSH within MMC.

Real estate valuation, despite using well defined methods and techniques, is often referred to as arts. The valuers use specific property and market characteristics and valuation is a mere result of the quantification of the impact of such characteristics. While the real estate market transparency is improving with the availability of reliable data (JLL, 2024; Ache et al., 2024), the current mainstream standards and guidelines on the quality of inputs used for valuation are still inconsistent creating confusion around how to deal with the lack or poor quality of market data. This research provides a comprehensive review of key resources available to valuers that provide details on the degrees of reliance on various types of inputs. These resources include standards and guidelines published by the International Valuation Standards Council, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, The European Group of Valuer’s Associations, the International Accounting Standards Board and the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority. The research identifies gaps and inconsistencies across the various resources and provides recommendations on how they could be addressed to minimise ambiguities and ensure consistency in real estate valuation