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Building environmental assessment (BEA) is critical to improving sustainability. However, the BEA process is inefficient, costly, and often inaccurate. Because automation has the potential to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the BEA process, studies have focused on automating BEA (ABEA). Updated until now, a comprehensive analysis of prevailing literature on ABEA remains absent. This study conducts the first comprehensive systematic analysis appraising the state-of-the-art of research on ABEA. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guided to systematically analyse 91 relevant studies. Results uncover that only 29.7% of BEA systems worldwide have automated their processes, with the US LEED residing at the vanguard of automation efforts. The New Buildings scheme was mostly focused on, while largely ignoring other schemes, e.g., Existing Buildings. Five key digital approaches to ABEA were revealed, namely building information modelling (BIM) and plug-in software, BIM-ontology, data mining and machine learning, cloud-BIM, and digital twin-based approaches. Based on identified gaps, future research directions are proposed, specifically: using data mining and machine learning models for ABEA; development of a holistic cloud-based approach for real-time BEA; and digital twin for dynamic BEA. This study generates a deeper understanding of ABEA and its theoretical implications, such as major constructs and emerging perspectives, constitute a basis for holistic, and innovation in, BEA. • This study presents the first comprehensive systematic analysis appraising the state-of-the-art of research on ABEA. • This study reveals focused and unfocused BEA systems and their schemes for ABEA. • Five key digital approaches to ABEA include BIM and plug-in software, BIM-ontology, data mining and machine learning, cloud-based, and digital twin-based approaches. • From the major construct, emerging perspectives and gaps identified, potential future research directions related to ABEA are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) enables designers and contractors to determine whether a building's performance 'in-use' meets the specifications prescribed 'in-design'. Hence, POE presents an invaluable opportunity for stakeholders within the architecture, engineering, construction and operations (AECO) sector to learn from mistakes and improve the environmental performance of future designs. Against this contextual backdrop, this paper identifies the barriers to performing a POE implementation following a building's hand-over and use, and how these barriers inadvertently prevent sustainable development goals from being reached. A theoretical model is developed which enables building owners and users to implement a POE and thereby realise its innate potential to reduce the impact of the built environment upon the natural environment. An interpretivist philosophical stance is adopted to analyse both secondary and primary data collated using a three-stage waterfall process. First, a thematic content analysis is conducted utilising the transcript of a practitioner focus group convened to garner perspectives on the prominent barriers to POE implementation. Second, a scientometric analysis is undertaken to examine the prevailing body of knowledge (BoK) pertaining to sustainability, circular economy and barriers to POE implementation. Finally, a cross-comparative analysis of the emergent findings emanating from the previous two stages is conducted to ascertain whether academic literature is addressing the barriers identified by industry practitioners. The research reveals that despite the significant opportunities that POE presents to reduce the built environment's substantial impact upon the natural environment, only a relatively small proportion of the POE BoK explores this objective. Similarly, an even smaller proportion of literature examines the barriers to POE implementation and how to overcome them. The cross-comparative analysis undertaken highlights inconsistencies between practitioner requirements regarding implementation barriers and the proportion of the POE BoK pursuing this objective. Curiously, there is no literature delineating POE's potential to facilitate a circular economy within the built environment sector. A novel theoretical model emerges from this research which acts to bridge a gap between theory and practice and provides utility for researchers and practitioners alike to increase the interchange of knowledge pertaining to pertinent POE requirements. The resultant model establishes POE as a crucial environmental feedback mechanism for stakeholders within the AECO sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finance represents a major barrier to real estate development in Ghana and constraints responsible remain unknown. In order to gain insight into this important social/economic issue, a positivist tradition of thinking via the survey approach sought to uncover, explain and rank these constraints using the Relative Importance Index. A total of 53 questionnaires were distributed to real estate developers within the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana. The survey reveals that real estate developers predominantly use debt financing including short-term bank loans, mortgages and hire purchase. Finance is constrained by five main factors: i) legislation; ii) macroeconomic barriers; iii) collateral barriers; iv) inadequate risk assessment and diversification mechanisms; and v) a dearth of financial mobilization mechanisms. This paper provides a practical reference for the targeting of policy interventions to overcome these constraints and to catalyse the development of finance for real estate infrastructure delivery. The work is also useful to the Government, banks and capital market regulators who seek to develop the capital market to provide appropriate financing options. These options may include real estate investment trusts (REITs) and risk reduction/diversification platform via derivatives. Future research is proposed which seeks to explore practical innovations in designing tailor-made real estate financing options that meet the needs of real estate developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]