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This study maps the landslide susceptibility along the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route using multiple landslide causative factors. A decisive statistical approach and the Geographic Information System (GIS) were used to map the route’s susceptibility. The study area comprises a 236 km section of the Karakoram Highway, located in a region subjected to repeated landslides. The maps of different causative factors, including topographical, geological, and hydrological factors, were generated through GIS using data obtained from various sources. The causative factors were weighted according to their potential for developing a landslide event in a pairwise matrix of a multi-criteria decision-making approach. The analytical hierarchy process was applied to get the Consistency Index that governed the whole rating process. The weights of the landslide causative factors were used for generating the study area’s final landslide susceptibility map. The results indicated that about 38% of the study area falls under the category of high and very high susceptibility. The outcomes of this study could be valuable in the identification of the parameters at a given area or region that are more prominently influencing the happening of landslides, in this way permitting the more viable preventive measures to be taken.

Soil erosion has serious threats to agricultural production, hydraulic structures, and the world’s ecosystem. The objective of this study is the delineation of soil erosion susceptibility zones in the Chitral district using spatial analyst tool in conjunction with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). This district is highly vulnerable to soil erosion due to the mountainous topography. For the sustainability of agricultural land use as well as regional and local development, it is necessary to find out soil erosion probability zones and soil loss at the watershed scale. Eleven different factors; lithology, slope, elevation, plain curvature, lineaments, land cover, aspect, rainfall, drainage density, NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index) are considered in this study. Weights have been assigned to each factor, and maps have been generated through GIS (Geographic Information System) tools. The final map from the combination of all maps shows intensities of soil erosion in five different classes including very high, high, medium, low and very low. Very high and high erosion is observed in 13% and 18% of the total study area respectively, which shows that area is under serious danger of soil erosion. Elevation, slope, curvature, NDWI, and rainfall are found to be the dominant factors influencing soil erosion process. This study highlighted areas at risk of severe erosion which will be helpful for researchers and planners to plan for control of soil erosion.

PurposeEarned Value Management (EVM) is widely used as a project performance measurement and forecasting technique. Nonetheless, it has not been fully explored in Pakistani construction industry; where conventional progress reporting methodology (CPRM) is being followed having certain confines. It reports only the financial progress of a project, expresses feeble association between the duration and cost of activities, and forecasts flawed schedule and completion cost. This research implements EVM on under-construction building projects in Pakistan, and compares its upshots with the projects' actual records and with the outcomes of CPRM.Design/methodology/approachTo assess the implementation of EVM on building projects, a set of specific criteria was established. Work Breakdown Structure, Organization Breakdown Structure and Control Points were established. The study has compared the EVM metrics with CPRM outcomes on three under-study building projects, and has deliberated on their mutual differences as well as their relationship with actual cost and schedule performance. Monthly figures of actual spending and completed activities were periodically recorded and compared with planned values for status indication. The graphs were generated to observe the correlation between the results of EVM and CPRM. The data was then extrapolated to forecast the schedule and cost values at completion.FindingsThe study discovered that trends of EVM in quantifying the project's cost and schedule performance were strongly correlated and were closer to the actual progress. It has also verified the EVM's soundness in forecasting the cost and schedule, required for project's completion. Contrarily, CPRM metrics could not precisely visualize the current and future, cost and schedule performance.Originality/valueThe case study concludes that EVM's incorporation in progress reporting regime can revolutionize the assessment procedures in Pakistan by rightly indicating the project's current status as well as visualizing the future performance. The study's methodology can also be extrapolated in other countries having similar work environment and economic conditions.

This study investigates the influence of three most influential construction risks, namely, design and documentation risks, site operations risks, and contract and management risks on cost escalation of highway projects with the moderation effect of social sustainability requirements. The data were collected from 210 professionals working in various highway projects in Pakistan through questionnaire survey. The data were analyzed using Barron and Kenny approach. The results obtained from the research validate that the selected construction risks are significant predictors of cost escalation in highway projects and should be mitigated appropriately. The results of analysis also imply that social sustainability requirements significantly enhance the positive relation of construction risks with the cost escalation. The project managers should cater to the social sustainability requirements during the early stages of the project to avoid subsequent variations that result in delaying of project and ultimately the cost escalations. This can be an essential contribution to the existing literature as many projects are prone to cost escalations due to social sustainability issues.

During the last decade, 2.4 billion individuals, the majority of which were residing in low economic growth countries, became victim of global disasters. As economic growth is correlated with the resilience of a nation against a disaster, therefore developing and underdeveloped nations significantly face higher magnitude of losses. With Pakistan being a developing country, the present study takes into account the most recently accomplished mega project of METROBUS service that is currently operational in the twin metropolitan cities of Pakistan i.e. Islamabad and Rawalpindi to study the pre and post development perspectives of project in terms of the hazard perception, prospect disaster threats it poses towards the society in case of major seismic activity and the magnitude of disaster preparedness associated to the potential hazardous circumstances as result of seismic event occurrence. Statistical evaluations for the current study were conducted utilizing the SmartPLS 3.0, being based upon the information collected through 336 self-supervised surveyed responses. The results of the current study indicated, the respondents to be highly in favor of the commute service project, but at the same time, they highlighted the concerns regarding socio-economic adversities faced during the project development phases as well as after its completion. Further, the respondents expressed major reservations regarding the disaster management measures taken by the potential stakeholders of the project. Despite the fact that most of the respondents were well educated, the lack of awareness regarding preparedness against any possible project related disastrous situation, was observed. To mitigate the potential disaster losses associated to the project, respondents suggested that the national authorities should proactively provide awareness to the public and assure the availability of all necessary facilities, in case of any hazardous situation; seismic in particular. Considering the practical implications, the current study may be useful for other developing countries, which too faced similar concerns during development of comparable megaprojects and share similar environmental conditions.

This paper examines how the latest mega plan and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will impact the geopolitics of energy and infrastructural development. With a massive change in the supply and demand of global energy and its infrastructure, the transition of international energy order is in the making. While the US is going towards a more isolationist path from its traditional superpower role, there are rising economies such as China, India, Japan, and Russia which are undoubtedly playing a vital role in the geopolitical stage and the other development endeavors. Several regions such as Central Asia, the Arctic, Eastern Mediterranean, and the South China Sea are offering substantial natural gas and oil reserves and drawing global attention to develop energy cooperation. This situation is profoundly influencing the transition of energy order. In this transition, BRI is supposed to play an important role. As a mega development strategy with a robust geostrategic dimension, it purposes to advocate interconnectivity collaboration in framework, exchange, and advancement among the partaking nations. This super arrangement offers a lot of ventures, foundation developments, and modern reconciliation in the energy sector. The country is trying to establish a multilateral platform for endorsing and shielding energy cooperation under BRI. This paper, therefore, attempts to observe how this mega plan will contribute to reshaping the existing energy order as well as the geopolitics of energy with motivation on multifaceted energy collaboration.

PurposeDespite the efforts of project managers and the widespread use of project management methodologies, most of the projects remain unfulfilling in terms of delivering targeted performance. This for most part can be attributed to the inability of an organization to implement control mechanisms and ineffective management of complexity risk. Keeping in view the aforementioned problem, the objective of this study is to investigate the association between control modes and project performance. Moreover, this study also examines the moderating role of complexity risk on the association among various control modes and project performance.Design/methodology/approachThe data were collected from 171 construction projects through a postal questionnaire survey. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was utilized for testing the hypothesized relationships of the research model.FindingsThis study found significant positive relation between formal and informal control mechanisms and project performance. It is found that complexity risk significantly moderates the relationship between control modes and project performance. The results indicate that complexity risk positively moderates the relationship between outcome control and clan control with project performance. Furthermore, complexity risks negatively moderates the relationship between behavior control and project performance. However, the association between self-control and project performance is found insignificant in the presence of complexity risk.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to study the relationship of control mechanisms, complexity risk and project performance in the construction industry.

Significant research has been conducted in the past to develop simplified seismic evaluation procedures for tall buildings. However, most of these procedures are based on the use of fundamental mode response while ignoring the responses from higher modes. Moreover, such seismic evaluation procedures are unable to accurately predict individual-member responses. Evaluation of individual-member responses is an important part of damage and loss prediction estimation due to seismic hazard. In this research work, a new nonlinear modal decomposition approach is proposed for seismic evaluation of tall RC core wall buildings that can take into account the higher mode effects. This procedure is an extension of the classical Uncoupled Modal Response History Analysis procedure. A 44-story reinforced concrete core wall building is selected to verify the accuracy of the proposed procedure. A comparison between the outcomes of the proposed procedure and the nonlinear response history analysis procedure shows that this procedure is reasonably accurate in predicting important global and member responses.

The international services literature lacks research investigating the association between corporate size and corporate international experience with the internationalization. Using an integrated theoretical approach, this paper examines the internationalization of construction service corporations (CSCs) with specific emphasis on four dimensions: motives, firm-specific competitive advantages, home country-specific competitive advantages and locational considerations. A quantitative approach was adopted through a postal questionnaire survey. Out of 126 CSCS, 84 usable responses were analyzed giving 66.7% response rate. A comparative analysis was conducted using Mann-Whitney U test between the corporations having different sizes and international experiences. The findings show that CSCs of varied sizes did not concur over several firm-specific competitive advantages and home country-specific competitive advantages, whereas CSCs of varied international experiences were in disagreement over some locational factors. Small CSCs need to form joint ventures or partnerships in order to overcome their limitations. The government support is direly needed to promote internationalization of CSCs especially the younger and smaller ones which stand more vulnerable due to lack of opportunities in their domestic markets. The study will be helpful to managers and regulatory bodies towards creating a balanced playing field to develop the internationalization process for their service corporations.

Water scarcity has become a major problem for many countries, resulting in declining water supply and creating a need to find alternative solutions. One potential solution is rainwater harvesting (RwH), which allows rainwater to be stored for human needs. This study develops an RwH assessment system through building information modeling (BIM). For this purpose, a hydrological study of Cfa-type climate cities is conducted with the example of Islamabad, Pakistan. The monthly rainfall data of three sites were assessed to determine the volume of the accumulated rainwater and its potential to meet human needs. The average number of people living in a house is taken as the household number. Household number or of the number of employees working at a small enterprise, roofing material, and rooftop area are used as the key parameters for pertinent assessment in the BIM. The data simulated by BIM highlight the RwH potential using five people per house as the occupancy and a 90 m2 rooftop area for residential buildings or small enterprises as parameters. The results show that the selected sites can collect as much as 8,190 L/yr of rainwater (48 L/person/day) to 103,300 L/yr of rainwater (56 L/person/day). This much water is enough to fulfill the daily demands of up to five people. Therefore, it is established that the study area has an RwH potential that is able to meet the expected demands. This study presents a baseline approach for RwH to address water scarcity issues for residential buildings and factories of the future.

The ecosystem, biodiversity, and anthropological existence in the Chitral district are in danger due to the sediments and soil erosion stemming from the changes in the land-cover and climate. This research aims to practice the RUSLE model with the changes in the land-cover and climate in upcoming situations for 2030 and 2040 to evaluate soil erosion annually as per the spatial dissemination and the tendency of sediment yield. The multilayer perceptron (MLP), an artificial neural network (ANN), besides the Markov chain analysis was used to model upcoming land-cover. The Max Planck Institute model, which demonstrated a revised bias as well as downscaled grid size under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs), was used for examining the future changes in the climate. The modeled land-cover showed that the areas that are primarily comprised of natural trees and shrubs were transformed largely to agriculture and build-up areas. The average rainfall in the future under different RCP situations was elevated compared to the rainfall through historical time. The continuous variability in the R and C factors affects the probable soil erosion rate and sediment yield. Under RCP8.5 for both future years of 2030 and 2040, the extreme erosion rate was assessed at around 500 and 550 t/ha/year. Additionally, under the different RCP scenarios in 2030 and 2040, the outcomes of sediment yield were more significant than the sediment yield through historical time. The results showed that lower regions of the Chitral district are at risk of amplified soil erosion and sediment yield presently, as shown by the historical data and in the future. The produced soil erosion maps using ArcGIS 10.2 can play a valuable role in managing sustainable development, conservation of the watershed of the Chitral River, and reducing soil loss. Effective measures to overcome these concerns and mitigate the possible effects need to be planned and practiced, particularly the decrease in the storage volume of the reservoirs situated on the river.

Concrete is an important construction material. Its characteristics depend on the environmental conditions, construction methods, and mix factors. Working with concrete is particularly tricky in a hot climate. This study predicts the properties of concrete in hot conditions using the case study of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. In this research, variable casting temperatures, design factors, and curing conditions are investigated for their effects on concrete characteristics. For this purpose, water–cement ratio (w/c), in-situ concrete temperature (T), and curing methods of the concrete are varied, and their effects on pulse velocity (PV), compressive strength (fc), depth of water penetration (WP), and split tensile strength (ft) were studied for up to 180 days. Quadratic regression and artificial neural network (ANN) models have been formulated to forecast the properties of concrete in the current study. The results show that T, curing period, and moist curing strongly influence fc, ft, and PV, while WP is adversely affected by T and moist curing. The ANN model shows better results compared to the quadratic regression model. Furthermore, a combined ANN model of fc, ft, and PV was also developed that displayed higher accuracy than the individual ANN models. These models can help construction site engineers select the appropriate concrete parameters when concreting under hot climates to produce durable and long-lasting concrete.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate critical barriers hindering the adoption of green supply chain management (GSCM) and the opportunities that can be exploited with such an implementation in the construction industry of developing countries. It also devises strategies to avoid critical barriers in implementation and exploit opportunities for a better overall environmental performance of the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This research relies upon an extensive literature review; data are collected from 163 professionals and 15 interviews of field professionals from 11 developing countries are conducted. The barriers and opportunities are synthesized through literature review and then data are collected over their significance from the construction professionals through an online survey. To highlight the interconnectedness of the critical barriers and opportunities, a causal loop framework is developed. Furthermore, expert opinion is sought to develop the strategies. Findings This research integrates information from different sources and provides a holistic view of the current situation of GSCM in developing countries. In total, 34 barriers and 23 opportunities are extracted from literature. The top 4 barriers fall under the “involvement and support” category, whereas the top four opportunities fall under the “environmental” category. Furthermore, the strategies to implement GSCM include suitable policies by top management to incorporate practices such as innovative green design, green procurement, green packaging, green distribution and even end-of-life management, which play a vital role in emission reduction. Originality/value This research is a first attempt at evaluating the barriers and opportunities facing GSCM in the construction sector of the developing countries. The findings encourage the stakeholders in adopting GSCM practices by presenting a clear picture of the potential benefits that can be exploited by implementing the proposed strategies to eliminate critical barriers in the construction industry.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a useful tool for effective organizational, social, and environmental functioning. This study expanded CSR and green research streams by examining the positive effect of employee's perceived CSR on pro‐environmental behaviour through mediation of organizational identification, as well as the moderation mechanisms of corporate entrepreneurship and employees' environmental consciousness for such an effect. The study drew on a survey sample of 479 employees and 122 department managers from various hotels in Pakistan. Key findings showed that CSR had both a direct and an indirect influence, through organizational identification, on pro‐environmental behaviour. The results lent support for the interactive effect of corporate entrepreneurship and environmental consciousness with CSR in predicting pro‐environmental behaviours. This is the first study of its kind to study a comprehensive model linking perceived CSR with employee's pro‐environmental behaviours in hotel industry through intervening variables.

This study develops a research model that elaborates the mechanism through which responsible leadership influences employee's proenvironmental behavior. Little is known, however, about the mechanisms through which this type of leadership affects proenvironmental behavior, and the conditions under which any such effects are enhanced or attenuated. The present research sought to fill this gap by examining a dual process model in which organizational commitment and green shared vision served as two explanatory mechanisms in the impact of responsible leadership on employee's proenvironmental behavior. Furthermore, we differentiated these two mechanisms by proposing employee's internal environmental locus of control as a moderator. Based on multilevel data collected from 329 employees and 88 supervisors in Pakistan, green shared vision mediated the effect of responsible leadership on proenvironmental behavior, and this indirect effect was stronger for employees with high internal environmental locus of control. However, the indirect relation between responsible leadership and proenvironmental behavior via organizational commitment did not occur. Results also supported that internal environmental locus of control moderated the indirect effect of responsible leadership on employee's proenvironmental behavior through organizational commitment, such that the indirect effect was significantly positive when internal environmental locus of control was high but nonsignificant when internal environmental locus of control was low. These findings provided valuable contribution to responsible leadership and employee's proenvironmental behavior, by exploring the relationships between them. Practical implications and directions for future research are also discussed.

Healthcare buildings are energy and water intensive, which remarkably impacts their sustainability. They also share a larger portion of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has been rating healthcare buildings under a separate category of Building Design and Construction (BD + C): Healthcare to acknowledge their role and importance. This research investigates the credit points achieved by these buildings using all versions and rating systems of LEED BD + C: Healthcare. The results report a very small number of Platinum-certified buildings as compared to other certification levels. Further, Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution is applied on credit points and certification levels according to their rating system, climate and location to reveal that buildings require a lot more effort to raise their certification level from Gold to Platinum as compared to the effort required between Gold, Silver and Certified. Based on this, a new certification level is proposed. Furthermore, buildings located in dry weather and South region of the USA have been shown to achieve better credit points. The findings can help designers in scoring better LEED points, which could help promote the culture of rating systems.

Influencing factors that indicate the time delay vary from project to project and firm to firm. The aim of current study is to examine the impact of firm size and industry experience on influencing...

DOI: 10.7764/RDLC.18.3.445 Construction in developing countries is often encountered with multifarious challenges including contractor’s performance due to lack of qualification and resources. The lowest bid criterion is binding in public procurements. However, contractors exploit the loopholes in the bid process management system. This paper scrutinizes the prevalent rules for the bid evaluation and investigates the criterion used by both clients and consultants in selecting the contractors during the bids evaluation phase of construction projects in Pakistan. The current research uses the relative importance index and severity index approach to analyze the data. It was discovered that proper planning, credit worthiness, transition plans, plant and equipment holding, financial stability, past performance, and quality, are the most imperative factors, influencing the contractor’s selection procedures used by clients and consultants. Likewise, a high probability of success is presaged if the contractors are selected using the multi-criteria method. The study contributes to the body of knowledge by revealing the significant factors impacting the contractor’s selection and bid evaluation process, especially in a developing country. Its results and methodology can also be generalized with caution in other developing countries having similar work environment.

The study is based on validating and exploring the effects of a mega project plan (CPEC) on infrastructure development and Sustainable Project Management. The CPEC has great importance to infrastructure development and economy-boosting. The current study's primary aim is to deal with environmental protection, economic boost up, international relations influencing to the Project's success. The paper also addressed project management as a moderator between environmental protection, economic boost up, international relations, and the CPEC project's success. The primary data has been gathered by using questionnaires, and PLS-SEM has been employed for the analysis. The results revealed that environmental protection, economy boost up, and international relations have a positive association with the success of CPEC. The outcomes also exposed that project management moderating among the nexus of economy boosts up the international relations and success of CPEC. The present study results guided how Pakistan and China make the CPEC project stronger with the efficient implementation of practices required for protecting the environment, with the economic growth and boost up, and good strong relations with foreign countries. This study was an attempt to validate the different factors to check their association with each other in a new environment, resulting in a leading edge for the success of mega projects that influence project management.

Disaster is a state of serious disruptions in the functionality of any society or county Disasters pose serious economic or environmental impacts that surpass the capacity of the affected country or society to compete with the use of their assets Recently, Pakistan significantly prone to health disasters due to COVID-19 among developing South Asian countries The long-term impact of health disasters and other natural hazards put additional pressure mostly on the government's economic policy It forces the government to follow a constructive approach like a disaster relief-based approach rather than a conventional mitigation management formation to reduce the impact of disaster risk This study elaborates on the main issues associated with disaster preparedness as well as recovery of the economy and businesses of the country For Scientific risk performance analysis, open-source data from the National Institute of Disaster Management (NDMA) has been utilized to study the current situation of COVID-19 in Pakistan Results show Pakistan has been facing a highly vulnerable situation as more than three hundred and fifty thousand confirmed cases have been reported Poor health and technical management facilities have been exposed against COVID-19 as Pakistan has a low heath budget because of its declining GDP growth rate in the world This research will help in disaster preparedness and the development of a disaster risk management framework while designing strategies to deal with such pandemics in the future © 2021 The Author(s)

Over the past several years, global project management teams have been facing dynamic challenges that continue to grow exponentially with the increasing number of complexities associated with the undertaken tasks. The ever-evolving organizational challenges demand project managers to adapt novel management practices to accomplish organizational goals rather than following traditional management practices. Considering which, the current study aims to explain the effect of agile management practices upon project performance directly as well as while being mediated through project complexity. Furthermore, the aforementioned mediatory relationship is evaluated in terms of the moderating effect of leadership competencies. The current study utilized the survey approach to collect the data from registered I.T firms deployed in the potential metropolitans of each province of Pakistan including, Peshawar, Islamabad, Lahore, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur, and Karachi. A total of 176 responses were utilized for statistical evaluations. As result, it was observed that the negative influence anticipated by project complexity on project performance was compensated by the agile management practices. Further, the leadership competencies played a pivotal role in managing project complexity while implementing agile management practices and therefore enhancing project performance. The current study abridges the potential knowledge gap conceptually by evaluating the direct impact of agile management upon project performance while considering all of its aspects, exploring the mediatory role of project performance and evaluating the moderating role of leadership competencies in attaining optimum project performance. In contextual terms, the current study fills the knowledge gap by gauging the implications of agile management practices within the I.T sector of Pakistan. The results of the current study can be a potential guide for both the academicians and the industry professionals.

Workforce diversity has grown into an imperative problem throughout the world as it is deeply connected to organizational performance. This indicates that the organization should be enhanced and competitive in the current global environment. To enter the international arena, workforce diversity is among fundamental solutions. The organization must utilize or spend essential reserves on workforce diversity to generate chances for optimum employee productivity. Various workforce diversity factors influence employee productivity, thus influencing the organizational performance and the built environment. This research aims to analyze the location, physical ability, ethnicity, and labor union related workforce diversity factors influencing labor productivity. Data was collected through on-site surveys by getting survey questionnaire filled by 131 management professionals employed at different project sites. Based on average MIR values, location and physical ability factors were characterized as most critical among the workforce diversity factors affecting the labor productivity. Also, it was identified that the labor productivity is highly reliant on the location of the workplace, the environment provided, the physical ability of a worker, cultural norms and lockdown effects particularly. This research involves the participants from the construction industry of Pakistan; the potential research can be extended to further service sectors and growing economies.

The coastal area holds great importance as it sustains a large number of people in addition to various bio-networks that have economic as well as biological significance. However, these may be prone to environmental calamities such as tsunamis. In the coastal areas of Pakistan, numerous earthquakes have been triggered by the tectonic movement under the Indian Ocean. Karachi and Gwadar cities being the economic hub of the country is at the potential risk of tsunamis; therefore, multi-criteria GIS mapping of tsunami susceptibility has been conducted in this paper for the Karachi to Gwadar, the coastal area of Pakistan. This study includes many geospatial variables such as coastal proximity and shape, topographic elevation and slope, and topography relative to the direction of the tsunami. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is exercised to develop an order of weights for each geospatial variable. For the potential tsunami risk, a land use map of coastal area of Pakistan is overlaid on the tsunami susceptibility map, and the final output map has shown that residential buildings, commercial complexes, and agricultural areas are vulnerable to destruction. Studies involving GIS are helpful in the evaluation of disaster, thereby aiding in the acceleration of local forecasting for the management of natural catastrophes like tsunamis. Tsunami susceptibility map presented in this paper seeks to support the evidence of the occurrence of the tsunami and the efforts directed towards the management of tsunami in the coastal areas of Pakistan.

The use of rubber in concrete has been practiced in the engineering community for several years. However, the poor mechanical properties of rubberized concrete are a serious hurdle. This innovative research provides a closer look at improving the flexural strength of rubberized concrete beams with high rubber content using confinement technique. FRP jackets with different confinement thickness were used to recover the strength loss of rubberized concrete beams. In this paper, 66 rubberized concrete (RuC) beams having 0–50% rubber content were tested under four-point loading. RuC beams suffered up to 167% reduction in flexural strength. However, the FRP jackets were highly effective to improve the flexural strength of RuC beams. The statistical models were developed to predict the flexural strength of FRP confined rubberized concrete beams using response surface methodology (RSM). In this regard, the effect of two principle variables; unconfined strength and number of FRP layers on the flexural strength of FRP confined rubberized concrete beams was investigated. The models were found significant because the predicted and adjusted R2 was less than 0.2 (a limit proposed by Design Expert software). The predicted and experimental results for FRP confined rubberized concrete beams were found in good agreement. The developed statistical models provide insights into the sensitivity of parameters affecting the flexural strength. The proposed models can improve the reliability of the experiments and reduces the design and analysis time.

Land degradation caused by soil erosion is considered among the most severe problems of the 21stcentury. It poses serious threats to soil fertility, food availability, human health, and the world ecosystem. The purpose of the study is to make a quantitative mapping of soil loss in the Chitral district, Pakistan. For the estimation of soil loss in the study area, the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used in combination with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS). Topographical features of the study area show that the area is more vulnerable to soil loss, having the highest average annual soil loss of 78 ton/ha/year. Maps generated in the study show that the area has the highest sediment yield of 258 tons/ha/year and higher average annual soil loss of 450 tons/ha/year. The very high severity class represents 8%, 16% under high, 21% under moderate, 12% under low, and 13% under very low soil loss in the Chitral district. The above study is helpful to researchers and planners for better planning to control the loss of soil in the high severity zones. Plantation of trees and structures should be built like check dams, which effectively control the soil erosion process.

Construction contracting firms (CCFs) are functioning in a highly volatile and competitive industrial environment making it imperative to bid for the projects that can produce the most return and market share. The decision making process to bid or not is based on various factors that vary from project to project and firm to firm. The aim of this work is to analyze the impact of firm size and experience on extrinsic factors influencing the bid/no-bid decision for construction projects. The questionnaire was pilot tested and designed in three parts. The final questionnaire was sent to 300 CCFs registered with Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) and respondents were asked to rate the factors on a Likert scale. Out of 300 questionnaires, 167 completed responses are returned representing a response rate of 56%. The collected data are then analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test through Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Findings show the various degrees of differences between small and large, and young and mature CCFs with regard to factors influencing the bid/no-bid decision. Small firms need to overcome increasing market value and number of competitors in the market. They need to develop relationship with government officials in order to secure their bids. Mature firms need to review the payment practices of clients, politician pressure and business level of the client before entering into the bid. Availability of required material and skilled labor are of prime importance for the mature firms’ success.

The building defects are always of great concern for construction industry as they cause delays before handing over and increase maintenance costs during occupancy of the buildings. Due to the rapid development and population growth in Gaza Strip, many residential buildings and housing projects are being constructed in a short space of time, especially after Gaza war in 2014. Therefore, many errors and defects are expected to arise during the construction stage. The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the factors affecting the defects occurrence in the construction stage of the residential buildings in Gaza Strip. A survey was conducted in 134 randomly selected engineers working for engineering offices as design engineers, supervisors and project managers in Gaza Strip. The study revealed five most effective main factors during the construction stage, namely construction materials, factors due to inspections, factors due to construction equipment, factors due to constructions and factors due to construction management, respectively. The most important factors in each group were poor soil compaction, exceeding the allowable limits of verticality of the structural elements, insufficient reinforcement concrete cover, owner’s negligence of inspections, absence of engineer in most of construction phases, using expired material, material or component failure, using corroded or second-hand reinforcement steel, using materials not of acceptable quality and not conforming to the specifications or design and lack of required equipment. This research is the first attempt at identifying factors affecting defect occurrence in the construction stage of residential buildings of the developing countries. The findings will be useful for the construction firms and regulatory bodies to deal with the critical factors affecting defect occurrence and device such policies that improve the design and construction of residential buildings. The building defects are always of great concern for construction industry as they cause delays before handing over and increase maintenance costs during occupancy of the buildings. Due to the rapid development and population growth in Gaza Strip, many residential buildings and housing projects are being constructed in a short space of time, especially after Gaza war in 2014. Therefore, many errors and defects are expected to arise during the construction stage. The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the factors affecting the defects occurrence in the construction stage of the residential buildings in Gaza Strip. A survey was conducted in 134 randomly selected engineers working for engineering offices as design engineers, supervisors and project managers in Gaza Strip. The study revealed five most effective main factors during the construction stage, namely construction materials, factors due to inspections, factors due to construction equipment, factors due to constructions and factors due to construction management, respectively. The most important factors in each group were poor soil compaction, exceeding the allowable limits of verticality of the structural elements, insufficient reinforcement concrete cover, owner’s negligence of inspections, absence of engineer in most of construction phases, using expired material, material or component failure, using corroded or second-hand reinforcement steel, using materials not of acceptable quality and not conforming to the specifications or design and lack of required equipment. This research is the first attempt at identifying factors affecting defect occurrence in the construction stage of residential buildings of the developing countries. The findings will be useful for the construction firms and regulatory bodies to deal with the critical factors affecting defect occurrence and device such policies that improve the design and construction of residential buildings.

Recent studies show that code-based equations usually do not provide an accurate estimate for the shear strength of short reinforced concrete (RC) walls due to the negligence of many important factors including the beneficial effect of axial compression. In the current study, quasi-static reversed cyclic testing is conducted for two RC wall specimens, one under axial load and one without axial load to assess the effect of the axial compression on the shear strength of RC walls in high-rise buildings. The results of the experimental study show that the axial compression load significantly improves the shear strength of RC walls. Results are also compared with the performance-based seismic evaluation code practices. Based on the experimental findings, recommendations are made for improvements in the existing codes. The experimental results are further compared with different numerical models to explore the suitable computer modeling options for non-linear response prediction of RC walls.

It is nowadays an accepted fact that built environment is one of the major anthropogenic exploiters of nature as building consume a great amount of resources in the form of energy, materials and water which ultimately causes GHG emissions, resource depletion and waste generation. The concept of sustainability in building sector has not only put forth a challenge for builders but also the governing bodies that deals with the development of codes, guidelines and building standards. There is now a need to accrue all these standards and technology at one place in a framework which may help as a reference approach to design a wholly sustainable building. This study is based on review of literature where data from published articles, books and official websites of code developing authorities has been collected and investigated particular to the design of sustainable healthcare facilities. The output of this study is a comprehensive yet simple framework for the design of wholly sustainable hospital building which covers all aspects of sustainability and it may give designers and learners a portrayal of the process of designing a sustainable hospital building. This research aggregates all the available standards and guidelines for green and sustainable building design which is a good addition to literature and serve as compact reference for designers/constructors who are willing to adopt sustainable design and construction.

Building information modeling (BIM) is a promising technology for the construction sector, as it addresses multiple risks, supports decision-making and enhances value. However, its technological and contractual novelties introduce some new risks. To observe the BIM-driven risk transformation, this paper performs a thorough analysis involving international experts and practitioners. Data is collected in the form of open-ended interviews and typeset questionnaire along with case studies of running projects. Results reveal that BIM eliminates a majority of significant risks. Further, the findings fuel a new research problem; the lack of a dedicated BIM plugin for risk management. Responding to it, a theoretical framework is developed to automate the risk management process and improve overall project management practice. It is concluded that construction projects can greatly benefit from an automated risk management system and investment in developing a dedicated plugin is recommended, ensuring an effective penetration of BIM in the construction industry.

Groundwater is one of the primary sources for the daily water requirements of the masses, but it is subjected to contamination due to the pollutants, such as nitrate, percolating through the soil with water. Especially in built-up areas, groundwater vulnerability and contamination are of major concern, and require appropriate consideration. The present study develops a novel framework for assessing groundwater nitrate contamination risk for the area along the Karakoram Highway, which is a part of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route in northern Pakistan. A groundwater vulnerability map was prepared using the DRASTIC model. The nitrate concentration data from a previous study were used to formulate the nitrate contamination map. Three machine learning (ML) models, i.e., Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multivariate Discriminant Analysis (MDA), and Boosted Regression Trees (BRT), were used to analyze the probability of groundwater contamination incidence. Furthermore, groundwater contamination probability maps were obtained utilizing the ensemble modeling approach. The models were calibrated and validated through calibration trials, using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve method (AUC), where a minimum AUC threshold value of 80% was achieved. Results indicated the accuracy of the models to be in the range of 0.82–0.87. The final groundwater contamination risk map highlights that 34% of the area is moderately vulnerable to groundwater contamination, and 13% of the area is exposed to high groundwater contamination risk. The findings of this study can facilitate decision-making regarding the location of future built-up areas properly in order to mitigate the nitrate contamination that can further reduce the associated health risks.

Earthquakes have caused huge infrastructural damages along with loss of lives in the recent past. Continuous subduction of the Indian plate beneath the Eurasian plate has made Pakistan a seismically active region in the world. Malakand, located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan, is declared at high earthquake risk by the National Disaster Management Authority of Pakistan, warranting a seismic vulnerability assessment study for its existing building stock. Vulnerability assessment of a representative sample of different building use-types was carried out using the rapid visual screening (RVS) procedure of FEMA P-154. The sample size was calculated based on Yamane formula. RVS sheets are used to calculate structural scores, and likely seismogenic damage is depicted as a function of damage grades of European Macro Seismic Scale. Of the building stock inspected, it was observed that almost half of the buildings fall in damage grade 4 and 5, implying a strong probability of heavy structural and non-structural damages in the case of future earthquake occurrence. Government school buildings were found to be less vulnerable than private counterparts. Most of the commercial buildings were not constructed according to building code, making them highly susceptible to damage. Based on the results of vulnerability assessment of building structures, the article recommends implementation of building codes which can lead to a decrease in infrastructural damages and economic losses in the wake of a future seismic event.

International joint ventures (IJVs) are both advantageous and challenging due to differing technical abilities, economic and political environments, and cultural and legal frameworks. This study identifies the external risks particularly political, economic, legal, social and environmental in IJVs carrying out construction projects in Pakistan. It further analyzes the impact of these risks on the project success criteria of time, cost and quality. Data are collected using questionnaire-based survey and with the help of factor analysis, 16 critical external risks are identified. The top most critical risks are fluctuation in exchange rate, weather systems, political instability and delay in approval. Analytical Hierarchy Process is applied to prioritize critical external risks discretely for project success criteria. As a result, time is found to be the most influenced project criterion by the critical external risks, followed by cost and quality. The results are of importance for local practitioners in the form of recommendations for better management of IJV risks. Future research can benefit from incorporation of more dimensions of project success.

The world&rsquo, s ecosystem is severely affected by the increase in the rate of soil erosion and sediment transport in the built environment and agricultural lands. Land use land cover changes (LULCC) are considered as the most significant cause of sediment transport. This study aims to estimate the effect of LULCC on soil erosion potential in the past 20 years (2000&ndash, 2020) by using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model based on Geographic Information System (GIS). Different factors were analyzed to study the effect of each factor including R factor, K factor, LS factor, and land cover factor on the erosion process. Maps generated in the study show the changes in the severity of soil loss in the Chitral district of Pakistan. It was found out that 4% of the area was under very high erosion risk in the year 2000 which increased to 8% in the year 2020. An increase in agricultural land (4%) was observed in the last 20 years which shows that human activities largely affected the study area. The outcomes of this study will help the stakeholders and regulatory decision makers to control deforestation and take other necessary actions to minimize the rate of soil erosion. Such an efficient planning will also be helpful to reduce the sedimentation in the reservoir of hydraulic dam(s) constructed on Chitral river, which drains through this watershed.

In traditional claim management system, Extension of Time (EOT) claims often lead to disputes among key construction stakeholders. This necessitates shifting traditional system to a digital environment for efficient processing. This research, therefore, focuses on utilizing Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology for developing a BIM-Based Claims Management System (BIM-CMS) to manage EOT claims. Twenty-nine problematic issues in prevalent EOT claim management process are extracted through an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews of industry experts. Using Application Programming Interface, a plugin is developed in Autodesk Revit for managing EOT claims. The developed plugin is evaluated by industry's experts, who opined that BIM-CMS can be used to a great extent, as a tool to resolve most of the identified issues. It is also expected to proficiently mitigate potential disputes among contracting parties. The study also highlights barriers to BIM-CMS implementation and proposes corrective measures.

Construction industry plays critical role in the development of any country. Construction projects in developing countries usually face the time and cost overrun, hence affecting the profit and overall performance of the contractors. This paper aims to analyze the factors influencing the time overrun and cost overrun in Pakistani construction projects. The data in this research was collected by means of questionnaire survey from 113 construction projects. Regarding the design and documentation related issues, design changes during construction and improvements to standard drawings are critical factors influencing time overrun and cost overrun. Whereas for the labor related issues, bad performance of subcontractors and nominated suppliers and poor technical performance and shortage of technical staff are found to be critical factors. Among procurement issues, material fluctuation and shortage of material is found to be critical factor. Whereas for site operation issues, problem in land acquisition is the critical factor influencing time and cost overrun.

Construction firms must have the potential to deal with various bidding situations successfully in today’s highly spirited market. The first step that firms need to consider is whether to bid or not to bid when they receive a tender call. The contractors’ decision of bid/no-bid is affected by various factors. This research aims to analyze the strategic factors influencing the bid/no-bid decision of Pakistani contractors. Data was collected by means of questionnaire survey sent to 300 contractors registered with Pakistan Engineering Council. “Method of Bid evaluation of client”, “Financial position of firm” and “Availability of required material in the region” were identified as top 3 most critical factors influencing the bid/no-bid decision. Also, it was identified that the bid/no-bid decision is highly dependent on location and macro environment of contractors. This research involves the participants from construction industry of Pakistan; the future research can be extended to other service sectors and economies.

Past studies on contractor internationalization have adopted a single model approach. Responding to the call of some scholars, this study has been conducted by integrating several extant theories of internationalization. Our study has investigated the internationalization of Pakistani contractors. The features examined in this paper are motives, international markets ventured and locational factors. The data has been collected using a questionnaire survey. A quantitative approach has been adopted to examine the data from 84 Pakistani contractors registered with Construction Association of Pakistan (CAP). The results of the study showed that Pakistani contractors are more influenced by the internal motives rather than external motives. The main markets ventured by Pakistani contractors were United Arab Emirate, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The study showed that surveyed contractors evaluate a wide range of factors before making the decision to enter the foreign markets. Further, it shows that size of market and potential economic growth are the major concern among the locational considerations.

Due to advances in technologies and protocols of the World Trade Organization (WTO), more contractors from developing countries are succeeding in finding a space in the global market. This paper identifies and analyzes the patterns and influences related to the Pakistani contractor's decision to internationalize, motivating factors, foreign market selection and entry mode selection. Multiple case study approach, based on the five Pakistan-based construction firms have been used in this research. The case studies are based on direct interviews with the company's chief executives, postal questionnaire survey and the corporate reports. The findings showed that the motives for the international expansion of the surveyed firms were both pro-active and re-active. Pakistani contractors have shown more interest in Gulf and African countries. They opted for the international joint ventures as their preferred choice of entry mode strategy as it was easier to establish, know local laws, required low resource commitments and can easily share risk.