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The purpose of this paper is to explore the need for next‐generation knowledge management (KM) systems in the construction sector and outline the key features that such systems should have.

First, an overview is presented of KM and its benefits to construction sector organisations, and then the important considerations in KM implementation are discussed, highlighting the additional considerations that will be necessary in next‐generation KM systems. The main features that these systems should have are then briefly outlined.

KM is beginning to deliver value to many construction sector organisations but there is the need for next‐generation systems that can provide much more added value.

The paper provides guidance on what construction sector organisations need to look out for in next‐generation KM systems, while reiterating the benefits and implementation considerations with which they should now be conversant.

There is an increasing recognition of the value of effective information and knowledge management (KM) in the construction project delivery process. Many architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) organisations have invested heavily in information technology and KM systems that help in this regard. While these have been largely successful in supporting intra‐organisational business processes, interoperability problems still persist at the project organisation level due to the heterogeneity of the systems used by the different organisations involved. Ontologies are seen as an important means of addressing these problems. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of ontologies in the construction project delivery process, particularly with respect to information and KM.

A detailed technical review of the fundamental concepts and related work has been undertaken, with examples and case studies of ontology‐based information and KM presented to illustrate the key concepts. The specific issues and technical difficulties in the design and construction context are highlighted, and the approaches adopted in two ontology‐based applications for the AEC sector are presented.

The paper concludes that there is considerable merit in ontology‐based approaches to information and KM, but that significant technical challenges remain. Middleware applications, such as semantic web‐based information management system, are contributing in this regard but more needs to be done particularly on integrating or merging ontologies.

The value of the paper lies in the detailed exploration of ontology‐based information and KM within a design and construction context, and the use of appropriate examples and applications to illustrate the key issues.

This research paper is a literature review of the existing building retrofitting process. It proposes studying the functional, technical, and organizational issues of the green retrofit process. The purpose of this paper is to expand the domain of design framework for retrofitting existing buildings.

The paper provides a review of the model-based design process from enrollment to evaluation stages representing the green retrofitting process in selected publications. The paper opted to review the Green Retrofit Design (GRD) process model for achieving a systematic design model of GRD development in the future.

Functional and maintenance issues are mainly for new buildings, also in the field for renovation and demolishing. Publications also show that environmental, social, and technical issues are often examined separately in the decision process of GRD. Papers in the facility management scale would concentrate more on organization/legal issues. Publications with questionnaire design are devoted to the usage on life-cycle assessment on existing building, but not yet on the stakeholder management and design process and related issues.

The achievement of the study is to provide a new framework of design approach that is significant to the theoretical research, education, communication, and practical works in terms of GRD development.

The paper not only achieves a specific sequence of practical approaches, including awareness of problems, conceptual development, and design embodiment, to meet design objectives, but also conforms to academic practice-based research of creative design taking on GRD practice.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate in-depth the current approach of managing client requirements in construction and to highlight the significant factors, which contribute to the complexity of managing the requirements in order to define a better approach.

A case study of a leading international global built asset and engineering consultancy organization was conducted over two years. The case study was conducted principally using semi-participant observations supplemented with other qualitative data collection methods (i.e. interviews, questionnaires and document analysis). Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

The results highlight major factors associated with the complexity of managing client requirements information, which include: mechanisms for documentation, storage and access, distribution of requirements information between stakeholders and across lifecycle phases of a project, traceability management and the provision of effective change management incorporating dependency checking and impact analysis.

The main limitation of the research is the use of an in-depth study of a single organization, which applied the same project management method across all the projects they managed. Further work is planned to develop the proposed framework fully, and develop a software platform to operationalize and evaluate its industrial applicability with construction projects.

The implications of this research is that a better approach to managing requirements information is needed, which will facilitate the design, construction and operations of buildings within budget and time. An integrated framework and an associated tool are suggested to implement the approach.

This study identifies major research gaps and problems in the architecture, engineering, construction and facilities management industry; proposes and presents Electronic Requirements Information Management framework to facilitate lifecycle management of the requirements.

The paper proposes addressing the design and implementation of a web‐based risk assessment system that enables remote project team members to assess the risks at the conceptual design stage.

The prototype system is based on a client/server architecture and uses fuzzy logic and web‐based technology. A risk assessment scenario is used to demonstrate the operation and benefits of the prototype system.

The research found that the use of a web‐based risk assessment system for distributed project team members has major benefits in terms of use of linguistic terms to express risk assessment, ease of communication, ease of maintenance, and greater consistency, among others.

There is scope for enhancing the system through the development of a risk management module, improving the user interface and making specific provisions for different project types.

The move in industry towards collaborative working practices is supported by systems such as this. Risk assessment is an important area that requires the input of all team members, if evenly distributed.

This paper has presented an innovative approach to risk assessment for distributed project teams. It will be of interest to all parties involved in construction projects, particularly those involved in risk assessment.

In spite of the benefits of virtual models in the building and construction industry, the full potential of these models, especially in the construction and operation phases, remains largely unrealized. With the increasing developments in information and communication technology, a number of attempts have been made to extend the use of these models, through the development of integration approaches and technologies. However, the issue of integrating the virtual model and the physical construction such as to enable bi-directional coordination, has not been adequately addressed. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of a cyber-physical systems (CPS) approach in enhancing bi-directional coordination between virtual models and the physical construction.

This research employs scenario development rapid prototyping to illustrate CPS integration in the construction industry, with a particular focus on facilitating bi-directional coordination. The proof-of-concept prototype systems developed were validated using a focus group consisting of industry practitioners.

Bi-directional coordination between virtual models and the physical construction has the potential to improve real-time progress monitoring and control of the construction process, tracking of changes and model updates, information exchange between the design office and the job site, real-time documentation of the as-built status of high-value components and improved sustainability practices.

This paper adds value to the construction industry by demonstrating the application of the CPS approach in enhancing bi-directional coordination between virtual models and the physical construction through the development of system architectures, scenarios and prototype systems.

This paper lays out a road map for computer‐integrated design and manufacture of building‐specific cladding systems, describing the key implementation phases and highlighting domains (supply chain organization, software vendors, suppliers, process modellers, etc.) involved in each phase. It takes a holistic look at the way forward, identifying that such a long‐term transformation will need to be managed strategically both at a company and sector level and that training and education within the sector will be pivotal. The development of appropriate cladding information standards is seen as an essential enabler and as a catalyst for change.

Consulting engineers have, in the recent past, had to investigate numerous claims for subsidence damage to residential buildings on behalf of insurance companies and/or their loss adjusters. In most cases, they have had to repudiate the claim, institute a monitoring programme, specify minor repairs, or recommend that the afflicted property be underpinned. Factors often taken into account in arriving at any one of the above decisions include: the history of the foundation movement; the causative agent(s); the severity of the damage, and the likelihood of progressive movement. When underpinning is recommended, the engineer often has to specify whether underpinning of the whole property is required or whether partial underpinning (i.e. restricting the underpin to only a part – usually the damaged part – of the property) would suffice. Partial underpins also automatically result when a semidetached, a mid‐terraced or an endterraced property is underpinned. Addresses the long‐term effectiveness of partial underpins. Reviews the circumstances that may favour a partial underpin and, using previous case histories, develops guidelines for ensuring the appropriate recommendation of partial underpins as a long‐term solution to subsidence problems.

Describes a study that exploits the potential of fuzzy systems in construction through the development of a decision support system which is capable of handling fuzziness in the collaborative decision‐making process. The proposed system is intended to provide an objective and rational framework within which collaborative decisions can be made by virtual construction project teams. Given the often linguistic nature of the weightings ascribed by individual disciplines to decision criteria, the proposed system will utilise fuzzy systems theory to rank criteria and recommend an optimal decision alternative. Presents an example to illustrate how the proposed tool works.

Traditionally businesses have measured their performance solely in financial terms. This limited approach has been challenged, with the introduction of the concept of key performance indicators (KPIs) for non‐financial results. In response to the Latham and Egan Reports, the UK construction industry has developed its own set of KPIs. However, their effective use has been limited. This paper reviews these and other construction KPIs and concludes that most of the KPIs used are post event, lagging measures that do not provide the opportunity to change. Their results are not validated and thus are open to interpretation. The result is that KPIs are being used within the industry as a marketing tool, and not as an integral part of business management. This paper distinguishes between three types of measure and suggests a framework for their effective use within an overall performance measurement system based on change action driven by results.