Although Building Information Modeling (BIM) can enhance efficiency of sustainable building projects, its adoption is still plagued with barriers. In order to incorporate BIM more efficiently, it is important to consider and mitigate these barriers. The aim of this study is to explore and develop strategies to alleviate barriers in developing countries, such as Malaysia, to broaden implementation of BIM with the aid of quantitative and qualitative approaches. To achieve this aim, a comprehensive literature review was carried out to identify the barriers, and a questionnaire survey was conducted with construction projects’ stakeholders. The ranking analysis results revealed the top five critical barriers to be “unavailability of standards and guidelines”, “lack of BIM training”, “lack of expertise”, “high cost”, and “lack of research and BIM implementation”. Comparative study findings showed that “lack of research and BIM implementation” is the least important barrier in other countries like China, United Kingdom, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Furthermore, qualitative analysis revealed the strategies to mitigate the BIM implementation barriers to enhance sustainable goals. The final outcome of this study is the establishment of a framework incorporated with BIM implementation barriers and strategies namely, the “BIM-based research framework”, which can assist project managers and policymakers towards effective sustainable construction.

In artificial intelligence (AI), generative systems, most notably Midjourney, have tremendous power to generate creative images of buildings and sites of Islamic architectural heritage through text-to-image generation based on the internet. The AI-generated representations have significant potential for architects, specialists, and everyday users. However, the system has considerable limitations when generating images for some buildings and sites where the representations appear too far from their original represented structures. Evaluating Midjourney as an architectural virtual lab, this research article attempts to define the major current limitations of using Midjourney’s AI system in producing images similar to the actual buildings and sites of Islamic architectural heritage. This research employs prompt engineering techniques based on historical sources as inputs to examine the accuracy of the output of the AI-generated images of selected examples of structures of the Islamic tradition. To validate the research results, it compares the Midjourney output with the original look by employing direct observation through critical analysis of human intelligence (HI) facilitated by the analysis of the latest version of 3M Visual Attention Software and an online survey. It concludes that while Midjourney can represent high-end AI-generated images inspired by the Islamic tradition, it currently falls short of presenting the actual appearance of some of its original structures. Furthermore, it categorizes these limitations into four groups: (1) limits of the prompt, (2) limits of fame, (3) limits of regionality and historical styles, and (4) limits of architectural elements and details. The significance of this research lies in providing timely evaluation factors to architectural heritage practitioners and software developers. This practical article is the second in a series of two sequential articles in the Buildings journal; the first (theoretical) article introduces the concept of Artificial Intelligence Islamic Architecture (AIIA), answering the question: what is Islamic architecture in the age of artificial intelligence?

Purpose: This study analyzes the effect of the techniques of active teaching and learning as a way of delivery on the outcomes of quality learning. Focusing on the courses of architectural science taught in a nontraditional method using various active learning strategies, the study takes the case study of the course Building Illumination and Acoustics (BIA) delivered in the academic year 2019–2020 at the University of Sharjah (UoS)'s Architectural Engineering Department (AED).Design/methodology/approach: Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches, the study applied a case study and survey as methods. A questionnaire was designed and performed to assess the level of students' satisfaction with the implemented active teaching method.Findings: The vibrant learning setting made the students actively engaged and more motivated and enthusiastic. The active learning practices used, including employing senses as in sight and hearing, reasoning rationally and intuitively, reflecting and acting, working steadily and in fits and starts, creating mathematical models, visualizing and memorizing and drawing analogies, were efficient in boosting their ability to comprehend theoretical concepts more effectively. The delivery style effectively enhances quality learning when various active techniques are used pedagogically beyond being merely a utilitarian instrument to prepare novice students of architectural engineering to fulfill practical challenges.Research limitations/implications: This article focuses specifically on a theoretical, scientific non-studio course in a particular program of architectural engineering in a particular semester before the dramatic changes in styles of teaching delivery that happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research could further highlight its results by comparing them to statistical evidence of the development of the course, especially for the duration of online teaching during the pandemic and the hybrid teaching period after it.Originality/value: This article contributes to the development of teaching and learning of architectural engineering in the local Emirati context by putting original theories of teaching into practice. This paper further contributes to the field of architectural pedagogy in terms of the effect of active learning in the architecture field in the non-studio courses in higher education in the United Arab Emirates.

This research seeks to gain a deeper understanding of the current ecosystem of BIM technology and its utilization in the UAE. Since the UAE has been an early adopter of BIM, its utilization of BIM is now likely to reach that of developed nations. By adopting the BIM case study analysis framework, two sets of projects of similar categories in terms of functionality and typology were selected and mapped. One set represents projects within the UAE, and the second represents projects from developed nations utilizing BIM during the projects’ lifecycle (LC). Incorporating expert interviews to triangulate the results collected from the case study analysis will further contribute to developing a more in-depth comprehension of BIM use in the UAE. The three significant inferences can be drawn from the findings. Firstly, in the UAE, stakeholders utilize BIM fragmentarily in different stages. Secondly, the full extent of BIM utilization over the project’s LC is not pursued. Thirdly, no effective BIM standards or protocols exist. Even though international firms are the main drivers of UAE BIM adoption and utilization, UAE BIM is still in its infancy, necessitating a more collaborative effort to realize the holistic benefits of the BIM process. The findings could be utilized to identify industry standards and guiding principles for BIM implementation in the UAE and help identify areas for improvement. It also provides valuable insights into how BIM can be used more effectively in the country and how its use can be promoted. Additionally, it could be used as a guide for owners/asset managers and AEC professionals in the UAE looking to implement BIM in their projects.

Unfortunately, flooding is a major worldwide problem that especially affects low-lying cities like Semarang, Indonesia. Therefore, this study focuses on the flood-prone areas of Semarang, where recurring high tides and surges from severe precipitation cause havoc. In order to create water-resistant dwelling topologies, the paper explores the early incorporation of computational design approaches. Ultimately, the objective is to explore the strategic application of generative design techniques to support the development of a highly adaptive urban environment using optimization-based data-driven design approaches. With careful consideration, advanced computational methods were used to find concepts that may manage and lessen possible consequences in an efficient manner, increasing the urban landscape’s overall flexibility. Achieving the best possible solutions, which consider issues like feasibility, sustainability, durability, adaptability, and user comfort, requires the application of computational studies such as microclimatic, rainfall, energy performance, and fluid simulations. Consequently, promising advances in water retention and trajectory control features are shown by evaluations that concentrate on wind dynamics and energy considerations. One such example is GEN_8, the most optimal typology produced by additive massing approaches. In addition to showing less water retention than usual building typologies, GEN_8 optimizes energy performance to improve user experience overall. Accordingly, the computationally created geometry GEN_8’s shaded areas and facades effectively account for between 191.4 and 957 kWh/m² of yearly solar radiation. In contrast, average building typologies show higher amounts of annual solar radiation, with a minimum of 574.32 kWh/m² and a maximum of 1148.65 kWh/m². This paper’s comprehensive approach not only addresses worldwide issues but also highlights how computational design techniques may be used to construct, assess, and validate workable solutions for flood-prone locations within a flexible framework that has been painstakingly designed. As a result, the research also highlights the significance of technological advancements and computational tools in assessing, producing, and validating workable solutions for flood-prone locations by carefully curating a flexible framework that ensures efficiency, comfort, and design optimization.

Although the reasons for and against the early use of digital tools in design have been intensively researched and studied for years, there has been a scarcity of substantial analysis of the challenges posed by using computer-assisted architectural design (CAAD) tools in the early design phase. By drawing on reviewed materials and cross-mapping digital software and current commercially available programs, this paper elucidates and evaluated the impact of CAAD tools in the early design process. In this research, a two-way, systematic mapping of research-based tools that support the conceptual design process and commercial CAAD methods was implemented, utilizing five criteria as illustrated in a recent study. The paper concludes with three scenarios of CAAD’s future direction, which will have an impact on conventional architectural engineering, as well as architectural practice and education.