Work-related stress in construction management can trigger impairment to employees’ psychological health, and thus affect project performance, but psychological disorders’ deleterious consequences on project performance have not received sufficient attention in the literature. This study aims to identify different types of psychological disorders in construction projects and to develop a fuzzy mapping to determine the impact of psychological disorders in the context of time, cost, and quality in construction management. Through a questionnaire survey assisted by pair-wise comparison among experienced construction personnel, the six most common psychological disorders, including depression, generalized anxiety disorders (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), substance use disorders (SUD), acrophobia, and claustrophobia, were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA), partial least-square (PLS) tests, and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy-AHP), and followed by visualization. Although various stressors such as work overload, role ambiguity and conflict, unpaid overtime, restrictive career progression, and the diverse range of personalities are common in construction management, different roles and positions are subjected to different levels of stress, which from high to low are project manager, civil engineer, architect, contractor, quantity surveyor, and mechanical and electrical (M&E) engineer. This research developed fuzzy mapping of psychological disorders in the context of project performance, which is useful for project management teams to reveal and tackle mental health problems in early stages.

The rapid economic and industrial growth experienced in the Asian region has significantly increased waste production, particularly single-use plastic. This surge in waste poses a significant challenge for these countries’ municipal solid waste management systems. Consequently, there is a pressing need for progressive and effective solutions to address the plastic waste issue. One promising initiative involves utilizing used plastic to produce components for asphalt pavement. The concept of plastic road technology has gained traction in Asia, with 32 countries displaying varying levels of interest, ranging from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale construction projects. However, as a relatively new technology, plastic road implementation requires continuous and comprehensive environmental and health risk assessments to ascertain its viability as a reliable green technology. This review paper presents the current findings and potential implementation of plastic-modified asphalt in Asian countries, with particular attention given to its environmental and human health impacts. While plastic asphalt roads hold promise in waste reduction, improved asphalt properties, and cost savings, it is imperative to thoroughly consider the environmental and health impacts, quality control measures, recycling limitations, and long-term performance of this road construction material. Further research and evaluation are needed to fully understand the viability and sustainability of plastic asphalt roads. This will enable a comprehensive assessment of its potential benefits and drawbacks, aiding in developing robust guidelines and standards for its implementation. By addressing these considerations, it will be possible to optimize the utilization of plastic waste in road construction and contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.

Risks as uncertain conditions with negative consequences on a software project could increase the failure rate of a project if it is ignored. To identify the effectiveness of risk management strategies, a questionnaire survey among over 1000 software professionals was conducted. Post Hoc Multiple Comparison Test and Kendal’s non-parametric test were employed to analyse risk mitigation strategies in terms of effectiveness in reducing time and cost overruns. Findings reveal risk mitigation strategies related to the technical part are not as efficient as that in the managerial part such as the users’ involvement and commitment in reducing time and cost overruns.

One of the principles of PPP projects is value for money in maintaining the construction sustainability of a project. Thus, driven by this necessity, for the purpose to seek a solution in minimizing both the total management costs to the public and private sectors firms, the risks identified in PPP projects must be allocated to the party who is able to manage it effectively. Evidence from projects worldwide shows that risks are not managed properly, and little attention has been committed in the Malaysian research community to systematically identify and manage the risk in Malaysian PPP projects. This paper reviewing the concept of Public- Private Partnership (PPP) in Malaysian construction industry by identifying the critical risks factors in PPP projects and explores the actions taken by the private party in managing these risks. A mixed methodology of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used to identify the allocation, probability and impact of the risk factors and determine what risk response measures are used to deal with the critical risks. The outcome from this study revealed that there are 23 risk factors allocated to private parties determined as critical risk factors. This study also proposed 79 risk responses taken by private parties to manage the critical risks. Private parties have to adopt the relevant skills and knowledge in risk management to ensure the projects were successfully gives a value to the public without compromising their profit and improving the sustainability of the construction project.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual cost estimation (CCE) model for building project by using a pragmatic approach, which is a mix of tools drawn from multiple regression analysis (MRA) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), to improve the accuracy of cost estimation at an early stage. Design/methodology/approach: This paper presents a set of MRA and integrating MRA with ANFIS or MRANFIS. A simultaneous regression analysis was developed to determine the main cost factors from 12 variables as input variables in the ANFIS model. Cost data from 78 projects of state building in West Sumatra, Indonesia were used to indicate the advantages of the proposed model. Findings: The result shows that the proposed model, MRANFIS, has successfully improved the mean absolute percent error (MAPE) by 2.8 percent from MRA of 10.7–7.9 percent for closeness of fit to the model data and by 3.1 percent from MRA of 9.8–6.7 percent for prediction performance to the new data. Research limitations/implications: Because the significant variables are different for each building type, the model may be not appropriate for other buildings depending on the characteristics of building. The models can be used and analyzed based on the own historical project data for each case so that the model can be applied. Originality/value: The study thus provides better accuracy of CCE at an early stage for state building projects in West Sumatra, Indonesia by using the integrated model of MRA and ANFIS.

In line with the principle of sustainable development, construction projects ought to be developed to bring benefits across all aspects, namely economic, social, and environmental. One the other hand, being a complex, fragmented and schedule driven industry, construction projects are frequently subject to problems that constrain their execution. Since construction is a labour intensive industry, the shortage of labour has become the crucial risks that hindering the construction project in achieving sustainability. This paper, in reviewing the concept of sustainable construction, also addresses the influential factors concerning the labour shortages in the construction industry and discusses how these challenges can be managed in producing sustainable construction labours.