With the advancement of information technology, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is evolving fast and play an essential role in Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operators (AECOO) industry. Universities play an important role in the current BIM transition in construction projects as well as to embrace Industry 4.0. In this research, immersive Virtual Reality (VR) in BIM offer a unique, supportive environment for the user experience in visualizing and collecting data from the model. With Virtual Reality (VR), engineering education has a major breakthrough. Immersive interactions, stereoscopic 3D, real time multisensory simulations, virtual explorations, synchronous communications, data analytics and visual analysis – all these are impossible without VR. VR offers a student-centred learning environment that promotes active and collaborative learning, situated within simulated real-world contexts.

Purpose: This paper presents two educational gamified virtual labs and investigates different methods of including gamified elements in virtual labs used for teaching. The purpose of this study is to investigate if immersive gamified virtual labs can be used as effective pedagogical tools by properly incorporating them into higher education curricula to assist low-risk active learning and student engagement.Design/methodology/approach: This research design comprises two gamified virtual labs including nine essential experiments of biology and chemistry integrated into the higher education curriculum of the Foundation of Science at an international University. Students filled in a survey after participating in the lab to shed light on appropriate ways of using gamification approaches in virtual labs.Findings: From the predominant findings of the study, gamified virtual labs increase student involvement thereby enhancing knowledge development with active learning and may be a potentially suitable pedagogical tool for low-risk interactive learning.Research limitations/implications: Limitations of the study include findings based on gamified virtual labs but not comparing the gamified virtual labs to simple virtual simulations to further investigate the pedagogical approach and understand the student perceptions in a simple virtual simulation and a gamified virtual lab.Practical implications: The findings of this study will provide evidence that gamified virtual labs integrated into higher education curricula as supplementary tools for laboratory experimentation improve the educational delivery process.Originality/value: This research highlights an appropriate way of integrating 3D virtual labs into practical curricula while discussing the benefits.

Purpose: This paper presents an educational virtual reality (VR) game and experiments with different methods of including it into the teaching process. The purpose of this research study is to discover if immersive VR games can be used as an effective pedagogical tool if blended with traditional lectures by assisting learning gain, memory and knowledge retention while increasing edutainment value.Design/methodology/approach: This research design comprises three different methods of learning: lecture-based involving lecture slides, infographics, and a video, game-based involving an immersive VR game of oil rig exploration, and the combination of lecture and game-based. Participants of each method filled up a questionnaire before and after participation to measure the learning gain, memory, and knowledge retention.Findings: From the predominant findings of the study, the combined method demonstrated a significant increase in learning gain, memory, and knowledge retention and maybe a potentially suitable pedagogical tool.Research limitations/implications: Limitations of the study include findings based on one VR game with a specific educational topic, additionally, it is suspected that having different participants for each of the three methods may have slightly affected the results, albeit to a limited extent.Practical implications: Findings of this study will provide evidence that VR games can be used alongside traditional lectures to aid in the learning process. Educators can choose to include VR games into their curriculums to improve the educational delivery process.Originality/value: This research contributes to ways of incorporating VR games into educational curriculums through findings of this study highlighting the combination of VR games with lectures.

Past historical earthquake events from neighbouring countries have been proven to be disastrous. Building in the aftermath of an earthquake may reduce structural reliability, posing risk upon re-occupation of the building. Shock absorber viscous dampers were installed on a specific structure storey that could reduce the spectral acceleration and storey-drift caused by an earthquake. The research object is a low-rise, three-storey, reinforced concrete (RC) structure. This study aims to identify the dynamic response of the scaled RC structure with and without attached dampers and performs structural reliability of the tested model under the excitation of Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) of 0.1 g to 1.0 g with a unidirectional shaking table. APIDO viscous dampers were installed parallel to the movement direction of the dynamic load test. The findings show the scaled model with attached viscous dampers reduces spectral acceleration and storey drift by 9.66% and 4.85%, respectively. Findings also show the change of the structural behaviour from single curvature to double curvature due to the increase in seismic structural resistance by viscous dampers. The breakthrough of this research shows that structural reliability analysis performed by the Weibull distribution function has a base shear capacity increment of 1.29% and 6.90% in seismic performance level Life Safety (LS) and Collapse Prevention (CP), respectively. The novelty of this case study building with dampers managed to increase the building’s base shear and roof shear capacity by 6.90% and 16% compared to the building without dampers under dynamic load excitation.

New innovative Industrialised Building System (IBS) has been implemented in Malaysia. It is a sustainable approach, innovative technique and implements repetitive manufacturing using green materials. This paper presents one of the standard tests to check the design and strength of IBS components via an experimental flexural test and then verify the finite element analysis. One IBS frame was set-up, tested with two points of monotonic vertical loading, and analysed by Abaqus 6.12 software. The structural performance in nonlinear state was evaluated in load-displacement relationship of beam, crack pattern, mode of failure, and stresses at concrete and connection deformation to guide the further components inspection