This paper presents a conceptual framework aimed at implementing sustainability principles in the building industry. The proposed framework based on the sustainable triple bottom line principle, includes resource conservation, cost efficiency and design for human adaptation. Following a thorough literature review, each principle involving strategies and methods to be applied during the life cycle of building projects is explained and a few case studies are presented for clarity on the methods. The framework will allow design teams to have an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental issues, changing the way construction practitioners think about the information they use when assessing building projects, thereby facilitating the sustainability of building industry.

Principles for managing stakeholders are discussed in the context of UK construction practice. The number of stakeholders in a modern construction project can be large, presenting numerous interfaces that have to be managed. Meanwhile, each organization has its own characteristic disposition. Therefore, the interactions between diverse organizations in a project pose a high potential for conflicting stakes. Against this background, stakeholder management assumes high priority. Qualitative research was used to investigate the practice of stakeholder management with 12 UK companies in the construction sector. Interviews were held with these companies and content analysis was used to identify themes that demonstrate effective stakeholder management practice. Construct validity and a workshop underpinned the verification of underlying and frontline approaches for managing stakeholders. The underlying approaches include maintaining existing relationships, providing top‐level support and being proactive while the frontline approaches include the use of negotiations, trade‐offs, incentives and concessions.

The global construction industry faces serious safety challenges, characterised by high rates of accidents and fatalities. A systematic review that analysed 95 academic articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases investigated the current use of digital technologies (DTs) in construction safety management across developed and developing countries. The research discovered that digital technology applications in construction safety primarily focus on developing models and simulations. These technologies are making significant contributions by enhancing worker training, improving risk prediction capabilities, enabling real-time monitoring, facilitating better communication, and supporting more proactive safety interventions. The most frequently utilised digital technologies in this domain include virtual reality (VR), building information modelling (BIM), machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the promising potential of these technologies, their actual implementation remains somewhat limited, especially in developing countries. This study identified critical knowledge gaps, specifically the limited understanding of digital technology trends in construction safety management across different economic contexts, the insufficient research on strategies to increase digital technology adoption in the construction sector, and the need for more comprehensive investigations into how the technology adoption divide can be bridged. This research aimed to facilitate future empirical studies that can advance the understanding of digital technologies and the development of strategies to integrate them more comprehensively into construction safety practices. By providing a detailed overview of current digital technology applications, highlighting research limitations, and suggesting future research directions, this review seeks to contribute to both academic understanding and practical improvements in global construction industry safety.

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries, with workers frequently exposed to hazardous environments, resulting in numerous occupational injuries and illnesses globally. While digital technology (DT) can improve construction health and safety management, there are barriers to its global adoption. This research examines these barriers in both developed and developing countries. A systematic review of 88 articles identified critical barriers, including technical issues, training and knowledge gaps, implementation challenges, data analysis limitations, and system efficiency problems. Standardising the use of new technology is challenging due to the constantly changing nature of construction projects. There is a lack of knowledge on increasing the use of DT in construction. Future research should focus on targeted strategies, pilot studies, and prioritising workers’ health to overcome context-specific barriers and maximise the benefits of these innovative tools to prevent injuries and improve health and safety management.

Purpose: The study explored the disparity between construction clients and contractors on what constitutes “client satisfaction”. Such disparity is important because it can lead to different conclusions and thus disagreement on the assessment of project success.Design/methodology/approach: The philosophical stance was interpretivism, thus the qualitative methodology was adopted. Employing purposive sampling, 30 interviews with clients and another 30 interviews with contractors were conducted in Saudi Arabia. The data obtained were evaluated by thematic analysis.Findings: The results indicate differences in the consensus ad idem (meeting of the minds) between clients and contractors in terms of both their perceptions and prioritisation of the attributes that underpin client satisfaction. For example, some contractors thought that using advanced technologies was very important for client satisfaction, whereas some clients preferred the contractors to be honest with them.Research limitations/implications: The data collection was limited to Saudi Arabia and only the views of clients and contractors were studied, thereby limiting the generalisability of the findings.Practical implications: The identification of the differing priorities of clients and contractors on client satisfaction provides an informed basis to make more concerted efforts to satisfy clients and minimise disputes on projects in Saudi Arabia.Originality/value: The study contrasted the views of clients and contractors simultaneously on the subject matter of client satisfaction in relation to project success, and analysed this through the lens of consensus ad idem. The key influences on clients' satisfaction in Saudi Arabia are also presented.

The provision of sustainable housing should factor energy efficiency, the use of sustainable building methods and materials and address the current associated barriers. This consideration triggered an ongoing study in UK which has so far conducted a bibliometric analysis of 275 papers using the VOSviewer software. More papers have been published in the last 5 years compared to the previous 15, and the UK is less engaged in successful collaborations in comparison to other economically developed nations. The lesser use of innovation in the UK has been identified. Also, the uses of sustainable methods and materials in residential housing are not fully exploited for achieving energy efficiency. A future research direction emerging is the potential to study the combined impact of using innovative materials and methods to achieve greater energy efficiency in UK housing provision. Through technological innovations and the need to move from fossil fuels (for example, through the use of heat pumps) a new approach can move the UK closer to achieving net-zero in housing provision and operations.