A building faces several challenges across its lifecycle stages. Challenges such as production inefficiency and inadequate waste management hinder advancement in the construction industry. Furthermore, the sector has emerged as one of the largest producers of waste in the world, which can lead to detrimental impacts on the economy and the environment. Conventional approaches are insufficient to eradicate these concerns. Thus, practitioners have sought to implement novel methods to ameliorate the construction process. In this regard, design for manufacturing and assembly (DfMA) and design for deconstruction (DfD) have gained prominence, as studies have elucidated the methods’ unprecedented potential to wholly transform the construction process and mitigate the unwanted impacts brought about by the industry. This study identified the applications and benefits of DfMA and DfD in construction, as well as recent developments and research gaps, through a literature review, using Scopus as the primary database and MATLAB for conducting data text analytics. The current body of knowledge necessitates a further assessment of the following research gaps: (1) development of standard construction-oriented DfMA guidelines; (2) corroboration of the developed DfMA tools through practical application; (3) integration of these holistic design approaches with emerging technologies, such as additive manufacturing and digital fabrication; (4) comparison of structures constructed using DfMA and DfD with structures built with conventional approaches; (5) comprehensive application of DfD guidelines to structural systems; (6) integration of DfMA and DfD; (7) execution of sustainability assessment studies to evaluate the impact of DfMA and DfD; and (8) identification of solutions to the barriers to DfMA and DfD uptake in construction.

Cement, one of the main components of concrete, poses environmental risks, accounting for 7% of total global carbon emissions. To alleviate the environmental hazards related to cement manufacturing, supplementary cementitious materials (SCM) are employed to reduce the usage of cement in concrete. One SCM used is copper slag (CS). In this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) is conducted by investigating the environmental impacts of concrete replacing different percentage of cement with CS. As a case study, the LCA was performed for low-rise and mid-rise structures designed with varying concrete strengths, and a cost analysis was performed for these structures when replacing different percentages of cement with CS. Based on the results, the usage of CS was established as being beneficial to the impact categories ADP (Abiotic Depletion Potential (Fossil)) and GWP (Global Warming Potential), but exerted damaging effects on ADP (Abiotic Depletion Potential) and HTP (Human Toxicity Potential). On the basis of the cost analysis, the use of CS as a partial cement replacement was found to reduce building costs by a maximum of 1.4%, which is statistically significant. When evaluating the risk in comparison to the benefit of using CS in buildings, it was found that the negative environmental influence outweighed the favorable influence and cost savings resulting from the use of CS as a cement alternative. However, when only considering GWP, which is the standard procedure for environmental assessment in buildings, the use of CS as a partial cement substitute in buildings was regarded as being beneficial, yielding a 12.80% reduction in carbon emissions.

Cold-formed steels (CFS) or light gauge steels (LGS) are steel sections created through processes without heat application, such as roll forming or press-braking. In the past few decades, the utilization of CFS as a structural material has expanded due to its advantages over the other materials used in the construction industry, consequently increasing the number of studies conducted by many researchers. CFS studies have focused on many research areas, including designing, and analyzing members and systems, connections, sustainability, residual stresses, and post-fire data. As a result, several authors have also conducted a literature review involving these areas. However, a literature review for more recent studies involving elevated temperature exposure of CFS has not been conducted. This paper seeks to compile and review the recent publications regarding CFS behavior and performance at high temperatures events. Sixty-nine (69) journal articles published from 2017 to 2023 were retrieved from the Scopus database and systematically reviewed through text mining with the aid of VOS Viewer. Prior studies utilizing finite element analysis and experimental methods to investigate the performance at elevated temperature events of varying CFS sections, systems, and steel grades have been summarized. In addition, this paper also briefly discussed the findings of the recent research works involving member connections of CFS. Key points from the literature review have been emphasized such as the outcome of experimental and numerical validation of existing design rules from different codes such as American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), Eurocodes, and Australian codes which could vary depending on the CFS section and steel grades. Important points of previous studies regarding the CFS walls, insulations, and screwed connections have also been noted in this paper. Based on the review, research gaps in the prior studies involving elevated temperature exposure of CFS have been identified, such as lack of CFS investigation under fatigue and cyclic loading. These were then recommended as future direction and concentration of CFS at elevated temperatures research works.