Amphibious buildings use the buoyancy principle in the design of their foundation systems to mitigate flood impact. In some cases, amphibious buildings are fitted with mechanical systems that further aid the buoyancy element to temporarily raise the building and guide its descent to natural ground level. These mechanical systems require external operation, preventing the amphibious building from passively responding during flood events as is one of the requirements of a robust flood mitigation measure. Additionally, buildings in flood environments are often left with stains on the exterior facade from floodwater contamination from sewage and chemicals, among others. This paper distinguishes three main components of an amphibious foundation: the buoyancy element, vertical guidance post, and structural sub-frame, and discusses their functionality. The natural world provides solutions to tackling environmental issues such as flooding. When systematically studied and transferred, nature can inspire innovative ideas for functional and sustainable designs for the built environments. Although there are many existing designs and a small number of constructed amphibious buildings, there are very few studies that discuss how the designs are derived, and even fewer on a framework emulating natural systems for transfer into amphibious building design. In that context, this research uses the biomimetic transfer process to abstract relevant biological systems, illustrating their potential for transfer into amphibious foundation design. The aim is to understand how these biological systems passively and continuously respond and adapt to their environment. Organisms such as the Venus flower basket, giant kelp, and red mangrove, among others, are discussed, to understand how they perform the identified functions. The steps of the biomimetic transfer process are used to integrate functions of amphibious buildings and processes of the studied biological systems. The final output of this paper is a discussion of the ways in which these derived relationships can be adopted in amphibious building design.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore flood-prone area residents' preferences of flood-resilient housing technologies (HTs), to understand the factors influencing their choices. Flood-resilient HTs can reduce damage and disruption at a household level, particularly in areas where large-scale community schemes are not available or feasible. People’s perception of floods and their preferences of flood-resilient HTs are among many very important factors influencing the adoption of these technologies. Therefore, these perceptions and preferences must be well understood before implementation of these technologies can occur. However, studies on these two important factors are lacking in literature, particularly in the sub-Saharan African context. Design/methodology/approach: Nigerian residents’ preferences of flood-resilient HTs were explored by focusing on five frequently flooded areas around the Niger and Benue river basins in Kogi State, Nigeria. Thirty-eight chat, video and voice call interviews were conducted with participants across five case study areas: Lokoja, Idah, Bassa, Ajaokuta and Koton Karifi. The interviews, informed through an illustrated brochure, covered residents’ experiences and perceptions of floods. This was done to gain an understanding of the factors influencing the choice of flood-resilient HTs adopted and those preferred. Findings: This study confirms that residents in these five focus areas show similar characteristics to other floodplain residents as encapsulated in protection motivation theory. The flood-resilient HTs discussed in this study include flood-avoidance, flood-recoverability and flood-resistance strategies, as well as neighbourhood-scale approaches. Flood-resistance and flood-recoverability strategies rated highly in terms of suitability and envisaged efficiency in mitigating flooding in Kogi State. Although the measures were mostly agreed to be potentially effective and successful on a household scale, there were concerns as to flood mitigation on a neighbourhood scale. Research limitations/implications: Pre-existing flood-resilient HTs were not extensively discussed in the literature review but were included to have a sense of the participants’ mitigation behaviour, as well as their potential to adopt (or not) new measures after adopting previous ones. Originality/value: The results provide supporting evidence of the factors influencing the choice of and/or intention to adopt flood-resilient HTs, highlighted in literature. Results also contribute to literature by providing further insight into flood-resilient measures already adopted by residents, as well as their preferred HTs from the options presented. The implications of these findings and methodological considerations in this research are fully discussed in this paper.

This paper presents a structured narrative review of ten empirical studies published between 2008 and 2025, examining the relationships between heat exposure, hydration and kidney-related outcomes among construction workers. The studies were identified through targeted searches of Scopus and PubMed and interpreted using an ergonomics-informed work systems perspective. The findings suggest that construction workers are frequently exposed to heat levels that exceed recommended safety thresholds, with dehydration remaining common under real-world site conditions. Across the studies, there are indications of recurring kidney stress, including biomarkers associated with acute kidney injury (AKI), although reported rates vary due to differences in study design and measurement methods. Evidence relating to longer-term outcomes is still limited and remains inconclusive. A key contribution of this study is the development of a conceptual framework that brings together environmental heat exposure, pathophysiological response pathways and organisational and behavioural influences within a work systems context. This framework suggests that heat-related kidney risk is influenced not only by environmental exposure, but also by the interaction between work demands, organisational conditions and the factors that shape worker behaviours. Evidence points towards the need for multi-level strategies to protect workers, including better hydration practices, more adaptive work–rest scheduling and improved occupational health monitoring. The review also highlights important gaps in current knowledge, particularly the need for more longitudinal research and greater consistency in how outcomes are measured. Addressing heat-related kidney risks will be increasingly important for protecting worker health and supporting safe and sustainable construction practices in a warming climate.