Fiber-reinforced concrete has been used in structures without any additional reinforcement when the design is determined by transient load stages (precast segments for tunnels), in elements with favorable boundary conditions, and in structures subjected to low load levels (pavements or pipes). Recently, the material has been used as the primary reinforcement in elements with greater structural responsibility, such as building column-supported slabs. Several dozen buildings have incorporated this new technology, and research is being conducted on how to optimize the design while guaranteeing the required reliability levels. However, in some cases, fibers have not been used as the primary reinforcement in concrete slabs for economic reasons. In most cases, the solution is compared with existing alternatives (traditionally reinforced concrete) considering only the direct material costs and disregarding indirect costs, social aspects, and environmental factors. The building construction sector lacks sustainability rating tools to assess structural components separately (e.g., columns, floors, panels, and façades). This paper presents a new method that can be used to assess the sustainability of concrete slabs by means of a multicriteria decision-making approach including fiber-reinforced concrete. It used rigorous analyses of current concrete slab technologies and sustainability assessment tools. Criteria, indicators, weights, and value functions were specifically selected, defined, and calibrated for this research.

The concern for occupational health and safety in construction work is reflected in the many preventive measures taken. However, examples of the systematic assessment of project alternatives aimed at minimizing occupational hazards are rare. This paper proposes a measure of occupational safety [occupational risk index (ORI)] that is based solely on the project design and resulting construction process, and is a function of the activities carried out and their specific occupational risk (probability and consequences of occurrence). The ORI can thus be used as an indicator to feed multicriteria decision-analysis tools. The proposal is illustrated with a simple example in which two alternatives (one precast and the other constructed in situ) are prioritized in terms of occupational safety, and certain aspects related to redesign are briefly addressed. With the ORI, occupational safety goes from having a passive influence (application to projects that have already been designed) to an active one (influence on the design concept itself) in the design stage of construction projects. The research is based on an analysis of the applicable legislation and interviews with experts.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Sustainability has increasingly become key in universities, as the objectives of sustainable development are essential to establish policies, guidelines and indicators that guide institutions to be more sustainable. This recognition has led many authors to develop methods to assess universities based on their performance in terms of sustainable development. This article presents a review of these methods. The review focuses on identifying existing methods and classifying the methods according to seven characteristics: (1) nature of the data, (2) data collection, (3) scope, (4) level of implementation, (5) pillars of sustainability, (6) university function, (7) country perspective taken, which will allow identifying the differences between methods when assessing sustainability. The seven criteria established for the characterization of the sustainability assessment methods contain a total of 27 sub-criteria distributed among the properties. The main contribution of the study is the analysis of the revised methods through a comprehensive characterization and systematic grouping. In the discussion, the results are examined by looking at the comprehensiveness, heterogeneity and objectivity of the methods reviewed. Together with previous research in the area, this study highlights the need to continue deepening the design of sustainability assessment methods with standardized criteria.

This paper presents a quantitative environmental impact assessment tool for the decision making of construction processes including structures, infrastructures and buildings by means of an Environmental Impact Index (EII) to be applied at design and/or construction stages. The research is based on multi-attribute utility theory, interviews with experts representatives of the different stakeholders in construction, and an analysis of fifty-nine European and Spanish environmental legislative acts. The resulting tool was applied to two construction alternatives for road drains (one precast and one cast-in-place). The findings show that the tool enables the prioritisation of construction processes and the selection of the best alternative in terms of environmental impact and that the results are stable to reasonable weight variations. The tool contributes to decision making in the context of project management in construction: it can help professionals in public administration, and design and construction companies. It helps to quantify the cradle-to-gate impact of construction work, which has usually been less studied than the operational impact in the life-cycle assessment of buildings. The tool is being piloted in construction projects of the Barcelona City Council.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft