Purpose: The government plays a critical role in driving building information modeling (BIM) implementation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the government efforts for driving BIM implementation in three benchmark countries, namely, Singapore, the UK and the US, so as to develop appropriate roadmaps for increasing BIM implementations in other countries.Design/methodology/approach: This study performs a review on the government efforts and roles in BIM implementation in three benchmark countries, namely, Singapore, the UK and the US.Findings: Through cross comparison with existing literature, it is found that Singapore and the UK adopt a government-driven approach and a phase-by-phase development pattern is observed. The first phase focuses on the building sector to rapidly increase the use of BIM and the government generally plays the role of an initiator. In the second phase, BIM is expanded to other implementation areas, e.g. smart city. The importance of the initiator role decreases and more attention is paid to supporting roles such as researcher, educator and regulator. In contrast, an industry-driven approach is adopted in the US. The main role of the government is that of a regulator, with research institutions actively supporting the BIM implementation.Research limitations/implications: General roadmaps of the two mandating approaches are presented. The results can provide a useful reference for countries and regions that intend to develop roadmaps to increase their BIM maturity level and enhance readiness to accept and implement BIM.Originality/value: This study is one of the first studies that investigate the step-by-step roadmaps for implementing BIM from the perspective of changing government roles.

The past decade has witnessed a notable transformation in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, with efforts made both in the academia and industry to facilitate improvement of efficiency, safety and sustainability in civil projects. Such advances have greatly contributed to a higher level of automation in the lifecycle management of civil assets within a digitalised environment. To integrate all the achievements delivered so far and further step up their progress, this study proposes a novel theory, Engineering Brain, by effectively adopting the Metaverse concept in the field of civil engineering. Specifically, the evolution of the Metaverse and its key supporting technologies are first reviewed; then, the Engineering Brain theory is presented, including its theoretical background, key components and their inter-connections. Outlooks of this theory’s implementation within the AEC sector are offered, as a description of the Metaverse of future engineering. Through a comparison between the proposed Engineering Brain theory and the Metaverse, their relationships are illustrated; and how Engineering Brain may function as the Metaverse for future engineering is further explored. Providing an innovative insight into the future engineering sector, this study can potentially guide the entire industry towards its new era based on the Metaverse environment.

The U.S. is the second largest contributor to carbon emissions in the world, with its road transport sector being one of the most significant emission sources. However, few studies have been conducted on factors influencing the emissions changes for the U.S. from the perspective of passenger and freight transport. This study aimed to evaluate the carbon emissions from the U.S. road passenger and freight transport sectors, using a Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index approach. Emissions from 2008 to 2017 in the U.S. road transport sector were analysed and key findings include: (1) energy intensity and passenger transport intensity are critical for reducing emissions from road passenger transport, and transport structure change is causing a shift in emissions between different passenger transport modes; and (2) the most effective strategies to reduce carbon emissions in the road freight transport sector are to improve energy intensity and reduce freight transport intensity. Several policy recommendations regarding reducing energy and transport intensity are proposed. The results and policy recommendations are expected to provide useful references for policy makers to form carbon emissions reduction strategies for the road transport sector.