Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is gaining attention as an eco-friendly and sustainable method for concrete crack repair. However, key challenges related to its large-scale implementation, regulatory approval, and integration into existing construction standards remain underexplored. This review examines recent advances in MICP, emphasizing its role in circular economy practices and sustainable building solutions. Traditional synthetic sealants contribute to environmental pollution and have limited long-term durability, highlighting the need for greener alternatives. Global research trends reveal an increasing focus on self-healing materials, biomineralization, and durability enhancement, alongside emerging innovations such as encapsulation technologies, marine applications, and bio-based composites. Unlike previous reviews, this study integrates bibliometric analysis to systematically assess research trends, identify key collaboration networks, and evaluate regulatory challenges that impact MICP adoption. While MICP offers significant advantages, including self-healing capabilities and compatibility with industrial by-products, barriers related to cost, scalability, and policy integration persist. This review identifies critical thematic clusters which include microbial action, sustainability, and engineering applications. This helps to provide actionable insights for researchers, engineers, and policymakers. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, MICP has the potential to become a transformative solution for resilient and environmentally sustainable infrastructure.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has become an important component of building design because people tend to spend the majority of their time indoors. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the occupants’ overall perceived Quality of Life (QoL) experience in two green and two non-green office buildings. All four buildings are situated in Klang Valley, Malaysia, and they are open-plan office buildings. 162 questionnaires were administered to assess the relationship between individuals' perceived QoL and IEQ factors. The IEQ factors, classified into ambient conditions, designed environment, and behavioural environment, are found to impact QoL. Findings from the case studies reveal that the four buildings varied in the aspect of Behavioural Environment, where some of the IEQ factors in the green buildings were perceived as slightly uncomfortable. It was also found that several IEQ categories interact as a system in which improvement of occupants' QoL experiences cannot be accomplished solely through the instrumental components of IEQ, as the designed and behavioural environments have substantial impacts. Several missing factors linked to the Green Building Index (GBI) criteria were significantly correlated with the QoL experience of occupants.

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) significantly impacts people’s comfort, health, and productivity in buildings, and modern green rating systems are primarily focused on energy efficiency rather than the direct user experience. This paper analyses the relationship between IEQ and the perceived quality of life (QoL) of certified and conventional office buildings in Malaysia using a mixed-methods design. The questionnaires were completed by 162 employees working in four open-plan offices: two were certified under the Green Building Index (GBI) established in Malaysia, and two were traditional. This was supplemented by 14 semi-structured interviews and 2 focus groups. The factors of IEQ were divided into ambient, designed, and behavioral environments. It was statistically determined that behavioral factors, such as visual privacy, personalization, ergonomics, and control, exhibited the strongest correlations with overall QoL, compared to ambient factors such as air quality or thermal comfort. Green buildings performed better in terms of daylighting and esthetics than conventional buildings, though they did not always deliver higher occupant satisfaction. The results indicate that current green certification frameworks pay insufficient attention to occupant-centered aspects. The proposed research adds a validated IEQ-QoL framework that predicts the incorporation of subjective user experience into building performance indicators, which can be important for certification reform, post-occupancy evaluation (POE), and human-centered sustainable design approaches.