Monitoring the dynamic behavior of shorelines is an essential factor for integrated coastal management (ICM). In this study, satellite-derived shorelines and corresponding eroded and accreted areas of coastal zones have been calculated and assessed for 15 km along the coasts of Ezbet Elborg, Nile Delta, Egypt. A developed approach is designed based on Landsat satellite images combined with GIS to estimate an accurate shoreline changes and study the effect of seawalls on it. Landsat images for the period from 1985 to 2018 are rectified and classified using Supported Vector Machines (SVMs) and then processed using ArcGIS to estimate the effectiveness of the seawall that was constructed in year 2000. Accuracy assessment results show that the SVMs improve images accuracy up to 92.62% and the detected shoreline by the proposed method is highly correlated (0.87) with RTK-GPS measurements. In addition, the shoreline change analysis presents that a dramatic erosion of 2.1 km² east of Ezbet Elborg seawall has occurred. Also, the total accretion areas are equal to 4.40 km² and 10.50 km² in between 1985-and-2000 and 2000-and-2018, respectively, along the southeast side of the study area.

The substantial environmental impact of buildings has garnered significant attention. However, sustainability efforts often prioritise structural and envelope materials, overlooking building services - systems for ensuring occupants’ safety and comfort. Given their complexity, rapid technological advancements, and substantial costs, these components necessitate a circular economy approach to optimise resource utilisation. This study conducts a systematic literature review to assess the current state of circular economy implementation in building services, identifying barriers, opportunities, key influencers, and potential strategies. Findings indicate that applying circular economy principles within building services remains nascent. Barriers encompass technical, economic, legislative, and organisational challenges. Conversely, numerous opportunities exist, alongside six key influential stakeholders. The analysis enabled the development of a framework to integrate existing principles and building blocks with identified essential strategies for advancing circular building services. The integrated strategies include design, business models, policy, product information, warranties, life cycle costing, digital technology, education, collaboration, and transparency. This study recognises various research gaps and highlights the need for further exploration to realise the full potential of circular economy in building services. Ultimately, a shift in mindset, coupled with new skills and holistic approaches, is required to drive progress in this domain. Practical application: The application of circular economy in building services is still nascent, representing a missing piece for advancing sustainable construction. This paper examines the existing knowledge in this domain to identify barriers, opportunities, and key influencers. The strategies identified enabled a framework for advancing circular building services. The study is vital for engineers, designers, researchers, policy makers, and all other stakeholders to advance circularity in the building services sector.

Construction projects often struggle to align design models, cost estimates, and scheduling processes. To address this challenge, this study presents an integrated 5D BIM model that automates cost and schedule estimation by linking 3D BIM components to a structured database of historical productivity and activity data. A unique coding system connects each BIM object to its corresponding construction tasks, enabling automatic generation of resource-loaded schedules with associated durations, costs, and crews based on the selected construction method. The workflow integrates Autodesk Revit, Navisworks, a relational (SQL) database, and Primavera P6 to achieve seamless interoperability across design, estimating, and scheduling tools. The model is validated through a case study of a six-story reinforced concrete building. Findings show that the approach significantly improves estimation, accuracy, and efficiency. Predicted costs closely match actual values, thereby reducing dispersion among estimates. The automated process minimizes manual data handling while keeping cost and schedule outputs synchronized. Novel contributions include the incorporation of detailed historical productivity data, construction method alternatives, and structured cost/activity records into a unified framework, representing a methodological advance in 5D BIM that bridges the design, estimating, and scheduling domains for more reliable and automated project planning.

Purpose: This study aims to design a high-performance building envelope system with a focus on evaluating energy savings considering the hot climate. Design/methodology/approach: A thermal energy storage approach based on inorganic phase change material (PCM) was adopted to regulate both temperature and humidity conditions when added to building envelopes. The microencapsulation technology was used to form new PCM microcapsules by combining a humidity agent material with thermal conduction accelerating material to encapsulate an inorganic PCM. The relevant parameters of the thermophysical characteristics of the synthesized PCM microcapsules were tested and analyzed. Also, a numerical validation was done for the energy-saving evaluation of the new synthesized PCM microcapsules when used in a building envelope. Findings: The study results showed that the new synthesized PCM microcapsules have high latent heat capacities and enhanced thermal conduction values. The simulation results conducted by the Conduction Finite Difference solution algorithm (CondFD) approved the efficiency of the proposed PCM compositions when added to a building envelope. Research limitations/implications: Due to applying the PCM to the building envelope composition by the addition instead of the replacement method, the proposed design solutions are not suitable for improving the performance of lightweight construction. Originality/value: This study provides a promising energy-efficient system for building envelopes. The study originality is represented in adding carbon nanoparticles as a shell material to overcome the low thermal conduction issue of PCMs. In addition to testing the impacts of different doses of the carbon shell material on the thermal performance of inorganic PCM microcapsules.

This paper explores the integration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) and 4D Building Information Modeling (BIM). The integration of knowledge disciplines facilitates the emergence of new trends. One form of this integration is the use of artificial intelligence (AI). Recently, the BIM literature has expanded with the application of AI technology. However, AI and BIM are broad domains, and each of them encompasses multiple sub-domains. NLP, a well-established sub-domain of AI, enables computers to understand and communicate using human language. Conversely, 4D BIM is a specific area within BIM that facilitates the integration of BIM models with construction schedules. While existing literature explores the integration of each sub-domain with other major fields—such as the interplay between NLP and BIM and the connection between 4D BIM and AI—a significant gap remains in integrating the two sub-domains of NLP and 4D BIM. To provide state-of-the-art research for this integration, this paper presents a review to investigate the building blocks of both chains. This review aims to evaluate the literature, synthesize information, and identify potential research gaps. It uses a qualitative research methodology to facilitate a thorough examination of data from 122 articles. This supports the identification of 72 topics, eight 4D BIM themes, and five NLP themes.