Net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) play a crucial role in mitigating the environmental impact of the construction industry. However, this concept in Ghana is still in the infancy stage, and the level of embracement in the construction industry is uncertain which further poses challenges to its adoption. This can be attributed to the lack of awareness of NZEB among construction professionals. Hence, understanding the awareness among construction professionals is essential for promoting sustainable building practices and reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the level of awareness of NZEBs among construction professionals in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI). The study adopted a quantitative research method where questionnaire survey was used to obtain data from sixty-six (66) construction professionals in the GCI through snowball sampling technique. The collected data were analysed using frequencies, mean scores, one-sample t-test and cross-tabulation. The study revealed that thirty (30) construction professionals out of the sixty-six (66) had a moderate level of awareness of NZEBs, and 14 professionals had a low level of awareness. Thirteen had a high level of awareness. Three of the profesionals were extremely unaware, while six had a very high level of awareness. The study’s findings highlight the need to create awareness of NZEBs and their practices among construction professionals and employees in Ghana. NZEB is an under-explored area in the Ghanaian context and therefore, this study uniquely highlights the nascent awareness of NZEBs among Ghanaian construction professionals, unlike previous studies in more developed contexts. It underscores the critical need for targeted awareness programs essential for reducing the carbon footprint and advancing the adoption of NZEBs in the GCI.

Purpose: Employee unsafe behaviours and failure to adhere to safety standards resulting from poor safety perception among employees contribute to the high rate of accidents in the construction industry. This study seeks to examine the role of respectable engagement in improving construction workers' safety perceptions in the Ghanaian Construction Industry.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a quantitative research method where survey questionnaires were administered to respondents. Sixty-six construction workers who were actively involved in ongoing construction projects in Kumasi and Greater Accra regions of Ghana were selected through stratified purposive sampling. The analytical tools utilised in the data analysis include a one-sample t-test, descriptive statistics and mean score ranking.Findings: The study identified five key drivers and strategies of respectable engagement from pertinent literature. The findings confirmed that all these drivers and strategies play a key role in improving workers' safety perception. The study further revealed that improving employees' safety perception will enhance and sustain their awareness of the organisation's commitment to health and safety. Employees will therefore portray positive safety behaviour by adhering to the safety standards of their organisation.Practical implications: The findings of this study will contribute to construction site safety improvement by informing contractors, site supervisors and other stakeholders of their role and the need to improve their worker's safety perception.Originality/value: This research is unique in that; it identifies the role of respectable engagement in improving construction workers' safety perception. This research creates awareness among management and site supervisors on the need to be present for their workers, affirm them, attend to their needs, understand and appreciate them, and communicate and listen to them.

Purpose: Many investors have less interest in tendering for public-private partnership (PPP) construction projects as a result of the uncertain risks associated with the project delivery. Moreover, PPP project stakeholders have inadequate information about the probable impacts of time-based delay imposed on PPP projects under the PPP arrangement. This study aims to identify and categorize construction stakeholders’ perceptions of the impact of time-based delays on PPP construction projects. Design/methodology/approach: A purposive sampling technique was adopted where questionnaires were used as the primary instrument for gathering data from PPP experts. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and Kendall’s concordance were used to measure the reliability of the scale and the respondent’s level of agreement, respectively. One sample t-test, mean score ranking and principal component analysis were used to analyse the identified time-based delay impacts. Findings: The study revealed seven significant impacts of time-based delay on PPP construction project delivery as: “project schedule overrun”, “idling of project resources”, “project cost overrun”, “poor quality of completed works”, “delayed realization of project benefits”, “frequent arbitration/litigation in PPP projects” and “total abandonment of PPP projects”. The study further identified the top five significant impacts of time-based delay on PPP project stakeholders as: “reduction in motivation to attract investment”, “high interest on finance (loans)”, “contractor in financial crisis”, “loss of public confidence in government” and “reduction in parties’ reputation”. Practical implications: The identified significant impacts of time-based delays will increase stakeholders’ awareness of the repercussions and effects that time-based delays may impose on PPP construction projects if not appropriately managed throughout the project implementation. This awareness will further guide stakeholders to implement targeted risk management strategies to minimize the negative consequences of delays on PPP project performance. Originality/value: As a pioneering study that provides a better understanding of the impacts of time-based delays on PPP construction projects, this study enhances knowledge of PPP construction project implementation.

Despite the current attention on net zero energy buildings (NZEBs) and the renewable energy potential of developing economies, their potential in developing economies remains underutilized. This untapped opportunity is largely attributed to a lack of knowledge regarding effective NZEB implementation strategies. Therefore, this study investigates the strategies for the implementation of NZEBs in a developing economy. The study used a mixed-methods approach, conducting a quantitative survey among 120 construction professionals and semi-structured interviews with 10 NZEB experts to develop a conceptual framework for NZEBs implementation in the Ghanaian construction industry (GCI). The quantitative data collected were analysed using mean scores, standard deviation, one-sample t-test and normalisation value (NV) test. The qualitative results were thematically analysed and compared with the quantitative findings to validate and enrich the interpretation through detailed insights from interviewees. The findings highlighted seven key strategies critical to NZEB implementation in the GCI: creation of NZEB awareness among design professionals and contractors; academic institutions’ intervention; government promotion of NZEB awareness; specialist training in renewable energy technologies; educating building owners about energy-saving benefits; ensuring adequate experts for NZEB quality assurance and publicizing the health benefits of NZEBs. The findings of this study shed light on a relatively under-reported area within the built environment of a developing country, particularly Ghana. This offers insights and contributes new and supplementary knowledge on strategies for implementing NZEBs.

Although the advent of Construction 4.0 has allowed for increased research on the concept, research directions are centred on the technologies themselves and their practical application in a particular sphere of the construction industry (CI). Very little effort has been made to identify the capacity needs and directions for holistic capacity building (CB) of individuals (professionals and practitioners), organizations (construction firms), and systems for Construction 4.0 adoption in the built environment (BE). It is thus important to explore what CB means towards adopting Construction 4.0. In a more general scope, the identification of capacity needs would bring to the fore, the missing knowledge, skills, values, systems, and social processes that set the preconditions for the adoption of Construction 4.0 globally. This chapter identified capacity needs of professionals from a systems approach focusing on four dimensions of capapcity building. They are the types of capapcity, the levels of CB, stages of CB, and outcomes of capcity building. This perspective may represent, arguably, the most important contribution of CB to CI. The findings of the study have, thus, revealed that building the capacities of BE professionals to adopt Construction 4.0 should be addressed as part of a broader framework, interdependent on the other dimensions of CB holistically.