The COVID-19 pandemic represents a type of force majeure that significantly and unexpectedly affected all human lifestyles. This study includes an integrative review of articles published across Scopus and Web of Science journals and compiled using the systematic review methodology based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) Statement and VOSreview (visualization of similarities) software by defining keywords that include “construction industry” and “force majeure” and “environmental risks” as a starting point. Moreover, the research years and the countries covered by this research were determined in a second stage. Finally, the abstracts of selected studies were reviewed in order to extract factors similar to the pandemic conditions of COVID-19 along with the brief results of the research. Out of 6384 publications identified and 56 publications reporting, 20 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria with full text. Based on our findings, there has been a continuous growth of publications on construction risk and environmental research since 2010. Malaysia had the greatest contribution to the research topic of the countries covered by the study, followed by Egypt. The Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management journal published the greatest number of publications related to the research topic. In this review, the most important previous studies are classified according to their handling of force majeure and environmental risks and the most important factors mentioned in these studies are identified. In addition, recommendations are made for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and for mitigating its effects on the construction industry in the Arab world and Malaysia. The results of this review will benefit researchers and construction companies alike in furthering research on reducing the risks of COVID-19 to construction projects and avoiding the significant economic loss that results from stopping these projects.

Buildings account for nearly 40% of global energy use and 36% of CO₂ emissions, positioning Net-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) as vital for climate mitigation. However, large-scale adoption remains limited by technical, economic, and policy barriers. This study systematically reviews 1285 peer-reviewed articles (2015–2025) from Scopus and Web of Science, following PRISMA guidelines and thematic analysis to assess renewable energy integration and efficiency strategies. Results indicate that 70% of studies highlight emissions reduction and cost savings as key NZEB benefits, while 60% cite high storage costs and 45% report grid integration challenges. Only 30% of studies address policy dependency, revealing a research gap. Effective measures include passive solar design (up to 25% heating load reduction), high-performance envelopes (15–40% energy savings), and smart energy management (10–20% efficiency gains). Persistent obstacles involve high upfront costs, renewable variability, and rapid technological obsolescence. Achieving NZEB viability requires integrating energy-efficient design, affordable renewables, advanced storage, and coherent policy frameworks to accelerate the transition toward a sustainable, NZEB-built environment.

Urban design quality is often assessed through the presence or appearance of physical features, although residents experience design through what spatial form enables in everyday life. This study develops and tests a lived urban performance model explaining how perceived urban design quality is associated with perceived design–satisfaction attribution in Makkah, a hot-climate pilgrimage city where permanent residents coexist with recurring high-volume visitor pressure. Survey data from 340 valid respondents across Makkah neighborhoods were analyzed in R using hierarchical partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Urban design quality and walkability and access were specified as reflective–formative higher-order composites and estimated through a disjoint two-stage approach. Inference was based on 5000 bootstrap samples, supplemented by measurement-sensitivity, original-specification, common-method, and repeated cross-validation checks. Urban design quality was strongly associated with walkability and access (β = 0.756), public-space quality (β = 0.358), and perceived local economic vitality (β = 0.522). Its direct association with perceived design–satisfaction attribution was not significant (β = 0.058), whereas its total indirect association was substantial (β = 0.464, 95% CI [0.340, 0.596]). Perceived local economic vitality showed the strongest direct association with perceived design–satisfaction attribution (β = 0.373), followed by public-space quality (β = 0.167). Open-ended responses identified shade and heat protection as the most salient local need. The findings show that urban design quality is associated with perceived design–satisfaction attribution primarily through its statistical associations with thermally viable access, usable public space, and continuity of everyday services. The study contributes a context-sensitive and reproducible framework for evaluating lived urban performance and social sustainability in hot-climate cities exposed to tourism, pilgrimage, or recurrent large-event pressures.