Natural hazards are dynamic and unpredictable events that are a continuous threat to global socio-economic development. Humans’ reactions to these catastrophes are influenced by their proximity to the hazards and their ability to anticipate, resist, cope with, and recover from their consequences. Due to climatic changes, the risk of multiple natural hazards is expected to increase in several regions of Pakistan. There is a pressing need to understand the spatial discrepancies of natural hazards due to climate change and identifying the regions that require special measures to increase resilience, achieve adaptation, and sustainable development goals. This paper synthesizes the related literature to understand spatial variations of natural hazards due to climate changes across Pakistan. The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), National Aeronautics and Space Administration Global Landslide Catalog (NASA-GLC), National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) are utilized to analyze spatial discrepancies and vulnerabilities to natural hazards. This study unveils that Pakistan’s current risk analysis and management strategies seem to be obsolete compared to global trends. Because of spatial variations of hazards, most research work on hazard risk assessments and risk management focuses on a single hazard, neglecting the co-occurrence impact of different natural hazards. Very limited studies are included in comprehensive multi-hazard risk strategies. Therefore, in Pakistan, risk management would require integrated multi-hazard risk assessment approaches to detect, analyze, measure, and evaluate various natural hazards, their effects, and interconnections. Moreover, the Pakistan governmental institutes dealing with natural hazards should focus on pre-disaster mitigation and resilience techniques instead of investing only in post-disaster relief activities.

Due to its wider applications and advantages, three-dimensional (3D) printing has attracted the attention of various industries in the past years. Although the implementation of 3D printing in many industries still has challenges, progress in the construction industry is particularly slow. This paper explores the key factors that influence 3D printing adaptation and implementation in construction. A qualitative research method considering a systematic review was adopted to achieve this aim. Relevant data spanning over a period of 20 years (2000–2019) considering four main databases were collected using specified keywords. A total of 137 published articles were downloaded, and 43 were finally selected after the screening criteria had been imposed. The results from this review enabled categorisation of the derived factors broadly into four categories: technology, organisation, environment and cost. Each of these main factors is constituted by subfactors. An understanding of these factors will be helpful in developing effective strategies towards adaptation and implementation of 3D printing in the construction industry. Since industry characteristics vary from region to region, the significance of these factors in various regions could be different and needs to be investigated further.

Purpose: construction industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries is at the peak as the region is in the stage of developing its infrastructures. Apart from some positive sign of this boost, several other issues have also been developed in the region. One of such issues is the safety of workers at the construction sites. This article, based on a variety of applications of drones in other industrial sectors, considers the use of drones for construction safety improvement in the GCC countries. This article aimed to investigate the safety-related applications of drones considering technical features and barriers and enablers for safety-related tasks.Design/methodology/approach: A mixed research approach using both qualitative and quantitative methods was adopted to achieve the aims and objectives of this research. Data were collected through a systematic literature review, semistructured interviews and using a structured questionnaire. A total of 37 relevant research items and 10 interviews were held with construction safety professionals, and 92 responses collected from the safety managers through a structured questionnaire was used to derive the conclusion of this research. The collected data were processed and analyzed using the Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) program. Descriptive analyses were carried out in which means and importance factors were calculated.Findings: 25.92% of participants confirmed that they or their company had used the drone in different activates. The most common application of drones reported by the respondents was photography for marketing purposes followed by surveying application and quality inspections. The camera movability was the top-rated technical feature required for safety-related inspections. Similarly, “Working near the corner or edge of unprotected opening” was the top-rated application of drone for safety-related tasks. The safety concerns of using drones at job sites were rated as the most important barrier by the participants. Technical challenges associated with the use of drones for safety improvement was rated as the second most important barrier by the participants.Research limitations/implications: Although, the research presented in this article is based on the GCC construction industry, however, since the data collected through systematic review and semistructured interviews are not a regional base, therefore the finding of this research could also be useful in other regions. Further research however, needs to be conducted to reduce the implications of the barriers identified in this paper so that the drone can be effectively used for safety improvement in construction not only in the GCC region but also in other countries.Practical implications: Once the GCC construction industry will be able to overcome the challenges associated with the application of drones in safety improvement, the safety managers will be able to monitor the site more effectively which could be helpful to improve the safety performance of the construction organization.Social implications: Improved safety performance in not only in the greater interest of the construction organizations as they can reduce the costs associated with poor safety but can also avoid the delay caused by construction accidents. Similarly, improved safety performance reduces the accidents at construction sites, and thus reduces injuries and disabilities caused by such accidents, making the construction workers a useful part of the society. The application of drones in safety-related tasks is one of the key solutions that can lead us to improved safety performance.Originality/value: Although, the use of drone technology has revolutionized a number of industrial sectors due to its variety of applications, the application in construction particularly in the GCC region is still very limited. As noted in the results of this research, only 21 participants (25.92%) expressed that they or their company had used the drone in different activates. This means that the industry is not getting the full advantage of the available drone technology. The results of this research will enable construction industry stakeholders to know the challenges associated with the application of drones for safety improvement and to develop strategies to overcome these challenges.

Accumulating vast amounts of pollutants drives modern civilization toward sustainable development. Construction waste is one of the prominent issues impeding progress toward net-zero. Pollutants must be utilized in constructing civil engineering structures for a green ecosystem. On the other hand, large-scale production of industrial steel fibers (ISFs) causes significant damage to the goal of a sustainable environment. Recycled steel fibers (RSFs) from waste tires have been suggested to replace ISFs. This research critically examines RSF’s application in the mechanical properties’ improvement of concrete and mortar. A statistical analysis of dimensional parameters of RSFs, their properties, and their use in manufacturing various cement-based composites are given. Furthermore, comparative assessments are carried out among the improvements in compressive, split tensile, and flexural strengths of plain and RSF-incorporated concrete and mortar. In addition, the optimum contents of RSF for each strength property are also discussed. The influence of RSFs parameters on various strength properties of concrete and mortars is discussed. The possible applications of RSF for various civil engineering structures are reviewed. The limitations and errors noticed in previous review papers are also outlined. It is found that the maximum enhancement in compressive strength (CS), split tensile strength (STS), and flexure strength (FS) are 78%, 149%, and 157%, respectively, with the addition of RSF into concrete. RSF increased cement mortars’ CS, STS, and FS by 46%, 50.6%, and 69%, respectively. The current study encourages the building sector to use RSFs for sustainable concrete.

Purpose: In some regions including the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region where construction is one of the main industries, the implementation of BIM is still at a slow rate. This article attempts to know the current situation of BIM and explore the challenges in the BIM implementation in the GCC construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed research approach that includes a systematic literature review and a survey questionnaire was adopted to achieve the aim of this research. For the systematic review, four main databases were search considering a period of 2010–2019 to identify the main challenges in the BIM implementation. A total of 39 different challenges from 47 documents were classified into four main categories. A structured questionnaire developed on these challenges was sent to 206 selected from the top construction organizations from all over the GCC region. Findings: A total of 39 different challenges from 47 documents were classified into four main categories. The respondents for the questionnaire were selected from the top construction organization from all over the GCC region. A large number of the respondents (69.79%) reported that their organizations are planning for BIM implementation in their future projects. The results show that top challenges fall under the main categories of “Organization”, “Technical”, “Government and Legal” and “Environment”. Research limitations/implications: While the paper provides an overview of BIM in a global context, however, the dynamics and maturity of the construction industry in different regions are quite different from each other. Since the data collected in this research is from the GCC region, the results are more relevant to the GCC region. Practical implications: The finding of this research identifies the main challenges which GCC construction is facing in the implementation of BIM. The finding will, therefore, be useful for the key stakeholders to develop strategies to overcome these challenges and pave the road to take the advantages of BIM implementation in construction. Social implications: The BIM implementation in the GCC construction industry will not only improve the performance of the industry but will also open the doors for new opportunities and employment. The BIM implementation in construction will help the region to achieve Goal 9 (industrial innovation and improved infrastructure) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Originality/value: The results of this study help to understand the overall situation including the challenges in the BIM implementation in the GCC construction industry. This study will be helpful for all the stakeholders to develop strategies for the effective implementation of BIM in the GCC construction industry.

Structural materials sustainability is gaining popularity across the globe at present. Reusing natural resources, building, demolition debris, and solid waste are the most apparent tools to make construction more environmentally friendly. Traditional concrete is believed to be less durable, stronger, environmentally friendly, and socially and commercially feasible than industrial waste concrete. The evolution of non-destructive testing (NDT) across time has not been investigated in depth by researchers. An experimental study was carried out to propose the use of non-destructive mechanisms that would enable us to assess concrete’s compressive strength without causing destruction. Varying quantities of industrial waste (coal bottom ash (CBA) and waste glass sludge (WGS)) were incorporated to cast concrete prisms (150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm). The results obtained helped us to establish relationships between the compressive strength of concrete and the Schmidt hammer rebound value, as well as the ultrasonic pulse velocities. Microstructural analysis showed that incorporating 10% of CBA and WGS improved the porosity of concrete specimens, which shows the applicability of these industrial wastes as partial cement replacements. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed traces of calcium alumino-silicate hydrate (C-A-S-H), portlandite and C-S-H, which indicates the binder characteristics of CBA and WGS. The concept of the response surface approach (RSM) for optimizing cement and industrial waste substitution was validated by the polynomial work expectation. The model was statistically significant when the fluctuation of ANOVA was analyzed using a p value with a significance level of 0.05. The study results show that the usage of 15% CBA and 10% WGS as a cementitious additive and cement replacement has the potential to increase the strength of concrete significantly.