No abstract

Purpose The adoption of robotics and automation (R&A) within the construction industry has been adjudged as slow, despite the possibility of it reducing the high risk posed on health and safety of humans by the activities of the industry. The call for research and development in this area of technology to improve its adoption in the delivery of construction projects is evident in past studies. Thus, this paper aims to conduct a review of R&A in construction-related fields with a view to revealing the area of focus of past studies. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric approach was adopted for this study, and data used were gathered from the Scopus database. Keywords such as “robotics”, “automation” and “construction” were used to extract papers from the database. VOSviewer was used to prepare a co-authorship and co-occurrence map based on the bibliographic data gathered. Findings The findings revealed that focus is placed on construction automation, industrial robots and application, robots’ systems and designs, robotics in earthworks, and robots’ control and information system. Furthermore, currently, research focus in this area is tending towards a more digitalised application of R&A especially in the areas of 3D manufacturing. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study are limited due to the use of a single database. Practical implications Despite its limitations, the findings open a knowledge gap that can be explored in developing countries particularly in Africa to improve construction delivery in the continent through R&A. Originality/value The study adopted the bibliometric approach in mapping out research focus in R&A – an aspect of digital technology that has not been given considerable attention in recent bibliometric and scientometric studies.

Buildings are essential facilities in the delivery of quality education in any nation. Providing not just buildings but sustainable ones is necessary, since educational buildings are meant to serve both the present generation, and generations to come. However, bold statements as to the poor sustainability nature of construction projects in most developing countries around the world have been made by researchers. This study therefore assessed the challenges of sustainable construction (SC) and the possible measures for mitigating the issue of poor sustainability in the Nigerian construction industry (NCI). Survey design was employed and questionnaire was administered on construction participants in selected higher institutions. Data gathered were analyzed using percentage, mean score, Kruskal-Walis H-test, and factor analysis. The study revealed that the significant challenges of SC are majorly construction related, sustainability awareness and knowledge related, finance related, and government related. To improve on the sustainability of construction projects, then strict government policy on SC, and jettisoning the traditional method of construction for innovative sustainability oriented methods, is necessary. The implication of this finding is that, the method and process of operations within the NCI does not favor the attainment of SC. Therefore, if sustainability is to be achieved, a review of construction activities and processes within the industry is necessary.

PurposeThis study presents a fuzzy synthetic evaluation of the challenges of smart city realisation in developing countries, using Nigeria as a case study. By defining and delineating the problems faced by the country, more viable directions to attaining smart city development can be achieved.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted a post-positivist philosophical stance with a deductive approach. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from built environment professionals involved in the delivery of Nigerian public infrastructures. Six dimensions of the challenges of smart cities were identified from literature and explored. They are governance, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal issues. Data gathered were analysed using Cronbach alpha test for reliability, Shapiro-Wilks test for normality, Kruskal-Wallis H-test for consistency and fuzzy synthetic evaluation test for the synthetic evaluation of the challenges of smart city attainment.FindingsThe findings revealed that all six assessed dimensions have a significant impact on the attainment of smart cities in Nigeria. More specifically, issues relating to environmental, technological, social and legal challenges are more prominent.Originality/valueThe fuzzy synthetic approach adopted provides a clear, practical insight on the issues that need to be addressed before the smart city development can be attained within developing countries.

Purpose This paper aims to present the result of an assessment of the challenges of sustainable construction (SC) in two developing countries (Nigeria and South Africa). This was done with a view to improving sustainable project delivery, which is a problem among most developing countries. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative survey approach with questionnaire used as the instrument for data collection from quantity surveyors, construction and project managers from both countries. Data analysis was done using a four-step analysis approach and relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were adopted. Findings The study revealed a considerable level of awareness of SC and involvement in the use of the same among the assessed professionals. Also, it was discovered that SC materials are mostly used in the aspect of surface finishing and masonry construction. Further findings revealed that resistance to change, client’s preference, fear of the increased cost of investment and inadequate knowledge and understanding of the concept of sustainability are some of the major challenges of SC in these countries. Originality/value The strength of this study lies in the assessment of happenings from two developing countries and its recommendation can to a large extent promote improved SC in developing countries particularly in Africa were construction activities are similar.