Current Technological, Methodological and Organizational Research Trends in the Construction Industry—Second Edition

1. Introduction

Rapid economic development, which is also being felt in the construction industry, is leading to new directions in research aimed at continuously improving the technology used to build new facilities, increasing the level of occupational safety, reducing the time and cost of construction, and increasing the durability of existing structures. In the construction industry, as in other sectors of the economy, great importance is attached to all environmental issues, as well as to broadly understood sustainable development strategies. This means that there is a constant search for new building materials, modifications of well-known and used materials, new research methods and methods of implementing and controlling construction processes. The health monitoring of existing facilities is also becoming increasingly important, as it determines the operational safety and durability of buildings.

This Special Issue, entitled “Current Technological, Methodological and Organizational Research Trends in the Construction Industry—Second Edition”, aims to present and discuss the results of the latest research in the broadly defined field of construction engineering—particularly in the following areas: improving the properties of building materials by adding various by-products or wastes; using modern digital technologies for project management and the design of building structures; developing advanced methods for monitoring construction processes; developing automation and robotics to perform these processes; and improving techniques for the health monitoring of building structures.

The articles published in this Special Issue are theoretical and experimental, involving applied research and modeling, grouped into several representative topics, and the main content of each article is briefly discussed.

2. Research in the Area of Building Materials

One of the most important building materials is cement, which is the basic component of concrete and mortar. Recent research in the field of cementitious materials focuses on improving their mechanical properties and durability. Innovative approaches in this area include adding waste materials, innovative additives and recycled aggregates to mortars and concretes. To promote sustainable development, to increase durability and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, alternative materials such as metakaolin, fly ash, sludge ash, blast furnace slag, silica fume, glass fiber and waste rubber are added to cement mortars, the effectiveness of which is well documented [1,2,3,4]. Article [5] presents the results of research on the effect of graphene oxide (GO) and fly ash (FA) on the properties of cement mortar. The results of the research indicated that depending on the proportion of GO or FA to cement, these additives can positively or negatively affect the properties of cement mortar. The test results show that 10 wt% FA and 0.036% GO will give the cement mortar the best physical and mechanical properties while providing other essential properties such as workability.

Since the end of the 20th century, the global trend is to reduce energy consumption and pollutant emissions in the construction industry. Among other things, sustainable building materials have been popular. Such an innovative building material may be cement-stabilized rammed earth (CSRE) [5,6,7].

Rammed earth (RE) is a durable building material consisting of inorganic soil compacted, with the addition of Portland cement as a stabilizer. Such compacted earth can be used to build monolithic walls. This method is considered environmentally friendly because the earth can be obtained directly from the construction site, eliminating the need for long-distance transport, and is based on a production process with low energy consumption and low environmental impact. In [8], the compressive strength of cement-stabilized rammed earth (CSRE) was evaluated by comparing samples taken from the structural elements of a prototype single-family house with samples cast under laboratory conditions. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was then applied to the data obtained to assess whether a reliable conversion factor could be obtained between the strengths measured on laboratory-cast cubes and those obtained from cores taken from the in situ CSRE structure.

The conclusion was that the use of locally available soil and its appropriate modification with stabilizer and aggregate facilitates the design of a mixture suitable for the construction of monolithic vertical partitions by tamping technology that meets the load-bearing and durability requirements for low-rise residential buildings in the temperate climate zone.

3. Innovative Solution for Construction Elements

One of the main requirements for building structures is durability. In reinforced concrete structures, the main factor influencing the durability of concrete is the corrosion of reinforcing steel. Replacing steel reinforcement with polymer fibers can not only reduce construction costs, but above all eliminate the problem of low corrosion resistance. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are very durable and have exceptional mechanical properties in tension, even under extreme environmental conditions. Compared to steel, FRP materials have advantages such as excellent corrosion resistance [9], low weight and high strength [10]. In [11], the authors proposed a concrete beam reinforced with a mesh made of basalt fiber-reinforced polymers (BFRP). Bending tests indicate that 3 mm and 5 mm thick lattice frames connected to concrete, exhibit higher bending capacity. Shear tests show that the capacity is influenced by the shear span ratio. The shear capacity decreases as the shear span ratio increases, but only up to a certain point.

The authors of [12] present an analysis of an innovative connector for manufacturing a composite steel–concrete beam. The connector consists of a dovetail-shaped corrugated sheet and shot nails, and an experimental program of push-out tests was performed. The tests showed that the proposed solution can be used as a connector for composite steel–concrete beams for the construction of floors in public buildings with a small beam span.

4. Construction Project Management

Building information modeling (BIM) is becoming a global standard in construction project management. Information management in the architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, supported by information and communication technologies (ICT), plays a key role in facilitating cooperation between stakeholders and maintaining interoperability between industries [13]. Its advantages, such as improved efficiency, cost reduction, process optimization and better information management, are increasing leading countries to introduce the use of BIM in public procurement. The implementation of BIM around the world is proceeding with varying intensity, but its importance in construction is growing. According to Boston Consulting Group, the implementation of digitalization processes is expected to have brought global savings of 13–21% by 2025 [14]. Article [15] presents a detailed analysis of BIM policy and implementation across Europe. Using data from government, academic and industry sources, key trends were identified and the effectiveness of BIM policies in advancing technology in construction was assessed.

As building information modeling (BIM) technology is rapidly evolving in the AEC sector, there is a growing need for robust techniques to evaluate and improve the as-built BIM model to capture the completed project with all deviations and corrections from the original design. To address this, the authors of [16] introduce a new analysis framework for managing and improving BIM during the construction phase. Their approach is to construct a network of relationships based on geometric attributes extracted directly from Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) files. The results show that this method significantly improves the ability to analyze and compare the as-built BIM model through comprehensive model evaluation and matching. By leveraging global geometric information and interdependent relationships between elements, the authors provide a more holistic understanding of as-built BIM, enabling more effective management and optimization. In this way, network analysis is proving to be a powerful tool for managing structures and assets in the AEC industry, opening up new possibilities for evaluating and fitting as-built BIM models.

The uncertainty of digital technology during its implementation seriously hinders the qualitative development of the construction industry. In [17], a system of uncertainty indicators of digital technology applications is proposed based on the LDA topic model and a literature analysis. The DEMATEL-ISM method is used to construct a multi-level hierarchical model of the structure of uncertainty indicators in digital technology applications, to study the mutual influence between indicators and find the key uncertainty indicators.

5. Occupational Safety in Construction

As construction is one of the most accident-prone sectors of the world’s economy, new technologies and solutions are constantly being sought to reduce the risk of accidents.

Ensuring a safe and hygienic working environment is a fundamental obligation of employers, who are constantly looking for methods, tools and strategies to improve occupational safety. In [18], the authors examine the use of lean manufacturing (LM) tools in the construction industry, identifying their advantages and disadvantages, as well as the benefits and potential barriers to effective implementation. Their analysis summarizes the benefits for the construction sector (strengths and opportunities) as well as the aspects in need of improvement (weaknesses and threats) related to these LM tools. Ultimately, the study concludes that LM methods can be used to improve site safety and streamline the organization of tasks in construction projects.

In recent years, there has been a return to prefabricated structures, which reduces the amount of work performed directly on the construction site. The widespread use of this approach technology in construction should significantly reduce the number of occupational accidents on the construction site. An analysis of occupational accidents recorded during the implementation of prefabricated structures was performed in [19]. The research was conducted focusing on accident claims, safety costs, professions exposed to accidents and injuries sustained, including the type of accident, cause, previous activity and place of injury. The trends were forecasted using the ARIMA model (p, d, q) based on key performance parameters, and in the predictive modeling, current and future trends in the frequency of accidents were determined and forecasted accordingly.

6. Quality Control of Building Structures

Quality is a particularly important factor in construction, as it translates into the durability and safety of buildings, reduces maintenance and repair costs, and minimizes the impact of the building on the environment. Product quality is defined as a set of various features that determine the degree of social utility of the product in accordance with its intended use. The quality of the building is determined by the type and number of identified defects, which in turn are the result of various factors identified at individual stages of the investment process [20,21].

In [22] the relationships between factors identified in the investment process and quality, measured by the number and type of identified defects, were examined. The discrimination power of individual factors was determined. The greatest discrimination power has the following factors: the lack of internal control in the design documentation before commencing the facility’s construction.

In turn, the authors of [23] developed a method for assessing concrete surfaces in terms of defects, namely the Surface Defect Index (SDI). The proposed SDI method was validated and tested in various configurations of controlled defects. A high level of consistency, repeatability and reproducibility of the proposed method was demonstrated. The coefficients of variation (CVr and CVR) were below 5%, and the correlation coefficient R² was 0.9968. The proposed method can be used to assess the quality levels of concrete surfaces, showing a significant correlation between the index (SDI) and the volume of defects.

7. Implementation of Robotics in Construction

Automation and robotization of technological processes in construction is a major challenge. The implementation of robotics in this sector of the economy is challenging due to its traditional, craftsman-like nature, variable working conditions on the construction site and the high costs of designing and operating machines and robots.

Buildings and their elements wear out during operation, so to maintain a long service life, buildings are subject to systematic inspections, the purpose being to identify defects. Detecting defects in underfloor heating systems is a particularly difficult task, with article [24] discussing the method of testing and assessing heating systems used in single-family houses in Korea—the so-called Ondol system. A robotic inspection system enabling the assessment of pipeline conditions was proposed, and the authors of the study developed a prototype of a compact inspection robot, in the shape of a capsule, inserted into pipes embedded in floors, adapted to inspect Ondol pipes.