ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities
Assessing Renovation-Avoided Carbon Emissions: A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment and the Influence of LOD on a Building Use Conversion Project
Renovating existing buildings has emerged as a decisive means of mitigating environmental impacts from buildings. However, estimating life-cycle environmental impacts remained challenging, as rapid early-stage assessments often differed substantially from results from detailed models. This study conducted a comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of an existing building that underwent adaptive reuse, comparing embodied carbon savings against a demolition and new-build scenario. It isolated the intrinsic material burdens and end-of-life processes of different design scenarios, offering insights into the environmental implications of choosing renovation and adaptive reuse versus demolition and rebuilding. The results demonstrated a 68% reduction in emissions when renovation was chosen and highlighted the relative contributions of different building stages and materials. Significant carbon savings of more than 2,500 metric tons CO₂e were measured, stemming mainly from the retention and reuse of high-impact structural materials such as concrete and steel, which together accounted for more than 93% of the total savings. This study also assessed the impact of Level of Development (LOD) on LCA results, demonstrating that a highly detailed building model at LOD 350, compared with LOD 200, produced a 45.8% variation in results. This contribution highlighted the importance of clearly defining LOD levels when using LCA results to support carbon-reduction decisions. Ultimately, this study provided an empirical case-study benchmark for future LCA studies on adaptive reuse projects, and offered actionable insights for architects, engineers, and policymakers seeking to prioritise adaptive-reuse strategies and appropriate LOD definitions as pathways to accurately meet carbon-reduction targets and support a net-zero future.
Copyright (c) 2026 Doreen Steven Mlote, Sezgi Yalcinkaya, and F. Peter Ortner https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Global Visions for Architectural Education — International Webinar Series (2024–2026)
This report documents five international webinars convened by the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM) between June 2024 and March 2026 under the series title Global Visions: Architectural Education and the Role of the Architect in the 21st Century. Bringing together more than thirty speakers from across all five UIA regions and engaging over four hundred registered participants, the series constructed a cumulative argument: architectural education must be fundamentally reoriented, not simply adjusted at the margins. Successive webinars examined the evolving role of the architect across pedagogy, practice, and policy; emerging global pedagogical trends including radicant design and decolonised curricula; alignment with allied built-environment disciplines; the connection between research, pedagogy, and practice; and socially engaged pedagogies positioning the architect as listener, mediator, collaborator, civic agent, and critical practitioner. The concluding synthesis identifies pathways for change: redefining professional identity, centring the social dimensions of architecture in studio culture, embracing transdisciplinary collaboration, integrating research with teaching and practice, decolonising knowledge systems, and preparing graduates for uncertain futures. The proceedings triangulate EDUCOM's survey evidence and directly informed the revision of the UNESCO-UIA Charter, offering an intellectual record and a foundation for pedagogical and policy reform.
Copyright (c) 2026 Selma Harrington, Ashraf M. Salama https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education – Three-Edition Synthesis
This report presents a consolidated reading of the three completed editions of the UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education, including the inaugural cycle of 2020/2021, the second of 2022/2023, and the third of 2025/2026. Established in 2019 under the auspices of the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM), the triennial Award recognises pedagogical innovation across cultures and geographies, giving the work of educators the same international standing long enjoyed by built work. Drawing on official UIA announcements, jury reports, and curatorial records, the report documents the juries, the entries evaluated, growing from sixteen submissions in the first edition to thirty-two shortlisted entries from twenty-two countries in the third, and the awarded and commended programmes across all five UIA regions. Cross-edition analysis reveals consistent trends, which include community-embedded learning on real sites, integration of vernacular and traditional knowledge, learning by doing through full-scale construction, extending alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the UNESCO-UIA Charter, and the emergence of collaborative, networked pedagogies operating across borders. The report distils lessons learned, articulates aspirations for the fourth edition, and offers practical recommendations for future entrants, concluding with directions for innovation in architectural education over the next decade.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ashraf M. Salama, Selma Harrington https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Pilot Survey of Architectural Education Systems (2024)
This pilot survey, concluded in August 2024 by the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM), offers a preliminary comparative assessment of architectural education systems across 17 countries within the five UIA regions. Drawing on responses from academic leaders, educators, and practising architects, it examines how schools structure their programmes, prepare graduates for professional practice, integrate contemporary challenges into curricula, and maintain standards through accreditation and validation. Findings reveal striking global disparities in professional registration, for example from 375,084 architects in Japan to 200 in Mali, alongside a clear trend toward standardised programme structures modelled on the 3+2 Bologna framework. Professional practice education and internships have become nearly universal, while sustainability, health, and community development are increasingly embedded in curricula. However, the integration of inclusivity, decolonisation, indigenous knowledge systems, and gender equity remains inconsistent, and access to quality practical training varies evidently across regions. The survey identifies future directions including harmonisation of standards, context-sensitive accreditation frameworks, faculty development, and stronger education–industry partnerships. Establishing the methodological baseline for EDUCOM's subsequent global survey, this study provides an early evidence base for informing curriculum reform, accreditation policy, and international collaboration in architectural education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Selma Harrington, Ashraf M. Salama, Madhavi P. Patil https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Global Survey, Schools of Architecture – Trends and Patterns (2025)
This report presents the most comprehensive global assessment of architectural education undertaken to date, analysing 345 accredited architecture programmes across 159 countries and all five UIA regions. Commissioned by the International Union of Architects and the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM) and conducted between February and June 2025, the survey employs a nine-dimensional analytical framework, spanning curriculum structure, accreditation, faculty profiles, student outcomes, facilities, pedagogy, engagement, sustainability, and internationalisation, complemented by ten cross-cutting thematic lenses derived from the Commission's webinar series. Findings reveal a discipline at a contradiction point: allied-discipline integration is near-universal (99%), SDG alignment substantial (88%), and sustainability embedded in over 90% of curricula, yet health-centred design (22%), decolonised pedagogy (29%), and the architect's evolving professional identity (38%) remain marginal. The analysis reveals four systemic challenges: weak accountability and transparency, a widening digital infrastructure divide, the unfinished agenda of culturally plural and health-oriented curricula, and the gap between proclaimed professional values and curricular practice. The report concludes with a vision for architectural education that is empirically accountable, technologically equitable, culturally plural, and civic in orientation, providing an evidence base to inform curriculum reform, accreditation policy, and international collaboration worldwide.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ashraf M. Salama, Selma Harrington, Madhavi P. Patil https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
UIA Architectural Education Commission – Delivering the Promise
This report documents the work of the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM) during the 2023–2026 Triennale, co-directed by Ashraf M. Salama and Selma Harrington. It records the mandate received from the UIA President and Council and the integrated programme through which it was implemented. This includes five international webinars engaging more than thirty speakers from all five UIA regions; a pilot survey of education systems in seventeen countries; a global survey of 345 schools across 159 countries, the largest evidence base ever assembled for an EDUCOM activity; the third edition of the UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education; and the revision of the UNESCO-UIA Charter, approved by the UIA Council in April 2026 for ratification at the Barcelona Congress, July 2026. Guided by three working principles that involve evidence, collegiality across institutions, and regional balance, the Commission's activities were sequenced so that they informed each other. The defining condition emerging from this body of work is a gap between the values the discipline declares and the institutional capacity to operationalise and implement them effectively. The report concludes with the limitations of the Triennale's endeavours, projections for EDUCOM 2026–2029, and a reflection from the co-directors on trust, evidence, and the promise of architectural education.
Evidence, Dialogue, Recognition, and the Renewal of Architectural Education
This editorial introduces a collection of five reports treated as articles arising from the work of the UIA Architectural Education Commission (EDUCOM) during the 2023–2026 triennium. Read together, the articles constitute a single research programme pursued through complementary instruments: a pilot inquiry into the architectural education systems of seventeen countries; a census-scale examination of 345 schools of architecture in 159 countries; a two-year sequence of five international webinars; a synthesis of three editions of the UIA Award for Innovation in Architectural Education; and an institutional account of how the Commission's mandate was discharged, culminating in the revised UNESCO-UIA Charter. The editorial traces the logic that connects these instruments, including measurement, dialogue, recognition, and codification and draws out three threads that run across them: first is the distance between declared values and curricular delivery; second is the unequal distribution of the means of educational transformation; and third is the enlargement of the architect's professional self. It concludes by identifying what the collection makes possible for educators, accreditors, professional bodies, and the incoming Commission, and by arguing that the evidence established through these efforts shifts the burden of proof in debates about the future of architectural education.
Digital Pathways – Sensing, Simulating, and Certifying the Built Environment
Digital technologies now shape how cities are understood, represented, and regulated. This editorial article frames the five contributions of ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities (2026-04) within that shift. The issue advances along three connected fronts or themes. The first is diagnosis. Integrated evaluation frameworks and satellite observation reveal where urban systems are fragile and who carries the heaviest burden and required coordination, from pandemic resilience in Cairo and Alexandria to heat exposure in southern Tehran. The second is representation. A single photograph becomes a textured 3D building model, and game engine platforms carry entire cities into real-time digital twins that inform planning and governance. The third is assurance. Image recognition and digital traceability turn construction compliance into a continuous, verifiable record embedded within manufacturing. Overall, the articles demonstrate that digital tools earn their value when they serve equity, transparency, and sound governance. They also suggest caution. While models simplify and algorithms carry assumptions, regulation seems to lag technical capability. The issue therefore treats digitalisation as an institutional project as much as a technical effort. It calls for data systems, simulation platforms, and verification frameworks that remain accountable to the people and places they represent, in direct support of the Sustainable Development Goals. These themes extend an editorial trajectory that has developed across earlier issues of the journal, moving from the convergence of technology, safety, and regulation toward the translation of sustainability into situated action. For researchers, the issue models methodological breadth across statistical, computational, and interpretive modes of inquiry. For practitioners and policymakers, it identifies where digital evidence is ready for adoption and where institutions must still catch up.
Copyright (c) 2026 Farzad Rahimian, Ashraf M. Salama https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
TRANSABE-EDU: Transcending Architecture and Built Environment Frontiers: A Cross-Cultural Educational Initiative
This paper reports the development of a comprehensive transdisciplinary Master's framework in Sustainable Design and the Built Environment, co-created through a UK-Egypt Transnational Education (TNE) partnership between Northumbria University and Galala University, funded through the British Council's TNE Fund (£27,500). Addressing critical gaps in architectural education, including limited health integration, underrepresented adaptive reuse specialisations, minimal digital innovation, and insufficient cross-cultural frameworks, the TRANSABE-EDU initiative employed a four-phase methodology combining literature review, benchmarking, stakeholder workshops, and validation surveys. Through analysis of 60 international programmes, engagement with 27 Egyptian stakeholders, and validation from 45 academic experts, the research produced four specialised MSc tracks: Design and Planning for Health; Sustainable and Resilient Urbanism; Global Urban Futures and Emerging Cities; and Retrofitting, Heritage Conservation and Adaptive Reuse. The framework integrates core transdisciplinary modules, flexible delivery models (blended learning, block teaching, UK residency options), and robust partnership structures with equitable financial arrangements. Survey validation confirmed strong support for the 1.5-year programme structure (45%), blended delivery modes (60% part-time preference), and emphasis on practical, industry-linked learning (95%). The initiative establishes a replicable model for TNE partnerships addressing global sustainability challenges through locally grounded, internationally benchmarked education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Madhavi P. Patil, Ashraf M. Salama, Yasser Mahgoub, Lorraine Johnston, Neveen Hamza, Zeinab Tahoun, Affaf Al-Oufy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Machine Learning-Based Intrusion Detection for Smart City Internet of Things Networks
The increasing deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in smart city infrastructures has significantly expanded the network attack surface, making effective intrusion detection a critical security requirement. Traditional intrusion detection systems struggle to cope with the volume, heterogeneity, and dynamic behaviour of IoT network traffic, often resulting in high false alarm rates and missed attacks. This study investigates the effectiveness of supervised machine learning techniques for detecting cyberattacks in IoT-based smart city networks using the TON_IoT dataset. A progressive modelling approach is adopted, beginning with Logistic Regression as the baseline model, followed by Random Forest as an ensemble method, and culminating in an optimised XGBoost model. Preprocessing and feature engineering address dimensionality, feature representation, and the challenges associated with imbalanced IoT traffic distributions. Experimental results demonstrate that ensemble and boosting-based models significantly outperform linear approaches. Among the evaluated models, XGBoost achieves the highest detection performance, substantially reducing missed attacks while maintaining robust classification accuracy. The findings demonstrate that advanced ensemble learning combined with robust feature engineering provides a reliable and scalable solution for securing smart city IoT networks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ebere Donatus Okonta, Oluwaseun Bamgbose https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Urban Heat Island Vulnerability Assessment Using Remote Sensing and Land Surface Temperature Analysis: Evidence from Southern Mehrabad, Tehran
Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) pose escalating threats to public health, energy systems, and quality of life in rapidly urbanizing cities of the Global South. This paper presents a remote sensing-based thermal diagnostic of Southern Mehrabad—a socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhood in southwestern Tehran located adjacent to Mehrabad Airport, one of the city's most significant heat sources. Using ten-year Landsat 8/9 satellite imagery, Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data were extracted and spatially analyzed across the neighborhood. Findings reveal persistent high-temperature clusters in commercial and industrial zones, and a strong inverse correlation between vegetation cover and surface temperature (R²=0.63). The study demonstrates how satellite-derived thermal mapping, validated through field surveys, can systematically identify UHI hotspots in under-resourced urban neighborhoods. Results provide a data-driven baseline for evidence-based climate-responsive urban planning in comparable Global South contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fateme Gholami, Azadeh Lak, Jian Zhong https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bridging Inclusion, Health, and Safety in the Built Environment: From Frameworks to Lived Outcomes
The built environment is being asked to do more than it ever has. Climate pressure, demographic change, technological churn, and rising public expectations are converging on the same buildings, the same streets, and the same professional curricula. This editorial frames the present issue of ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities (2026–03) within that widening remit. The five papers gathered here move across very different terrain. Two address inclusion and accessibility in public and commercial space. Two address the design and education stages where downstream value is set. One examines the organisational reality of bringing immersive technology into construction safety. Read on their own, each is a careful study of one corner of the field. Read together, they tell a story about what holds the field back. Inclusion is not a checklist. Health is not an add-on. Industrialisation is not just manufacturing. Safety technology is not just technology. Each paper, in its own register, makes the point that progress depends on bridging technical capability with the people, institutions, and rules around it. This editorial draws out three cross-cutting themes that emerge across the five contributions. The first treats inclusivity and accessibility as relational, governance-bound conditions rather than fixed design outcomes. The second concerns the embedding of health, lifecycle, and integrative thinking into the education and early design stages. The third concerns the institutional, regulatory, and organisational readiness that determines whether innovation reaches the people it is meant to serve. The settings are global, the methods are plural, and the conclusion is shared. Built environment progress depends on bridging the gap between frameworks and lived outcomes, not on invention alone. The issue advances ABC2’s commitment to research that takes the social, technical, and institutional dimensions of the built environment seriously, and in equal measure.
Digital Technologies as Regulatory Enablers in Off-Site Construction
Industrialised and off-site construction challenges regulatory systems historically designed around sequential, on-site inspection practices. As fabrication shifts to controlled factory environments, traditional compliance mechanisms, particularly stage-based statutory inspections, become misaligned with manufacturing workflows. This paper examines how digital technologies can reposition compliance from episodic site inspection toward continuous, verifiable production assurance. Drawing on two empirical case studies, the study investigates (1) the application of image recognition technologies for automated quality control in off-site manufacturing, and (2) digital chain-of-custody frameworks for product traceability across the supply chain. The first case study explores how computer vision systems can capture, analyse, and archive progressive installation stages within prefabrication lines, enabling defect detection, dimensional verification, and auditable compliance records prior to enclosure. The second case study analyses national traceability initiatives aimed at strengthening evidence-of-suitability requirements through persistent digital product identities linked across the supply chain. Together, these technologies shift compliance from reactive inspection to proactive verification, embedding regulatory evidence directly within manufacturing processes. The findings highlight a structural tension in current regulatory frameworks be-tween “product” compliance under national codes and “process” compliance enforced through state-based inspection regimes. Image recognition and digital traceability offer a pathway to reconcile this divide by providing scalable, standardised, and interoperable compliance artefacts that within manufacturing processes. The paper argues that regulatory reform must formally recognise such technologies as legitimate compliance infrastructure, supported by harmonised classification systems and third-party certification models. Without this transition, off-site construction will continue to be constrained by regulatory assumptions rooted in traditional site-based practices.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sara Omrani, Sara Rashidian, Fereshteh Banakar https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From Games to Smart Cities: How Game Engine Technology Became the Backbone of Urban Digital Twins?
This paper investigates the accelerating convergence between the game design industry and the smart city digital twin platforms that are governing the world's most complex urban environments (Deng et al., 2021, Abdelrahman et al., 2025). Building directly upon prior empirical work examining Shanghai's city-scale digital twin implementation (Najafi, 2025) and the multi-scalar Urban Operating System (Urban OS) framework (Najafi, 2026), this research traces the technological genealogy linking game engines, procedural generation, AI-driven agent simulation, and photorealistic rendering to real-time urban management platforms. The paper demonstrates that this convergence is not coincidental co-evolution but a deliberate and productive cross-pollination: game engines such as Unreal Engine 5 and NVIDIA Omniverse, originally optimised for entertainment, have become the backbone of city-scale digital twins across Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Riyadh and many other cities around the world. Conversely, the demand for high-fidelity urban simulation is driving innovations back into the gaming sector, enriching open-world and city-building genres with unprecedented authenticity. Through a synthesis of empirical cases, expert frameworks, and current scholarship, this study identifies five critical technology transfer vectors (rendering pipelines, physics simulation, AI agent systems, procedural generation, and collaborative networking) as the structural bridges connecting these two worlds and proposes the Game-City Continuum as a conceptual framework for understanding this symbiosis in contemporary smart urban governance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hossein Najafi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Situated Framework for Examining Quality of Urban Life in Post-Industrial Cities
This study aims to develop a situated framework for examining Quality of Urban Life (QoUL) in post-industrial cities (PICs). The existing QoUL models are too generic to address the specific challenges in PICs derived from the ongoing transformations since the 1970s. The multi-dimensionality of the QoUL concept necessitates a context-sensitive approach grounded in these post-industrial challenges. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify gaps within QoUL discourse and characterise PICs. The review of 84 papers, identified through Web of Science and Scopus, revealed four theoretical approaches and eight QoUL models. Comparative analysis established seven key dimensions of QoUL utilised as assessment criteria, subsequently mapped to ten empirical studies to identify measurable indicators and key concerns in their operationalisation. Meanwhile, the review of 129 papers in PICs literature identified three overlapping concepts: post-industrialisation, post-Fordism, and post-modernism, to analyse the transformation from postwar industrial to post-industrial city. Eight themes and seventeen challenges were identified through conceptual analysis and verified through text-mining techniques. These were mapped against the measurable indicators to identify relevant QoUL indicators for PICs. The developed framework is context-sensitive, integrating relevant indicators while addressing operationalisation challenges through explicit categorisation based on scalar differences and objective-subjective classification. The framework is designed as a diagnostic tool to inform policymakers and planners about urban environments by integrating users’ interactions, perceptions, and lived experiences. Primarily situated within UK PICs, the framework offers potential transferability to Western European and North American contexts through adaptation, contributing to equitable and user-centric approaches to decision-making.
Copyright (c) 2026 Eda Seyok, Ashraf M. Salama, Lesley McIntyre https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Pathways and Gaps in Literature through Linking Urban Transformation to Public Health
Urban transformation reshapes cities through changes in land use, urban morphology, infrastructure, and environmental conditions. These changes influence environmental exposures, particularly air pollution and thermal stress, and ultimately affect public health. This study investigates the urban transformation–health nexus through bibliometrics and qualitative content analysis. Based on data mining of the Scopus database, this study employed a three-track analytical approach comprising bibliometric analysis of 122 manuscripts published between 2020 and 2026, conceptual synthesis, and content analysis of 89 selected manuscripts. The results identified three pathways of transformations including uncontrolled, controlled, and human-centred transformation. The results indicated that across all pathways, air pollution and thermal stress emerged as the primary mediators of health outcomes. In addition, our investigated materials indicated limited studies were in environmental health risks are rarely integrated into land-use planning as explicit decision-making parameters. The literature was further characterised by health linkages, dominance of single-exposure studies, and limited representation of rapidly urbanising regions, particularly in the Global South specifically the Middle East and Northern Africa (MENA) region. This study presents a novel exposure-based planning framework that integrates dynamic environmental metrics into spatial decisions, thereby positioning urban transformation as an actionable determinant of population health. Serving as a comprehensive conceptual synthesis, this framework provides a novel theoretical blueprint to guide future primary analytical modelling.
Copyright (c) 2026 Amany Abdelkhalik‍, Abeer Elshater, Samy M.Z. Afifi, Wesam M. ElBardisy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Advancing SDGs‑Driven Urban Resilience Pathways in the Global South: An Integrated PSR–VIKOR Evaluation of Sustainability, Equity, and Governance
The paper examines how SDG‑aligned sustainability, governance, and socio‑spatial equity shape pandemic resilience in Cairo and Alexandria cities, two major urban centers in the Global South facing compounded pressures from environmental stressors, institutional fragmentation, and systemic health vulnerabilities. The research underscores how gaps in housing conditions, mobility accessibility, data interoperability, and coordinated governance, exposed during COVID‑19, directly intersect with SDGs 3, 10, 11, 13, 16, and 17. A four‑phase sequential mixed‑methods design was employed. The paper synthesizes global knowledge on sustainability and resilience; conducts an SDG‑coded qualitative review of Egyptian urban policies; applies statistical association tests to evaluate structural relationships among pressures, state variables, and resilience responses; and uses the VIšeKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Rešenje (VIKOR) method to prioritize resilience drivers. Technology plays a critical role across these phases, particularly through reliance on data‑driven analytical tools, metropolitan‑scale information systems, and decision‑support methodologies. The paper highlights the importance of interoperable data platforms, digital governance infrastructure, and computational decision models for strengthening SDG‑oriented planning. Findings show that Environmental Sustainability and Climate Co‑benefits are the strongest drivers of pandemic resilience, followed by Governance and Institutional Coordination. Mobility and Social‑Spatial Inclusivity emerge as key mediating factors influencing urban resilience, while housing inequality maintains a weaker but significant role. These results validate the need for technologically enabled, risk‑informed, and equity‑centered planning. The paper demonstrates that integrated analytical frameworks and enhanced urban data systems can support transformative, SDG‑aligned resilience strategies, informing policymakers seeking socially just, technologically supported, and environmentally responsive urban futures.
Copyright (c) 2026 Mina N. Younan, Ahmed O. El-Kholei, Ghada A. Yassein https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Evaluating the Drivers of Immersive Technologies Implementation for Health and Safety Management in the Construction Industry
Despite immersive technologies having significant potential to enhance health and safety performance in construction, their uptake in developing countries such as Ghana remains slow due to technological, organisational, and contextual limitations. This study investigates the key drivers influencing ImTs adoption to support safer construction practices in resource-constrained settings. A two-phase approach was employed: first, 16 adoption drivers were identified through an extensive literature review and expert consultation; second, a questionnaire survey of 204 construction professionals—selected using purposive and snowball sampling—generated quantitative data for analysis. Factor analysis revealed three underlying dimensions shaping ImTs adoption decisions: Collaborative Safety Enhancement and Organisational Readiness; Technological Performance and Safety Management Capabilities; and Implementation Support and Technological Advancement. Fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) was then applied to assess the criticality of these categories, identifying Technological Performance and Safety Management Capabilities as the most influential (index = 4.17), followed by Implementation Support and Technological Advancement (3.83) and Collaborative Safety Enhancement and Organisational Readiness (3.78). The study offers empirical, factor-based insights into ImTs implementation and proposes a fuzzy evaluation model for decision-making under uncertainty. The findings contribute to the limited developing-country literature and inform targeted strategies to overcome adoption barriers and strengthen construction safety management.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hayford Pittri, David Wireko Atibila, Pheobe Amarteley Amartey, Vera Amoako, Juanita Seyram Gasu, Kofi Agyekum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
An Operational Assessment Index for Inclusivity in Urban Public Open Spaces
Inclusivity in urban public open spaces (UPOS) has emerged as a central concern within the discourse on social sustainability. Despite this growing attention, inclusivity remains conceptually unsettled and practically fragmented. Existing scholarship offers rich insights into access, publicness, spatial justice, and lived experience; however, these concerns are frequently examined in isolation or translated into assessment frameworks that privilege physical form over relational, perceptual, and behavioural processes. This study undertakes a theoretical and conceptual investigation into how inclusivity in UPOS can be coherently structured and translated into an assessment framework without reducing its socio-spatial complexity. The research adopts an interpretive, literature-based approach, combining thematic synthesis across interdisciplinary scholarship with a comparative review of established empirical indices addressing livability, equity, and social sustainability. Koberg and Bagnall’s morphological framework is used as a conceptual scaffold, enabling systematic examination of relationships between physical engagement, perception, and affective response. The analysis produces a multidimensional conceptual model structured around four operational domains: physical, behavioural, perceptual, and functional, and four interrelated dimensions of inclusivity: accessibility, sense of place, conviviality, and resilience. Inclusivity is thereby repositioned as a socio-spatial condition produced through the interaction of spatial form, social practice, symbolic meaning, and governance, rather than as a fixed or purely design-led outcome. By clarifying the conceptual structure of inclusivity, this paper contributes a theoretically grounded foundation for future assessment, design, and policy-oriented research, while remaining attentive to the contextual, relational, and negotiated nature of public space.
Copyright (c) 2026 Preeti Pansare, Ashraf M. Salama, Lesley McIntyre https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Health and Well-Being in Architectural Education: Evidence from a Global Survey I
This study presents the first systematic global analysis of health and well-being integration in architectural education, examining 345 schools across 159 countries as part of the UIA Education Commission's comprehensive survey. Employing thematic keyword analysis and content analysis, the research quantifies integration prevalence, identifies structural pathways, and reveals regional variations in pedagogical approaches. Findings demonstrate that 90 schools (26.1%) explicitly integrate health and well-being into curricula, research programs, or institutional missions, a critical threshold indicating movement from isolated innovation to emerging norm. Integration occurs through five distinct pathways: dedicated programs and specialisations (69 schools, most prevalent), research focus areas and centres (25 schools), design studio themes and projects (20 schools), cross-disciplinary collaborations (19 schools), and specific courses and modules (8 schools, least common). Regional analysis reveals striking disparities. Western Europe and Central/Eastern Europe lead with 33.3% integration rates, followed by the Americas and Asia/Oceania at 22.2%. Africa significantly lags at 16.7% with critical infrastructure gaps. Five overarching trends emerge: health transitioning from add-on to core imperative, data-driven evidence-based design methodologies, deepening interdisciplinarity through public health partnerships, contextual and climatic responsiveness, and community-centred engagement positioning students as public health interventionists. The study documents architectural education's evolution toward positioning all architects as public health agents. Yet 74% of schools show no explicit integration, indicating incomplete transformation. Findings provide evidence-based foundations for curriculum reform, accreditation standards, knowledge-sharing networks, and targeted capacity building to advance health-integrated architectural education globally, positioning health as an integrative lens connecting sustainability, equity, technology, and practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Madhavi P. Patil, Ashraf M. Salama, Selma Harrington https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Toward a Lifecycle-Oriented Design for X (DfX): A Framework for Industrialized Building Products
In the building sector, the trend towards industrialization is accelerating. Although industrialized building products offer significant advantages, they face challenges throughout their lifecycle, many of which are related to the design phase. Current research has focused primarily on Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DfMA), which, while valuable, tend to limit the broader integration of these products across the entire project lifecycle. To deal with this limitation, this study expands the design lens by examining a broader set of considerations collectively known as Design for X (DfX) to address the needs of various project phases right from the design phase. The goal is to enable the development of industrialized products that are not only optimized for manufacturing and assembly but also adaptable across the entire lifecycle of industrialized building projects. To achieve this, a systematic literature review was carried out using the WoS and Scopus databases, covering publications from 2015 to 2025. After a thorough screening and selection process, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to identify key design aspects relevant to industrialized building products. Then, a comprehensive framework was developed to categorize DfX considerations across the entire lifecycle of industrialized building projects, from design, manufacturing, and assembly to transportation, on-site installation, and end-of-life. This framework supports a more comprehensive approach to the industrialized design of building products. It can serve not only as a foundation for future research but also as a practical tool for evaluating the industrialization potential of building products during the early design phase.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sahar Taheripour, Hind Bril El-Haouzi, Moslem Sheikhkhoshkar, Mojtaba Azizi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
From Systems Awareness to Situated Action: Pathways Toward Sustainable Built Environments
The rapidly growing environmental, social, and technological challenges facing the built environment demand renewed attention to how sustainability is conceptualised, operationalised, and evaluated across scales of practice and research. Architecture, construction, and urban development are increasingly called upon to counter climate change and resource constraints, in addition to questions about social value, institutional capacity, and long-term resilience. This editorial article frames the contributions of the present issue of ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities (2026 – 02) within these broader imperatives. It situates them as requirements for achieving Sustainable Development Goals and within contemporary debates on systems thinking, circularity, digitalisation, and urban well-being. The articles jointly demonstrate how sustainability is pursued through material and biological innovation, digital construction and data-driven systems, neighbourhood-scale decision support, circular performance assessment, public space analysis, and pedagogical experimentation. Rather than advancing an exclusive model or solution, the issue highlights multiple pathways through which sustainability is translated from conceptual ambition into situated action. Therefore, it reinforces the role of interdisciplinary scholarship, institutional learning, and inquiry-based practice in shaping more responsive, inclusive, and resilient built environments.
User Accessibility in Shopping Malls: Towards Compliance and Inclusive Design
Accessibility within shopping malls is a critical component of inclusive architectural design that ensures equitable use of spaces by all individuals, including persons with disabilities (PWDs). Despite the existence of national and international accessibility frameworks, such as Nigeria’s Persons with Disabilities (Accessibility) Regulations 2023 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, many commercial facilities in developing countries remain inadequately designed for universal access. This study examined the extent of user accessibility in selected shopping malls across Nigeria, identifying compliance gaps with established accessibility standards. A quantitative research approach was adopted, employing an observational checklist and structured questionnaire administered across fifteen malls in different regions. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and comparative statistical techniques. Findings revealed that while most malls provide basic access routes and entry points, significant deficiencies persist in key accessibility features such as ramps with handrails, tactile and braille signage, accessible restrooms, and auditory/visual information systems. In particular, inconsistencies in spatial circulation, emergency egress, and auxiliary amenities reflect widespread non-compliance with the Persons with Disabilities (Accessibility) Regulations 2023. The study concludes that some Nigerian shopping malls generally lack comprehensive accessibility planning, posing challenges to comfort, independence, and safety for users with disabilities. It recommends stricter enforcement of accessibility regulations, heightened stakeholder awareness, and the integration of accessible design principles into architectural practice. These measures are essential to fostering inclusive public environments and advancing Nigeria’s progress toward the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Copyright (c) 2026 Chinedu U. Oluigbo, Ebere D. Okonta, Stanley N. Osamor, Chidiebere B. Ndubuisi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Converging Perspectives: Human Experience, Digital Innovation, and Professional Pathways Toward Sustainable Built Environments
This editorial introduces 2026 – 01 issue of ABC2, offering five research contributions that collectively offer insights for understanding sustainable transitions in architecture, building, construction, and cities. The issue bridges human-centered approaches with technological innovation, examining how cognitive science informs urban density management, how fuzzy-based methods assess green building performance, what barriers constrain 3D printing adoption in developing economies, how theory-informed frameworks enable construction exoskeleton implementation, and how quantity surveying practice evolves to incorporate embodied carbon accounting. Drawing on theoretical frameworks from Salama's work on perceptual approaches and transformative pedagogy, alongside Rahimian's research on digital construction transformation and socio-technical innovation systems, the editorial argues that sustainable futures emerge through convergence rather than technical determinism alone. Seven cross-cutting themes are identified, including perception-performance relationships, socio-technical innovation pathways, professional role evolution, evaluation-based improvement, contextual appropriateness, workforce-centered approaches, and interdisciplinary synthesis. The contributions demonstrate that innovation becomes embedded in practice when organisational capacity, workforce competencies, institutional frameworks, and user acceptance align with technical capabilities. This integrative perspective positions ABC2 to support scholarship that refuses artificial boundaries between disciplines, between theory and practice, between technological possibility and human experience, and ultimately advancing built environments that serve human flourishing and ecological integrity.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ashraf M. Salama, Farzad Rahimian https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bioreceptive Building Facades: Codesigning with Nature
Although interactions between microorganisms and building materials have long been studied in the context of biodeterioration, actively enhancing the bioreceptivity of materials for microbially greened facades is a relatively new field. In our research we explore how concrete cladding used on building facades can be engineered to support the natural development of photosynthetic biofilms. Various factors related to concrete composition and surface texture were evaluated through a multi-phase testing process. A model dual-species biofilm composed of an alga and a microcolonial fungus was developed and successfully integrated into the experimental setup. The algal's growth and vitality were assessed using Pulse-Amplitude Modulation (PAM) fluorometry. Findings underscore the importance of surface near pH value in supporting both the growth and health of the algal component, with artificial concrete carbonation playing a key role in lowering the materials pH value and enhancing bioreceptivity. In a static, axenic laboratory growth experiment, the addition of nutrients onto the materials surface had a minor impact on bioreceptivity. Subsequent adhesion tests also revealed that a certain level of stress might enhance the biofilm's resilience to environmental pressures, such as water flow. Dynamic laboratory simulations with artificial rain showed that surface texture significantly influences biofilm adhesion, with near-surface porosity aiding in the retention of water and microorganisms and thereby promoting growth. Achieving an effective and lasting algal biofilm-based green facade system requires a careful balance between concrete surface pH value, material porosity and water retention.
Copyright (c) 2026 Julia von Werder, Leonie Stohl, Jake Cook, Chiara Tonon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Accelerating the Transition to Green Building Neighbourhoods: A New Decision Support Platform
Green Building Neighbourhoods (GBNs) foster sustainable, accessible, low‐carbon living through shared energy, green mobility, and social cohesion. Steering a neighbourhood towards GBN status faces hurdles in governance, financing, citizen engagement, technological innovation, and accessible tools. Current rapidly evolving digital technologies, such as BIM and Digital Twins, accelerate this transition by offering real-time tracking and visibility, fostering better coordination among stakeholders and facilitating early issue detection. The emerging advanced decision intelligence and digital decisioning platforms incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), analytics, and large datasets. This integration enables automation, optimisation, and the consistent delivery of data-driven decisions across various ecosystems. We report on the development of a novel Decision Support Platform (DSP) within the EU H2020 PROBONO project. The PROBONO DSP is iteratively tested in six “Living Labs” in Madrid, Dublin, Brussels, Aarhus, Porto, and Prague, each at different life‐cycle stages and seeking to address themes such as energy, emissions, mobility, and health. Key functionality includes digitalizing social values in BIM, large‐scale scenario sampling, thermal‐comfort simulation and monitoring, mobility benchmarking, anomaly detection, and energy‐investment comparison. Deployment in the Living Labs has enhanced information sharing, ideation, and stakeholder discussion through concise overviews and tailored recommendations. Modular integration has enabled emergent features.
Copyright (c) 2026 Henri Sohier, Carl Schultz, Yazan Zayed, Aliakbar Kamari, Luc Jonveaux, Kostas Zavitsas, Georgia Pantelide, Joaquin Trinanes, Asier Alejandre, Jessica Mberi, Cristian Maxim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Assessing Circularity in Building Design: Testing the Building Circularity Performance (BCP) Model Through a Case Study
The transition toward a circular building sector requires robust assessment methods to measure circularity throughout the project lifecycle and compare design alternatives. However, existing circularity assessment methods lack a comprehensive systematic approach for building designs. In response, the Building Circularity Performance (BCP) assessment model is being developed based on established BCIs (Building Circularity Indicators) and ISO standards. This study tests the first version of BCP through a case study methodology, evaluating two design scenarios of a sample building-linear and circular-to assess the BCP’s practicality in differentiating circularity levels. Results demonstrate that as the design transitions from linear to circular, the circularity score improves, highlighting the model’s capability to quantify the impact of CE principles across different design strategies. The study also highlights potential pathways for adopting circular practices in building design. Unlike previous models, BCP incorporates a wider range of CE aspects, including material health, environmental impacts, renewable energy, water circularity, and broader design strategies like standardization, durability, and transportability. This framework would help decision-makers and designers to incorporate CE principles in projects, promoting a more circular building sector.
Copyright (c) 2026 Saba Mani, Gayani Karunasena, Abid Hasan, M. Reza Hosseini https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
IoT-Enabled Digital Twin for Autonomous Modular Construction Progress Monitoring
This study aims to develop and validate an autonomous progress monitoring solution for modular construction using DT technology. The goal is to address limitations in current modular construction monitoring by integrating IoT technologies with DT platforms to provide real-time, actionable insights and enhance project coordination. A DSR methodology was adopted to guide systematic development and validation of the proposed DT-based artefact. The research involved a detailed literature review to identify existing gaps in modular construction progress monitoring, followed by design, implementation, and testing of a practical DT solution using a simulated modular construction case study. The solution integrates close-range IoT technologies—specifically RFID tags and readers—to capture pre-defined element status data and generate real-time progress visualisation. The findings confirm that DTs, when coupled with appropriate IoT technologies, can provide a feasible and scalable solution for autonomous progress monitoring in modular construction. Close-range tracking technologies were found to offer the most reliable and accessible means for data collection. The solution emphasises simplicity and practicality, using minimal but targeted data to deliver meaningful progress metrics. The novel DT ontology further supports adaptability across diverse project settings, ensuring broader applicability. This research makes a novel contribution by presenting a validated, lightweight DT-based progress monitoring framework tailored to the unique characteristics of modular construction. Unlike traditional 4D BIM approaches, the solution prioritises automation, accessibility, and operational efficiency, aligning with Industry 4.0 objectives. It offers a replicable architecture for future DT implementations in construction, thereby advancing both academic understanding and industrial practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Scott Sheenan, Faris Elghaish, Tara Brooks, Farzad Rahimian (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Technology, Safety, and Regulatory Innovation in Built Environment Research
This editorial frames the second issue of ABC2 around the convergence of technological innovation, safety management, and regulatory adaptation in the built environment. Despite the economic and social significance of the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) sector, persistent fragmentation, declining workforce levels, and safety risks continue to challenge industry performance. Against this backdrop, the editorial situates Industry 4.0 and the emerging Industry 5.0 paradigm as transformative forces capable of reshaping construction processes, infrastructure resilience, and decision-making through human-centric, data-driven, and sustainable approaches. The contributions demonstrate how advanced technologies—such as Digital Twins, artificial intelligence, machine learning, extended reality, and data analytics—are being operationalised to address real-world challenges. Case studies span regulatory innovation in modular construction, global smart home typologies, predictive modelling for infrastructure failures, and proactive safety management for utility and highway workers. Together, they reveal how digital tools must be accompanied by regulatory evolution, organisational learning, and professional competence to realise their full potential. The editorial highlights several cross-cutting themes: the necessity of aligning technological advancement with regulatory frameworks; the growing centrality of data-driven methodologies; the influence of geographical and institutional contexts on implementation; and the enduring importance of human factors in safety and design. By synthesising these insights, the editorial positions Issue 2 as a significant step in ABC2’s mission to cultivate evolving knowledge spaces at the intersection of technology, policy, and practice. It concludes by inviting further contributions that integrate analytical rigour with societal relevance to advance safer, smarter, and more resilient built environments.
Copyright (c) 2026 Farzad Rahimian, Ashraf M. Salama (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bridging Disciplines, Building Futures: Launching ABC2 as a Platform for Architecture and Built Environment Research
This editorial introduces ABC2: Journal of Architecture, Building, Construction, and Cities as a scholarly response to the escalating complexity of global built environment challenges. Rapid urbanisation, climate change, resource depletion, housing crises, and social inequality demand a departure from fragmented, discipline-specific research approaches. The editorial argues that prevailing academic silos—separating architecture, building science, construction management, and urban studies—limit the capacity of research to address these interconnected issues holistically. ABC2 is positioned as a trans-disciplinary platform designed to bridge these divides by cultivating “knowledge spaces” where theoretical, methodological, and practical perspectives intersect. Drawing on the complementary expertise of its editors-in-chief, the journal foregrounds both human-centred and technology-driven approaches, integrating socio-cultural inquiry with digital innovation. The editorial outlines ABC2’s vision, scope, and ethical commitments, emphasising rigorous peer review, research integrity, and open-access dissemination under a Creative Commons licence. It also introduces the journal’s three article types and highlights its alignment with global sustainability agendas, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The inaugural issue exemplifies this vision through geographically diverse and methodologically plural contributions spanning cities, buildings, construction systems, and architectural experience. Collectively, these articles demonstrate how boundary-crossing research can generate actionable knowledge with real-world relevance. The editorial concludes with a call to action, inviting scholars, practitioners, and policymakers worldwide to contribute to a shared, integrated knowledge base capable of shaping more sustainable, resilient, and equitable built environments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ashraf M. Salama, Farzad Rahimian (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0