This book analyzes the transformation process of traditional cities into Sustainable Urban Smart Cities. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals is used as the book’s over-arching framework. The overall aim of this book is to discuss the implementation of spatial planning, national and regional physical planning, good governance, water and waste management, energy efficiency, and digital innovation in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. The manuscript focuses on Construction 5.0 for smart, sustainable, and resilient built environments, and Digital Twin-enabled cognitive buildings and infrastructure lifecycle management. 

Smart buildings equipped with diverse control systems serve the objectives of gathering data, optimizing energy efficiency (EE), and detecting and diagnosing faults, particularly in the domain of indoor environmental quality (IEQ). Digital twins (DTs) offering an environmentally sustainable solution for managing facilities and incorporated with artificial intelligence (AI) create opportunities for maintaining IEQ and optimizing EE. The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of AI-driven DTs on enhancing IEQ and EE in smart building systems (SBS). A scoping review was performed to establish the theoretical background about DTs, AI, IEQ, and SBS, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the specialists in the industry to obtain qualitative data, and quantitative data were gathered via a computerized self-administered questionnaire (CSAQ) survey, focusing on how DTs can improve IEQ and EE in SBS. The results indicate that the AI-driven DT enhances occupants’ comfort and energy-efficiency performance and enables decision-making on automatic fault detection and maintenance conditioning to improve buildings’ serviceability and IEQ in real time, in response to the key industrial needs in building energy management systems (BEMS) and interrogative and predictive analytics for maintenance. The integration of AI with DT presents a transformative approach to improving IEQ and EE in SBS. The practical implications of this advancement span across design, construction, AI, and policy domains, offering significant opportunities and challenges that need to be carefully considered.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to develop a framework of an ontology-based Asset Information Model (AIM) for a Digital Twin (DT) platform and enhance predictive maintenance practices in building facilities that could enable proactive and data-driven decision-making during the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) process. Design/methodology/approach: A scoping literature review was accomplished to establish the theoretical foundation for the current investigation. A study on developing an ontology-based AIM for predictive maintenance in building facilities was conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with industry professionals to gather qualitative data for ontology-based AIM framework validation and insights. Findings: The research findings indicate that while the development of ontology faced challenges in defining missing entities and relations in the context of predictive maintenance, insights gained from the interviews enabled the establishment of a comprehensive framework for ontology-based AIM adoption in the Facility Management (FM) sector. Practical implications: The proposed ontology-based AIM has the potential to enable proactive and data-driven decision-making during the process, optimizing predictive maintenance practices and ultimately enhancing energy efficiency and sustainability in the building industry. Originality/value: The research contributes to a practical guide for ontology development processes and presents a framework of an Ontology-based AIM for a Digital Twin platform.

In construction projects, frequent changes to time planning result from unforeseen events, impacting both timing and scope of information exchanges (IE). Currently, IE planning and production planning are performed independently with limited integration between the two, leading to inefficiencies when changes are needed. This study proposes a unified approach facilitating Level of Information Need (LOIN) to systematically identify and link to required IEs for the production phase. The mapping was co-developed with and evaluated by industry professionals to ensure practical relevance. Integrating LOIN-driven IE mapping into production planning enhances responsiveness to schedule changes by providing structured guidelines for information delivery.

This book combines Construction 6.0 with AEC principles for designing sustainable, health-focused Martian habitats. It unveils innovative architectural designs ideal for Mars, utilizing 3D printing, autonomous robotics, and regolith, alongside renewable energy and life support systems. With an emphasis on well-being, it integrates biophilic design and digital technologies to enhance operational efficiency. Exploring various habitat models, it advocates a multidisciplinary approach to extraterrestrial colonization that balances technological advancement with environmental and ethical stewardship, aiming to make human life on Mars a healthy and sustainable reality.

This book offers a comprehensive exploration of research methodology, providing invaluable insights for students and researchers in the AEC industry and engineering fields. Through this book, readers learn the theoretical and practical aspects of research design and academic writing, making it an indispensable resource for anyone engaged in scholarly investigation.This book covers a wide range of topics essential to robust research practices. Readers explore identifying research gaps, formulating problem statements, crafting precise research questions, objectives, and aims. This book delves into the philosophical foundations of different research paradigms—ontological and epistemological factors that impact methodological decisions. It also provides an in-depth examination of qualitative methods such as ethnography, grounded theory, narrative analysis; quantitative methods including experimental design, survey techniques; as well as mixed-methods approaches that combine both to yield comprehensive results.In addition to theoretical content, this book offers practical tools like templates for research proposals and checklists for data collection. These resources are designed to aid researchers in efficiently applying their knowledge in real-world settings. The authors emphasize clarity, coherence, and scholarly rigor in academic writing while providing practical techniques to overcome common obstacles faced by researchers.This book is essential for researchers, scholars, students at all levels who seek to enhance their understanding of research methodology. It provides clear guidance on structuring and organizing research articles, performing literature reviews, presenting findings with scholarly rigor. Whether you are a novice researcher or an experienced academician looking to refine your skills or gain new perspectives on methodological practices—this book is tailored to meet your needs.Researchers in fields such as architecture, engineering construction (AEC), environmental design find this work particularly beneficial. Its comprehensive scope guarantees its authenticity usefulness rendering it indispensable literary essential study academic writing methodological investigation.

Smart Cities – Designing the Future of Urban Living presents a scholarly synthesis of modern smart urbanism, promoting a coherent, standards-compliant lexicon for digital public infrastructure, AI governance, and human-centered design. The volume connects theory and practice by turning normative frameworks such as equity, resilience, sustainability, and democratic legitimacy into practical advice on interoperability, outcome-based metrics, algorithmic transparency, rights-preserving security, energy systems transition, and circular economy practices. Readers will find helpful tools, such as governance patterns and procurement agreements, indicators and assessment rubrics, and finance concepts that turn pilots into long-lasting public value. Some of its unique strengths are its ability to compare different urban settings, its focus on multi-level governance and institutional capacity, and its insistence that technological "smartness" be shown through measurable improvements in well-being, environmental performance, and public trust. Written for city leaders and planners, engineers and educators, researchers and policy professionals, the book shows how to turn ideas into actions that can be held accountable. It connects data architectures to service quality, participatory co-production to legitimacy, and open standards to learning and scalability. This book provides readers with a solid foundation for planning the future of city living through a short, authoritative, methodologically sound, policy-relevant, and implementation-ready roadmap.

This chapter presents the idea of “Smart Cities That Think” as a new way of looking at traditional innovative city models. It redefines urban intelligence as a mix of cognitive infrastructures, AI-driven governance, and citizen participation. The scope encompasses emerging technologies, like digital twins, context-aware systems, and predictive analytics, while also addressing participatory platforms and sustainability frameworks. The methodological approach is mainly conceptual and integrative, merging critical literature research with illustrative case studies from European and Asian cities. Three main discoveries come to light. First, digital twins and other predictive and adaptive technologies show measurable improvements in efficiency, such as less traffic and energy use in experimental programs. Second, citizen-centered models like participatory budgeting and open data projects make democracy more legitimate and build trust in society. Third, initiatives that focus on sustainability demonstrate that AI-driven systems can enhance resilience when used ethically. At the same time, ongoing problems like data privacy, algorithmic prejudice, and unequal governance show how dangerous it may be to depend too much on technology. The chapter concludes that thinking cities must balance technological innovation with ethical governance and citizen cooperation, creating a holistic pathway for resilient and inclusive urban futures.

Purpose: Poor quality - or lack of information during the production phase is one of the main problems in construction, and improved information transfers between the design and production phases are needed. The purpose of this study is to investigate how companies use information deliveries, construction production planning and common data environments (CDE) to identify requirements for an integrated solution, where planning of information deliveries is connected to planning of construction production through a CDE. Design/methodology/approach: Two case studies and a workshop were conducted. The first case study investigated use of CDEs in Swedish companies. The second study looked into a single company's procedures for working with planning and information deliveries. The workshop consisted of discussions on these topics with industry professionals. Findings: If communicated properly, Information Delivery Manual, Information Delivery Specification and Level of Information Need could aid in streamlining information deliveries. Companies have a significant difference in knowledge about these topics and the CDE requirements set by ISO 19650 are difficult to adhere to, despite using established software solutions. However, the results also indicate a shift from traditional software centric solutions to more data centric solutions. Practical implications: The findings highlight the need for an industrial-wide shift from software centric solutions to data-centric solutions for managing project information. Originality/value: Using a data-centric approach to project information management should enable integrated planning of construction production and planning of information deliveries.

In this study, we critically examine the potential of recycled construction materials, focusing on how these materials can significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy usage in the construction sector. By adopting an integrated approach that combines Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Material Flow Analysis (MFA) within the circular economy framework, we thoroughly examine the lifecycle environmental performance of these materials. Our findings reveal a promising future where incorporating recycled materials in construction can significantly lower GHG emissions and conserve energy. This underscores their crucial role in advancing sustainable construction practices. Moreover, our study emphasizes the need for robust regulatory frameworks and technological innovations to enhance the adoption of environmentally responsible practices. We encourage policymakers, industry stakeholders, and the academic community to collaborate and promote the adoption of a circular economy strategy in the building sector. Our research contributes to the ongoing discussion on sustainable construction, offering evidence-based insights that can inform future policies and initiatives to improve environmental stewardship in the construction industry. This study aligns with the European Union’s objectives of achieving climate-neutral cities by 2030 and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals outlined for completion by 2030. Overall, this paper contributes to the ongoing dialogue on sustainable construction, providing a fact-driven basis for future policy and initiatives to enhance environmental stewardship in the industry.