Proceedings of the International Conference on Civil Infrastructure and Construction (CIC)

Transit Oriented Development in Disruptive Times

Robert Cervero — 2023-08-27

This talk focuses on the future of transit oriented development (TOD), arguably one of the most sustainable forms of urbanization, in light of mobility disruptors, such as pandemics, automated and electro-mobility, shared economies, mobility as a service, and megatrends (e.g., aging societies; non-nuclear families; remote work). International experiences are drawn upon in recasting TOD in light of forces that are powerfully changing employment, lifestyle, and sociocultural preferences in both developed and developing urban contexts. Key features of TOD, including walkability and diversity in land uses, affordable housing options, and mobility choices are likely to gain a market foothold, albeit a cardinal feature of TOD – proximity to major transit hubs – could very well wane in importance. Shaped by policies focused on accessibility versus movement (e.g., ‘15-minute city’), Transit Villages and a panoply of micro-mobility services are likely to become more prominent. Such trends call for new public policy responses, like curb access management and inclusionary housing, to avoid unintended consequences. Innovative financing tools building upon value capture principles should gain favor as well.

Industrialized Construction: Megatrends shaping the future of construction

Anil Sawhney — 2023-08-27

The construction sector faces an uncertain operating environment in 2023 – a trend in all global markets. Components of this uncertainty – a seemingly never-ending health crisis, the war in Europe, supply chain snarls, fixed-price contracts in a hyperinflationary environment, the shifting nature of the workforce, and an emerging response to environmental and social challenges – are complex and require a holistic response from all industry stakeholders. In the last three years, every sector of the economy, irrespective of maturity level, had to embrace changes supported mainly by technology. The construction sector was also swept up by this irreversible change seeing a significant acceleration in technology adoption and reconfiguration of processes and practices. Couple this with the changes driven by the Industry 4.0 framework, and the construction sector can leapfrog to more efficient production processes, business models, and value chains. The past three years have brought the following five technological megatrends to the forefront: 1. Prefabrication and advanced manufacturing 2. Robotics and automation 3. Big data, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and predictive analysis 4. Internet of Things and digital twins 5. Realtime data capture using drones, laser scanners, and other devices. With these megatrends and the progress in building information modelling and common data environment, the construction sector is now at an inflection point. A holistic paradigm that combines these emerging trends into a new operating model is needed. In this session, the speaker provides Industrialized Construction as this new operating system upon which our sector can continue to innovate. Industrialized Construction promises to reshape how we design, construct and operate our built assets. It is envisioned that the current challenges the industry faces can be overcome using this framework. This talk will discuss the key concepts, opportunities, and challenges of Industrialized Construction.

The continuous evolution of Lean Construction – what next?

Lauri Koskela — 2023-08-27

The presentation first gives an overview on the evolution of Lean Construction hitherto and analyses the drivers for new achievements as well as difficulties encountered. Among the drivers, especially the Toyota Production System, problematic characteristics of construction, digitalisation, and sustainability accentuate; in those characteristics, one-off products, site production and temporary project organisation are especially commented.

Integrating Satellites and Models for Air Quality and Health Analyses

Armistead Russel — 2023-08-27

A revolution in our ability to observe air pollution and its impacts on health has been rapidly happening largely unobserved to many since it is really occurring up in space. Satellites are constantly characterizing levels of a range of compounds in the air, and what is truly unique and powerful is that we now have information across the globe, even in remote regions. Atmospheric scientists have teamed with health scientists to use this information to better understand how air pollution impacts disease in every country and what can be done to reduce air pollution-related disease.

Utilization of Waste Materials and Industrial By-Products in the Development of Sustainable Greener Concrete

Rafat Siddique — 2023-08-27

There is exponential growth in the generation of waste materials & industrial by-products from manufacturing processes, service industries and municipal solid wastes. As a result, solid waste management has become one of the major environmental concerns in the world. With increasing awareness about environment, scarcity of space for landfilling and due to its ever-increasing cost, waste materials and by-product utilization has become an attractive alternative to disposal. Utilization of such materials has gained significant importance in the development of sustainable greener cement-based materials. There are several types of waste materials/by-products such as fly ash, bottom ash, foundry sand, scrap-tires, cement kiln dust, waste glass, recycled plastic, dredged materials, MSW ash, etc.

Engineering the Future

Maria Lehman — 2023-08-27

With an expanding global population, we must take care of our aging infrastructure to meet current needs, and at the same time, move it into the future with innovative technologies and capabilities that will enable us to combat the problems of tomorrow. In this presentation, ASCE President Maria C. Lehman will share how we need to prepare future civil engineers to meet these challenges.

Upgrading Existing Infrastructures - The Case Study of Industrial IC Bridge

Theodoros Tzaveas — 2023-08-27

Doha, the capital of Qatar, has been facing phenomenal growth of vehicular traffic owing to rapid development which has resulted in traffic congestion causing significant rise in travelling time in some areas. To mitigate these problems, upgrading existing intersections and consequently retrofitting the contained structures along significant corridors is a strategy implemented by the Public Works Authority in some cases. A case study presented herewith, is a project awarded as a Design & Build Contract by the PWA to upgrade the infrastructure at the junction of a major corridor (Junction 101 - Industrial Interchange). This paper covers the tender stage and the final design solutions, outlining the simulation models, assessment of the existing structures, the design analysis and the construction methodology adopted to address the operation and maintenance conditions as well as the project specific requirements and constraints.

Characterisation of Sewage Sludge and Municipal Solid Waste for Use as Cementitious Materials

Mohammed Bin Saif Al-Kuwari — 2023-08-27

Volumes of accumulated solid waste materials of sewage sludge (SS) and municipal solid waste (MSW) in Qatar continue to increase annually with a potentially negative impact on the environment. This paper presents an innovative technology for the production of green cement and advanced construction products from SS and MSW. Chemical composition analyses of the solid waste materials indicated the presence of main oxides available in Portland cement, but at lower contents. The three solid waste materials were incinerated and ground to produce consistent powder materials of similar sizes to Portland cement. The physical and chemical characteristics of the solid waste materials were investigated and compared to that of Portland cement. Paste and mortar mixtures were prepared by replacing 25, 50, and 75% of Portland cement with the different solid waste materials. Solid waste materials were found to influence the fresh properties of concrete, mainly water demand and setting time. Increasing the content of solid waste materials resulted in reduced compressive strength at all tested ages. SS gave the best performance within the solid waste materials investigated. Recommendations are made on the effective use of solid waste materials in various construction applications.

Self-compacting Backfills using Fly Ash and Dredged Marine Sediments for Public Work Applications

Walid Maherzi — 2023-08-27

Sediment accumulation at the bottom of ports disrupts maritime activities and disturbs the physicochemical balance of water bodies. In France, the maintenance of the 6500-kilometer long coastline would require the extraction of about 50 million m3 of marine sediments every year. For several years, these sediments were considered waste. However, they are increasingly being acknowledged as a resource in need of management. Several research studies were conducted to find valorization ways that satisfy technical and regulatory requirements. These sediments present interesting heterogeneous physicochemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical characteristics. However, they may contain contamination, which could limit their uses. This paper deals with the possibility of producing self-compacting backfills using dredged marine sediments, fly-ash, and hydraulic binders for public work applications. The impact of dredged sediments on the composition of self-compacting backfills was studied. Moreover, the impact of fly ash and binder type and percentage on the backfill behavior and mechanical properties was discussed.

Corrected Rock Fracture Parameters Applied to Qatari Rock Masses

Hrvoje Vučemilović — 2023-08-27

This paper is the continuation of the author's previous publications and an attempt to shed light on some of the presented propositions, therein. In his previous work, the author introduced a novel parameter for borehole rock mass evaluation, the FIC, (Fracture Index Corrected) and applied it to Qatari rock masses along with RQDC (Rock Quality Designation Corrected). This was the first case of such wide scale application of these borehole evaluation parameters. A short history is given on alternative proposals by several authors for improvements and amendments of RQD (Rock Quality Designation) since its proposal in 1963, with their authors' commentaries. Scale considerations are presented for both parameters, which are an essential consideration factor for any borehole parameter. The paper is concluded with remarks on assumed advantages and limitations of the two parameters and their future research and usage prospects. The paper is concluded with statements that Qatari rock masses are of unique type, which has not been sufficiently researched or classified by the leading world scientists in this field.

Backfilling Shaft Surround Using Recycled Concrete Waste Material

John Brown — 2023-08-27

The massive development in the State of Qatar to fulfil the Qatar National 2030 Vision requires efforts to direct the construction sector towards reducing economic, social and environmental impacts through the application of more sustainable construction techniques. The Public Works Authority, Qatar (Ashghal) has acknowledged that using available domestic sources to produce quality aggregate by recycling pavements, construction and demolition waste, and industry by-products is beneficial when natural sources are getting depleted. One of the projects exploring the possibility of utilizing the recycled concrete waste as surround backfill material is Contract C853/1 named the Wakrah-Wukair Drainage Network Branches (WWDNB). This is an ongoing mega drainage project associated with the construction of 67 number of shafts and approximately 17 km of sewer pipes at a maximum depth of 48m below ground level. The proposed material would be replacing the conventionally used materials such as graded limestone, gabbro aggregate and foamed concrete. This paper assesses the feasibility of utilizing recycled concrete aggregate (RCA) for backfilling of permanent shafts whilst satisfying the requirements of the Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS). A number of laboratory tests were therefore conducted, and the proposed material was found to be of acceptable quality. Additionally, mock-up tests are scheduled to confirm the field attributes before implementation on site for shafts in non-traffic areas. Using RCA as shaft backfill is more beneficial from a sustainability perspective as it will decrease the carbon footprint by 70% when compared with using traditional backfill materials. The goal of the study is to introduce an industry-wide application which is both sustainable and economical.

Efficacy in developing a Sustainable, Resilient, and Interdependent Infrastructure System in the Gulf Region

Mohamed G. Mohamed — 2023-08-27

The world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the exchange of information, knowledge, and services assists in developing and managing many aspects of the built environment. Sustainable, resilient, and interdependent development of infrastructure emphasizes relationships among systems with benefits of creating one system-of-systems that includes enhancing the delivery of primary services, increasing systems efficiency in performing more than one function, exchanging benefits between systems, sharing information among systems, reducing carbon emission, eliminating waste, enhancing the operation of all systems, and reducing the cost of developing, managing, operating, and maintaining them. Infrastructure development in the Gulf region presents many challenges, such as excessive use of scarce natural resources, limited areas of development, and high cost of development, operation, and maintenance in each system. This study addresses the importance of developing a sustainable, resilient, and interdependent infrastructure system that can work with the natural processes and flows and respond to challenges specific to the Gulf Region. Its findings will guide decision-makers in the appropriate choices and the economic, environmental, and social opportunities in developing an integrated and efficient one-system network. Relationships between infrastructure systems, such as simple, colocation, or geographical relationship, and an integrated relationship in the Gulf region will be compared with other relevant international projects. Data from project-specific literature and case studies were used to carry out this study.

A Static and Free Vibration Analysis of Porous Functionally Graded Beams

Lazreg Hadji — 2023-08-27

In this work, the static and free vibration analysis of functionally graded (FG) porous beams is investigated using a new higher-order shear deformation model (HSD). The porosity that develops naturally during the fabrication of a material is arbitrary in nature. Therefore, in the present study, a variation is considered taking into account three distribution patterns, namely (i) even distribution, (ii) uneven distribution, and (iii) the logarithmic-uneven pattern. Furthermore, the impact of several micromechanical models on the bending and free vibration behavior of the beams was investigated. Different micromechanical models were used to examine the mechanical properties of functionally graded beams, the properties of which change continuously throughout the thickness following a power law. Using the HSD model, the equations of motion are obtained using Hamilton's principle. To obtain displacements, stresses, and frequencies, the Navier type solution method was employed, and the numerical results were compared to those published in the literature. The impact of porosity and volume fraction index, different micromechanical models, mode numbers, and geometry on the bending and natural frequencies of imperfect FG beams were investigated.

Numerical Study on the Pullout Behavior of Steel Fibers in Cement-Based Composites

Ammar Babiker — 2023-08-27

The interaction between steel fiber and surrounding cement-based matrix and concrete materials is crucial in the behavior of Steel Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SFRC). This interaction is generally measured through a single fiber Pull-out test. Considerable research has been conducted in this field. However, efforts have been largely directed to the analytical and experimental methods, whereas very limited research has been performed using the finite element method. Having an authentic numerical model, numerical parametric studies together with experiments can serve as an essential tool to enhance the understating of bond behavior. Therefore, this study attempts to numerically investigate the behavior of fiber bonds in SFRC composites. The bond behavior was investigated using different approaches of modeling bonds in the LS-Dyna explicit software. The validation of the finite element model was performed with the comparison of computed and experimental pull-out force obtained from the literature. It is shown that the validation is possible for all investigated approaches and the computation results showed a strong agreement between pull-out force and relative displacement with experimental results of previous studies. Finally, the validated model is employed as a powerful tool to simulate the bond behavior of a single steel fiber embedded in a cement-based matrix.

Influence of Adding Demolition Wastes on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete in Sultanate of Oman

Said Almaawali — 2023-08-27

Nowadays the global trend in construction industry is to reduce the cost, saving energy and preserving the environment. Using other industries' waste material as a construction material is one of several methods followed to meet these trends. Management of solid waste is considered as one of the most significant environmental issues not only in a country like Oman, but globally as well. Around 1.7 million tons of solid waste is yearly generated in Oman. More than 120 million tons of constriction demolition waste is yearly generated over the world. Besides, 10-30 % of solid wastes produced from construction field (concrete wastes and aggregate) in Oman is just dumped in the landfill area without any further use. In this paper, the influence of replacing the demolition waste with coarse aggregate on the mechanical properties of concrete was studied in terms of compressive, flexural, and tensile strengths, and workability. The concrete properties were evaluated by replacing of 20, 30 and 40% of coarse aggregates with demolition waste in the mix proportion of C-35 concrete and the experiment's results were compared with each other as well as with the conventional one, based on two different periods of 7 and 28 days. The results were satisfactory so it could be concluded that replacing of up to 40% of coarse aggregates with construction and demolition waste is still safe and not causing dramatic reduction in the concrete strength.

Utilisation of Waste Plastics Admix with Laterite Soil for Production of Road Pavement Interlocking Blocks

Yamusa Bello Yamusa — 2023-08-27

Plastic wastes are non-biodegradable and hence pile up in refuse dumps and streets constituting an eyesore and menace to the environment. Some of them end up in drainages and waterways where they block water passages resulting in flooding. This is in addition to the fatalities they cause to livestock and marine life that ingest them unknowingly. Globally, plastic waste proliferation has been recognized among the biggest environmental challenges mitigating the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). This research intends to transform the unwanted plastic wastes by mixing with laterite soil to produce road-paving interlocking blocks. Laterite soil was mixed with plastic waste at various proportions by respective weight denoted as P1 (60:40%), P2 (70:30%), and P3 (80:20%) to determine their usability as road paving material. Maximum compressive strength of 9.68, 10.40, and 6.88 N/mm2 were achieved for P1, P2, and P3 respectively, implying the P2 mix has the best strength. The paving interlocking blocks made from plastic-laterite composite registered a relatively high performance and met the minimum compressive strength required by the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute for interlocking paving blocks deployed for non-traffic use.

Along-Wind Aerodynamic Forces on a Rectangular Plan Building in Vicinity of a Gently Sloped Two-Dimensional Hill

Abdul Haseeb Wani — 2023-08-27

Many engineering applications, such as wind energy distribution for optimum site selection for wind farms, pollutant dispersion, forest fire propagation and wind loads on structures in hilly terrains require a thorough understanding of the wind flow. The assessment of wind loads on buildings and structures located on exposed hill sites is a key application for understanding the effect of topography. This paper presents a wind tunnel investigation of along-wind aerodynamic forces on a rectangular plan building located near and on top of a gently sloped sinusoidal hill. The hill model has a slope equal to 15° and extends fully across the width of the wind tunnel in the direction perpendicular to the wind flow. A force measurement study is carried out on a rectangular plan rigid building model, which is placed near and on top of the hill at a total of 17 successive locations. Results measured include along-wind base shear forces and base moments. It is observed that the along-wind force gradually increases, as the building is moving closer towards the crest. The maximum along-wind base shear force for the building is reported just upstream of the crest. Increased along-wind base moment for the building up to a factor of 4.0 is observed at the crest. This paper is expected to be of great help to structural engineers for designing buildings in hilly terrains.

Robust Geotechnical Hazard Identification and Assessment for Major Underground Projects in Qatar. Case Study: South of Wakrah Pumping Station and Outfall (SWPSO) Project

Mohamed Khalil — 2023-08-27

The recent global development in geotechnical and geophysical investigation methodologies has continued to improve the possibility of early identification of critical geohazards and mitigation of risks associated with construction of large underground projects. This is not only limited to highlighting the potential risks, but also minimizing the cost and time for construction by avoiding or mitigating unexpected risks. A case study is presented by a recent unprecedented tunneling project in the State of Qatar featuring a 4.5-8.5 meters diameter, 55 kilometers in length, with various deep shafts, pumping station, and outfall in the Al-Wakrah city. Following an extensive desk study from available geotechnical and geophysical data in the vicinity of the project area and from previous practical experience from similar projects, a thorough geotechnical and geophysical investigation campaign was planned and executed. The result of the comprehensive ground investigation gave a clear picture of expected geohazards and prospective mitigation measures to be taken during the construction of the works. The paper presents a description of the main identified geohazards, including the presence of chert bands, karstic areas, massive caverns, high permeability areas, and high aggressiveness ground conditions along with its implications and mitigation measures, to be taken into account in the next stages of the project. A similar approach can be adopted for future infrastructure projects to support the geotechnical risk assessment and to minimize the impact of construction activities on the environment.

Tunnel Surveying Works: A Technical Challenge of 10 km-long tunnel under the Arabian Gulf-Qatar

Gary Peach — 2023-08-27

The Musaimeer Pump Station & Outfall Tunnel project (MPSO) was constructed as one of the longest Outfall tunnels in the World with a total length of 10.189m and at the same time being the longest undersea tunnel in the Middle East. MPSO will manage ground- and storm-water from the Southern Doha District and dispose of this water via a diffuser bed connected to the outfall tunnel. Difficulties faced during the project execution were firstly, the tunnel network itself. It was necessary to maintain precision and reliability of the 10km network, in a tunnel of smaller than 5m in diameter, starting from a 26m diameter drop shaft. Secondly, the breakthrough was into a 3m diameter vertically positioned riser shaft encased in a 5m x 5m concrete block which was positioned and constructed offshore by utilizing different network of 10km Global Positioning System Real-Time Kinematic (GPS RTK) readings. The key problem was confirming that both survey networks used were homogenous as the marine tolerances in comparison to the tunnel tolerances were very different. Thirdly, the actual Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) connection was under the sea. The TBM excavated through a concrete filled shaft 0.6m beneath the riser shaft invert, then excavated 35m to create working space for civil works. The tunnel's crown was then cut using a 3m diameter opening to connect into the bottom of the riser shaft. This study serves to describe the Survey technical issues faced in the construction and coordination of underground tunneling and interfacing with offshore works.

Sustainable Alternatives for Concrete by adding Different Types of Natural and Industrial Waste Materials

Rana Ezzdine Lakys — 2023-08-27

The construction industry accounts for a high percentage of global energy-related CO2 emissions (37 % in 2021 based on data from United Nations Environmental Program - UNEP) leading to an increasing need for solutions to aggressively reduce the energy demand in the built-up environment. Previous research showed that adding natural fibers such as Palm Tree Fronds (PTF) enhances the thermal behavior of concrete but may have negative effect on its mechanical properties as it may dramatically reduce its compressive strength and hence its durability. The work conducted previously by the authors confirms the research findings for different grades of concrete. Therefore, the possibility of adding another type of waste to compensate the compressive strength of concrete was explored. This additional material was chosen based on environmental consideration and the solution of adding Ceramic Waste Powder (CWP) was adopted. According to literature review, adding CWP may enhance not only the mechanical resistance of concrete but also its workability and its resistance to segregation. In this aim, different groups of mixes are performed to obtain the optimal mix for a high strength sustainable concrete: Control mix, CWP mix where CWP was added to replace 33% of the cement mass, and (CWP+PTF) mix where CWP (33% of the cement mass) and PTF (0%, 0.5% and 1% of sand volume) were added to the mix. The results of the compressive strength at early age (1 day) showed that the best results were obtained for the (CWP + PTF) mix with 0.5 % of added PTF.

A Comparative Study on Punching Shear Strength Statistics for Ferrocement Slabs

Mohammed Ihtesham Hussain — 2023-08-27

Ferrocement is a modern material that is considered composite as it is made of cement mortar and tightly packed layers of wire mesh. Recent ferrocement applications include prefabricated rooftop elements, load-bearing panels, and bridge slabs. However, in various parts of the world, particularly the eastern hemisphere, numerous individuals and research groups have made significant efforts to study the engineering of ferrocement which includes tensile, compressive, impact, and fatigue strength, as well as, cracking behaviour. Despite this, the shear strength of ferrocement slabs has received scant consideration. However, since ferrocement is increasingly used in structural applications, transverse shear has become a determining design factor. This paper presents the behavior of ferrocement slabs when subjected to punching shear. Eleven square slabs with dimensions 916 mm were cast, and their thicknesses were adjusted along with the wire mesh and mortar strength. After 14 days of curing, these slabs were removed from the water tank, de-moulded, and tested. Prior to testing, the top surface of these slabs was bleached to reveal the crack pattern clearly. The slabs failed in punching instead of flexural failure and they demonstrated ductile behaviour. A comparison for the observed results for the strengths and behavior of the slabs was made.

Influence of Pier Stiffness on Track-Bridge Interaction

Ali Mubarack C. K. — 2023-08-27

The bridge is a common engineering structure over which a rail track is often laid. With the introduction of continuous welded rail (CWR), major rail tracks have shifted worldwide from jointed rail to continuous welded rail. CWR eliminates fish plates and overcomes many of the drawbacks of the jointed rail, resulting in a long, smooth track with no joints. Track-bridge interaction (TBI) is important when a continuous welded rail is provided over a bridge structure. Since numerous parameters influence the phenomenon, a numerical model has been developed in SAP2000. Longitudinal pier/abutment stiffness is an important structural property of bridge substructure, and its magnitude changes significantly from one bridge to another. Due to the coupling between CWR track and the bridge, the bridge pier stiffness affects the rail stress developed in addition to pre-existing stress. Pier stiffness has been identified as an important parameter affecting the track-bridge interaction phenomenon as its value changes with the site conditions. The developed numerical model has been utilized to study the influence of pier stiffness on support reaction and additional rail stress in CWR subjected to thermal loading. Both the support reaction and rail stress have been found to be considerably influenced by pier stiffness. Additional rail stress in CWR is a source of concern because the track is a long, slender member that can buckle if excessive compressive stress develops in the track.

Exploration of Carbonate Aggregates in Road Construction using Ultrasonic and Artificial Intelligence Approaches

Mohamed Abdelhedi — 2023-08-27

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the construction sector, which is highly sensitive to economic cycles. In order to boost value and efficiency in this sector, the use of innovative exploration technologies such as ultrasonic and Artificial Intelligence techniques in building material research is becoming increasingly crucial. In this study, we developed two models for predicting the Los Angeles (LA) and Micro Deval (MDE) coefficients, the two important geo-technical tests used to determine the quality of carbonate rock aggregates. These coefficients describe the resistance of aggregates to fragmentation and abrasion. The ultrasound velocity, porosity, and density of the rocks were determined and used as inputs to develop prediction models using multiple regressions and an artificial neural network. These models may be used to assess the quality of rock aggregates at the exploration stage without the need for tedious laboratory analysis.

The Effect of Atrium on the Thermal Comfort in Buildings in Hot Arid Zones

Hamida Bencheikh — 2023-08-27

The atrium is an open interior space that may be linked to the external environment; it is becoming more and more popular and a key element in the architectural design of many buildings, due to its attractive and symbolic aesthetic characteristics for the public. It is a filter against unwanted external environmental phenomena such as rain, snow and wind. A well-designed atrium can contribute towards having a significant effect on the indoor environment, affecting the comfort of the occupants. However, in certain hot and arid regions such as the city of Laghouat in the south of Algeria characterized by a scalding and dry summer, and cold winter, these fully enclosed atrium spaces with their untouched typological and architectural diversity, and due to lack of a good renewal of the indoor air, can cause considerable thermal discomfort to the occupants of space, and thermal stratification inside, especially in summer. The present work studies the impact of the atrium configuration on the inside thermal environment, for summers and winter periods, and to provide a sufficient air renewal within the atrium to ensure good air quality. As a result, a rectangular, fully enclosed, unventilated central atrium building was examined with its adjacent spaces, by a series of field measurements to study two geometric factors that have a considerable impact on the interior thermal comfort, the height width ratio (SAR Index) and the glazed coverage ratio. The impact of SAR index and glazed area ratio on thermal comfort and stratification of the air in summer and winter period were also examined.

Galvanized Steel as a Sustainable Material-Technology and Failure Analysis

Abdulwahab Ibrahim — 2023-08-27

The building industry is responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions and 36% of global energy consumption. Therefore, it is not surprising that the industry is motivated to embrace more environment-friendly procedures and turning to more environment-friendly materials and manufacturing processes. Driven by ever-stricter environmental norms and regulations, as well as rising costs, galvanizing is considered as an affordable, again, an environment-friendly and 'green' corrosion protection method. In order to prevent corrosion and produce a tough, long-lasting surface, clean steel is coated with a layer of molten zinc during the hot-dip galvanizing process. It has the extra benefit of completely covering the steel, making it more durable than conventional coatings that just adhere chemically or mechanically. As a result, it is not only very efficient but also very environment-friendly. A single, one-time treatment will completely coat a product's interior and exterior, giving it a coating that can shield steel and keep it from needing maintenance for more than 70 years. In this paper, galvanizing will be introduced as an efficient, affordable, and environment-friendly anti-corrosion method. Technical issues related to the process are presented and challenges associated with galvanizing are addressed. The experimental part includes measuring the zinc coating layer using optical microscopy. Failure cases related to galvanized structures which include bridges, bolts, and fire affected monopole are discussed, root causes were analyzed, and recommendations are provided.

A Comparison between Natural Pozzolana and Fly Ash Replacements on the Mechanical Properties of Concrete

Mervat O. Aburumman — 2023-08-27

This study investigates the effect of Natural Pozzolana (NP) and Fly Ash (FA) substitutes on concrete's mechanical and microstructural properties. Mixes containing 10 - 50 % cement substitute ratios were prepared and tested for flexure and compressive strength after 28 days of curing. Then, qualitative microstructural analysis was performed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In terms of compressive strength, the mixes containing only 10 % replacement ratios of both NP and FA showed an improvement of 10 % compared to the plain control mix. On the other hand, all mixes containing FA could attain at least a 25 % development in their flexural strength compared to the control mix. The microstructural analysis illustrated that adding FA and NP enhances cement hydration by improving the formation of dense hydration products such as calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and calcium hydroxide (C-H), which are mainly responsible for the performance of the improved mechanical properties of concrete.

Recycled Polypropylene Fibres for Reinforcing Cement Mortar under Arid Conditions

Khadra Bendjillali — 2023-08-27

Concreting in arid environment is a delicate operation, due to many problems, such as the premature evaporation of mixing water, which affects the material consistency and the shrinkage cracking which threatens its durability. The present experimental work is conducted to investigate the physical and the mechanical behaviour of cement mortar reinforced by recycled polypropylene fibres under arid conditions, at 45 °C and 30% RH. The used polypropylene fibres are recycled from a domestic plastic waste. The tests realized in this investigation include the workability, the total shrinkage, the flexure and the compression tests. Through this investigation, the beneficial effect of recycled polypropylene fibres as reinforcement of cement mortar is well demonstrated, particularly under arid environmental conditions. The obtained results showed a substantial increase in the flow time of about 53% in mortar reinforced by 1% of recycled polypropylene fibres (1RPFM). It is also shown that under arid conditions, the presence of 1% of recycled polypropylene fibres in cement mortar leads to a considerable decrease in total shrinkage of about 46% and an increase in the flexural and compressive strength of about 24% and 26%, respectively, compared to control mortar (CM) at the age of 194 days. Overall, the used recycled polypropylene fibres have presented a high capacity to improve the different properties of cement mortar and make it a suitable composite for concreting in arid environment.

Early Thermal Cracking Control of Concrete Structures in Qatar

Firas Alkadour — 2023-08-27

Thermal cracks can occur in concrete elements at early stages during the hardening process. Also, the impact of thermal contraction and drying and autogenous shrinkage, may lead to excessive tensile strains and as a result cracks will occur. Consequently, an increase in reinforcements may be required to satisfy Early Thermal Cracking (ETC). ETC remains a major concern for concrete structures, especially for structures with high demand of water tightness. Considering the significance of water leaking in underground structures and the rising of the groundwater table in Qatar in the recent years, the Public Works Authority (ASHGHAL) has set the criteria to control early thermal cracks for Highway and Drainage Structures. This paper aims to present a comparison between the Early Thermal Cracking (ETC) codes and guidelines aiming towards providing sustainable and efficient design. This study compares the design method and parameters considered in BD 28/87, CIRIA C660 and CIRIA C766 currently used in Qatar for ETC calculations such as crack width permissible limit, minimum area of reinforcements, temperature change at early age, long term ambient temperature, autogenous shrinkage, drying shrinkage and restraint conditions. In addition, ETC calculations are carried out for a tunnel reinforced concrete box section with wall and top slab thicknesses ranging from 300mm to 1000mm. The least required area of reinforcements (As,req) for wall subject to edge restraint was by CIRIA C766 and for top slab subject to end restraint was by BD 28/87.

A Markovian-Genetic Algorithm Model for Predicting Pavement Deterioratio

Ala Sati — 2023-08-27

Pavement structures are constantly deteriorating due to many distresses, for instance cracks and rutting that are initiated and expanded. Deterioration models of pavement structures is an important component of pavement management systems (PMS). The deterioration of pavements has been extensively modeled using Markov chains. This paper aims at formulating a more efficient deterioration model to predict the condition of pavement sections. It is proposed to accomplish this by developing a Markovian deterioration model coupled with a meta-heuristic search optimization method, namely genetic algorithms (GA). An essential component of the Markov chain model is the transition probability matrix. In the proposed model, a standard percentage prediction method was used to calculate the transition probabilities. This is then calibrated by integrating the GA method with the Markov chain. The model is based on the historical international roughness index (IRI) data retrieved from the long-term pavement performance (LTPP) database. To test the validity of the method, a real-life case study is used and the performance of the developed model was assessed using both validation and testing data. For predicting pavement conditions, this study concluded that calibrating calculated transition probabilities using meta-heuristic optimization results in better performance than developing the transition probabilities using classical methods. The Markovian-GA model developed in the present study can be used to predict the future condition of pavement facilities in order to assist engineers in planning the optimum maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) actions.

Bio-Based Self-Healing Concrete for Sustainable and Durable Concrete Infrastructure

Muazzam Ghous Sohail — 2023-08-27

In this study, bio-self-healing concrete was manufactured using a natural phenomenon called microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP). The bacillus cereus bacteria isolated from Qatari soil was used for this purpose. These bacteria have endured the harsh weather of high temperatures, humidity, and alkaline soil conditions. Hence, are a potential candidate for long-term self-healing in concrete structures that are subjected to the climate of the Middle Eastern region. The bacteria were encapsulated in sodium alginate beads then the beads were added to the cement-sand mortar. The nutrients for bacteria such as urea, calcium nitrate, yeast extract, and calcium chloride were mixed in mortar as dry constituents. After curing for 28 days, cracks were artificially induced in the prismatic samples, which were reinforced with steel rebars at the tensile side. Samples were placed in water to instigate self-healing. It was observed that the bacteria healed the cracks up to 0.70 mm. It is concluded that the used bacteria are viable in the alkaline concrete matrix and capable of producing calcium carbonate.

Bond Performance of Near-Surface Mounted BFRP Bars to Concrete

Omar Aljidda — 2023-08-27

This paper presents the test results of a study on the bond performance of near-surface mounted (NSM) basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) bars to concrete. Twelve C-shape concrete specimens were tested under direct pull-out loading configuration. Test parameters included the bar surface configuration (deformed and sand coated), the types of epoxy adhesive (NSM Gel and Sikadur-30), and the bonded length (6, 12, and 24 times its diameter). The influence of various parameters on the overall bond performance of NSM-BFRP bars is analyzed and discussed. The obtained results confirmed the impact of the investigated parameters on the bond behavior of the tested specimens. It was found that the bond strength and failure mode varied considerably with the bar surface configuration and bonded length. Higher bond strength was obtained when the NSM Gel epoxy with high strength properties. The results also revealed that both the deformed and sand coated bars showed almost similar bond strengths. Moreover, the pull-out loads increased with the increase of the bonded length of the NSM bars.

Theoretical Simulation of Thermal Deformations in Concrete Beams Reinforced with Two Overlapped FRP Bars in Cold Regions

Ali Zaidi — 2023-08-27

The thermal incompatibility in transverse direction between concrete and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars may cause tensile circumferential cracks within concrete under low temperatures, and consequently, the failure of concrete cover. This paper presents a theoretical study to investigate the transverse thermal deformation of concrete beams reinforced with two overlapped FRP bars in cold regions where the climate temperature may drop to -40°C.. Numerical and analytical models are developed to predict the transverse thermal strains at the FRP bar/concrete interface of the concrete cover zone and the bars interaction zone and also at the external surface of concrete cover for overlapped glass FRP (GFRP) bars reinforced concrete beams under low temperature variations, having a ratio of concrete cover thickness to FRP bar diameter varied from 1.0 to 3.2. Comparisons between the results predicted from non-linear finite element model and those obtained from the analytical model in terms of transverse thermal strains are presented.

Experimental Validation of Repair Methods for Earthquake-Damaged Bridges Incorporating Pipe-Socket Precast Pier System

Kathryn Hogarth — 2023-08-27

This project focuses on the retrofitting of concrete bridge piers. In the first phase of the project, a half-scale bridge bent was designed and experimentally tested in the Idaho State University (ISU) Structural Lab (SLAB) under earthquake-style loading. The bents modeled a pier connection developed by ISU and Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) (pipe-socket connection). The bridge bent was tested until failure and the results were processed and compared to one another. After testing the bent specimens ISU and ITD have come back to work on another project to retrofit the half-scale bridge piers and experimentally test and quantify the design. Many post-earthquake repair methods have been suggested by ISU and ITD to repair the pier's stiffness, strength, and ductility after a design-level event. This paper focuses on ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) jacketing as the retrofit method. Methods to retrofit concrete-filled steel tubes (CFSTs) have only been used in analytical studies and have not been experimentally tested. In order to combat this issue of lack of experimental data, ISU is testing four piers with a UHPC jacket retrofit. The objective of this research is to experimentally validate the proposed UHPC retrofit for the pipe connection.

Impact of the Fiber Distribution Characteristics on the Uniaxial Behaviour of Fiber-Reinforced Composites- An Experimental Study

C.B. Kameswara Rao — 2023-08-27

The demand for development of fiber-reinforced composites has enhanced as the practise of integrating fibres into concrete has become prevalent over the past few decades.. The intersection zone where the fiber crossing the fracture surface and fiber distribution characteristics in the composite plays an important role in predicting the overall performance of the Fiber Reinforced Composite (FRC). To ascertain the orientation and distribution of the fibres in various FRC's, a variety of experimental methods have been proposed in the literature. This study aimed to assess the impact of fibre orientation and fibre distribution characteristics on the fresh and hardened properties of Hybrid FRC's and Hybrid Graded FRC's containing glass and steel fibres. It can be concluded that the methods adopted in this study for calculating the fiber distribution and orientation characteristics were reliable and the proposed equations were successful in predicting the uniaxial behaviour of FRC. Positive synergy was observed in the Hybrid Graded FRC specimens, which was attributed to the superior fibre distribution characteristics displayed by hybrid grading of fibres, which was rationalised by the fact that modifying the fibre distribution characteristics would affect the FRC's behaviour.

Comparison of Geotechnical Investigation Results with Encountered Ground Conditions during Subsea Tunnelling in Qatar

Saad Zayed Al-Marri — 2023-08-27

Starting in 2018, Musaimeer Pumping Station and Outfall Project (MPSO) was constructed to manage ground and storm water received from 270 km2 area of southern Doha, Qatar. The project consists of a pumping station, subsea tunnel, (constructed through Rus formation, Midra shale and Simsima limestone), riser shaft and diffuser bed structure. An Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) was used for subsea tunnelling where ground water inflows, mixed ground condition with the presence of vertical and lateral fractures connected to the seabed were encountered during tunnelling activity. This paper analyses the reliability of geotechnical investigation results and interpretations by comparison with encountered conditions. This will be beneficial to design a reliable geotechnical investigation programme for future projects of similar scope in the state of Qatar. Results and interpretations from drilled bore holes and geophysical survey provided an overall picture of underground conditions along the tunnel alignment, which identified the critical tunnelling areas for cutter head intervention and maintenance. These results were then compared with the built geotechnical conditions accessed by collecting data through the onboard TBM monitoring equipment, collecting rock mass samples, and performing geological face mappings during tunnelling activity. Comparison of pre-tendered investigation results with the built geotechnical conditions concluded that investigation results and encountered rock mass conditions were in line with each other. Geotechnical investigation programme followed for this project and interpretation as a result, made the tunnelling under sea to be carried out in more careful and low risk manner.

Assessment of the Current Frequency Calculation Methods Used in the Determination of the Dynamic Modulus Value in Pavement Design and Analysis

Mohammed A. Alfarra — 2023-08-27

The dynamic modulus |E*| is used in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) to express the viscoelasticity of asphalt material at a range of temperatures and loading frequencies. As a result, the current MEPDG method assumes that frequency is calculated as the opposite of vehicular loading pulse time. In addition, the loading pulse time can be calculated using the Odemark thickness equivalency method according to the MEPDG. On the other hand, the loading frequency as per Qatar Highway Design Manual (QHDM 2021) is estimated based on the average vehicle speed using Losa and Di Natale formula. However, studies found major inadequacies in the adopted method of MEPDG, which might affect the accuracy of the loading frequency and |E*| accordingly which leads to an impact on the pavement design and performance analysis. Hence, it was recommended that alternative frequency determination approaches like the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) be used rather than traditional time-domain techniques. Therefore, this paper compares the results of the MEPDG and QHDM loading frequency procedure with the dominant frequencies (DF) obtained using the FFT. On the other hand, the loading time pulses are estimated using the Odemark approach and, compared to the ones simulated using 3D Move Analysis software that accurately considers the tire contact pressure, viscoelastic properties, & vehicle speed. It was found that the used frequency determination approach in the pavement design in Qatar, overestimates the frequency values by about 30% to 88%. Furthermore, the findings showed that the MEPDG method for determining loading time and frequency is not conservative.

A Review on the Performance of Bored Pile Foundations through Instrumented Pile Load Tests in Qatar

Muhammad Humza — 2023-08-27

The level of infrastructure development Qatar has accomplished over the past 10 years has not been reached by any other country and this pace is expected to continue to achieve Qatar's 2030 Vision. High-rise buildings and bridges are mostly constructed on pile foundations which play an important role in overall cost of the project, but there is limited published literature available on the performance of pile foundations in Qatar. In this article, the performance of fully instrumented pile foundations embedded in rock formations of Qatar is reviewed, and discussion on observed behaviour is presented. This paper also uncovers the conservatism in pile design adopted by the piling industry. A total of more than 65 pile load test results were compiled to perform this study. Good practices are suggested that can be considered by the authorities and consultants in specifying a preliminary pile load test in order to reap its full potential. In projects, where the unit skin friction was validated through performance of pile load tests and later on pile design was optimized, 11% to 50% savings in piling cost was achieved contributing to sustainable projects.

Modeling Thermal Conductivity, Thermal Diffusivity and Specific Heat of Asphalt Concrete Using Beta Regression and Mixture Volumetrics

Mohammad Ali Khasawneh — 2023-08-27

The main objective of this paper is to develop predictive models using Beta regression for laboratory-prepared hot mix asphalt (HMA) specimens' thermal properties, including thermal conductivity (TC), thermal diffusivity (TD) and specific heat (SH). Thirty such specimens were prepared while varying the mixture's nominal maximum aggregate sizes (NMAS) and gradation coarseness. The widely used Transient Plane Source (TPS) method was employed to determine the thermal properties of the asphalt concrete. Only one type of asphalt binder was used for preparing all specimens. The air void volume (Va) and the effective binder volume (Vbe) were calculated for each mixture. To this end, the multiple linear regressions and the non-linear beta regressions were employed. Laboratory work resulted in hundred and fifty (150) data points. Three nominal maximum aggregate sizes, two gradation coarseness levels, five replicates and five different locations of measurements to ensure accuracy and repeatability in the obtained results. In conclusion, using Va and Vbe as predictors provided reliable predictive models for the thermal properties of different asphalt mixtures. The distribution of Va and Vbe was identified, and synthetic data was created to evaluate the accuracy of the models. Apart from R2 values, beta regression was more reliable to predict thermal properties of asphalt mixtures than multiple linear regression.

Parametric Optimization of RC Beams Strengthened with FRCM Using FE Modelling and Response Surface Methodology

Qusai Aborahmeh — 2023-08-27

This study focuses on the numerical and statistical analyses to predict the mid-span moment capacity of RC beams strengthened with fabric reinforcement cementitious mortar (FRCM) laminate. A finite element model (FEM) has been built to simulate twelve RC beams strengthened with two types of FRCM, namely Polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO) FRCM and Carbon (C) FRCM. The FE models were verified based on experimental work available in the literature. The finite element models have shown a good agreement with experimental results in terms of maximum load-carrying capacity, load-deflection curves, and concrete strain values. The numerical simulation was followed by a parametric study on 42 models using face centred response surface methodology (RSM). Combining FEM and RSM, a novel mathematical model has been proposed to predict the mid-span moment capacity of the RC beams strengthened with FRCM. The results of the proposed model have shown optimal predictability with R2 equal to 90.34%. In addition, the proposed model agreed with the ACI design procedures and the existing literature.

The Use of Demolished Concrete Lumps (DCL) in Rectangular CFSTs Under Flexure

Salem Khalaf — 2023-08-27

This paper investigates the flexural performance of rectangular concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) beams that are partially incorporated with demolished concrete lumps (DCLs). In total, three CFST beams were prepared and tested under flexure through a four-point bending setup. These three specimens are selected from a bigger ongoing research project that considers further parameters. The three beams varied in the presence of DCLs within the CFST section and the maximum particle size of the DCLS. The DCLs were mixed with mortar and were isolated at the center of the CFST section and surrounded by normal concrete. The flexural behavior of the CFST beams was analyzed and discussed through the use of moment versus displacement, moment versus strain, and deflected shape graphs. The test results showed that the CFST beams with partially incorporated DCLs had similar flexural behavior to the normal CFST beam. The displacement at ultimate capacity was reported to be lower for the beams with incorporated DCLs, especially the beam with the higher DCL maximum particle size. However, the displacement at yield was found to be lower for the specimen that was fully cast with normal concrete. Finally, it was observed that the failure mode was the same for all three beams.

RSM Analysis for Optimum Content of Graphene Nanoplatelets for 3D-Printed Clay Strength

Mohamed Mohsen — 2023-08-27

This study applies Response Surface Methodologies (RSM) methods to maximize 3D-Printed clay mechanical properties. Mixes containing different Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) contents were printed and tested in compression and flexure. The Central Composite Design method was used by coding the mixes fabrication method, i.e. moulding and printing, and GNPs content as variables. The analysis showed that the mixes containing low GNPs content of 0.1 wt.% attained higher compressive and flexural strengths than those containing a higher content of 0.2 and 0.3 wt.%. The results also highlighted that GNPs' efficiency was better observed in the printed samples other than the moulded ones, indicating that the printing process contributed to a better and uniform dispersion of GNPs in the clay matrix. RSM analysis confirmed that the maximum flexural strength response could be obtained using a GNPs content of 0.1 wt.%. Furthermore, the desirability analysis showed that a maximum predicted flexural and compressive strength improvements of 21% and 36 % compared to the control mixes could be obtained, respectively. In summary, this study proposed the importance of using Nanofilaments in 3D printing activities to achieve the desired elements' mechanical properties.

Top-Down Construction Method: A Case Study For Underpass Structure in Qatar

Ali Kara — 2023-08-27

The Cut and Cover construction method has been applied to build several underpass structures within the expressway programme of the Highway Projects Department, Public Works Authority, Qatar. Booming in the construction industry contributes to increasing existing traffic in Qatar. This subsequently failed existing road junctions and required updating the road network parallel to the traffic studied. Underpasses and bridges were planned across many locations in Qatar to increase the level of service at road junctions, enhance the traffic capacity, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the free flow of traffic. This paper discusses the design and construction challenges of the underpass structure constructed by top-down construction method located on D ring Road in Doha, Qatar. The top-down construction method has been suggested by the construction contractor as an alternative to the conventional cut-and-cover construction method to minimize the traffic disruption and meet updated temporary traffic management (TTMs) due to underpass construction works, restore traffic at the junction on top of the underpass prior to the completion of construction works and overall optimize the construction duration. A numerical modelling research was carried out to study the change in arrangements. The site-specific challenges, such as modification in the structural arrangement of the underpass, change in ground conditions, lateral displacement of pile walls and dewatering challenges, are discussed in this paper.

Ashghal Guidelines for the Evaluation and Repair of Sinkholes

Jamal Essa M Al-Ansari — 2023-08-27

Sinkholes are a common and recurring problem with potential safety risks to road users and authorities. A sinkhole is a void in the ground caused by natural and/or manmade activities, and mainly associated with carbonate rocks and underground water movement. It occurs suddenly and manifests as a hole in the ground, with the potential to cause significant problems of road closure and interruption to road users and construction activities. With the vast infrastructure, development over the last two decades and the majority of soil formation of Qatar exposes limestone and dolomites, the number of reported sinkholes has increased dramatically. This paper presents the development and implementation of new guidelines for the evaluation and repair of sinkholes for the Roads Operation and Maintenance Department (ROMD) at the Public Works Authority (Ashghal). It reviews the methodology adopted for the classification of sinkholes, application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technique for the early detection of subsurface voids and sinkholes before they become major problems. It also covers the approach adopted by ROMD and its Framework Partners for the repair of sinkholes. A case study is presented on the implementation of the new guidelines for the effective evaluation and repair of sinkholes, with performance monitoring in service. Successful implementation of the new guidelines contributes to enhanced management of road network in Qatar by maximizing asset performance and minimizing accidents and service disruption.

Preliminary Study on the Use of Reclaimed Asphalt in Public Works Authority Road Projects in the State of Qatar

Ezio Santagata — 2023-08-27

This paper describes the outcomes of a preliminary study focused on the evaluation of four full-scale pavement sections in which reclaimed asphalt (RAP) was used in partial substitution of virgin aggregates during the production of asphalt mixes. Considered mixes were produced with different RAP percentages and were thereafter laid on site for the formation of asphalt base course layers of pavements in local roads of the State of Qatar. For comparative purposes, two trials included asphalt mixes containing no RAP, and in one case use was made of a rejuvenating agent. Activities carried out for the monitoring of field trials included analysis of component materials, critical observation of production and laying operations, assessment of the most relevant characteristics of produced asphalt mixes, and evaluation of the degree of compaction achieved during construction. Experimental results were of crucial importance for the introduction of RAP-related paving technologies in the State of Qatar, providing a meaningful background to the preparation of the Ashghal Recycling Manual issued by Ashghal and of the draft updated version of Qatar Construction Specifications.

Digital Twins in AEC Infrastructure and Building Management Systems

Mohammad Oditallah — 2023-08-27

The current practice of Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) management systems relies on time-consuming, manual methods for data collection, analyzing, and decision-making. This affects the productivity of the industry in all phases: design, construction, operation, and maintenance of their assets. Adoption of innovative technologies is the key solution for the AEC industry to overcome the challenges they face and follow other reinvented industries. Although recent advancements have been proposed for more productive data acquisition and decision support by leveraging digital tools, Building Information Modeling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI), the fragmented approach of adoption and the absence of a connected workflow is a barrier. Digital Twin (DT) is a digital presentation of a physical entity that replicates the status and behavior of its physical counterpart. It can help to improve overall system effectiveness and reliable data-informed decisions. However, the concept of DT and its key features is still not well-understood in the AEC industry. Therefore, this paper aims to review and investigate the twinning requirements and characteristics of DT and discuss its structure and potential solutions in terms of AEC infrastructure and buildings assets operations and maintenance systems. The DT concept, main characteristics, and critical considerations for the AEC sector are highlighted and classification for DT levels is introduced and discussed.

Potential Utilization of Alternative Construction Materials in Qatar, in lieu of Conventional Washed Sand

Subrahmanyam Pilaka Venkata — 2023-08-27

Natural sand that has been washed is an essential material used in infrastructure development and construction projects of all sizes. Due to the depletion of natural sand sources in Qatar, there has arisen a need to develop alternate materials to replace it. Substitutes such as wadi gravel, marine sand and manufactured sand, including crushed imported limestone, recycled sand and crushed gabbro have been considered and explored. Consequently, a proposal to encourage local washed sand producers to incorporate varying proportions of these alternate materials into the various material demands was considered by the Public Works Department, depending on the application in either structural and/or precast members. This paper primarily focuses on providing an overview of some of the available alternate materials to washed sand that could be utilized without affecting the physical, mechanical, or strength properties of concrete, precast, and other construction materials that use washed sand, while at the same time providing a long-lasting, durable and economically beneficial alternative material to the national economy.

Modeling Asphalt Pavement Frictional Properties using Different Machine Learning Algorithms

Mohammad Ali Khasawneh — 2023-08-27

The objective of this work is to use some machine learning algorithms and test its efficiency in developing models to predict Locked Wheel Skid Trailer (LWST) values from Dynamic Friction Tester (DFT) and Circular Texture Meter (CTM) measurements conducted on asphalt pavement surfaces. For this prediction, three models were developed using DFT measurements at different speeds starting from 20km/h (12.5 mph) up to 64 km/h (40 mph) and then same DFT measurements as combination with Mean Profile Depth (MPD) and the last model used the International Friction Index (IFI) parameters (F60 and SP). The machine learning techniques includes two supervised learning algorithms: the Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) type of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and M5P tree model. In addition to one lazy algorithm called the K Nearest Neighbor (KNN) or Instance-Based Learner (IBL). The results showed that MLP models are the best in terms of the correlation coefficient that resulted in 81% prediction power using DFT parameters. Additionally, it was shown that the result of tree models was close to ANN but with much simpler regression. However, KNN models were recommended for LWST prediction of similar data characteristics and it is expected that this algorithm will be more efficient as the training data set becomes larger.

Effect of Chemicals on Compressive Strength of Plastic-Laterite Interlock Paving Blocks

Mubarak L. Liman — 2023-08-27

This research centres on the need to develop a simple but sustainable material for the utilization of the quantum of plastic wastes that litter our environment. The research uses waste plastics and laterite soil and converts them into construction materials (interlock blocks) with the help of the densifier, thereby reducing the plastic waste, which is a key contributor to environmental pollution. Literature has shown that concrete structure is prone to chemical actions; the durability of conventional concrete bricks gets affected by chemical effects. The chemicals may cause cracking of concrete, rutting, and deterioration of the structure. In the same vein, the plastic-laterite interlock bricks might not be free from such defects due to chemical action. Therefore, this research looks into the effects of different chemical curing conditions on the compressive strength of plastic-laterite paving blocks. Varying proportions of plastic wastes and laterite soil were mixed and processed into composite bricks and subjected to different chemical treatments; in acid, base, oil, and water for 3, 14, and 28 days relative to a concrete brick control. It was observed that samples cured in acid solution gave the lowest compressive strength, while those in base solution gave the highest. The paving interlock blocks made from polyethylene/laterite composite registered relative performance compared to concrete interlock bricks control. If made and put into use, these blocks will reduce construction costs, assist in environmental sustainability and improve circular economic growth. Therefore, using this innovative approach will bolster infrastructural projects and checkmate plastic pollution within our environment.

Development of a Comprehensive Pavement Design System for Roads in Wind and Solar Farms

Ezio Santagata — 2023-08-27

This paper briefly, illustrates the structure and contents of an ongoing research program aimed at developing a set of procedures and tools to be used for the design of pavements in renewable energy projects and mainly in wind and solar farms. Challenges related to this topic derive from the non-standard nature of several factors that affect the structural and functional performance of such pavements, with the consequent need of employing purposely defined prediction methods, design criteria and specifications. Further crucial aspects to be taken in account in the research program are related to the life cycle cost analysis of pavements, to be carried out in a multinational context by considering alternative scenarios according to an OPEX (operating expense) versus CAPEX (capital expenditure) philosophy. It is envisioned that results and deliverables of the project will contribute to the enhancement of the effectiveness of operations in wind and solar farms, optimizing investments and leading to the selection of more sustainable pavement solutions.

Synthesis of Calcium Nitrate Self-Healing Microcapsules Using Aerosol OT Hexane Solution for Cementitious Materials

Ala Abu Taqa — 2023-08-27

Calcium nitrate synthesis of in urea-formaldehyde shell has recently been used to produce self-healing microcapsules for construction applications. The original synthesis was based on water-in-oil emulsion with sulfonic acid as fundamental ingredient of the oil (continuous) phase. It has been modified herein by changing the composition of the continuous (oil) phase by mixing anionic surfactant, Aerosol OT (AOT) with hexane to prepare the solution while keeping the aqueous phase unchanged. The submicron refined calcium nitrate microcapsules. In order to characterize the microcapsules encapsulated using the aforementioned, procedure, a Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was utilized. The obtained microcapsules had satisfactory diameter and shell thickness. To assess the effect of the prepared microcapsules on the compressive and flexural strengths, mortar mixes containing 75% microcapsules (by weight of cement), as an introductory dosage, were made. It has been demonstrated that incorporating the self-healing microcapsules prepared using the procedure suggested in this study did not cause significant reductions in the mortar samples' strengths. Hence, the encapsulation methodology presented here may be utilized to investigate their self-healing efficiency in cementitious materials.

Experimental Investigation on the Flexural Capacity of Reinforced Concrete Beams with Treated Wastewater and Recycled Concrete Aggregates

Abdelrahman Abushanab — 2023-08-27

Eco-friendly concrete is the most recommended sustainable option to reduce the excessive diminution of concrete natural resources and the high generation of greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the present study explores the feasibility of employing treated wastewater (TWW), recycled concrete aggregates (RCA), and fly ash (FA) in concrete mixes. A total of 4 reinforced concrete (RC) beams were investigated under 4-point bending setup with three parameters investigated; namely, mixing water (fresh water and TWW), coarse aggregates (gabbro and RCA), and cementitious binders (cement and FA). The experimental results revealed that the beams' ductility was decreased by 9% and 16% with TWW and RCA, respectively. Moreover, the flexural performance of the TWW-RC beams was decreased by 14%, whereas RCA-RC beams showed comparable flexural strength to its counterpart with natural aggregates. In addition, the utilization of FA at a 20% replacement ratio enhanced the flexural strength by 5% to 7%.

Modeling Short-Term Deflection of Reinforced Concrete Slabs using the Layered Approach

Abeer A. Fageer — 2023-08-27

This paper examines the short-term deflection of reinforced concrete slabs taking the tension-stiffening phenomenon into account. The main goal of this study is to develop a model that predicts the deflection of one-way slabs made of reinforced concrete. The model takes into account concrete contribution in carrying tension between cracks thoroughly considering the stress-strain relationship material model. The model has been developed using MATLAB Program incorporating a numerical technique known as the layered approach. The developed layered approach model was validated using experimental deflection results reported in a previous study. Based on the experimental validation, the model showed its tendency in predicting the real-case deflection of one-way concrete reinforced slabs. It was concluded that different types of tension stiffening models can be added to the program to model deflection and crack propagation.

Data Interpretation Framework for Pile Thermal Integrity Testing

Qianchen Sun — 2023-08-27

Given the inherent nature of how deep cast in-situ concrete foundations (piles and diaphragm walls) are constructed, evaluating their integrity is difficult. Several well-established methods for testing integrity have been established, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. In recent years, a new integrity test method called thermal integrity profiling (TIP) has been put into use in deep foundation construction. The primary characteristic utilised in this test is the early-age concrete release of heat during curing; abnormalities such as voids, necking, bulging, and/or soil intrusion inside the concrete body lead to local temperature fluctuations. During concrete curing, temperature sensors installed on the reinforcing cage collect precise temperature data along the entire pile, allowing empirical identification of these temperature variations. This paper proposes a staged data interpretation framework for pile integrity assessment, with the thermal integrity test serving as the initial step. The framework, which is adaptable to different concrete mixtures and pile designs, utilises the heat of hydration and the theory of heat transmission, as well as numerical modelling with the Finite Element (FE) method. It also adopts a staged procedure to assess the as-built quality; for a particular pile, more details are revealed about any anomalies being investigated (including location, size and shape) at each subsequent stage. The primary advantage of this staged process is that it enables practitioners to follow a risk-based approach and decide whether or not to pursue subsequent stages of construction depending on the results they get at the end of each stage. This provides practicing engineers with vital information about the quality of the pile immediately after pile building, so permitting immediate and less expensive repair and remedial work if required.

Influence of Fine Dune Sand on the Modulus of Elasticity of Eco-Self-Compacting-Concrete

Makani Abdelkadir — 2023-08-27

The aim of this research was to study the effect of fine dune sand on the mechanical performance of Eco-Self-Compacting Concrete (SCC). For that, the fine dune sand of the Western erg (Taghit -Algeria) was being like mineral addition to formulate the SCC, and a comparison was carried out on their effect on the properties of SCC. Our study also showed that the substitution of fine dune sand (DS) by cement in the composition of the SCC, contributes to a slight variation of workability in the fresh state parameters still remaining in the field of SCC required by the AFGC recommendations. The experimental results show that the compressive strengths and modulus of elasticity of SCC improved by substituting of 20% cement by DS.

Production of Self-healing Concrete using Gum Arabic for Immobilizing of Bacterial Spores on Sand

Amged O. Abdelatif — 2023-08-27

This paper studies the feasibility of producing self-healing concrete by immobilization of bacteria on the sand. In this study, the Gum Arabic (Acacia Senegal) was used to immobilize bacterial spores and its nutrient (Calcium lactate) on sand surface as a novel technique. Due to its availability and environment-friendly character, Bacillus subtilis bacteria have been selected and prepared. To achieve the aim of this study, three concrete mixes were made with 10%, 5%, and 2.5% of gum-capsulated sand with bacteria. The ability of self-healing of cracks was monitored using stereomicroscope and digital image camera. The experiments have shown that the proposed technique is efficient in healing of cracks without impairing the prisms' strength for mixes with 2.5% and 5% of gum-capsulated sand with bacteria. The results give a proof-of-concept to use Gum Arabic as an adhesion to immoblize the bacteria and its nutrient on sand to produce self-healing concrete.

Sustainability Driven Strategy for Achieving Sustainable Infrastructure: Musaimeer Pumping Station and Outfall Project

Dila Ersenkal — 2023-08-27

The increasing emphasis on global sustainability issues such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, deforestation, and water scarcity has provided a strong mandate for the construction industry to incorporate sustainable practices, more efficient processes and innovative technologies to deliver sustainable project outcomes. Implementing sustainability rating and assessment schemes throughout the lifecycle of projects has been instrumental in achieving high levels of environmental and social performance. This paper presents a case study; the Musaimeer Pumping Station and Outfall (MPSO) project, a strategic asset for Qatar, and discusses the sustainability strategy adopted for achieving the 'Very Good' level Civil Engineering Environmental Quality and Assessment Award Scheme (CEEQUAL) certification for the project. The paper sets out how the project's registration with CEEQUAL International resulted in achievement of sustainability best practice in design and construction phases. Specific achievements with regards to the key CEEQUAL topic areas including project strategy, project management, people and communities, land use and landscape, historic environment, ecology and biodiversity, water environment, physical resources use and management (such as energy, water, materials), and transport are also highlighted in this paper. The paper also provides the importance of the adopted strategy in translating the overarching Qatar National Vision 2030 and alignment with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenges faced throughout the project lifecyle and the benefits achieved by undertaking a CEEQUAL assessment for this project are also discussed in this paper.

Identification of Karstic Features with Extensive Geophysical Investigation for Underground Infrastructure - South of Wakrah Pumping Station and Outfall (SWPSO) Project

Ali Akbar — 2023-08-27

There has been a significant increase in the number of underground infrastructure projects built in a short period because of Qatar's goal of effective mass transit and robust urban drainage infrastructure, as well as the country's recent fast urbanization and harsh weather events. The Doha Metro, the Inner Doha Re-sewerage Implementation Strategy (IDRIS), and most recently the Doha South Terminal Pumping Station (DSTPS) and the Musaimeer Pumping Station and Outfall (MPSO) projects faced difficulties in identifying and quantifying the Karstic features and the remedial approach for underground works to ensure the completion of the projects on schedule and within budget due to the unknown ground conditions. One of the most important risks for underground construction in Qatar is the presence of karst environments, which are concentrated mainly within the limestone, dolomite, gypsum, and anhydrite horizons of the Eocene strata. The proper assessment of Karstic features requires an appropriate selection of geophysical methods and a high level of skills and expertise to interpret the data. To do so, a comprehensive geophysical survey campaign was deployed at the early stages of the project's execution to identify the Karstic features of concern associated with subsurface conditions at shallow and deeper depths up to 80 meters below ground level. This paper presents an example of a recently developed geophysical investigation program for the pre-tender design of the South of Wakrah Pumping Station and Outfall project. The project team carried out a comprehensive geophysical study to identify the Karstic features of concern along the tunnel alignments, shaft locations, and at the pump station area. Most of the identified Karstic features are categorized as low risk, but there was a high-risk anomaly (cavern) identified, and the extent of this cavern was verified with well-known geophysical methods like Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves (MASW), seismic refraction, and 3D crosshole seismic tomography.

Ashghal Quality Assurance & Quality Control system - QSD Role in Monitoring & Reporting the Quality Performance in Ashghal Projects

Aisha Abdulaziz A. M. Al-Ibrahim — 2023-08-27

Ashghal has established a robust system of quality control and quality assurance for all projects constructed by Ashghal. Ashghal Departments are supervising a sophisticated system of quality control and quality assurance processes and procedures, implemented by the Consultants, Contractors, and Key Supply Chain Partners of Ashghal projects (e.g., Sub-Contractors, Key Suppliers, and Independent Laboratories). This paper illustrates how Ashghal Quality & Safety Department (QSD) monitors and reports the quality performance in Ashghal constructed projects to ensure continuous improvement and adherence to Ashghal quality strategy, policy mission, and targets. QSD is operating as Third Party, reporting directly to Ashghal President, and is monitoring and reporting the compliance of the industry to the quality requirements defined in Qatar Construction Specifications (QCS, 2014), Contracts, Professional Services Agreements, ISO 9001:2015 Standard and specific Ashghal requirements. Effective root cause analysis carried out by the auditing team has led to value-adding activities. QSD has established specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the management of non-conformities and corrective actions, to improve the performance and minimize the deviations and failures of compliance. QSD is conducting focused and system audits at Ashghal projects and the supply chain and is liaising with departments and individual projects as necessary, to agree on Lessons Learned and Actions to improve the quality of works. These activities include the establishment of consistent criteria of the qualifications and experience of the quality staff of Ashghal departments and Consultants' teams. QSD is making quarterly presentations to the Ashghal President regarding the performance of the Departments (including Contractors' and Consultants' performance) and of the Ashghal Project Managers. The established criteria and evaluation related to the quality are dynamic and reviewed/updated periodically to ensure the improvement of the Quality Performance of Ashghal Projects.

Analysis of Factors Affecting the Performance of Dynamic Compaction Technique: A Study of Coastal Area of Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia

Ahmad Salah — 2023-08-27

Coastal areas of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia have soil with low bearing capacity due to saturation with water, high contents of salt and inclusion of organic materials. The dynamic compaction (DC) technique, which is the most prevalent method for soil improvement in the area has not been effective in terms of cost, safety, and serviceability of the buildings. Thus, this paper aims to identify and assess the factors that prevent the efficient soil improvement performance using dynamic compaction technique. The desktop search and expert-based survey were used for data collection while the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed to analyze and prioritize the factors. The results indicate difficulty in using the DC technique within 30m from buildings and 15m from underground services as the most crucial factor. Above all, the practical and managerial implications implied in this paper are targeting a more efficient DC technique for soil improvement particularly in coastal areas of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with expansive spread of Sabkha soil. Thus, the findings are expected to provide support to policy and decision makers in overcoming the performance shortfalls of DC technique.

Utilization of Recycled Materials in Infrastructure Projects: Ashghal Approach

Osman Elhussein — 2023-08-27

As a result of numerous infrastructure projects which have taken place in Qatar in the last decade, there has been an unprecedented increase in demand for construction materials. In addition, the huge program of infrastructure development has led to production of massive quantities of construction waste. Consequently, the Public Works Authority of Qatar (Ashghal) launched an initiative to use recycled materials in projects in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar National Development Strategy 2018 - 2022. A roadmap was developed in 2018 considering the available resources and experiences. Recyclable materials which can be used in Ashghal projects were identified. Excavation waste, demolition waste, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Wadi Aggregate, Crumb Rubber and Steel Slag were selected for reuse. Controlled logistic areas to store, manage and process recyclable materials were established. Moreover, guidelines and prequalification procedures were developed for both materials sources and recycled materials producers. Testing programs were carried out on these materials to identify their basic characteristics. Laboratory trials and field trials were carried out at selected projects. Field trials were monitored and assessed using the local construction specifications QCS 2014. Based on lab and field trials, customized specifications were developed for the utilization of the selected recyclable materials in Ashghal projects. These specifications establish the baseline for construction using the selected recycled materials and determine the criteria and methods needed for quality control. Furthermore, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), were established for Ashghal project departments to monitor their performance in relation to recycling. Ashghal's phenomenal performance in utilization of recycled materials in the last three years is presented.

Optimum Design of Plane Trusses Using Mathematical and Metaheuristic Algorithms on a Spreadsheet

Vagelis Plevris — 2023-08-27

Mathematical optimization refers to the process of finding the values of variables that maximize or minimize a function. Structural optimization is the process of designing a structure in such a way as to minimize its weight or cost, while meeting a set of performance requirements, ensuring that it is robust, lightweight, and efficient. Two large categories of optimization algorithms are mathematical and metaheuristic algorithms. The ones of the first rely on mathematical principles, are deterministic and exact but may fail if the problem is too large or complex. The latter category, metaheuristics, represents algorithms that are used to find approximate solutions. They are high-level strategies that guide the search toward a good solution, rather than being a specific, deterministic algorithm. They are often used for problems where it is difficult or impractical to find the optimal solution using exact methods. Metaheuristics typically involve iteratively improving a solution through some type of search or exploration process. They make use of techniques from probability and statistics, such as randomization and stochastic optimization, to explore the search space and guide the search toward good solutions. Some examples include genetic algorithms, simulated annealing, differential evolution (DE), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and ant colony optimization. In this study, a mathematical optimizer and two metaheuristics (DE, PSO), are employed for the optimum structural design of plane truss structures aiming to minimize the weight of the structure under constraints on allowable displacements and stresses. A 10-bar plane truss is considered as the numerical example of the study. The constraints are checked by performing an analysis with matrix methods. All calculations are done on a spreadsheet. The results of the algorithms are compared to each other as well as to results from the literature in terms of convergence speed, number of function evaluations, and accuracy of the solution.

Marine Dredging Sediments Valorization in Self-Compacting Concretes

Walid Maherzi — 2023-08-27

Rock and eroded soil are transported by wind, tide, and human action (development works), and deposited as sediment in ports, estuaries, and rivers. The sediment accumulation at the bottom of ports disrupts maritime activities and disturbs the physicochemical balance of water bodies. As a result, dredging is necessary to reduce sediment deposits and restore the natural environment for proper port functioning. At the national level, the maintenance of the 6,500-kilometer French coastline would require the extraction of about fifty million cubic meters of marine sediment every year. These dredged sediments have been used in civil engineering applications for about ten years, in order to reduce their economic and environmental impact. The proposed study addresses the potential use of sediments to produce accropode blocks for maritime public works applications. It consists in developing concrete mixtures using dredged marine sediment treated to protect against erosion. A study of material characterization, optimization of the composition of the concrete formulation, as well as a determination of the mechanical, physical and durability properties of the concrete were necessary to validate the technical feasibility of this new solution. Around 700 small accropode blocks were then prepared to better analyze the structure stability against swell effects. The obtained results show that the sediments could not produce Self Compacting Concrete (SCC). However, sediment treatment with 6% by weight of cement has enabled the production of SCC. It is worth noting that the use of superplasticizer was essential to ensure concrete workability. Increasing the cement percentage has also improved the composite workability. Finally, a concrete compressive strength greater than 40 MPa has been achieved when using 300 kg/m3 of treated sediments.

ABAQUS Modelling and Experimental Tests Comparison for Certain Classes of Composite Isolated Joints

Bashir Saleh — 2023-08-27

Depending on the type of configuration and connector arrangement, beam-to-column end-plate joints can be rigid, semi-rigid, or pinned. Fully restrained joints are required for rigid frames in which it is anticipated that the frame joints will have adequate rigidity to maintain the angles between intersecting parts in the service condition, ensuring full moment transfer. In contrast, partially restrained joints in semi-continuous frames are distinguished by relative rotations between crossing members, allowing the bending force to be transferred only partially. The concept of utilizing partially restricted, unstiffened joints in construction has gained traction since it looks to be more feasible and inexpensive. Bending transfer in partially constrained joints allows semi-continuous frames to withstand actions. Semi-continuous frames can survive actions due to bending transfer in partially restricted joints. At the same time, a certain degree of rotation is permitted, which improves the overall ductility of these structures. Using thinner end plates than those used in practical applications is one of the most effective ways to affect the ductility of end-plate beam-to-column joints. It was confirmed in a previous experimental study that the composite joints, where the thickness of the end plates is equivalent to about 60% of the diameter of the bolt used in composite joints, were taken into account in subsequent tests, and these studies can be confirmed using ABAQUS and Ls-Dyna modelling. All of these concerns are addressed, and recommendations for numerical modelling methodologies are made in order to ultimately analyse the reaction of the symmetric extended end plate joints with 8-bolts under hogging and sagging bending moments.

Planning and Implementing of Effective Enabling Works for a Successful TBM Tunnelling Project

Saad Zayed Al-Marri — 2023-08-27

The outfall tunnel, which forms part of the Musaimer Pump Station and Outfall project (MPSO), is a 10.2 km long subsea tunnel that extends from the south coast of Doha, starting onshore, and continues under the Arabian Gulf to end in a connection with a diffuser field via riser shaft. The excavation of the outfall tunnel using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) with a 4.42 m diameter and 180 m long backup, starts from a 40 m deep shaft and has an inclination of 0.05% upward to the riser shaft. The tunnel is constructed by precast concrete elements of 3.7 m internal diameter passing through different geological formations typical in the State of Qatar. Although planning a TBM tunnel involves a significant amount of engineering knowledge and experience, what is equally challenging is the enabling works which are required to be designed and constructed before the TBM even arrives at the site. On this project, these works which were substantial within themselves commenced 16 months before the TBM arrived on site. This paper will discuss the planning and execution of these outstanding underground enabling works, the logistic shaft required to facilitate the assembly and launch of the TBM at the initial stage of tunnelling and also how to arrange the sequence and space in terms of TBM logistics supply requirements to allow simultaneous construction of key permanent structures, namely the drop shaft structure which resulted in 6 months saving on the overall completion on this section of the works.

Box Jacking Method Implementation in Rock for Mesaimeer Pedestrian Underpass Structure in Qatar

Firas Alkadour — 2023-08-27

Mesaimeer pedestrian underpass is proposed under the live traffic of Sabah Al Ahmad Road, Doha, Qatar which consists of a four dual lane carriageway, in addition to diverge lanes, service road lanes and right turn lanes by box jacking/pushing method for a total distance of 80.6 m. Due to the necessity of maintaining undisturbed traffic and to avoid disruption of the existing utilities crossing over the underpass alignment, the use of conventional Cut and Cover method is not feasible. Accordingly, trenchless construction method by box jacking/pushing is to be implemented in weathered limestone rock overlaid by fill soil. The method of construction of box jacking includes constructing shaft as launching pit for jacking operation, aligning the precast concrete box into position, excavating the soil/rock at the face of the precast concrete box, then pushing the box into the excavated length, and repeating the process. This paper includes overview of the project and its challenges intending to bring greater familiarity with the box jacking process in rock formation. The design and anticipated construction challenges are discussed from both structural and geotechnical perspectives. The challenges faced include box segment protection details, waterproofing details, construction and expansion joint details, high jacking loads due to rock formation, excavation advancement rate, necessity of grouting at box over-head and impact on existing utilities. Both structural and geotechnical analysis/design are assessed by numerical finite element modelling (FEM). Further, instrumentation and monitoring measures are planned to monitor various utilities and assess the impact during construction.

Hardened Properties of Self-Compacting Concrete Incorporating Recycled Granite Waste as Fine Aggregate

Aboubakeur Boukhelkhal — 2023-08-27

The present paper investigates the hardened properties of self-compacting concrete by reusing granite waste to replace natural fin aggregates. The reuse of solid wastes as powder or aggregates allows us to produce sustainable concretes that have lower environmental impacts and reduced cost. In this work, granite waste was used as a partial replacement to natural river sand in self-compacting concrete (SCC). For this purpose, four mixtures were designed in which three contained a combination of river sand (RS) and recycled granite (RG) and one only included river sand (RS) as reference mix. Compressive strength, flexural strength, ultrasonic pulse velocity and water absorption were investigated for the hardened SCC at 28 days of hydration. The results showed that the introduction of RG has no effect on compressive strength of SCC. Adding 30% of RG increased flexural strength by 12%. According to ultrasonic pulse velocity results, the use of RG resulted in more compactness and homogeneous SCC. In addition, SCC including RG showed less water absorption.

The Effect of Surface Treatment of Basalt FRP Bars on the Shear Capacity of Oneway High-Strength Concrete Slabs

Abathar Al-Hamrani — 2023-08-27

Corrosion is a common condition encountered by steel reinforcing bars which has a considerable negative impact on the structural integrity of concrete structures. Nowadays, applying anti-corrosive composite materials such as fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) bars as reinforcing bars instead of steel bars is a major area of interest among researchers. The current study presents an investigation on the influence of surface treatment of the basalt (B) FRP reinforcing bars on the shear strength ofone-way high-strength concrete slabs. Two types of BFRP bars were tested, one with a sand-coated surface and the other with a ribbed surface.The testing results showed that the ribbed BFRP bars resulted in a slightly higher shear strength than the slab reinforced with sand-coated bars. The ultimate shear capacity in the ribbed bars reinforced slab was recorded as 95.65 kN, whereas it was recorded as 90.08 kN in the sand-coated bars reinforced slab. Moreover, in comparison to the slab with sand-coated bars, the first flexural crack was delayedin the slab with ribbed bars.Also, reinforcing the one-way slab with ribbed BFRP bars has shown higher stiffness represented by lower midspan deflection at all loading stages compared to the sand-coated bars. As a result, this has induced lower stresses on the ribbed bars, which caused lower midspan strain values in the ribbed bars than the sand-coated bars.

Blockchain and its Potential in the Digitization of Land and Real Estate Property Records

Vagelis Plevris — 2023-08-27

A blockchain, is a decentralized digital ledger that is distributed across multiple computers, recording transactions in a way that cannot be altered without the consent of the network and the alteration of all subsequent blocks. In the context of land and real estate property records, a blockchain could be used to securely and transparently track the ownership and transfer of properties. Using a blockchain to digitize land and real estate records can have several benefits. For example, it can help reduce the risk of fraud, as all transactions are recorded on a secure and tamper-proof ledger. It can also make the process of transferring ownership more efficient, as it can automate many of the steps involved and reduce the need for intermediaries. Additionally, a blockchain can increase the transparency of the property market, as all records will be publicly available on the ledger. In this work, we examine the current situation and the related problems in registering land and real estate property records, especially in developing countries, and we state the challenges and opportunities of the application of blockchain technology in this field. We investigate whether blockchain has the potential to bring a positive change and play a significant role in the real estate market in the future and what are the prerequisites to achieve that.

Potential Implementation of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) in Pavement Construction in the State of Qatar

Mohammad Hasan Anshasi — 2023-08-27

Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) technology has been used in many countries around the world, in lieu of Hot Mixed Asphalt (HMA), due to its ability to allow significant reduction in the temperatures at which asphalt mixes are produced and placed, leading to performance that is comparable to HMA. The resultant is a reduction in the viscosity of the asphalt due to the incorporation of WMA technologies, which facilitates the coating of aggregates at lower temperatures (as much as 30oC less temperature) that translates to a reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn supports sustainable development. WMA technology has been successfully implemented in several countries across the globe, especially in Europe and USA, aiming at saving energy, reducing emissions throughout the production, and paving process, without compromising the in-service performance. This paper discusses how the long-term benefits and sustainability advantages of WMA technology can be harnessed to augment the Qatar roadmap and aspiration towards achieving 25% reduction in greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2030 and achieving Net Zero by 2050.

Performance of Mild Steel and Corrosion-Resistant Steel Rebars in Chloride-Contaminated Concrete

Muazzam Ghous Sohail — 2023-08-27

Reinforced concrete (RC) infrastructure in Arabian Peninsula is subjected to harsh climatic conditions of high temperatures, humidity, and airborne chlorides and there is a high concentration of salts in seawater and soils. These factors instigate corrosion of reinforcing steel in RC infrastructure at the early stages of the service life. To overcome the durability issues of RC infrastructures, corrosion-resistant reinforcing bars are employed. In this study, a comparison of microcell and macrocell corrosion of mild steel (MS) and two types of corrosion-resistant rebar namely the high chromium (HC) and stainless steel (SS) was established. Nine concrete block samples of 20x10x350 mm were cast with top rows of reinforcements, the top row consists of MS, HC, or SS, and the bottom row contained only SS. Blocks were conditioned under 3.5% NaCl for 2 years and linear polarization resistance and macrocell currents were evaluated to compare the corrosion performance of mild and corrosion resistant steel rebars. It was observed that SS is the most corrosion-resistant steel rebar, where high chromium steel showed up to three times more corrosion resistance than mild steel under chloride attack.

Enhancing the Bond Durability of Basalt Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars Using Basalt-Macro Fiber Reinforced Concrete

Alaa Taha — 2023-08-27

This paper presents a study about the bond durability of basalt fiber reinforced polymers (BFRP) bars embedded in concrete incorporating basalt macro fibers (BMF) when conditioned in harsh saline environment at 60 °C. A total of 24 pullout specimens were tested to investigate the influence of concrete type (plain concrete and fiber reinforced concrete) and duration of conditioning (30, 60 and 90 days). The basalt-macro fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) incorporated BMF at 0.5% fiber volume fraction. The BFRP bars used had helically wrapped surface treatment. Moreover, the bond durability was assessed based on bond-slip behaviour, bond degradation, and service life predictions of bond strength retentions after 50 years of service life. The experimental results revealed that BFRP bars embedded in basalt macro FRC showed higher bond stiffness compared to those embedded in plain concrete. Additionally, BFRP bars embedded in basalt macro FRC showed slower bond degradation than their counterparts embedded in plain concrete. Finally, FRC increased the bond strength retentions of BFRP bars based on 50 years’ service life predictions when compared to plain concrete.

Significance of GOs, GNPs and CNTs' Nanomaterials on the Mechanical Properties of Cement

Malak Al Diseet — 2023-08-27

This study reports the statistical significance of using Graphene Oxides (GOs), Graphene Nanoplatelets (GNPs) and Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) on the mechanical properties of cement paste. Samples containing several nanoparticles' weight fractions were prepared and tested for flexure and compression. The testing results were then statistically analysed using the t-statistical method to investigate the significance of using Nanomaterials on the properties of cement paste. The results highlighted the significance of using GOs and CNTs on the flexural strength of cement paste. Mixes containing 0.04% GOs, 0.08% GOs and 0.12% CNTs could enhance the flexural strength by at least 45% compared to the plain control mix. On the other hand, test results showed the significance of using 0.04% GNPs, 0.08% CNTs and 0.12 % GOs in increasing the compressive strength of cement paste by at least 10% compared to the plain control mix. Microstructural analysis using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) showed that proper Nanofilaments dispersion in most batches. Furthermore, the analysis highlighted the nanoparticles' impediment within the cement hydration products.

Widening of an Existing Bridge to Accommodate Two Traffic Lanes - Al Bustan South Project in Qatar

Theodoros Tzaveas — 2023-08-27

Driven by Qatar National Vision 2030 and catering to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar is undertaking an extraordinary and ambitious programme of infrastructure development to deliver a world-class new and upgraded road infrastructure network. Projects designed to improve highway capacity, connectivity, and safety through the urban and rural parts of Qatar and to meet current and future demands of population and economic growth. In this paper, the authors discuss some of the most critical and challenging considerations in putting a planning and design process on a path to deliver successfully a bridge deck-widening project, implementing a collaborative approach. The case study of upgrading an existing ramp bridge will be presented, where the one lane deck was converted to two lanes to accommodate the heavy traffic flow. The fast-track construction schedule necessitated the widening from one side by 1.15m, while the extended slab was supported on a steel strut connected monolithically on the concrete box girder web (bottom) and extended part (top) through shear dowels. To meet the tight construction schedule and the local market material constraints, built-up sections were utilized with variable configurations along the length of the bridge. Further, several epoxy resin products were studied and utilized for the drilled bars on the extension part and the drilled dowels of the web. The replacement of the existing bearings was necessitated due to the additional weight of the extension.

Launching a 148m-Long Tunnel Boring Machine from a 15m-Inner Diameter Shaft

Volkan Salepciler — 2023-08-27

The city of Doha has grown and expanded rapidly in the last 20 years, but this growth has strained the country's infrastructure, including its aging sewerage system and treatment facilities. ASHGHAL has therefore launched several schemes which involve shallow and deep sewer tunnels and new treatment works to serve Doha's growing population in the years to come. Wakrah and Wukair Drainage Tunnel (WWDT) project scope includes 13.3 km long of bored and lined tunnel using 2 no's 5.85m Diameter Earth Pressure Balance (EPB) TBMs, 8 Shafts, adits with provisions for future connections, ancillary hydraulic structures and Odour Control Facility. Based on WWDT project restrictions the Contractor was required to launch a 148m long Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) inside a 15m Diameter shaft at a depth of 59.4m. This paper describes how the WWDT project contractor overcame these constraints and successfully launched both TBMs. The TBM launch and commissioning were a contract milestone. The methodology used involved partially mining a stub adit/logistics tunnels using a Sequential Excavation Method (SEM) to accommodate several TBM sections at the bottom of the shaft at the same time several of the TBM gantries were operational on the surface umbilically connected to the cutterhead. This paper will also provide a brief overview of 2 types of TBM launches used recently in Qatar for comparison.

Multicriteria Approach in Developing Pedestrian Network Data for Sustainable Urban Mobility

Sagar Sonone — 2023-08-27

Building a reliable Infrastructure is a continuous activity, improving the accessibility to the known areas and connecting the origin to destinations with various modes of transportation. Having safe and secure pedestrian movement ensures sustainable urban mobility. Therefore, the study includes an approach for multi-criteria evaluation to reach from origin to destination. Factors strongly correlating that will affect the walkability were considered, including climatic conditions, type of network (crossings, pedestrian bridges, shared use, footpath), land use etc. which will affect the distance and time of the walkability. After capturing & tracing all the footpath locations in GIS for the most populated areas, the percentage of land use provides insights into typical pedestrian movements for a specific period of the day. Pedestrian movement is categorised into various levels and focused on locations of interest where huge volume travels a particular area at the same time & travel distance, which leads to analysing required infrastructure considering safety and convenience aspect such as availability of sufficient footpath width, availability of streetlights, locating a bus stops/ public transport etc. as an initial experiment using the above criteria for a known location such as a metro station was considered which will result in building more confidence on the factors and their integrity. The study will aid as a tool in designing and constructing infrastructure projects which will ensure the maintenance of seamless pedestrian connectivity & incorporate necessary assets within the project. Better connectivity will encourage people to walk further, safely & use public transportation facilities more often.

Nairobi MRTS Conceptualization: Transit-Oriented Development for Sustainable Transport

Bidhan Chandra Roy — 2023-08-27

Nairobi, famous for Nairobi National Park, the world’s only game reserve found within a major city, started developing as a rail depot on the Uganda Railway. In 1963, Nairobi became the capital of the Republic of Kenya and showed phenomenal growth in terms of population ever since (from 11,500 in the year of 1906, to 3,138,369 by Year 2009, at growth rate of 4.1% a year). The city of Nairobi has experienced rapid urban sprawl. In 1970, average commuter distance was 0.8 km and increased to 25 km in 1998. Present commuter distance is over 40 km. The long commuter distances and heavy traffic congestion on the road has led to long travel time. At this rate, the difficulties commuting to the central business area is getting more and more complicated. The need of the hour is developing a world-class transport network, a combination of Road and Rail Based Mass Rapid Transit System (hereinafter mentioned as MRTS or MRT) technology. A comprehensive study was carried out in this direction to find out the feasibility of such MRTS in early 2000s. Based on the findings of the study, further study was conducted in 2013-2014 for developing the basis for a technical and financial harmonisation of measures. In 2019, the NMA Council gazetted 5 BRT and 7 Commuter Rail corridors vide Legal Notice No. 16 of 26th February 2019, which is outcome of all the efforts. This paper aims to put together the outcome of studies made so far.

Conceptual Framework for Planning Urban Roadside Vegetation to Enhance Air Quality for Roadside Users

Soujanya Mogra — 2023-08-27

Vegetation is known for enhancing air quality. However, vegetation on urban roads can either increase or decrease exposure to air pollutants. The health of pedestrians and cyclists is particularly of great concern since they are exposed directly to air pollutants, unlike drivers. Dispersion of air pollutants is necessary for exposure reduction on urban roads. The local factors, including street geometry, meteorological conditions, and physical characteristics of vegetation, influence the dispersion of pollutants. There is a lack of framework for planning urban road vegetation to disperse air pollutants. This study summarizes the literature on the influence of local factors; analyses the interrelation between the local factors on the dispersion of air pollutants by trees and hedgerows. It provides a conceptual framework to provide clarity in planning urban roadside vegetation to enhance the air quality for roadside users.

Social Outcomes and Needs Study for Housing Development

Gozde Calim — 2023-08-27

Mott MacDonald are providing advisory services for an accommodation project located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The project plan is to deliver more than 2000 housing and community facilities to teaching staff for a University in KSA. Currently subsidiaries are paid to faculty members who arrange accommodation with private proprietors. The current provision by private landlords offers limited choice with inconsistent availability of basic needs such as; security and safety, first point to healthcare, family’ leisure activities, children’s care, education needs, domestic cleaning and travel provision to campus, etc. The Project aims to provide high quality living conditions to education professionals via quality housing options, and to foster team and community spirit among the teaching staff. Mott MacDonald have prepared a Social Outcomes Study as this project has an opportunity to provide services to a range of end users from different ages, marital status and different backgrounds. Mott MacDonald understands that social objectives can be achieved fully by developing an equitable living environment. Believing that simple changes can make a big impact on individuals’ lives, we help our clients to achieve accessible, safe and connected environments. We believe in the power of sustainable and equitable urban designs, in which people are at the core of activities. We have collected best practice approaches from across the globe and conducted surveys with end users to create a transparent process and choice of preferred living opportunities. More than 5 goals of the United Nations (UN) and Social Development Goals (SDG) are integrated within the project’s social objectives. It is planned to have sustainable and nature protected solutions.

Area-Specific Traffic Peak Hour Timing Using Traffic Signal Detectors: A Case Study of Qatar

Almodather Mohammed — 2023-08-27

This case study addresses peak hour traffic timing in Qatar after COVID-19 as traffic conditions returned to normal. Traffic data were provided for multiple areas, mainly around Doha City. Flow data were obtained from traffic signal detectors for 318 intersections. The peak periods in morning, mid-day, and evening were 06:30 am–08:30 am, 12:30 pm–2:30 pm, and 5:15 pm–7:15 pm, respectively. These findings align with the Ministry of Transport’s state-wide study (Transportation Masterplan for Qatar, 2018). We found traffic in Qatar to differ on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday versus the rest of the week due to the weekend effect. Results offer useful insights for policymakers to reduce congestion and provide complex traffic solutions (e.g., understanding land use–specific peak hour timing, imposing zone-specific working hours). In addition, this case study highlights the potential to use existing infrastructure to expand traffic studies in Qatar at minimum cost.

Revisiting the Building Design Attributes and Indoor Radon: A Survey of 36 Homes in the Commonwealth of Kentucky

Osama E. Mansour — 2023-08-27

Radon is an odorless radioactive gas that exists in the soil underneath buildings in areas that is rich in Radium and Uranium. It seeps from the soil and accumulates in the indoor environment. In 2009, radon gas has been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as being carcinogenic to humans. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking in the United States. EPA recommends homeowners mitigate their houses against radon if the indoor radon concentration exceeds 4 pCi/L. Building new healthy homes while developing affordable building renovation strategies is one of the key solutions to mitigate the impacts of such environmental hazards. This research explores the relationship between building design attributes and radon gas in areas prone to higher concentrations of indoor radon. 36 homes with different age, design features, and construction materials were tested in Bowling green Kentucky, an area classified as zone 1 by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Zone 1 is defined by the EPA as an area where the predicted indoor radon average is greater than 4 pCi/L. The survey also collected data about the architectural design, construction materials, structure systems, HVAC systems, and building envelope design of each house that participated in the study. The purpose is to feedback to the construction industry with potential improvements to help with the current indoor radon mitigation efforts. The results open the doors for further research needed to enhance the current building design and construction methods in areas prone to a higher concentration of indoor radon.

An Analytical Review of Attempts to Mitigate Visual Pollution in Urban Settings

Diala Al Midani — 2023-08-27

Visual pollution is the main issue rising in urban settings these days. The residents of the built environment or the surrounding communities are negatively impacted by this sort of pollution. Visual pollution reduces quality of life and has an impact on the community’s overall wellbeing. Urban planning developments in Qatar are progressively recognizing the issue of visual pollution in urban settings. Therefore, there are various efforts and actions that were adopted to minimize such an issue. This paper’s primary aim is to formulate a set of suggestions to help in mitigating visual pollution impact. The aim will be achieved by focusing on producing an analytical review of methods to mitigate visual pollution impact in many countries generally and in the state of Qatar mainly, besides highlighting the country’s laws, regulations, and act towards visual pollution. The methodology used was qualitative approach to review adopted methods and used solutions in mitigating visual pollution impact. The findings proposed a set of recommendations to help in reducing visual pollution impact and enhancing the attempts of mitigating visual pollution in urban settings. The paper concludes many practices used previously in various countries and mainly in the state of Qatar and identifies the most appropriate methods to control visual pollution and enhance the attempts of reducing its impact in urban settings.

Transit-oriented Development from the View of Traditional City Model

Sara Nafi — 2023-08-27

Several communities have adopted the transit-oriented development (TOD) model to improve the urban form of the city. Through the TOD model, citizens are enabled and encouraged to travel by public transit and live near it, resulting in a compact, walkable city. By emphasizing these principles, cities are able to create a sustainable urban environment that is beneficial to everyone. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between transit-oriented development (TOD) and traditional city models and to promote the TOD model among Middle Eastern planners. Although Peter Calthorpe developed the TOD model in the early 1990s, the elements of TOD have existed in traditional cities for a long time. Literature has not explored the relationship between these two models; therefore, traditional cities and their development have been studied, such as Marrakech and Fes in Morocco. Marrakech and Fes are both examples of traditional cities in Morocco. The two cities have different features, such as Marrakech’s riads, the old city walls, and the souks while Fes is known for its medina, the University of Al-Qarawiyyin, and its tanneries. This research, therefore, aimed to understand the correlation between traditional city models and TOD models by investigating: (a) the concept and diverse types of TOD models; (b) the relationship between TOD and traditional city models, and (c) the presence of TOD elements in traditional cities. This research provided insights into the opportunities and challenges of combining TOD models with traditional city models, in order to achieve more sustainable urban development.

The Impact of Land Mix-use on Inhabitants’ Social Wellbeing in the Qatari Neighbourhoods

Hameda Janahi — 2023-08-27

Health and wellbeing have been key considerations in designing sustainable environments. However, most research on built environments and wellbeing has been conducted in Western communities, with very little research in the context of Middle Eastern countries. This study aims to fill the gap by investigating the impact of the residential built environment on social wellbeing in the cultural context of Doha, the capital of Qatar. The research studied six neighbourhoods in Doha. The investigation used subjective and objective methods such as interviews and spatial models (space syntax), complemented by questionnaires and an observation survey. The data were analysed separately; however, they are thematically discussed in this research. The findings of this research broadly support the work of other studies in this area, linking public spaces with the inhabitants’ casual interactions. However, this research found that some uses have a higher impact than others. In Doha, mosques significantly influenced inhabitants’ social interaction, especially men. The social relationships between neighbours were maintained in private spaces – Majles-. Majles had low integration with other spaces in the dwelling, which ensures household privacy. Based on the findings of this investigation, recommendations are made and guidelines developed for future residential developments in Qatar and the surrounding region to ensure the social wellbeing of communities.

Application of PERS to Evaluate Walkability in State of Qatar

Mohamed Elsayyad — 2023-08-27

Well-designed pedestrian facilities are essential to promote walking among residents. These facilities also act as safe space for use of cycling and other personal mobility vehicles. In 2018, Ministry of Transport developed a system to assess the pedestrian environment, called Pedestrian Environment Review System (PERS). The PERS system is intended to assess, in a consistent systematic way, the quality of the pedestrian environment. This paper applies the guidelines of this manual to assess the walkability in Doha City. A total of ten links and ten crossings were included in this study. On-street evaluation was completed for each selected element and relevant scores for each parameter was assigned. The links assessment demonstrated that, overall, there were some issues highlighted by the PERS Audit in the studied areas such as poor curb ramp design, placement of obstruction on the pavement, lack of tactile information, conflict between pedestrian and vehicles at side-entry intersections, unavailability of wayfinding materials, etc. The overall pedestrian environment in the wider area assessed was generally positive, adequately maintained and of an appropriate quality. The provision of poor-quality crossings was identified as a negative feature of the studied areas. The issues were related to the infrastructure itself. Recommendations are made based on findings to improve the walkability of pedestrian network in State of Qatar.

Cultural Heritage Tourism as a Catalyst for Urban Regeneration: Case of the Doha Historic Center in Qatar

Djamel Boussaa — 2023-08-27

Heritage and tourism have become during the last two decades dynamic areas of development in the world. The idea of heritage is crucial to the critical decision-making process as to how irreplaceable resources are to be utilized by people of the present or conserved for future generations in a fast changing world. In view of the importance of ‘heritage’ to the development of a tourist destination the emphasis on developing appropriate adaptive reuse strategies cannot be overemphasized. In October 1999, the 12th general assembly of the ICOMOS in Mexico stated, that in the context of sustainable development, two interrelated issues need urgent attention, cultural tourism and historic towns and cities. Without adequate rehabilitation actions to ensure a sustainable future for these historic resources, may lead to their complete vanishing. According to the World Tourism Organization, natural and cultural heritage resources are and will remain motivating factors for travel in the near future. According to the experts, people choose travel destinations where they can learn about traditional and distinct cultures in their historic context. Historic centers in the Gulf are now being recognized as valuable resources for sustainable development. This paper focuses on the role of heritage tourism and its implications for urban regeneration in the context of Doha in Qatar and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, in order to use heritage wisely, it will be necessary to position heritage as an essential element of sustainable development, giving particular attention to heritage tourism.

The Urban Morphology of Mshereib, the Heart of Downtown Doha

Rozan A. A. Amleh — 2023-08-27

Doha experienced a remarkable transformation since oil and natural gas exportation began in the mid-twentieth century. Rapid urbanization and globalization ('process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide involving goods, services, data, technology, and capital') characterize this transformation. Doha expanded to accommodate significant population increases and lifestyle changes. The urban expansion was auto-centric and suburban, similar to post-war development in the United States and other western societies. Qatari citizens 'emptied' Old Doha as they moved to contemporary villas in new developments at the suburban periphery. In response, the Qatari government launched plans for Msheireb Downtown Doha. Its purpose is to attract Qataris back to Doha's historic center by providing a walkable, mixed-use urban environment promoting a new model of sustainable urbanism. The design and planning explicitly seek to become rooted in Qatari social identity while preserving cultural heritage and historic resources. Our paper investigates the urban form and function of Msheireb Downtown Doha to evaluate its success. It examines the urban morphology, including figure-ground and pedestrian sheds analysis from crucial locations and surveys of ground-level land uses, active/inactive frontages, and the pattern of building heights. The goal is to illustrate and understand the project's urban form and function logic. Based on this, we argue that Msheireb Downtown Doha does satisfy the inhabitants' desire for a downtown lifestyle. It offers a model for urban regeneration consistent with the Qatar National Vision 2030 for an advanced society, sustainable development, and a high standard of living for people.

Multimodal Transport For Smart Mobility in Emerging Cities: Case of Doha

Mahnoor Hasan — 2023-08-27

A mobility focused smart city ensures an urban place that is shaped with latest innovations accentuating the overall well-being of its citizens. One of the significant aspects for assessing the Smart Mobility in an emerging city is the assessment of its Multimodal Transport Network. Integrating diverse transportation modes into a single route for seamless mobility is necessary to revolutionize the cities into smart cities. Qatar is currently leading the pace of smart growth by investing profoundly in smart cities infrastructure and evolving mobility technologies. This paper explores: (i) the progress of the smart mobility development and initiatives in Qatar, (ii) the Multimodal transport system in one of its smart cities, Msheireb Downtown Doha (MDD) and (iii) how the Multimodal transport system could be influenced in the light of emerging transportation technologies like Autonomous Vehicles (AVs). The study investigates in-depth the transport network of the city and makes an exploratory analysis. The qualitative approach is used in doing secondary research and performing on-site observations. On-site observations for the smart mobility assessment involved assessing indicators like walkability, cycling, inter-modality and transportation hubs and the overall public transport system in MDD. It is concluded that there is still room for improvement when it comes to developing the intermodal network for the mobility enhancement and deployment of AVs. The outcome of the study is the investigation of the smart mobility initiatives adopted in Qatar, the assessment of multimodal transport pattern of MDD, and a bus route proposal in the era of AVs.

A Quantitative Evaluation of Urban Green Spaces in Rajshahi, Bangladesh

Md. Asaduzzaman — 2023-08-27

Being a developing country, Bangladesh has faced rapid growth in urbanization in the past few decades. This results in decreasing parks and other green spaces in urban areas. Rajshahi is one of the divisional districts in Bangladesh that is prone to rapid urbanization, though the urbanization rate of Rajshahi is less than the other megacities in Bangladesh. As a result, it is important to preserve the parks in Rajshahi before they are diminished. To assess the quantity and preserve the present urban green infrastructure in Rajshahi, it is necessary to identify and categorize them according to their regional characteristics. This paper aims at evaluating the urban green spaces in Rajshahi and finding out whether the existing urban green spaces are enough to meet the goal of a sustainable city. It is done by analyzing the regional characteristics of urban parks and green spaces located in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, based on GIS data and categorizing them according to their physical size to determine their catchment area. Statistical data and aerial images are processed and simulated through ArcGIS software and correlated with cadastral plans for accurate identification. Explanatory factors regarding UGS loss in a specific region are also investigated using socio-economic, cultural, and geographic in order to find out the reason for UGS change. The resultant data shows that only 6.14 m2/capita urban open space is available for the urban inhabitants which are insufficient for achieving sustainability goals and should be preserved in order to enhance the liveability of the city.

Ganga Riverfront Development at Patna, India: Urban Rejuvenation Project

Fulena Rajak — 2023-08-27

River front project at Patna, India along the river Ganga has rejuvenated the linear city of Patna, India. Patna is a historic city having lived for more than two thousand years. The city has grown linearly on the bank of Ganga. Like other cities of India, it faces the problem of pollution, congestion and lack of public open spaces and recreation spaces. After the completion of River front project, this city has a new life. Once neglected and treated as back yard of city, it has opened up for the residents and has added new avenues of urban open spaces. It has added the recreation space to the city and the happiness index of the city will certainly rise. This paper examines the positive aspects of River front development in the city and how the residents have reacted to it.

The Use of Newly Developed Public Transportation System in Relation to People’s Thermal Perception of Outdoor Climate

Deema Alattar — 2023-08-27

In the past decade, Doha the capital city of Qatar has witnessed a massive shift in various fields including economy, education, and sports sector. This flux caused rapid population growth, and as a result have led to an increase in the number of private cars in the city, leading to significant traffic congestion. The Transport Master Plan for Qatar (TMPQ) 2006-2026 included the introduction of a metro and rail system aiming to (1) solve the problem of traffic congestion, (2) meet the goals of Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030, (3) and successfully sponsor the recently held FIFA World Cup 2022. Most of the people in Qatar have private cars, which they generally consider necessary for door-to-door trips. In addition, the existing public transportation system is mostly used by the lower class. Therefore, in order to develop a successful public transportation system, it is crucial to examine people’s thermal perception of outdoor spaces, particularly in terms of microclimate, and people’s adaptive actions in response to Qatar’s hot humid climate. In this research paper, the thermal comfort issue was explored by considering both, subjective and objective parameters. The outcomes of the research reveal that people are largely able to adapt successfully to the heat through behavioural adaptation, which improves people’s thermal tolerance to the outdoor climate in Qatar. However, the findings indicate that people’s thermal comfort could be further enhanced through minor modifications to the outdoor environment including a high Height/Width ratio, provision of vegetation, and shading street furniture.

The Challenges and Future Aspirations of Implementing Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) in the Urban Facilities of Mega Sport Events [MSEs] in Qatar

Raya Atour — 2023-08-27

Sports facilities are built for a specific function and purpose. Once the demand for such purpose no longer exists, it is important to know how both the buildings and the city will adapt to the existence of such megastructures as to prevent turning them into ‘white elephants’ in the city. This paper aims to study the environmental impact assessment tools and techniques used in promoting and implementing sustainability in mega sports projects in Qatar. The investigation focuses on assessing the cultural impact of the architectural design of sports facilities in Qatar using the global sustainability assessment system (GSAS) as a sustainability/EIA assessment tool. Most of the sports facilities in Qatar are GSAS-certified at the design and build (D&B) level and are ongoing their operational assessment. Data collection involves desktop and literature review of the current Qatar EIA methods. The findings of this paper include an objective overview of the global sustainability assessment system (GSAS) and its linkage to holistic sustainability. The recommendations involve the inclusion of mixed-methods analysis to integrate the long-lost concept of ‘culture’ in the realm of sustainability to prove that behind the modern exteriors of these newly-built structures lies a deep culture and a vernacular tradition. This study would be significant in the region and worldwide and a promising overview of utilizing local tools on an international level.

Megaprojects to Improve Public Transport from the User’ Perspective

Janos Varga — 2023-08-27

Globalisation and our fast-paced world have opened up new horizons all over the world. Population growth, rising energy prices and their declining nature are creating problems for transport. Road congestion, drastic increases in journey times and rising travel costs have highlighted the importance of improving public transport. However, for public transport to be attractive, it is essential that the transport alternative itself is fast, comfortable and modern. In this paper, we examine two metro construction projects in cities with high populations from a project management perspective, with a particular focus on the main purpose of the project, its usability. In this study, we want to highlight the visible goals expressed by the end users and their reflection in the project. We want to focus on the different phases of project management that lead to the success of the project.

Post-Covid-19 Ventilation Strategies for Shopping Malls in Hot Humid Climate

Wardah Fatimah Mohammad Yusoff — 2023-08-27

To date, many strategies have been executed to combat the COVID-19 disease, including the provision of good ventilation in buildings to reduce the spread of the virus. Open or semi-open space with good air exchange between indoor and outdoor provides better condition compared to enclosed space with mechanical ventilation. However, the design of public buildings, especially the shopping malls in hot and humid climate are mostly enclosed, with the high usage of air-conditioning systems. Due to the COVID-19 situation, it is found that the typical approach to shopping mall design needs to be revised and improved. Hence, this study is conducted with the intention to derive an initial idea regarding the new approach of a shopping mall that is able to be less dependent on the mechanical ventilation system. The method conducted for this preliminary study is a semi-structured interview with three respondents that possess experience of involving in shopping mall projects, namely the architect and mechanical engineer. The findings from the interview show that all respondents agreed that a new approach to ventilation systems should be implemented in shopping malls. They also emphasized that for shopping malls located in hot and humid climate, the usage of merely natural ventilation is impractical, especially in providing thermal comfort to the users. Hence, it is recommended to have hybrid ventilation, which combines mechanical and natural ventilation systems. This study is significant as it encourages other studies related to the new approach to shopping mall design, especially in the hot and humid climate.

Assessment of Aesthetic Control in Qatar’s Urban Design

Nur Alah Abdelzayed Valdeolmillos — 2023-08-27

Aesthetic control is concerned with the visual appearance of the built environment, specifically in the urban setting. The built environment aesthetics can directly influence place identity, property values and the business owners’ financial status in the area. People’s behavior in terms of choosing a place to live or do business is also affected by the locality’s aesthetics. Qatar has invested heavily in the built environment over the last two decades, which has shed light on the importance of government adopted aesthetic control measures to preserve the identity of Qatar’s built form. This paper reviews the current control measures and provides some directions to adopt in the building permit process in support of Qatar’s National Master Plan 2032. The paper recommends a strategy to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment for a swift implementation of aesthetic/design control in Qatar until a fully integrated solution is adopted to align with the built environment as proposed in the Qatar National Master Plan 2032. Digital tools can foster designs that can restore the quality of compromised ecosystems. A partnership platform can be created between the building permit unit and pre-selected private design-oriented consultants. Lastly, this research initiative could be used by other countries subject to similar development dynamics as a precedent to further develop their own aesthetic control measures.

Adapting Smart Street Strategy for Post-Covid Built Environment

Ahmad Mohammed Ahmad — 2023-08-27

The street networks occupy 25% of land use and are the veins of cities. By 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s population will live in urban areas. The urban street infrastructures and systems are expected to serve the public in performing mandatory and social activities on the streets. In addition, walkability and mobility within urban streets are linked with better public health demands. Therefore, there is a need for the public street to adopt smart features to provide better public health towards limiting the spread of covid.The study aims to develop a framework for smart street strategies to facilitate post covid built environment. The study adopts an integrative approach to deduct the smart street features through a robust literature review and workshops that influence post-Covid built environment within the urban design (Infrastructure) and information management. The study objective includes identifying the processes for adapting smart street strategies and healthcare concerns that can be leveraged to support public health in cities. As a result, the strategy can be adopted and applied by policymakers for implementation worldwide. The contributing features of the effort will focus on tracking, controlling, and preventing analogy. As a result, the framework will provide a baseline for neighborhoods, communities, and cities to develop and integrate novel strategies for managing public health to have an effective and efficient post-Covid pandemic built environment.

A Bibliometric Study of Visual Quality Research in the Context of Urban Open Spaces

Mohammad Najjar — 2023-08-27

Visual quality assessment has received much attention in research by forest management and landscape researchers after the mid-twentieth century with the advent of legal frameworks enacted to protect natural resources, including scenery. Since then, the field has gained momentum that is mostly attached to landscape change and assessing the environmental impact of changes. Urbanized areas, however, received less attention and just started to receive some exposure in the last two decades (concurrently with the emergence of new technologies of GIS and remote sensing). Developing a comprehensive understanding of the visual quality assessment research requires a reconnaissance survey of its history and the trends of its research growth. This study undertakes an analysis of visual quality assessment literature in the context of urban settings using bibliometric tools. The paper employs quantitative techniques to analyse 3,221 journal papers retrieved from the Web of Science using keywords co-occurrence, citation burst, and direct citation analyses with the help of VOSViewer, CiteSpace, and Gephi software. Here we show the discipline’s status quo, trends, and patterns of development. They confirm the recency of urban-related research. Our study touches on the chronological emergence and decay of major visual quality notions. It also highlights the most central studies and the journals and research groups actively working in the field. Moreover, it points out research gaps related to urban spaces for future studies guidance.

Exploring Crowd Management and Evacuation Strategies using Microscopic Pedestrian Simulation: A Case Study of Souq Waqif

Shabna Sayed Mohammed — 2023-08-27

Safe egress plans are critical for crowd evacuation at touristic attractions, particularly during special events, as visitors are often unaware of their options. Identification of bottlenecks in the walking spaces are vital for the development of safe and efficient crowd management and evacuation plans. This paper aims to explore crowd management and evacuation strategies for pedestrian egress flow in Souq Waqif, which is a famous touristic attraction in Doha, under varying crowd demand conditions. PTV Viswalk pedestrian simulation tool was used to evaluate crowd evacuation strategies and identify potential bottlenecks during the egress of crowds. Several guided and unguided evacuation scenarios were developed to understand the egress patterns to the allocated assembly areas inside the Souq. The crowd demands and densities were estimated using publicly available data. Eight major locations were identified as the bottleneck during the simulation. Simulation outcomes highlighted that the current evacuation plans and assembly locations are inadequate in providing safe evacuation routes. However, guided scenarios reduced evacuation times considerably when compared to unguided scenarios, particularly when the demand is high. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to identify the effect of variations in walking behavior parameters in the simulation model. Variations in the walking behavior parameters changed the evacuation times considerably. Thus, proper calibration of walking behavior parameters considering local conditions could improve simulation accuracy. This study helps to identify probable bottlenecks and their characteristics that could help policymakers to assess the effectiveness of evacuation plans and crowd management strategies for crowd safety.

An Inclusive Transportation for Iraya-Mangyan IP in Accessing Social Infrastructure using Scalogram Analysis

Junekaycelle Aubrey Grace N. Carillo — 2023-08-27

Indigenous people (IP) were the first residents who originally lived and hosted their represented nations or domains. Therefore, these natives were initially acknowledged as the first individuals, meaning they were included in the country’s population and must be prioritized over the rest of the civilians, considering they were part of the country’s history. However, despite being a small population, most of these individuals were poor and illiterate. In addition, they were unable to catch up with those normal citizens living in the modern world because of not being socially identified in institutional industry, being discriminated against due to their origins, and being deprived of social support like access to education, transportation, hospital, and other essential facilities. This research sought to study the quality-of-life Iraya-Mangyan IPs had and the present conditions in their inhabited area to determine how they lived their everyday lives and how they moved around their domain. By conducting this study, the proponents found no inclusive transportation and comprehensive social support infrastructure available and accessible for Iraya-Mangyan IP, and thus, the transportation system was insufficient and defective.

An Adaptive Tabu Search Optimisation Algorithm for Solving E-Scooters Battery Swapping Problem

Mahmoud Masoud — 2023-08-27

E-scooters have become a popular mode of transportation for first and last-mile excursions in recent years. Their usage as a short-distance public transit system is commonly regarded as an efficient solution to minimise carbon emissions while also being handy for individuals on the go. The need for charging, however, has become problematic as a result of the popularity of e-scooters because it effectively renders the scooter that is presently being charged inoperable. A relatively new method being used involves swapping batteries in e-scooters rather than transferring full scooters to be recharged, reducing out-of-service time to a few minutes rather than hours. To reduce trip distances and maximise fuel economy for battery swapping operators, a system for determining the most effective path to switch the e-scooters’ batteries will be required. This paper aims to do this through the use of Tabu Search (TS) algorithm to determine the optimal number of battery swapping operators for an area and then to ascertain the most efficient routes for each operator. This method will then be compared to Simulated Annealing in order to determine which method is the most optimal for this scenario. The data used to evaluate this method was obtained from the 2019 Chicago pilot program . The results showed an adapted tabu search in the total distance travelled, leading to shorter charging trips comparing to simulated annealing.

Climate-cultural Conscious Design Approach to the Post-COVID-19 Built Environment

Mohd Shahrudin Abd Manan — 2023-08-27

The pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation, by enabling current work activities to be done online more efficiently. With the movement control restrictions being lifted, the conventional workspace is no longer stationary. The role of the built environment as a health determinant in the post-COVID-19 era should consider co-mitigation interventions for non-communicable and communicable diseases through physical activity campaigns. This study aims to provide a perspective on the influence of micro-climate-conscious design in various built environments in hot climate countries on physical activity behaviour. The challenges to the social context, the cultural aspects, and the environmental aspects of the cultural-climate design measures in existing built environments are synthesised from analytical themes made in line with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. The implications for future research are discussed. The finding recognises the importance of spatial heterogeneity in the cultural-climate-conscious built environment design approach. This study provides insights for policymakers and employers to better understand the dynamic roles of built environment perceptions in the post-COVID-19 era in hot climate regions at different intervention levels.

Environmental Sustainability Comparative Assessment of Low-Rise and High-Rise Neighbourhoods based on People’s Lifestyle Preferences: The Case of Doha, Qatar

Shikha Patel — 2023-08-27

The urban form of Doha city has undergone numerous changes owing to rapid economic growth during the past few decades. The Qatar National Vision 2030 highlights Environmental Sustainability as one of the key sectors of Qatar’s First National Development Strategy. Achieving Environmental Sustainability requires analysis from meso and micro scales. This study selected a high-rise neighbourhood (West Bay) and a low-rise neighbourhood (Onaiza) in Doha city to be analysed. The study objectives are to, a) investigate environmental factors based on two levels: meso and micro scales and, b) develop planning strategies to enhance Environmental Sustainability in both low-rise and high-rise neighbourhoods. The research tools include content analysis, observation study and open-ended interviews. The results revealed similarities in lifestyle preferences for meso parameters, walkability and waste segregation, and micro parameters, surroundings and green infrastructures. Backyard farming is preferred by the low-rise neighbourhood while high-rise neighbourhood residents choose more sustainable alternatives for mobility. The study emphasizes the importance of public awareness and participation in formulating urban policies due to the changing dynamics of the city’s population.

Built Environment Attributes and Walking Patterns: A Case Study of Abu Dhabi Downtown

Jiin Baek — 2023-08-27

Walkability is crucial in sustainable urban design. Our understanding on the walkability in cities in hot and arid climate needs to be improved due to shortage of our knowledge and previous studies about this. Thus, this study aimed to demonstrate the value of sustainable urban design in enhancing downtown Abu Dhabi residents’ walking experience. Urban neighbourhoods’ quality of walking environment and the scale of the downtown’s super block in Abu Dhabi Main Island were measured. In addition, it is examined how its urban design influences walking behaviour by selecting two study sites based on land use diversity. To measure them, the current study investigated the (1) walkable distance in Abu Dhabi; (2) scale of pedestrian movement; and (3) potential purpose of walking patterns of pedestrians of urban infrastructure. Site observation and surveys were carried out for collecting data that supports people’s perceptions linked to walking purpose, quality, frequency, and intensity. To analyse these data, the geographic information system was employed. With this study, walking distance for the utilitarian purpose service in Abu Dhabi block cover by 0.5 miles. There is the active movement regardless of the extreme weather conditions both weekday and weekend. This study data could potentially guide designers and policy-makers to create a healthier walking environment for Abu Dhabi residents as well as some cities in hot and arid climate.

Investigation of Indoor Thermal Perceptions and Comfort Temperature in Educational Spaces in Qatar

Madhavi Indraganti — 2023-08-27

We conducted thermal comfort field surveys in female educational spaces in Qatar in the autumn and winter of 2018 and 2020 – 21 and collected 324 datasets. They contained all the four environmental measurements and simultaneous thermal responses of female university students dressed in traditional Islamic clothing consisting of headgears and full-body cloaks (abayas) (mean clothing: 1.21 clo). Exacerbating the occupant discomfort, classrooms are overcooled/overheated in autumn/winter, respectively. About 89.9% respondents had no access to indoor temperature control and 43.5% had no access to any environmental controls. We evaluated the mean indoor comfort temperature as 22.9 (3.1) ˚C. In 64.2% cases, it did not conform to the comfort zone in international standards. We noted significant seasonal differences in indoor environments. Air speed was zero most of the time. Only 53.8% felt comfortable thermal sensations, and 66% accepted the environments, as against 80% in the international standards. The predicted mean vote (PMV) was significantly inaccurate up to three scale points and in 86.4% cases PMV mis-predicted by half a scale point or more. Therefore, framing the narrative around user-controlled air movement and indoor controls is necessary, so that indoor temperature can be effectively increased in autumn and lowered in winter.

Effect of Double Decker Flyover Construction on Urban Fabric of Ashok Rajpath, Patna, India

Bijay Kumar Das — 2023-08-27

Rapid urbanization and increase in number of vehicles has led to diminishing vehicular spaces on the street. This has led to construction of flyovers, which has dominated the streets. They reduce the “Sky-View” factor and has a put a serious threat to “Enclosure” widely used in Urban Design concepts. It has reduced the openness for the pedestrians and severely obstructed the views. This paper examines the effect of fly-over on the “Urban Fabric of an ancient street “Ashok Rajpath” of Patna, India.

Building Information Modeling (BIM) for Energy Efficiency Awareness in Gulf Countries

Ali Hussain Alhamami — 2023-08-27

Energy efficiency in the built environment has been adopted through several initiatives depending on the context of implementation; this paper further assesses Building Information Modelling (BIM) as a toolkit designed to tackle energy-related concerns in buildings. The paper leverages energy efficiency program cases of the gulf countries’ level of BIM adoption. This case study design was qualitatively approached in which literature and authoritative contents were reviewed to ascertain the region’s adoption of the technology as a body Gulf Cooperation Council. (GCC) and independently as a country (member states). It was identified that only Saudi Arabia and the UAE have BIM tied to their energy efficiency programs, unlike other member states that have energy efficiency programs with little or no trace of BIM. The GCC management committee is therefore saddled with the responsibility of implementing BIM. Utilizing BIM for sustainability will lead to significant savings through a combination of accurate energy monitoring, immediate decision support systems, actuators, and consumption form recognition.

Resilience Urban Planning from Climate Change Point of View: A Case Study for Qatar

Husam A. Samman — 2023-08-27

Qatar is a Middle Eastern country characterised by an arid climate. Key challenges in urban planning in general are uncertainties of the future, especially when it comes to water resources and specifically storm water. While textbook of urban planning concentrates the most on social and economic factors that promote prosperity for the communities, in many arid areas the concept of planning from a climate change and specially storm water might be looked at as the least important in the priority list of criteria required for a successful and practical urban planning. This situation poses a challenge to urban planners in general, especially with limited available standards and criteria of planning from a storm water and climate change perspectives. This paper intends to shed some light on the above-mentioned challenges of planning from storm water perspective and provide a more practical approach to urban planning from climate change perspective, and aims at providing the urban planning community with the basics of optimizing the challenge of rainfall and possible flooding in such an arid area like Qatar.

Adsorption of Congo Red Dye Using Activated Carbon-Fe3O4 Composite

Nafis Mahmud — 2023-08-27

Activated Carbon-Fe3O4 composites were synthesized using co-precipitation method and used in batch experiments to adsorb Congo red dyes. The effect of adsorbent dosage, temperature and initial dye concentration was investigated. Increase in the adsorbent dosage resulted in the increase of dye adsorption capacity and the optimum dose was found to be 2 g/L. Increase in temperature had slightly negative impact on the adsorption which indicated the exhothermic nature of the adsorption process. Initial dye concentration also had significant impact on the adsorption process as the adsorption capacity of the AC- Fe3O4 adsorbents decreased with increase in dye concentrations. Finally, the obtained adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity of Activated Carbon-Fe3O4 adsorbent was found to be around 129.87 mg/g. Overall, the results suggested that synthesized AC- Fe3O4 composites exhibit significant potential to be used as an adsorbent for the removal of organic pollutants from aqueous solutions.

Rainfall Change Projections under Different Climate Change Scenarios in UAE

Muamer Abuzwidah — 2023-08-27

The increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere due to human activities is predicted to have significant and lasting effects on the global climate throughout the 21st century. The resulting warming over the past decades has caused various hydrologic and landscape reactions, which may continue and accelerate without proper strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Climate changes due to greenhouse gases have been observed across the world, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Arabian Gulf region. Changes in precipitation patterns can have severe consequences for natural and human systems as precipitation is a crucial part of the hydrological cycle. As the UAE is highly susceptible to climate change, it is necessary to investigate potential local impacts in-depth to develop sustainable adaptation strategies. This study assesses the future changes in precipitation patterns in the UAE under different climate change scenarios, using statistically downscaled results from global climate models (GCMs) and considering two representative concentration pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The study period ranges from 2021 to 2100 and compares it to the observed historical period of 1982 to 2011. The analysis examines precipitation changes at monthly and annual scales. Based on selected GCMs under the two RCPs, the average annual rainfall in the UAE is expected to change by -61% to 88%. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing potential impacts of climate change on precipitation patterns in vulnerable regions such as the UAE and the need to develop adaptation strategies to mitigate these potential impacts.

Statistical Analysis of the Effect of Water Table Fluctuation and Soil Layering on the Distribution of BTEX on Soil and Groundwater Under Anaerobic Condition

Reem Ismail — 2023-08-27

Crude oil, gasoline, and diesel fuel spills pollute groundwater in many coastal areas. BTEX is a hydrocarbon of concern due to its high-water solubility, which allows it to spread widely in the subsurface environment. The mobile phase of LNAPLs percolates through porous soil and accumulates above the water table. Subsurface geological, pollutant morphology, and hydrogeologic site features make natural attenuation difficult to understand. Texture and vertical spatial variability affect soil hydraulic properties and water and contaminant distribution in soil profiles. Changes in rainfall strength and frequency and increased water demand may increase groundwater level oscillations in the next century. Five sets of columns, including one soil column and one equilibrium column, were operated for 150 days. One of the columns was operated under a steady state condition (S), and four columns under transient water table condition. The stable column (S), and the Fluctuating column 1 (F1) contain homogenized soil, while the fluctuating columns 2, 3, and 4 contains heterogenous soil. ORP values at the middle of the columns varied cyclically with WTF. EC values affected greatly by fluctuation and temperature and the statistical test p-value 3.119e-10 < 0.05 implying that there are statistical differences between EC values of these columns. On the other hand, pH for the five columns were fluctuated in the same range (P-value 0.3694 > 0.05). Soil layering affects the attenuation of BTEX, as the peak concentrations for benzene occurred at second imbibition cycle for the homogeneous soil, while for the heterogeneous soil occurred between second and fourth imbibition cycles.

The Dependent Clogging Dynamics and Its Impact on Porous Media Permeability Reduction

Ahmed Elrahmani — 2023-08-27

The dynamics of fine particle entrapment, transport, and deposition within pore systems, particularly the ability of mobile fines to impair permeability within porous media, are critical to a variety of natural and manmade phenomena, impacting oil and gas recovery, slope stability, filter capacity, and the efficiency of lab-on-chip diagnostics in medical disciplines. According to the research, clogging of pore throats in the porous media is not a random process; clogged throats, in particular, modify flow conditions and promote subsequent clogging nearby which is called dependent clogging. Over the last several decades, significant efforts have been made to identify and parameterize the role of dependent clogging in permeability reduction, with studies applying a combination of physical investigation and numerical simulation to this objective. In this work, we deploy a coupled computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method-based framework to investigate fines migration and consequent pore-throat clogging within a geologically realistic pore system extracted from an x-ray microtomographic image of a sand pack. The analysis of the simulation results revealed a spatial correlation between the clogged throats, implying that throats in close proximity became clogged dependently around the same time. Furthermore, dependent clogging was observed to be more frequent than independent clogging and it impacts system permeability more efficiently. This suggests that the distribution of clogged throats has a significant impact on the system's permeability reduction other than the total number of clogged throats.

Emerging Brine Management Approaches for Sustainable Desalination in the GCC Countries

Syed Javaid Zaidi — 2023-08-27

The major technologies employed in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) based commercial desalination facilities are classified into two categories: the membrane-based (mostly reverse osmosis (RO)) and thermal-based (primarily multi-stage flash distillation (MSF)). Currently, the GCC nations are in a process of changing the current desalination facility completely or partly by RO technology. In desalination facilities, 40 % of the feed water is fresh water and the balance 60 % is the discharged brine. For the Arabian Gulf, the brine disposal as well as wastewater disposal are important. This work examines trend in desalination capacity and electricity consumption in GCC nations, the Unified Water Strategy in GCC as well as examine the emerging technologies that show promise from an environmental standpoint. Several new brine management technologies, including pressure retarded osmosis system, greenhouse desalination, different hybrid technologies like reverse electrodialyzed-based and electrodialysed-based hybrid systems have been examined in this study. According to the results of our study, desalination plants' innovative strategies are suitable and advantageous for reducing energy consumption as well as for environmental sustainability. On a commercial level, we recommend that more research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness, applicability, and sustainability of these solutions. Additionally, we encourage greater research to be done on approaches that have the least negative environmental effects and the most readily available renewable energy sources in the GCC countries, such as wind and solar energy.

Potential Application of Porous Membrane from Blends of Homopolymer for Industrial Water Treatment

Rayane Akoumeh — 2023-08-27

The self-organization of matter has been extensively explored in recent years, and significant advancements have been made in the field of porous ordered films produced by the auto-assembly of different polymer materials, being block of copolymers, blends of homopolymers or amphiphilic polymers. The hierarchical ordering in micro-organized films, known also as Honeycomb (HC) structure, generates a significant increase of specifics characteristics enhancing certain properties of the materials. The preparation of self-assembled porous membrane is done by different approaches. We use hereby the bottom-up microporous structuring method specifically the breath figure (BF) approach to prepare highly-organized membrane from polymer blends. The foremost motives for using the BF are the simplicity of implementation and the adaptability to multiple systems which make it a robust and inexpensive technique for the production of structured surfaces. The honeycomb (HC) structures formed by the BF is a potential candidate for water treatment as a filtration membrane to treat stable oil-water emulsions encountered in the oil and gas industry. The use of homopolymer blends improves the selectivity, permeability and anti-fouling properties comparing to the commercial homopolymer membrane. This presentation will highlight the preparation of self-assembled blends of homopolymers membrane by BF and their performance for cleaning of industrial wastewater and the fouling/re-use potential.

Advanced Block Copolymer Membranes for Oily Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Mohammad K. Hassan — 2023-08-27

Tremendous amounts of oily wastewater are produced daily from industrial processes, including petrochemical, textile, leather, and steel processing. This wastewater is a huge challenge to the environment and industry uses multiple approaches to separate the water from oil including oil-absorbing materials, gravity separation, flocculation, and coagulation. However, these concepts are ineffective in separating oily water emulsions where the oil droplets are smaller than 20 µm in size and do not perform well upon incorporating chemicals or using an electric field. Membrane filtration is one of the best strategies to handle such emulsions, especially the surfactant-stabilized ones, as they yield highly pure water permeate via simple filtration process and they can be cleaned re-used for multiple times at large-industrial scales. This presentation will give an overview of novel polystyrene-based copolymer membranes developed and tested at Qatar University in collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi. The newly developed membranes display substantial enhancement in separating oil from water in tight emulsions while demonstrating remarkably high resistance to fouling over five runs in comparison to the commercial membranes that get fouled within only two emulsion runs. The presentation will outline the membranes' oil rejection efficiency, chemical, morphological, and mechanical stability after cycles of cleaning and reuse. Finally, the membranes were tested using synthetic oily water and real-field samples and testing protocols from the oil & gas companies in Qatar.

Review on Decarbonizing the Building Sector in Oil and Gas Countries: The Case of Qatar

Reem Al-Mohammed — 2023-08-27

Climate change is a serious international issue, and nations must move to carbon reduction to mitigate this problem. Therefore, Qatar is building strategies, towards energy transitions and decarbonization. Whereas, energy transitions from hydrocarbons to renewable energy is challenging, since Qatar is a gas producing country. Thus, decarbonization in energy-based countries is challenging, due to their economic development dependence on fossil-fuel by exporting oil and gas, and generating energy and electricity. However, most of the global carbon emissions are caused by buildings. Hence, the challenge of energy demand reduction in buildings in hot climate regions such as Qatar, is due to using air conditioning systems. Therefore, the research aims to investigate the decarbonization strategies implemented in the building sector in oil and gas countries, where electricity bills are subsidised by the government. In order to tailor decarbonization strategies for Qatar, according to the country’s context and social status.

The Importance and Evaluation of Environment-Friendly Megaprojects - As Perceived By Users

Agnes Csiszarik-Kocsir — 2023-08-27

The environmental degradation of our time, the environmental devastation of previous years and global warming have presented the world with new and novel challenges that were not experienced in previous decades. Rising sea levels, increasing energy demand and the explosion in energy prices have created new focal points in the thinking of all spheres of economic life. The environmental degradation of fossil fuels has led to an increasing focus on renewable energy sources and innovative solutions. The aim of this paper is to examine the main issues outlined above through the examples of two flagship megaprojects. The study will examine the Maldivian floating city and the European Energy Island project from a user perspective, specifically in terms of their environmental and visionary messages. In this study, we will examine the two flagship projects through the results of a primary research, formulating the main messages for the design of the future projects. The aim of the study is to demonstrate the importance of environmental considerations in the definition of project scope, in order to give a starting point for projects with similar objectives, and to give ideas for their design and implementation. The acceptance of any project by its users is a key success factor, as the two projects under review are intended to demonstrate.

Diffuser Bed Construction Challenges on the Musaimeer Pump Station and Outfall Project

Gary Peach — 2023-08-27

Musaimeer Pump Station and Outfall project (MPSO) is a strategically important drainage asset initiated, developed, and completed by Ashghal in 2022. This project accommodates ground and storm water received from the drainage networks of 270 km2 of urban areas in southern Doha, along with storm protection for four soccer stadiums used during the FIFA 2022 World Cup. The key elements of this project were a pump station with a capacity of 19.7 m³ / s, one of the longest ground and storm water tunnels in the world with a total length of 10.2 km and the diffuser bed structure measuring 194 m x 40 m. The diffuser bed structure is connected to the outfall tunnel by a riser shaft and is the structure used to disperse the ground and storm water in a controlled manner and in accordance with environmental standards. This technical paper will detail the entire process from dredging and material stockpiling, riser shaft drilling and construction, diffuser bed fabrication onshore, transportation to final location, installation on the sea floor, backfilling and protection works and finally commissioning of the entire project.

New Technique for Flood Risk Assessment of Sub-Networks in Large Networks Using InfoWorks ICM: A Case Study of Qatar's Full Storm Water Network

Yahia Alabbasi — 2023-08-27

The elements of the storm water network are made to safely drain most water during a heavy rainstorm. Flood risk modelling (mathematical modelling) with hydraulic software is a good way to check the network's level of service, especially now that technology has changed. Flood risk modelling is an essential method for checking the network sufficiency and adequacy for different kinds of rain. Modelling flood risk should be done for the whole network to ensure that flows are connected and get accurate results. In this study, one-dimensional flood risk modelling is needed for a sub-network that is part of Qatar's full storm water network. The flood risk modelling is conducted using InfoWorks ICM software. Running the whole model takes a lot of computational data processing. Splitting the entire stormwater network to the concerned sub-network without considering the hydraulic effects of upstream and downstream flows at the boundary conditions of the sub-network will lead to erroneous conclusions. In this research, a new method for hydraulically dividing the network into sub-networks is presented, taking into account the characteristics of the boundaries. This method increases the efficiency and viability of hydraulic modelling for sub-networks in big networks. For purposes of validation, the results of the reduced model in terms of flood depths and volumes are compared with those of the full model. The results of the split model are in good agreement with the entire model.

Environmental, Social and Governance-related Challenges in the Construction Industry (CIC 2023)

Khalil Roukoz — 2023-08-27

The construction industry is faced with several Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) challenges and opportunities that include, but are not limited to, a massive carbon footprint, the physical impacts of climate change, green building certifications, supply chain, innovative product design, pollution control, health and safety, diversity and inclusion, community development, business ethics, and biodiversity. With these ESG issues front and centre in daily headlines, investors, shareholders and all other stakeholders are demanding greater transparency in relation to the construction industry's interaction with the environment and the society in which they operate and upon which they depend for long-term business continuity. ESG factors are becoming fundamental nonfinancial information for the long-term valuation of a company, for the investment decision-making process and in determining capital allocations. All the key players in the construction industry, including engineering and construction services firms, manufacturers and distributors of construction materials, buildings products and furnishing companies, real estate developers, and real estate services companies, need to convince stakeholders that they are delivering optimal outcomes when it comes to the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. In this paper, we will address and discuss the following questions: What are the key ESG challenges and opportunities that construction industry is facing? How are these key ESG challenges identified and acted upon? What are the enablers used by the construction industry to address and manage ESG factors? Among these enablers, we will look in details at the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) and its capability to satisfy the investors ESG disclosures needs.

Numerical Simulation of Climate Change Impacts on the Coast of Oman

Talal Etri — 2023-08-27

It is well known that there is an apparent increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, such as tropical cyclones (IPCC, 2023). This will lead to a significant effect not just on the infrastructure and the economic activities but also on the coastal environments. On the other hand, an increase in the population along the coastal areas in such a country as the Sultanate of Oman will also increase the risk and the hazard. It has been noticed extremely heavy rainfall during the most recent tropical cyclone, Shaheen (October 3 2021). It is also recorded along the Omani coast's extremely high waves during this storm event. Some other tropical cyclones in the past also indicated an essential effect on the Omani coast (Shawky et al., 2021). In this regard, the development of a fundamental understanding of the hydrodynamic behaviour along the coastal system during these events has been necessary. Moreover, the tropical cyclone track and wind speeds have been recorded only for a few temporal spans. This leads to better reliable estimations of such a kind of event. The state-of-the-art process-based numerical model will be utilized to hind cast the hydrodynamic developments from several tropical cyclone events along the Omani coast. A well-calibrated and validated flow model has been set up using Deft3D, a world leader's software (Lesser et al., 2004). Furthermore, the impact of wind-induced waves has been investigated using the SWAN wave model (Booij et al., 1999; Ris et al., 1999). In this paper, four well-known tropical cyclones in the Indian Ocean will be simulated. The four tropical cyclones were selected due to their historical significance and the amount of destruction they caused on the Omani coast. The investigation results showed significant tropical cyclones' effects on the Omani coasts due to their intensity and the cyclones' pattern. Overall, the numerical models that are showing good descriptions of climate change can be valuable tools for comprehending and predicting the influences of climate change on the Omani coast and can be employed to support in the decision-making.

Eco-friendly Concrete Using Waste Plastic Bottles as Aggregate: A Case Study from Oman

Abdul Rahim Al Umairi — 2023-08-27

Waste plastic bottles (WPB) (polyethylene terephthalate (PET)) type are used widely for water storage and eventually become environmental burden. This study investigated an innovative application of the WPB to partially replace the fine aggregate in concrete nonstructural element. This research evaluated the effect of plastic content on concrete mechanical and physical properties. The WPBs were ground into < 5 mm in size equal to the fine aggregate size. Therefore, different percentages of WPB were used namely 10, 20 and 30%. The results revealed that 20% of the WPB showed the best results to produce light weight concrete. The compressive strength was reduced by 20% only with 20% of WPB which it declined by 42% with higher WPB content. Moreover, concrete with 20% of WPB content achieved ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) of 3 km/s which indicated a satisfactory level of concrete integrity. This indeed clearly indicated that the plastic content should be carefully selected before full applications. This study suggested that each cubic meter of concrete can accommodate around 100 kg of WPB. Indeed, that will reduce the pressure on landfills and the environment by having this innovative application.

The Influence of Urbanization on Natural Overland Flow Paths

Amna Mohammed Al-Sayed — 2023-08-27

This paper studies the influence of urbanization on the natural overland flow paths on topography. The main objectives of this study are to: measure the effectiveness of drainage networks, study the influences of urban structure, compare the pre-and post-urban overland flow paths, and provide recommendations for flood prevention. The study was conducted on a catchment (81 km2) in Qatar that lies between Doha and Al-Rayan. Land cover, soil data, rain data, and digital elevation model (DEM) were the main inputs of the study to obtain run-off depths, time of concentration, and peak flows. The Soil Conservation Service (SCS) method was applied, where Curve Numbers (CNs) were identified for each land cover based on soil groups concerning the infiltration rate. A geographic information system (GIS) integration has provided better results. ArcMap tools have been used to study flow changes such as flow direction, flow accumulation, and stream definition. The result of the study shows that urbanization has a significant effect on the characteristics of the flow path as it causes the time of concentration to decrease, resulting in increased run-off depth and peak flow.

Retention of Hydrophobic Colloids in Unsaturated Porous Media using Microfluidics

Jamal Hannun — 2023-08-27

Water recharge wells can provide a solution for 3.5 billion people, living in regions suffering from water scarcity. Due to fines migration, freshwater wells that are used to recharge aquifers, often experience expedited deterioration. Colloidal clay fine particles can be mobilized from within aquifers due to hydrodynamic forces or the sweeping of gas-water interface (GWI). The released colloids concentration increases then starts to retain and clog at the pores within the aquifer formation. Although fines migration is responsible for decommissioning many recharge wells, yet there is a lack of pore scale observations that uncover clogging mechanisms within porous media. Thus, this study utilizes wide-field optical macroscopy and microfluidic models with pore morphology of sandstone, to investigate the clogging mechanisms of hydrophobic colloids. The aim is to discover how interfacial surfaces within porous media retain colloids. Hence imbibition and drainage of colloidal suspension were carried to vary water saturation. Flow experiments were imaged at a resolution of 1µm/pixel, while colloids diameter was 5 µm. Images were segmented into solid, water, gas and colloids. Then the amount of colloids retained on each interface was quantified. Findings revealed that hydrophobic colloids retained mainly on the GWI. For colloids suspension in deionized water, affinity of colloids to GWI was high enough to cause bubble stabilization. In both hydrophobic and hydrophilic porous media, colloids disconnected the gas phase to create larger GWI surface. More than 90% of hydrophobic colloids were cleaned from the media after drainage, uncovering an efficient remediation technique for water aquifer.

Physico-mechanical Properties of Sustainable Building Material Based Gypsum and Recycled Polyethylene Waste

Djoudi Amina — 2023-08-27

The economic focus in the building sector is on lightweight materials. Recycled polyethylene particles coming from plastic botteles waste can ensure this lightness and can solve not only technical problems, but also produce economic and environmental benefits. Different polyethylene particle proportions of 5,10,15,20 and 25% were introduced in gypsum mortar in order to characterize its physical and mechanical properties. Results proved the positive effect of the introducing of PET particles in the matrix of gypsum mortar, the lightening of this material but a decrease of mechanical properties was recorded comparing in to reference without polyethylene particles. This new material with promising functional properties can be used as a masonry element in a new construction or in the rehabilitation of the old building.

Study of Turbulence in Open Channels Using Two-Equation Models

Ahmad Sana — 2023-08-27

Prediction of the sediment transport in streams requires an accurate estimation of bed shear stress (for bed load) and eddy viscosity (for suspended load). In general, shallow water models employ empirical relationships to estimate the bottom shear stress. However, with the advancement of computing systems, the utilization of advanced turbulence models is getting common. In this paper, a number of model versions are reviewed based on their predictive abilities against the well-known bottom boundary layer properties in open channels and computational economy. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons have been made to infer that the choice of model versions should be based on the field application. For example, the bottom shear stress is very well predicted by the k-? model whereas the cross-stream velocity profile and turbulent kinetic energy are predicted more efficiently by k-? model versions. This study may be useful for researchers and practicing engineers in selecting a suitable two-equation model for calculating various bottom boundary layer properties.

Sustainable Urban Drainage Master Plan for Al Khor Municipality

Hassan Qasem — 2023-08-27

It is of upmost importance that the type of hydrological basin of the region should be established before developing its drainage strategy. Unlike exhoric basin which is characterised by well-defined pattern of streams and rivers ultimately discharging into the sea, Qatar's topography exhibits mix of arheic, and predominantly endorheic basin features i.e., rainwater drains to inland depressions to form temporary water bodies. Keeping drainage basin type in view, Al Khor drainage master is developed which function sustainably with the nature with aim to utilize drainage water to achieve Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar Water Strategy goals.

Estimation of Blue and Green Water Potentials of Türkiye under Global Climate Change Effects

Ali Erturk — 2023-08-27

This study analyzed the impact of global climate change scenarios on the water resources of Turkiye by means of various climate and hydrological simulations projected for this century. An integrated approach was used by coupling regional climate models and a semi-distributed hydrologic model to assess the climate change impacts. A regional climate model, that is the output of 3 global models (HadGEM2-ES, MPI-ESM-MR and CNRM-CM5.1), has been conducted with RCP4.5 & RCP8.5 emission scenarios for whole the country at the watershed-scale with a resolution of 10x10 km. Hydrological simulations were conducted by using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) Model to determine the variation of surface and groundwater resources based on climate change projections. Blue water flow (water yield + deep aquifer recharges), green water storage (soil water), and water surplus/deficit projections have been conducted considering the current and projected status for water-consuming sectors of domestic, industry, agriculture, and ecosystem services. Results attained were further evaluated through statistical methods regarding blue water flow and green water storage potential of the country. The main purpose of the study was to aid the legal authorities, and decision-makers in prioritizing the environmental measures to be taken for mitigation of climate change impacts on Turkiye in the long- run. The work was the first country-wide hydrological modelling study through globally accepted climate change scenarios.

Biogas Production from Cow Manure Using an Anaerobic Digestion Technique

Abdul Rahim Al Umairi — 2023-08-27

The world is suffering from limited sources of energy thus finding a renewable and sustainable source is very crucial. Cow manure is an unexploited treasure and is expected to have a high potential for energy recovery. This study aimed to evaluate biogas production from cow manure (CM) under an anaerobic condition. The cow manure was collected from a local farm in Oman and diluted with a ratio of 1:3 (dry CM/Water). The diluted cow manure (DCM) was characterized and found to have pH 7.9, total solids (TS) 8930 mg/L, total dissolved solids (TDS)1390 mg/L, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8160 mg/L and electrical conductivity (EC) 2730 µS/cm. The used anaerobic reactor (20 litres, black) was fed with DCM (15 litres) and operated at atmospheric mesophilic conditions (40 to 45 C). The gas was measured by the water displacement method. The results revealed that the biogas was generated in low amounts after three days (119 mL) and achieved more than 20 litres after nine days. The percentage of volatile solids to total solids was found to be 71% and the production of the biogas was calculated as 131 L/kg VS. This study is believed to pave the way for reducing the pressure on landfills and converting an environmental burden into a product of added value serving the circular economy theme.

Improvement in Environmental Management Performance in Ashghal Projects

Abdel Rahman Tariq A. Abdel Rahman — 2023-08-27

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) of Qatar is responsible for countrywide infrastructure and public building projects starting from their planning stages and through design, procurement, construction, operation, and maintenance stages. This includes highways, local roads, surface water drainage networks, foul sewers, treated sewage effluent systems, schools and hospitals. Considering the large number of projects with construction activities ongoing at the same time, it is a challenge to develop a unique and standardized tool for monitoring of environmental management performance of each project, each department or Ashghal wide. Being a supportive department to all other Ashghal departments, with a main role of ensuring the conformity of projects to environmental regulations and standards, Quality and Safety Department (QSD) of Ashghal has started several initiatives to improve environmental management performance of projects. This paper provides a brief information about some of those initiatives, such as a portal for monthly reporting of environmental management performance (EPMS), a unique annual award which was developed to increase awareness for sustainable practices in construction and assist in guiding minimization and/or reduction of adverse environmental impacts caused by construction projects (Ashghal Green Award); and a list of Ashghal approved third-party environmental service providers which will be used as a vendor list in all Ashghal projects. In addition, Ashghal QSD chemical and microbiological laboratories as well as mobile noise and air quality monitoring trucks serve to support projects departments to improve environmental impacts resulted from construction activities on the environmental sensitive receptors located within or nearby the project.

Automated Calibration of the EPA-SWMM Model for an Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Peak Discharge for a Sub-Urban Catchment of Delhi

Ved Prakash — 2023-08-27

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), USA is a dynamic hydrologic-hydraulic model that simulates the amount and quality of runoff from urban areas. It is broadly used for planning, analysing, and designing storm water runoff, combined and sanitary sewers, and other urban drainage systems. SWMM can solely be used to do the modelling of urban drainage systems. However, SWMM can be automated and convert model files to and from GIS data using R programming, allowing for more in-depth analysis and visualization. Automatic calibration is also a promising alternative, ideally supporting a user-independent and time-efficient method for estimating model parameters. This study investigates the impact of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) variation on peak discharge at the outfall of the Najafgarh-Mahipalpur drain during rapid urbanization from 2005 to 2022. The findings show that the historical LULC fluctuation for seventeen years resulted in a nearly 28% rise in the peak flow rate at the outfall, according to SWMM simulation. The findings of this study could serve as a guide for planning and managing urban flooding in cities that are rapidly expanding, particularly in developing countries.

Watermain Breaks in Hong Kong: Causes and Consequences

Tayyab Ahmad — 2023-08-27

Watermain failure is a complex problem associated with significant socio-economic and environmental impacts. The complexity of this problem originates from many factors of physical, operational, and environmental nature. These aspects have varying contribution towards watermain breaks depending on the regional context. This, therefore, requires specialized studies for each individual region. This study aims at adopting the text mining approach to investigate the aspects contributing to the failure of watermains in Hong Kong (HK) and the socio-economic and environmental consequences of these failures. In this regard, a sum of 94 media articles discussing HK-based watermain failures from 1984 onwards are studied. The findings showed that the aging pipes, hilly terrain, ground settlement, excavation works, and high-water pressure, are the most repeated failure causes in the media. The watermain bursts in HK are found to result in traffic disruptions and incidents, loss of water supply, loss of business activity, flooding inside buildings, cave-in incidents, etc. The inquiry has resulted in a network of interrelationships among consequences of main breaks indicating that these breaks are complex occurrences where chains of events lead to significant socio-economic and environmental impacts. This demonstrates the need of resilient Water Distribution Network (WDN) in HK and also the need of rigorous risk management to deal with the threats related to main failures. The causes behind breaks identified in this study can lead to the modelling of HK-based WDN helping forecast the occurrence of such events. The consequences of breaks identified in this study can help formulate risk management frameworks for HK-WDN.

Development of Climate Data Inputs Towards the Implementation of Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design in the UAE

Waleed Zeiada — 2023-08-27

The current state of practice in the UAE is to use AASHTO 1993 for pavement designs, yet this method is empirical and has several limitations. The local traffic characteristics, climate conditions, and materials properties must be incorporated in more explicit and mechanistic ways. This study is part of ongoing local research efforts to move towards the implementation of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide, known as MEPDG, which depends on fundamental material properties, integrated climate conditions, and real traffic characteristics. The main objective of this study is to develop the historical climate data files and climate inputs for 20 different automatic and airports stations covering the entire UAE. These weather stations were divided into four geographical regions: desert area, urban area, coastal area, and mountainous area. In addition, the study investigates the impact of local climate conditions on the simulated asphalt pavement performance using the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design. This study showed that, however, UAE is a small country yet there are some differences between the climate records of the different weather stations, which is expected to affect pavement design and performance depending on the project site location. For example, the warmest weather station has 36% higher temperature than the coldest weather station at Jabal Jais. This in turn displayed up to 40% and 23% differences in the asphalt concrete (AC) rutting and total rutting, respectively between these extreme weather stations. These findings and many other emphasize the crucial need to consider the climate data inputs at the project level bases, where a single climate data file cannot represent the entire UAE.

A Strategic Design Approach for Implementing Rainwater Management System Using an Integration of GIS and BIM Tool

Deshbhushan Patil — 2023-08-27

An increase in urbanization and uncontrolled development has resulted in a water stress situation, which necessitates the exploration of alternate water sources. Rainwater has proven to be a prominent alternate water source after being efficiently harvested. On-ground implementation of the Rainwater Harvesting System (RWHs) at a community level in urban areas has always been challenging and requires technological advancement. To facilitate the implementation of RWHs, the proposed study provides a comprehensive methodology by integrating the Geographical Information System (GIS) and the Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools. Initially, the hydro-spatial analysis was performed with a GIS tool to obtain an optimized rainstorm collection network and to aid in establishing the geometrical properties of RWHs. Further, an outcome from the analysis was utilized to develop a visualization model using the BIM tool. The proposed methodology is implemented as a case study in the municipality of Jaipur (India). The developed multidimensional BIM contributes to the sustainability of the project in terms of resources, economy, and efficiency over the life cycle. As an outcome, the proposed study provides a comprehensive methodology for effectively utilizing rainwater to cope with the growing water demand and contribute to flood mitigation in urban regions.

Impact of Pore Morphology on Colloid Migration at Variable Saturation Levels of Natural Porous Media

Mhd. Taisir Albaba — 2023-08-27

The migration of colloids within porous media has a critical impact on many important industrial processes such as oil production and groundwater recharge. Colloids can clog the pore space and hence impair the permeability of fluids which adversely impacts the efficiency of fluids movement through such media. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms of pore clogging at the pore-scale is critical to develop efficient remediation methodologies for permeability reduction at different physio-chemical conditions. To study pore clogging at a pore-scale, microfluidic chips were fabricated to mimic geometries of natural porous media extracted from tomographic scans of sand packs. A colloidal suspension was injected in three phases into the system. The phases consisted of an initial imbibition of the suspension, followed by drainage of the suspension from the system, and finally, a second imbibition. During each phase, a series of images are taken of a section of the porous media. Findings reveal that pore-clogging considerably impairs saturation levels of the porous media through blocking the flow from reaching the gas phase within the system. Considerably increasing the time the gas is trapped in the pore-space, which in turn develops higher irreducible water saturation. This was also observed in the case of drainage of the colloidal suspension from the pore-space where colloids blocked pathways of the gas phase and prevented its migration through the pore space. In contrast, the migration of colloids was also impacted by the presence of the gas phase. Gas provided a clogging surface while forcing colloids to migrate through the pore space and accumulate at other pores. This implies that gas phase presence within a low porosity system can increase pore clogging at a significant rate. This is also supported by the short period between the clogging of two pores and the clogging of a dozen pores within the observed system.

UV Induced Photodegradation of Direct Green dye by Tb-doped La10Si6O27 Catalyst

Rajender Boddula — 2023-08-27

Due to the expansion of industry, the world's population growth has led to increased air and water contamination. Because they are poisonous and non-biodegradable, organic dyes are a significant source of this contamination. Studies have concentrated on photocatalysts to transform organic dyes into innocuous compounds in order to lessen the harm that organic colours cause. In this study, solution combustion technique was employed to prepare rare-earth metal (terbium (Tb)) doped lanthanum silicate phosphor (La10Si6O27) using lanthanum nitrate and fumed silica were utilized as precursors, oxalyldihydrazide was used as fuel, and terbium nitrate was used as a dopant. The photocatalytic activities for the Direct Green-23 (DG23) dye degradation under UV irradiation were studied and found that 59.05% of dyes degraded at 120 min. These findings shows that, La10Si6O27 is a promising material for industrial dye degradation since 59.05% of the dyes were absorbed by the material in 120 min.

A Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Approach for Selection of Wave Energy Converter Optimal Site

Alireza Shadmani — 2023-08-27

Ocean wave energy is an essential source of renewable power for coastal communities. Choosing the optimal site for the wave energy converter (WEC) deployment depends on a number of criteria. The characteristics of the WEC must be taken into account in the prediction power supply, whereas the local sea state is connected to elements like wave condition (as a representation of construction budget) and energy output as well as the influence of the exploitable storage of wave energy and its trend. As a result, this research provides a multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) strategy for considering several factors simultaneously to choose the best possible site. The suggested MCDM technique incorporates two primary factors, i.e., exploitable storage of wave energy and energy production, into a single metric that takes into account both WEC efficiency of a particular type, WEPTOS, and sea state to aid decision-makers in the development of a pilot project. The method was then used to analyse the waves at two locations that had been identified as promising sites for harvesting wave energy along the coast of Oman. To further assess a site's potential upcoming pilot project and select the most efficient WEC, we compared the MCDM results at the stations with certain WEC types. In conclusion, optimal sites for placement of the WEPTOS WEC along the coast of Oman were identified considering the highest annual energy production and exploitable energy storage. Through solving the MCDM technique, 17 sites were pinpointed, and only 6 points were picked up.

Implementation of Odour Control Systems for Nuisance-free and Public Friendly Environment in Qatar

Spyridon Trikis — 2023-08-27

The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) is contributing to the development of Qatar with the construction of first class, sustainable infrastructure with a high degree of public acceptance by utilizing best international practices. Pumping stations and sewage treatment works are traditionally constructed at the outskirts of cities, as they are generally associated with odour nuisance; however, as the cities are expanded, the facilities become part of the urban fabric and their operation becomes an issue of concern for nearby residents. To address this public concern, Ashghal has for its sewer infrastructure adopted odour emission limits as stringent as 0.5ppbV of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and 0.5ouE/m3 of odour concentration, which are lower than recognisable levels by humans. Moreover, on the way to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Ashghal decided to install environmentally friendly and sustainable biological treatment units followed by activated carbon filters to ensure a nuisance-free environment at the existing Doha South Sewage Treatment Works (DS-STW) and the new Doha South Terminal Pump Station (DS-TPS). This paper presents methodologies for determining odour levels in existing and new units, available odour treatment technologies, and the selected treatment schemes for the above projects.

Design Considerations of MPSO Marine Outfall and Diffuser Field

Panagiotis Verros — 2023-08-27

The purpose of the Musaimeer Pump Station and Outfall (MPSO) project is to receive storm water runoff and groundwater flows from the Abu Hamour Tunnel and to provide a pumping station, a marine outfall tunnel and a diffuser field to dispose of the flows into the sea. Musaimeer outfall tunnel is one of the longest storm water tunnels in the world with a total length of 10.2 km. The tunnel is connected via a drop shaft to the main pump station. This system will accommodate surface and storm water received from the drainage networks of 190 km2 of urban areas in southern Doha. The outfall tunnel comprised precast segmental lining with internal diameter of 3700 mm sloped at 0.05% upward to the riser shaft. The riser shaft, which is located at the end of the outfall tunnel, is connected to a diffuser field positioned on the Arabian Gulf seabed. This paper will focus on the design considerations and recommendations related Marine outfall riser shaft, distribution manifolds and diffuser field. to The MPSO marine outfall was designed in two phases, first comprising installation of riser shaft, primary and secondary manifolds, 3 lines of HDPE piping with variable internal diameter, 84 diffuser duckbill valves, 84 diffuser protection boxes and scour protection. The diffuser is laid in an area of 280mX40m 15m beneath the sea water level. Second phase of marine outfall design included the meticulous connection works between GRP riser shaft and 10.2km TBM tunnel 15m beneath the seabed. Design considerations and final conclusions of such marine design works will be presented.

Recycling of Tetra Pak for Space and Water Heating by Blending with Phase Change Materials

Safna Nishad — 2023-08-27

A rapid rise in demands for thermal comfort in the building sector necessitates higher energy consumption for air conditioning, ventilation, space, and water heating systems. Recently, phase change materials (PCMs) have gained much attention from researchers for passive heating/cooling of space and water. PCM can store/release thermal energy as latent heat during its phase change process isothermally. Moreover, PCM facilitates solar energy harvesting by photothermal conversion and storage. However, major limitations of PCM include low thermal conductivity, leakage during phase change, and lack of photoabsorbance. Therefore, in this study, the shape-stabilized phase change composites were prepared by melt blending of Paraffin Wax (PW), Tetra Pak (TP), and expanded graphite (EG). PW is an organic PCM, widely being studied due to its high enthalpy, availability at various melting points, and chemical and thermal stability. In addition to providing shape stability and thermal conductivity enhancement of PCM, the usage of TP promotes the recycling of TP waste into useful products. The addition of EG contributes to the thermal conductivity increase of 3.6 times that of pure PW. Moreover, the excellent photoabsorption of EG and TP effectively converted the photo energy to thermal energy and stored it as latent heat by PW in the composite. Two types of composites using PW of melting points 44 ℃ and 64 ℃ were exhibited a photothermal conversion and storage efficiency of 80 and 55 %, respectively and which is promising for solar water heating applications.

Assessment of Ablution Water Consumption in Mosques

Aliya Ali Said Al Alawi — 2023-08-27

In Muslim majority countries, like those of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), ablution is a necessary component to fulfil religious commitments of prayer, thus a significant amount of water is consumed on daily basis with minimal efforts and measures to manage or conserve that water use. This study aims to highlight the importance of redesigning the appliances in the Mosque for ablution purposes to save scarce water. The study assesses the water usage during ritual ablution (wudu- following Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) way) in the Mosques of Oman. The findings from this study can have a global impact, as it can set an example for GCC countries as well as other countries all over the world where ablution is being practiced. Total consumption per capita for performing ritual ablution was measured using the normal tap, sensor tap, and pot. The study found that 7 L is being used while using normal and sensor taps of water per ablution while it could be done with 0.6 L of water. The major conclusion of the study is that current water consumption for ablution in Oman is around 8 times more than that of following Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) way during ablution. Special taps that conserve water and suit the purpose of ablution have to be designed.

Challenging Hydraulic Aspects of MPSO Project, Qatar's Showcase for Storm Water Outfall

Panagiotis Verros — 2023-08-27

The purpose of the Musaimeer Pump Station and Outfall (MPSO) project is to receive storm water runoff and groundwater flows from the Abu Hamour Tunnel and to provide a pumping station, a 10 km marine outfall tunnel and a diffuser field to dispose of the flows into the sea. The project site is located immediately south of the land that was reclaimed for the newly constructed Hamad International Airport (HIA) at the eastern terminus of the Abu Hamour Tunnel which forms a link to allow discharge of storm flows collected in the southern and western parts of the Doha over a total catchment area of approximately 190 km2. Hydraulic Design for MPSO (Musaimeer pumping station and outfall) was implemented for dry weather flow of 1.9m3/sec and wet weather flow of 19.7m3/sec. The system was designed with increased operational redundancy including 2 screen channels, bar screens and grab rakes, each channel being able to handle the maximum design flow, 2 wet wells with grit removal and oil and grease removal system, 10 submersible pumps (9 duty+1 standby), outfall chamber, drop shaft, 10 km marine outfall tunnel and diffuser field comprising of 6 HDPE pipe branches and 84 non return diffuser ports-duckbill valves. Hydraulic Design calculations were cross verified by CFD modelling, physical modelling in 1:9 scale and surge analysis results concluding on final hydraulic design conclusions and recommendations. Hydraulic Design parameters presented in this paper were verified during operation and maintenance period of the project and will be demonstrated herewith.

How Efficient Would Demand-Based Water Strategies Be for Qatar?

Sophia Ghanimeh — 2023-08-27

Qatar is a water scarce country that heavily relies on seawater desalination. Multiple studies have concluded the need for a more resilient water planning through efficient demand control strategies. This study is among the very few attempts to quantify the actual impact of such solutions on the water sector. The purpose of this work is to generate indicative water usage figures to inform the (non-technical) decision makers and prove the benefits of shifting toward demand-based water strategies. A scenario-based approach was adopted, considering: maintaining status quo (scenario 1), improving the water pricing system (scenario 2), and regulating greywater reuse (scenario 3). Scenario 2 estimates the impact of water tariff increase based on Price Elasticity of Demand in neighbouring countries. Scenario 3 considers imposing on-site greywater reuse as part of the permitting process (for new constructions only). The study forecasted, up to year 2100, the impacts of demand control measures on: (1) domestic water consumption, (2) volume of desalinated water, (3) year by which additional desalination capacity is needed, and (4) year by which wastewater treatment facilities need expansion. It was shown that, by improving the water tariff system, the total domestic water consumption is reduced by up to 27% (equivalent to 16-19% reduction in total demand for desalinated water). As a result, the need to expand the water desalination facilities and the wastewater treatment infrastructure is delayed substantially: 15-20 years and 15-30 years, respectively. Also, regulating greywater reuse may reduce domestic water consumption by up to 6%.

Geotechnical Challenges for Underground Infrastructure in Qatar: Hydrogeological Assessment for Dewatering and Deep Excavation Works: South of Wakrah Pumping Station and Outfall (SWPSO) Project

Enric Vazquez-Sune — 2023-08-27

The evaluation of hydrogeological conditions and groundwater inflows, as part of the geotechnical risk assessment, poses one of the key challenges during the design and construction of major infrastructure projects and underground works. This paper presents an example of a recently developed geotechnical and hydrogeological investigation program for the Pre-Tender design of the South of Wakrah Pumping Station and Outfall project in Qatar, where a comprehensive hydrogeological study was carried out to characterize heterogeneous hydrogeological conditions along the project area and to determine potential impacts on the groundwater levels drawdown and groundwater inflows during excavation and dewatering activities. The results of the hydrogeological evaluation concluded that a proper groundwater management approach and mitigation measures are required at an early stage of the project to minimize the impact on dewatering, groundwater inflows and groundwater levels drawdown for construction works. A similar approach can be adopted for future infrastructure projects to support the geotechnical risk assessment and to minimize the impact of construction activities on the environment.

Efficient Turbidity Removal Using a New Gel Filtration Process

Mohammed Talhami — 2023-08-27

The removal of turbidity is a prime objective in the treatment of seawater, especially in the production of potable water. The water turbidity exists because of the colloidal particles or large-weight molecules that remain in suspension in the untreated solution. This study investigated the performance of a new gel layer for the treatment of highly turbid seawater. Based on the periodic turbidity values in the Arabian Gulf over the year, the chosen seawater samples had the turbidity values of 4.8 NTU, 76.1 NTU, and 99.7 NTU. The gel filtration layer showed promising adsorption capabilities and its physical appearance achieved a cohesive matrix form, which resulted in good mechanical strength. The proposed gel filter was effective enough for the removal of turbidity from the selected seawater samples with more than 98.5% efficiency.

Enhancement of Polysulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane Performance for Produced Water Treatment by Incorporation of Graphene oxide/Chitosan/Silicon dioxide Nanocomposite

Ahmed. T. Yasir — 2023-08-27

Oil and gas production is accompanied by generation of large amounts of produced water as usually three barrels of produced water is generated for each barrel of oil. Membrane-based water reclamation technologies have been applied to treat produced water. However, the presence of oil content in the produced water makes its separation very complicated due to the high affinity between oil droplets and the hydrophobic polymeric membrane. This, results in low permeate flux, low oil rejection and high irreversible fouling. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was functionalized using chitosan (CH) to synthesize GO-CH that was further functionalized with SiO2 to produce GO-CH-SiO2 nanocomposite. Synthesized GO-CH-SiO2 was embedded in the polysulfone membrane matrix to modify the pristine Psf membrane and impart super-oleophobic properties to the membrane. Produced nanocomposites properties were characterized using XRD, FTIR and TEM analyses, while synthesized membranes were characterized for their porosity, pore size, membrane resistance and hydrophilicity. Different ratios of GO:CH were applied with a fixed SiO2 loading to produce modified membranes. Performance test for the membranes modified with 0.3wt % nanocomposite with a GO:CH ratio of (2:1) showed a 271% improvement in membrane flux compared to pristine membrane while a ratio of 1:2 (GO:CH) gave the lowest total fouling.

Performance Criteria Priorities in Green Buildings: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Tayyab Ahmad — 2023-08-27

Green Buildings (GBs) are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to resource-intensive traditional buildings. Like any other construction project, GB projects are subject to project management-related criteria, including cost, quality, and schedule performance. In addition to these criteria, GBs also include sustainability performance criteria. As a GB is being developed, some criteria may be prioritized over others. To understand the development and sustainability performance of GB projects, it is necessary to understand the priorities given to different performance criteria and the factors resulting in such priorities. Using the findings from an online survey of 46 GB professionals based in Australia and some Asian countries, it is realized that project management criteria are typically ranked higher in GB projects compared to sustainability performance criteria. The survey has also revealed that these priorities of performance criteria are driven by the choice of owner/developer, obligations from state development authorities, developer's market position, investor requirements, etc. Performance criteria priorities in GBs are also found to be associated with regional factors such as climate, availability of natural resources, regulations, and culture. The findings of this study will support the theoretical development in the field of GB project management by leading to in-depth inquiries in this area.

Efficient Reservoir Operation in an Arid Region with Extreme Hydrologic Flows: A Case Study, Oman's Largest Dam

Akbar Karimi — 2023-08-27

Wadi Dayqah dam (WDD) is still not operating, and its operation targets are not yet fixed. Arid hydrology and the presence of new users require a new look at this dam's operation plan. The updated and optimal operation plan of WDD is the central research gap about this dam. In this study, to fill this gap, Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) is used to model the system and six scenarios, including the reference target of 35 MCM per year suggested goal that considers different operation targets as well as a modification to water system configuration by the addition of an upstream dam is suggested. This model is validated and used for 37 years of historical flow. Results show that the reference scenario is less than 55%, and an annual goal of 15 MCM has a maximum of 85% supply reliability. Adding a 20 MCM upstream dam can increase reliability by 5%. It is recommended that to enhance the economic aspects of the dam, suitable energy generation schemes are studied with unique configurations, such as pumped-storage hydro, as well as studying the other sizes of upstream dams that can contribute more to water distribution and energy generation.

Performance of an Infrastructure Project Following the Deployment of a Customized Lean Strategy

Ramez Alchamaa — 2023-08-27

This paper highlights the benefits of adopting and implementing a tailored lean construction strategy with its dynamic action plans during the construction phase of one of Qatar's recently completed infrastructure projects. The study includes using various enhancement measures and criteria combined with best practices by different project teams from all involved parties. The paper also proves the influence of producing a systematic work process during the project life cycle on overcoming challenges and barriers, in which the critical elements of accomplishment, improvements, and the conditions of satisfaction are adequately outlined and recorded. Through this paper, the lead author claims to achieve one primary goal, which is to name the most crucial barriers that affect the deployment of the Lean Construction concept within the construction industry based on data collected from four infrastructure projects, including the evaluated one in this paper. The required data was collected and collated through questionnaire surveys conducted on 57 professionals following many interactive workshops held by the lead author about the importance of Lean Construction implementation in construction projects. Concurrently, data analysis outcomes were used in the PDCA cycle of continuous improvement. The findings emphasize the importance of leadership engagement in lean deployment processes, and training sessions/workshops, besides rewarding the project team members as a pillar towards an ideal productivity level with the practical usage of resources and delivering the utmost value to the client.

Challenges and Perspectives on Resilient Collaboration for Building Information Modelling (BIM) Education in the GCC Context

Raya Atour — 2023-08-27

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is revolutionizing the construction industry and education through digitization. The construction industry expects higher institutions to create graduate students that are BIM-aware and enabled through the understanding of BIM. There are four pillars of BIM, which are people, process, policy, and technology. Less focus is given to the people dimension, as BIM is perceived as 90% technology and 10% sociology, while in reality, it is 90% sociology and 10% technology. This study would embed its focus on people, which are students in the context of the educational implementation, and on female students in the GCC region. This paper aims to identify the complexity of collaboration in BIM education for female students in the GCC region, as many educational institutions create specific atmospheres for female students aligned with the local customs of the region. The investigation focuses on identifying the challenges in BIM collaboration in education in this specific context through a multifaceted theoretical investigation with a comprehensive literature review. The findings of this paper include identifying the multivariate factors involved in the collaboration of BIM education. The recommendations involve the inclusion of resilient strategies to integrate the long-lost 'soft' attributes of people in technology in the realm of optimization and efficiency. This study would be a significant milestone in the region and a promising approach to utilizing local and indigenous tools, approaches, and contexts to meet educational excellence.

Practical Implementation of Campus Facility Management Performance Measurement in Qatar

Murat Gunduz — 2023-08-27

Effective facility management is crucial to overall firm performance and is becoming a core competency for organizations seeking to gain a competitive advantage and attain their goals. Recent research on facility management indicates that ineffective management is a leading cause of budget overruns, maintenance delays, reworks, variations, non-compliance events, unnecessary risk, and dissatisfied customers. In Qatar, there is an expansion of educational facilities to achieve the 2030 Qatar National Vision of having an educated population through a well-developed, accountable, and accessible educational system. This expansion is causing a growing demand for effective campus facility management (CFM) in order to effectively manage and accurately monitor the performance of campus facilities. Through a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews, and online questionnaire responses, this paper aims to develop a Campus Facility Management Performance Framework (CFMPF) that consists of tactical and strategic critical campus facility management success factors categorized into process groups. The proposed framework provides an operational foundation for benchmarking the CMF performance to support the identification of underperforming areas. The CFMPF has been used in real-world facility management firms to benchmark their performance and determine which areas of management need to be improved.

Medical Facility Management under BIM Paradigm for Hospital Operations Performance in China During COVID-19

Georgios Kapogiannis — 2023-08-27

Hospitals operation is becoming a major focusing points on China as there is a huge market because of aging population. The management of healthcare institute is crucial as it contains operational activities that can be harmful to public health such as medical waste as well as medical equipment that has to be maintained timely. In particular with the pandemic COVID-19 situation, the maintenance of the medical equipment is the foundation to ensure the healthcare service can operate functionally. Hence, this research is focusing on how medical facilities are being managed in Chinese healthcare institute as well as to understand whether and how BIM can impact healthcare facility management. A mixed methodology was used to interview facility managers in the province of East China region during COVID-19 period. The result of this research shows that by adopting BIM, the quality and efficiencies of facility management for key hazard assets in hospitals can be improved in principle because of the large amount of asset data and hospitals' information.

Investigation and Comparative Study between Research Methods used in the Five Categories of BIM-Based Built Environment Sustainability Studies

Hanane Bouhmoud — 2023-08-27

Using Building Information Modelling (BIM) helped enhance the environmental performances of building and civil infrastructure projects throughout their life cycle. However, the construction industry continues to be one of the most impactful industries on the environment, hence the imminent need for further research in this area. The choice of the right Research Method and Design (RMD) was always important to ensure relevant results for the Five Categories (Cs) of BIM-based Built Environment Sustainability (BIMBES) studies: BIM-based studies discussing either sustainability in general 'C1'; carbon emissions 'C2'; construction and demolition wastes 'C3'; water supply or use 'C4'; or energy 'C5', but the availability of a wide array of research methods and the absence of a clear mapping of the best methods to be used for each category remain significant challenges. The purpose of this study is to thoughtfully investigate the RMDs used for BIMBES studies. Thus, based on scoping review of 458 relevant papers, the study showed that BIMBES topics are contemporary and C1 and C5 are the most discussed. Similarly, the paper disclosed the evolution of BIMBES studies including categories' overlap, identified and mapped the RMDs used for BIMBES studies and highlighted 9 mixed research designs, 1 paradigm, 12 research instruments, and 4 data analysis approaches. This research paper could be the starting point for any study related to the BIMBES as it allows scholars to have a clear and well understanding of the used and useful RMDs to be adopted according to the topic they are exploring.

Study on Business Value of Building Information Modelling - Applied in Developing Countries

Amr W. Sadek — 2023-08-27

This research investigates the business value of implementing building information modelling (BIM) in developing countries. The study of BIM in this research is conducted with a focus on its return on investment (ROI) in the construction sector. There is an imperative need for such new systematic studies to contribute to the growing knowledge of the practicing communities. After studying the extensive body of literature, it was determined that there were numerous surveys and/or workshops that addressed the same topic from various angles. This led to the research methodology used in the current paper. Such existing research analysed respondents' responses to arrive at some conclusions. Based on this, the author chose to analyse these prior studies and not necessarily create an independent questionnaire that would ultimately add more questions than it would solve. The study's key conclusion is that no quantitative formula for ROI can be used, and the only option to address this issue is to rely on qualitative research that claim adopting BIM has a high potential to provide both direct and indirect income. Due to disputed underlying assumptions, every attempt to estimate the ROI of BIM discovered in the literature cannot be generalised.

Mitigating Legal Risks in Construction Project Contracts: The Importance and the Applicability of Force Majeure Clauses

Dana Ahmad Al Marri — 2023-08-27

Contracts in the construction industry are structured in a manner that splits the risks between different contracting parties; hence risk allocations within the contract affect the price and operation. As most Construction Contracts are long-term contracts, therefore, it is essential to consider having provisions to mitigate foreseeable and unforeseeable risks which may reduce the positive economic prospects and gains, if not, properly evaluated, managed and considered under the contract. For those reasons and many others, the Force Majeure (FM) or the act of God clauses are included in almost all construction project contracts. This paper will provide an analysis of the FM clause in the Public Works Authority (PWA) General Conditions of Contracts (GCOC) for 2018 in terms of the meaning of FM, a list of examples, and the consequences of invoking the FM clause and others. Moreover, the FM clause in PWA GCOC 2018 will be compared with other drafts of the FM clause in other forms of contracts that are used internationally, such as the International Federation of Consulting Engineers General Conditions of (FIDIC) Red Book, 1999 and 2017, and others. This comparison was conducted by taking into consideration scholarly opinions and existing literature on the topic. Finally, the paper addresses the gaps in the existing PWA GCOC FM clause and the applicability of the FM clause in cases such as COVID-19 and then recommends some amendments that could be considered in future contracts.

Investigating the Potential for Standardization of Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) Shutter Molds Designs in Bridge Projects in the UAE

Mhd Amer Alzaim — 2023-08-27

This paper addresses the potential for design standardization of bridge construction moulds as a means to minimize waste and cost. Specifically, the paper looks at the potential for standardizing the design of bridge Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) shutter moulds that typically vary in size and design based on project-specific requirements. Environmental and economic sustainability aspects are addressed using a two-tiered approach views of construction experts were solicited, and production-to-demolition and disposing costs of a sample of completed projects estimated. There appears to be a consensus that there are significant benefits from standardizing the design of the modes including material waste reduction, cost savings, shorter procurement processes and possibly the reuse of shutter moulds. Given the size of the construction sector and its contribution to material and energy consumption and harmful emissions, and non-hazardous waste, the potential savings are significant.

Offsite Construction in the UK: Economic and Environmental Benefits

Mohammad Maleki Sadabad — 2023-08-27

In contrast to traditional piece meal onsite construction, offsite construction comprises the planning, designing, production, transporting, and assembly of building elements for speedy site assembly to a higher degree of completion. Offsite building utilises a wide range of materials, scales, and systems, as well as modern manufacturing and fabrication techniques and computer software. Offsite construction is utilised to create componentised, panelised, and modular elements that support structural, enclosure, service, and interior partition systems. Integrating these systems with the supply chain through research, design, testing, and prototyping is an off-site optimisation technique. Due of economic, health and safety, and environmental factors, major UK contractors have adopted offsite construction over the past decade. Large projects are requiring major contractors like Mace, Laing O' Rourke, and Balfour Beatty to invest in off-site manufacturing. Offsite construction is defined in detail in this paper, along with how it can help construction projects to succeed economically and environmentally. The impact of offsite construction was examined in this research using a narrative review of the existing literature, and the findings demonstrate that there are numerous advantages both economically and environmentally. Offsite construction is more environmentally friendly because it requires less energy and large machinery uses on site. Since it is simpler to anticipate the amount of material required and buy in bulk, the organisation may reduce waste and the number of vehicles required to transport the finished product to the site. Cost savings always result from transferring site processes to a production workshop setting. The cost of labour in mechanical and electrical installation is one of the highest costs in construction industry, therefore, as prefabricated solutions have been fully or partially completed before they arrive on-site, labour can be reduced with offsite construction.

GIS-Based Solutions for Monitoring and Controlling COVID-19 in ASHGHAL Construction Projects: Improving Construction Sector Resilience

Mohammed Amer Younus Al-Shaheen — 2023-08-27

Early in 2020, doctors around the globe identified the virus responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Rapidly spreading, the virus reached every continent. As part of its efforts to prepare for the FIFA World Cup in 2022 and Qatar National Vision 2030, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), the State of Qatar, is on a fast-track mission to implement major infrastructure projects to revamp roads and sewer networks. Managing the human workforce on construction project sites becomes a significant challenge considering the pandemic. Large infrastructure projects are always characterized by many workers interacting in proximity at the work site. Immediately at the pandemic's beginning, management was instructed to leverage technology to empower decision-makers with COVID-19 monitoring tools across all the infrastructure construction projects. Thus, the Engineering Services Department created an ArcGIS Dashboard for engineers, contractors, and higher management to track the construction projects' COVID-19 status. Maps and data are combined in ArcGIS Dashboards to highlight significant patterns and measures. This paper explores the workflow established with direct communication and a submission system from the contractors and project managers to help collect and monitor critical health parameters of workers to prevent the propagation of COVID-19 infection. The study concluded that implementing a GIS safety dashboard for workers can help reduce the risk of project shutdowns due to novel Coronaviruses and provide an effective tool for organizations to improve occupational health and safety standards at worksites.

Leading Technologies Adoption in Construction Safety Management

Yash Kumar Mittal — 2023-08-27

Existing research reveals that by adopting leading technologies in the construction industry, worker's safety could be maximized. Presently, the application of technologies to promote safety in the construction sector is limited. The data for accident cases on the construction sites are very limited. Many tools and techniques have been created to increase worker safety on construction sites by designing and implementing good safety plans. A bibliometric and scientometric approach was used to identify the most prominent technologies in construction safety management. The data was retrieved from WOS database, and the analysis of the study is based on using VOS viewer to visualize the domain-specific knowledge. This study helps in the identification of emerging digital technologies such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), IT applications, Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), its application, and barriers in adoption during safety management. This study also highlights critical factors that promote technology adoption in construction safety management. This research also traces the current trends, future directions and supports crucial knowledge on safety technology to construction researchers and practitioners.

The Implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems for Roads and Infrastructure Construction Companies in Developing Countries

Marie-Belle Fawzi Boutros Boutros — 2023-08-27

Construction Enterprise Resource Planning (CERP) systems started to infiltrate the construction world after ERPs became crucial in modern enterprises. In simple terms, CERP integrate and keep track of the various processes within construction companies. As a minimum, these possess include management of general contractors, subcontractors, financial work, accounting, payroll, logistics, workflow processes ... data related to different processes are stored within one unique database. Despite this intuitive objective, developing and standardizing CERP systems to fit the needs of all construction companies is not a straightforward course. This research focuses on the development of a framework that integrates the minimum required modules to be included within a CERP, specifically for road and infrastructure construction companies. This objective is achieved based on literature review on CERP despite its shortage, in-depth interviews with construction professionals requiring CERP, and the results of a structured questionnaire filled by CERP users and developers. The developed framework identifies the procurement module linked to the on-site deliveries as the first stone that should be developed and implemented. Then, budgeting and work progress modules must be added. After that, timesheet and equipment follow-up modules need to be implemented. Limitations encountered highlighted the main considerations to be considered in future work such as the cost, the company's size, development and implementation period, and type of work.

Criteria and Challenges of Inclusive Design in the Built Environment

Shimaa Basheir Abdelkarim — 2023-08-27

Inclusive design is about designing accessible spaces for individuals with different needs. It beholds the ability to affect people's behaviour in the built environment, especially People With Disability (PWDs). Inclusive design aims to remove the barriers that hinder the accessibility and interaction of PWDs within their surroundings, enabling equal opportunities and expanding the scope of their activities. Ensuring an inclusive environment is the responsibility of architects, planners, engineers and facility managers. It is essential to ensure that buildings' design and operation align with inclusive principles through regular assessments. Many comprehensive assessment tools have been developed by scholars and used in the industry. Still, when issues arise like insufficient funding, the decision-makers should be able to prioritize inclusive design criteria in a defined assessment checklist. Addressing accessibility at the building level is particularly important to provide a suitable environment that facilitates users' interaction with the built environment. This study aims to identify prioritized accessibility assessment criteria for PWDs in higher education facilities through the lens of experts and to provide justifications for selecting the highest and lowest priorities. A targeted sampling methodology was adopted for the semi-structured interviews. Findings include a list of the highest and lowest prioritized criteria, identification of criteria with significant differences, justifications for selections and a close-up look into the influence of experts' experience on the criteria rankings. Furthermore, this paper provides insight into significant inclusive design criteria for improved FM decision-making processes and the strategy for managing the challenges of inclusive design in new and existing facilities.

TBM Challenges on Musaimeer outfall tunnel

Saad Zayed Al-Marri — 2023-08-27

Musaimeer outfall tunnel is the longest outfall tunnel in the Middle East. The tunnel was excavated by Earth Pressure Balance (EPB), Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) and encountered three distinct rock masses namely Rus Formation, Midra-Shale, and Simsima Limestone along with water inflows at high pressure, complex mixed ground, and weaker ground strata prone to cavities with the presence of vertical and lateral fractures connected to the seabed. These conditions resulted in the TBM operating in very dry conditions where the addition of soil conditioners and water sprayed in the excavations chamber and cutter head were required to avoid clogging situations and create a pasty excavation material, which impacted TBM operation. The opposite scenario occurred when the TBM encountered very wet conditions while passing through weathered Simsima Limestone fully connected hydrostatically with the seabed. Such situations directly impacted the productions rates, quantities of consumables, extra cost on the tunnel enabling activities and finally, the need of both atmospheric and hyperbaric interventions into the cutter head up to 3.5 bar to replace cutting tools. Long tunnels with only one access shaft pose many programme problems for logistics, combine these with the requirement to drive directly out under the seabed for 10.2 km, and the programme issues become even more challenging. To meet and eventually improve on the planned completion date required a complex and extensive management of all tunnel logistics activities required to support consistent tunnelling for a two-year period. This technical paper will discuss the management issues and solutions implemented to meet the challenges of the outfall tunnel construction.

Blockchain Technology Adoption in the State of Qatar : Qualitative Risk Analysis

Awad Alomari — 2023-08-27

Businesses may gain from implementing Blockchain-based technology in terms of profitability, productivity, and efficiency, which may cause them to re-evaluate their current business strategies. However, because the technology is still evolving and there needs to be more study on the effects of the various Blockchain networks (such as public, private, and consortium), their significance in developing new business models needs more consideration. In this article, we identified the potential risks/opportunities associated with Blockchain adoption in the state of Qatar through the standard technique of Qualitative Risk Analysis suggested by the Project Management Institution (PMI) using a standard (5 x 5) probability impact diagram (PID) with seven areas of impact namely Cost/Budget, Schedule, Quality, Customer Satisfaction, Business Continuity or Service Disruption, Governance & Compliance, and Environment. We found that circa 84% (i.e. 10 risks) of the most significant risks are related to the organisational and environmental risks, while only 16% (2 risks) are related to the technology itself. Our research highlights the benefits of Blockchain advancements to decision-makers for strategic planning.

Digitalization and usage of QR-code System in Documents Management

Loai Abdrabou- Adnan — 2023-08-27

Multiple official documents from various departments have contributed to the rising number of printed pages in construction projects. The dominant explanation for this trend is that printed pages have a direct relationship with the progression of the project as the number of quality assurance, quality control documents, health and safety documents, technical documents, lean and enhancement documents, and store documents get increased with the project timeline. The research data was obtained from one of the infrastructure projects in the north of Qatar between 2020 and 2023 and in line with multiple academic references as listed in the last section of the paper (Ågren, 2014). Contrary to what has often been assumed, the rise in printed pages due to mentioned documents contributes to impacting the earth’s environment badly, affecting global warming, cutting additional trees from green lands, reducing project KPIs, increasing overall project budget cost, and generating material waste. Lean enhancement engineers proposed replacing all the above-mentioned documents to be used in the digital format.

Duality of Lean Construction and Building Information Modeling into Digital Collaborative Scheduling in Qatar: A Conceptual Framework

Murat Gunduz — 2023-08-27

Long has the construction industry been chastised for its low production performance. Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction (LC) are two of the most widely adopted concepts in the construction industry for improving project delivery performance. LC is a complex blend of project management principles and tools whose origins can be traced to the automobile manufacturing industry. BIM refers to the technologies and processes that allow for the effective management of project information from inception to deconstruction. There are significant positive synergies when LC and BIM are implemented together. Nonetheless, these two concepts are frequently managed and implemented by separate teams within client, design, and construction organizations. This is largely due to the LC and BIM teams' lack of awareness and incorrect biases. Collaboration between the LC and BIM teams is necessary for BIM to facilitate LC principles/tools and for LC to enhance BIM processes in order to maximize the synergy between these two concepts. Globally, this is also a major concern for the industry. The objective of this research is to develop a collaborative digital model that facilitates the integration of BIM and LC teams in the construction industry. These objectives will comprise the proposed research on literature-based understanding of the collaboration dynamics between various teams. Document and map the two-way synergy between LC and BIM in design and construction management based on the literature, workshops and interview with expertise. Understanding the requirements for a digital, interactive, collaborative tool that will allow both LC and BIM teams to improve their processes. It is a conceptual and digital tool that may be referred to as a LC and BIM translator.

Advancement in Construction Management

Ravish Kumar — 2023-08-27

Building construction and infrastructure development have been a component of major civilizations throughout their history. Great examples, of architecture include the Great Pyramid, the Great Wall of China, and many more ancient constructions of historical significance. The fundamental component for the completion of these buildings is design, planning, execution, and closure. Planning of project execution is the most critical aspect, to have the ability to accomplish the required project execution in the allotted time and on framed expenses. Certainly, some outstanding quality and construction management procedures were implemented in the past, and someone was present to supervise the resources and time schedule. In today's construction project management, many mathematical tools and techniques such as bar charts, CPM, PERT and so on are employed for project planning. To manage the multi-tasking and complicated building environment, other standalone computer software and web-based packages are also in use. This paper aims to investigate advancements in construction management when dealing with extremely complicated building procedures in a complex environment. The methodology applied is to study and cite the literature of various preferred software management tools in the construction industry with the sequential order of the year, purpose, uses and process of the particular software. The results obtained are the analytical study of the software tools used in the construction industry.

Enhancing Micro-Tunnelling Activity in Infrastructure Construction Adopting Hybrid Lean Approaches: A Case Study

Asghar Kamal — 2023-08-27

Micro-tunnelling Shaft Excavation (MTSE) is a major part in the development of infrastructure networks in Public Works Authority (ASHGHAL) projects in the State of Qatar. Despite the importance of this activity there has been minimal improvement to the existing methodology. Traditional methods are producing large amount of operational waste such as extra manhours, over-excavation and excess of backfilling materials used. Using collaborative pull planning, a system involving key stakeholders and last planners have been developed to streamline the micro-tunnelling activity. Using a panoply of lean tools, data collection and analysis, MTSE was monitored and evaluated through the Plan, DO, Check and Act (PDCA) cycle that led to around 60% of time saving. The paper summarises the process improvement using collaborative pull planning and applying PDCA with project stakeholders' engagement.

An Exploration into Delay-Influencing Factors on Healthcare Construction Projects: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Bader Almutairi — 2023-08-27

The construction project's delay is one of the biggest challenges that concern practitioners in the construction industry. The success or failure of construction projects is usually measured by the building team's achievement of the project's goals and objectives (ex., time and cost). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), one of the largest construction industries in the MENA region, is experiencing significant delays in some construction industry projects for different reasons. The major causes of delays in project completion in the construction sector in the KSA and how sensitive it is to healthcare projects specifically differ from one project to another. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify construction project-specific causes of delay in the healthcare sector. The research is based on a quantitative approach using the systematic review methodology, where 100 delayed projects in Saudi Arabia were sampled from the healthcare sector, and the causes of delays were captured and recorded. Various factors contributed significantly to the projects' delays, such as change orders, high expenditure, and poor budgetary estimates. This study's results will help project managers reduce the risks of project delays by identifying the influencing factors and their local context, monitoring them, and finding the proper way to mitigate or element their impacts, if possible.

Choosing by Advantages (CBA) Used as a Qualitative Assessment Methodology in Lean Construction

Zied Dahmani — 2023-08-27

Decision making is part of the daily duties of researchers, engineers, and consultants, and taking the right decisions requires quantitative assessment which usually needs data and analysis. In construction industry, data collection or detailed analysis are practically complicated that cannot drive the right results. This fact leads to the common use of qualitative assessment where the numbers are not available, and the evaluation involves various criteria from diverse perspectives. As a Lean tool, Choosing by Advantage (CBA) is used predominately in the Design process. This paper's characteristics and contributions to the existing body of knowledge presents the CBA practice as a qualitative assessment tool in construction phases in the Lean Construction implementation in infrastructure projects, proposing equations through the technique which determines exactly how to assess the percentage advantage for each factor for qualitative factors with different grades or different ranks. The flexibility of CBA as a multicriteria decision-analysis (MCDA) model helped overcome the differences between criteria, categories, and value-based analysis. This paper describes the experience of selecting the option that considers advantages from various criteria in an extensive assessment.

Use of Immersive Augmented Reality Technology in Public Works: Myth or Reality? - A Case Study on Implementation Challenges

Balamohan Narayanasamy — 2023-08-27

The State of Qatar witnessed an unprecedented transformation during the past three decades in various sectors, more specifically in public infrastructure. The rapid transformation coupled with urbanization has increased the density of public infrastructure assets both at the surface and sub-surface. Ashghal, the Public Works Authority (PWA) contributes to achieving the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV) by leading the transformation of Qatar's public infrastructure delivery and improving operational efficiency. Augmented Reality (AR) Technology that interfaces digital information with the real-world environment both spatially and temporally engenders tangible impact in the area of construction planning, operations, and maintenance of public works and assets. AR Initiative is identified as part of the Geospatial Strategic Master Plan for PWA. AR Technology has proven successful in various industries like entertainment, health, manufacturing, etc., however, it has serious limitations and lacks adopting changes in large-scale implementation in the context of public works. In this paper, the intent, technology selection, and implementation roadmap are discussed through a case study. This case study presents various use cases considered in the public works domain including the use of AR with Geospatial and BIM Technology. This paper further discusses the strategy for deployment, best use, limitation, and factors to be considered for full-scale deployment. This paper summarizes the study outcomes of the current effort undertaken by PWA in deploying AR solutions and discusses the feasibility of AR solutions in public work is a myth or reality.

Investigating the Barriers Involved in the Sustainable Implementation of LC and BIM Approaches in Qatar's Construction Industry

Faheem Memon — 2023-08-27

The construction industry has never been as open to welcoming new ideas and strategies from other industries as it is now. Excessive waste in the three pillars of the construction industry, time, cost, and quality, led to adopting certain concepts tried and proven to work successfully in other sectors. Lean is one of such ideas that made its way to the construction industry after years of success in the manufacturing sector. Building Information Modelling (BIM), on the other hand, has been around for quite a while in the construction industry. Imagine how amazing it would be for the construction professionals and designers to live in what is yet to be constructed. BIM made it possible to foresee the future of the project. The question is not how successful these two strategies are, as this has already been proven through numerous studies, but how sustainable would that project be if both Lean and BIM are used concurrently. Qatar construction industry has embraced Lean and BIM concepts and Sustainability measures on its own, owing to a multitude of external and internal factors. Through a mixed-method approach of research strategy, an in-depth review of the literature helped explore the synergies between Lean Construction, BIM and Sustainability. However, the survey questionnaire and interviews led to identifying the two main barriers to implying Lean and BIM in Qatar's construction industry, Culture and Attitude and Commitment & Support from Top Management . The survey results also indicated the interaction of Lean, BIM and Sustainability at different project stages and helped identify misunderstandings about Sustainability among the industry professionals. The proposed performance measurement strategy also received an overwhelming response.

Using Value-Stream Mapping to Enhance the Production Performance in Infrastructure Construction Projects in Qatar: A Case Study

Ayman Naser — 2023-08-27

Current research on sustainable construction has primarily concentrated on the design and operation phases of projects. However, the enhancement of execution and production phases of infrastructure construction projects have received little attention. In this paper, Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is used, as a Lean production tool, to evaluate production operational waste during the project construction phase. VSM considers the development of process maps that support project managers in diagnosing the current state of production in order to propose future improvements. VSM addresses the underlying causes of issues, as opposed to the symptoms addressed by traditional tools. This paper presents a case study of the application of VSM in the construction of infrastructure projects to improve the manhole and high-density polyethylene pipe connection process. This study's primary contribution is to provide a comprehensive account of the application of VSM in the infrastructure construction industry, confirming its ability to identify the sources of production waste, quantify them, suggest reduction strategies, and develop a TAKT planning. The case study's result demonstrates an effective approach to enhance the performance of construction projects targeting to optimize the resources used and reduce costs, improve quality standards, mitigate the associated wastes and enhance the TAKT time concept in construction of deep utilities in infrastructure construction project.

An Integrated Workflow for Transforming Infrastructure Projects Data into the Metaverse

Mohammed Amer Younus Al-Shaheen — 2023-08-27

The infrastructure construction industry is typically characterized by large-scale, complex technologies, long completion times, and challenging collaborations. The provisioning of digital representations in 3D by combining physical properties with geospatial data would assist in addressing some of these challenging issues. These technologies would also provide a fundamental basis for the creation of Metaverse to support sustainable, innovative infrastructure design and construction. Hitherto most studies were focused primarily on integration techniques rather than providing comprehensive workflow for exploiting projects data to support engineers. This study aims to help engineers and decision makers better understand the opportunities and implications of the virtual 3D environment or Metaverse by examining the key emerging trends driving and enabling the development of data workflows for a selected infrastructure project. To build possible levels of workflow, the methodology involved incorporating 3D geometric data acquired from Building Information Models (BIM) and processed with geospatial location. The optimum data workflow and associated advantages for the construction industry have been determined. This paper also describes the concept and workflow approach, including specific data structures, data conversion, and a prototype solution. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the concept's robustness and both in terms of technical implementation and adoption for expediting business processes.

Assessment of Workflow Reliability in Two Infrastructure Projects Considering Efficient Adoption of Lean Leadership Culture and Engagement

Zied Dahmani — 2023-08-27

An organization leadership culture is the corner stone of success or failure. This paper focuses on Lean Leadership as an emergent concept introduced to many organizations where leaders are role models, empower their teams and make them accountable. In construction projects, culture is usually the combination of behaviours, attitudes, and communication inherited from previous experiences. A culture change is not welcomed unless mandated by the leadership and practiced daily. Where many factors are similar, two projects had different outcomes. A root cause analysis, on two infrastructure projects with the Public Works Authority ASHGHAL in the State of Qatar, reveals that project culture is the driving factor on a successful delivery on time and budget, and complying to quality, health and safety, and environment standards, with a public satisfaction focus. Client pre-set strategic objectives are achieved through a collaborative effort of project team where accountability is the bonding agent between promises and accomplishments. This paper summarizes a lean leadership culture adoption where it established a psychological safe working environment that delivers project to client expectations.

Enhancement of Workers' Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare in Ashghal Projects

Naji Mohammed Al-Faridi — 2023-08-27

One of Ashghal's core values and top priority is the occupational health and safety of customers, employees and contractors. Ashghal prioritizes and is concerned about developing the welfare of workers on the site and in the camp. Ashghal develops welfare specifications for the projects to protect workers and be sure the specifications align with international and national requirements. The specification covers the facilities within the site, such as: number of toilets, handwashing basins, rest area/mess hall, shelter, drinking water, first aid room, transportation, clinic, etc. Ashghal develops an implementation and monitoring system to be sure welfare specifications are provided to all workers, referring to welfare specifications as contractual requirements, then linking workers' welfare as one of the monthly KPIs for the project, implementing it by the contractor, and monitoring it by the consultant. Ashghal is also working on developing specifications and requirements for workers' welfare, for example, developing and updating the specifications and requirements for their welfare on Ashghal construction sites, which will be issued soon as the ACS.

Pavement Automated Condition Assessment Model Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and Convolutional Neural Network

Vinay Chawla — 2023-08-27

Assessing pavement condition is essential in any efforts to reduce future economic losses and improve the pavement performance. The resulting data are used as a record to evaluate pavement performance and assess their functionality and reliability. Traditional pavement condition assessment approaches rely on expert visual inspection and observational information along with testing using specialized equipment. However, these approaches are challenging because of the cost associated with assessment, safety issues, and the accessibility restrictions, especially after natural hazard events. This paper aims to develop an automated classification model to rapidly assess pavement condition by classifying pavement distresses using image classification that is based on Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model. High-resolution aerial images representing alligator and longitudinal cracks for flexible pavements are collected using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images. The results of the developed model indicate an accuracy of 96.7% in classifying the two categories of pavement distress, while the use of UAV provides flexibility and manoeuvrability to capture the necessary data without risking personal safety and provides operational benefits in relatively lesser time. The methodology behind the developed model will help to reduce the need for on-site presence, increase safety, and assist emergency response managers in deciding the safest route to take after hurricane events. Additionally, application of the model will enable pavement engineers in rapidly assessing the pavement damage, aid in making quick decisions for road rehabilitation and recovery, and devise a restoration or repair plan.

Digital Transformation Readiness in Infrastructure Project

Nada Wadi — 2023-08-27

Digital technologies have brought a new performance momentum in all industries and businesses wherever it has been fully adopted from manufacturing to healthcare and to climate change monitoring. In construction, the digital transformation has been limited to design phases while missing the operations part. It becomes crucial for the world's largest ecosystem to accelerate this digitalization at full scale. In infrastructure projects, digitalization is introduced to the operational level as a ready-made tool that lacks flexibility. This paper describes the barriers to the digital transition in construction operations, combined with the emerging impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from planning and progress monitoring aspects. Adoption of lean construction implementation in infrastructure projects in the State of Qatar, requires adoption for digital tools for data collection, verification, and analysis. This process is continuously improved at the project level to deliver a digital tool that is tailored to the infrastructure projects. This paper describes the initial steps for digital transformation in infrastructure projects in-line with a digital maturity growth.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Contracts and Claims for Infrastructure Projects

Mona Adam — 2023-08-27

Infrastructure projects have greatly affected the economy of countries, as they have contributed to supporting all economic sectors by providing them with many executive and operational projects. Despite the important role of infrastructure projects in Khartoum State, they are exposed to problems at various stages due to the Covid-19, which led to the failure to complete these stages. This study aimed to identify the extent of the impact of the Covid-19 on infrastructure projects in the Khartoum state and its relationship to claims and construction contracts in terms of costs, time and risks, and who bears and how to distribute the burden of additional costs and losses resulting from this pandemic, and how to contain and overcome the crisis and how to avoid the emergence of conflicts. The survey's descriptive approach was adopted by designing a questionnaire and distributing it to the affected sample. The questionnaire was collected and analyzed using the statistical analysis program and Excel. The results showed revenue losses for the public and private sector by 63.1%, and the Covid-19 also affected infrastructure projects in financial terms by 55%, and the prices of construction materials and direct and indirect costs by 50%, and the cash flow of projects by 49.2%. Based on these results, proposed solutions have been developed to improve the current situation, by standardizing the project cost in dollars to avoid exchange rate hesitation and following FIDIC contracts and formulating it to redress the damage in all sectors, which helps in improving the performance of projects in Khartoum state, which is trying to pass this unprecedented period.

Flow of Activities: Utilizing Parade of Trade to Develop Visual Management Tool Tailored for Infrastructure Projects

Yehia Zakaria Abdelkader Ibrahim — 2023-08-27

Parade of Trade (PoT) is a game used in Lean Construction to demonstrate the impact of variability on a production system and to promote the value of constraint management in an environment of dependent events. Infrastructure projects usually have a sequence of construction works to an extend matching with the PoT model. Different trades and activities distributed over a large-scale area combined with its arising particular issues, creates a challenging efficiency paradox. Therefore, there is a need to adapt a new tool that identifies pace maker of the production flow, shows the interactions between different construction stages and trades, and explains the impact of trade progress on one another. The PoT idea used to develop new Visual Management (VM) tool, tailored to bridge the gap in the current model of infrastructure construction management traditional tools, supports the effectiveness of resources utilization and optimizes the project as a whole. Starting from maximizing client's values and passing through selection methodology; this paper records the journey of developing and utilizing sustainable VM tool; tailored for infrastructure construction projects. It supports decision-making regarding resources allocation; adapting construction batch size; assist in determining takt time and takt zones. Furthermore, it opens the way for further studies from Lean researchers and practitioners to develop new Lean Construction tools tailored to serve infrastructure construction projects.

Implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM) on Public Infrastructure and Building Projects in Qatar

Robert Grys — 2023-08-27

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a term that has been referenced around the world by many practitioners and researchers. This modern methodology for project delivery improves the quality, time, and cost of any type of asset. BIM is not just applicable for buildings, it is equally applicable to utilities, infrastructure, and civil engineering projects. The Public Works Authority of Qatar recognizes the importance and the imperative of collaborative BIM to enhance design, construction, operation and maintenance of its building and infrastructure assets. The authority commits to the implementation of BIM and mandates its use on all public infrastructure and building projects over the complete lifecycle. This paper illustrates the implementation roadmap and strategy, in accordance with the Corporate Strategy and Qatar National Vision 2030, to adopt modern methodologies for design and construction delivery across the country. Anticipated benefits in each project stage will be highlighted, as well as the selection of standardized BIM uses within the authority and its supply chain. The authority has developed and published the Ashghal BIM Standards (ABIMS), which comprise of various specifications, templates, and guides. Those standards build on the existing code of practice for the collaborative production of architectural, engineering and construction information (ISO-19650: 2018). Finally, the historic establishment of a corporate BIM policy is fundamental for an enterprise and industry-wide adoption, building the governance on a unique concept - the four components of BIM Implementation - namely foundation, organisation, operation, and technology.

Implementing the Last Planner System in a Design Project

Dawlat Elmosalmi — 2023-08-27

Through the past few years, the last planner system (LPS) as one of the main important methods of lean implementation in the (AECO) industry proved to improve efficiency, performance, reliability, planning and coordination. LPS can be implemented in design projects as well as in construction projects. This research reports the implementation process of the LPS as a basis for continuous improvement in the design stage. The first part is about Lean Concept definition, values and wastes; challenges faced, and Lean implementation. Second part is focusing on the last planner system, its definition and method of implementation. Third part is a case study of how LPS is implemented in managing a design project in a design consultancy firm, how to lead the lean enterprise, and how to deal with change resistance within the team.

Strategies for Improving Construction Safety Performance in Developing Context

Wesam Beitelmal — 2023-08-27

Inexperience and lack of awareness of workplace appropriate actions are the common reasons behind accidents and injuries. Researchers and industry practitioners in developed countries identified more than 12 strategies that might lead to preventing worksite injuries. However, these strategies are specific to the developed context. Developing countries still fail to identify safety strategies that might align with their safety policies and procedures. This paper aims to take the first step towards identifying the best safety strategies in the developing context. Thus, the main research question is how can companies start to implement safety strategies with consideration of their context? This study applied a mixed method to meet the objectives of the study. The Delphi method was used to obtain the needed data. The descriptive analysis shows that four important strategies are identified out of the 12 strategies: Upper Management Support, Safety and Health Committees, Record Keeping and Accident Analysis, and Job Hazard Analyses. The findings of this paper can be used by managers to make defendable decisions to start implementing safety strategies in their organizations. Also, they will illuminate the developing countries' safety culture perspective and the implementation processes.

Marketing Strategies for Smart Buildings

Ahmed Mahfouz — 2023-08-27

Globally, there is a growing proportion of the need to optimize monitoring and facility management of new and existing built facilities. Smart buildings provide waste reduction to the environment, flexibility to facility users, and optimization opportunities to the owner. Several research projects explore the monitoring, management, and maintenance of smart buildings towards efficient facility management (FM). However, there is a lack of defined, effective, efficient, and successful marketing schemes for smart buildings. Furthermore, smart buildings utilize the different technological possibilities and advancements in the smart building business and impact relevant stakeholders such as clients, facility managers, and users. Therefore, the study aims to develop a marketing strategy for smart buildings. The study adopts an integrative approach as the underpinning theory. The study's methodology adopts a robust analysis of different market strategies for various building types in the construction industry. In addition, lessons are deducted from the building typologies, such as sustainable buildings, tall and green buildings. The proposed marketing strategy requires four defined phases: segmentation, targeting, positioning and differentiations. The marketing directions focus on activities, actors, and tools through a comprehensive, detailed, and interpretative literature review. The proposed adaptable market strategy integrates client and facility users, focusing on the main drivers for marketing smart buildings. Therefore, the study is significant for facility managers, developers, and facility users.

A Side-by-Side Comparison of Shaft Excavation locally in Qatar

John Brown — 2023-08-27

The city of Doha has grown and expanded rapidly in the last 20 years, but this growth has strained the city's infrastructure, including its aging sewerage system and treatment facilities. The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has therefore launched several strategic schemes which involve shallow and deep sewer tunnels and a new sewage treatment works (STW) to serve Doha's growing population in the years to come. One such schemes is the C853/1 Wakrah-Wukair Drainage Network Branches (WWDNB), which includes more than 15 km of bored pipes between 400mm and 2.4m inner pipeline diameter, with more than 60 shafts ranging in depths from 10m to 47m. The geology in the Wukair area is made up of several distinct strata, typically ranging in material strength between 10 and 48MPa, and it is the range of strengths that decides the method of shaft excavation. This paper will provide a production comparison between two types of excavation methods adopted for the same depth shafts and geological conditions. In the first method, the Contractor adopted the more traditional method using an excavator with appropriate attachments to break the ground, where this progressed in a cyclical manner until the shaft base was reached. The second method incorporated a piling rig to drill a specific pattern of holes within the shaft envelope, which enabled a faster excavation cycle and allowed for time and cost savings as well as improved safety. This paper will assess both methods, why both were utilised, and the lessons learnt.

Assessment of Contractor's Extension of Time Claim (Eot)

Neveen Asaad Saleh Ahmed — 2023-08-27

Project Management tools and techniques are simply the process of coordinating the contractor's resources to achieve the Employer's Target. Each project has its own level of project management tailored to the project unique case. In project initiation stage, various inputs drive the main project key assumptions relevant to Project Scope, Duration, Cost and Stakeholders. Those same assumptions could impose a reason for the contractor not to meet project completion date and to be titled as causes of delay or Delay Events. Some of you might understand that since the topic is Time Extension Claim, so we focus on project timeline, this is correct, and within this, we will explain why the Project Programme of Work (Baseline) where assigned resources, cost, quantities, and sequence of work will drive Project Progress need to be agreed. Regardless the debate of whither or whither-not, the Baseline is a contractual document, and it requires approval or not, this paper assumes that; the contractor has signed the contract, secured approved programme, and managed to follow all contract clauses to submit a proper extension of time claim. Hence, he/she is concerned about the Contract Administrator action upon receiving this claim, methods of delay analysis, and determination report contents.

Focus on Lean Construction at Umm Lekhba (Landmark) Interchange

Nader Halimeh — 2023-08-27

Umm Lekhba (Landmark) Interchange is the largest four level Interchange built in Doha-Qatar, which has 9 flyover bridges with 11 km in total length, constructed partly using 735 heavy precast concrete segments fabricated off-site, transported, and installed using heavy cranes and launching trusses with a minimum impact on the public traffic flow and on the shopping activities at the busiest interchange in Doha. The Lean Construction Institution-Qatar (LCI-Q) was established in October 2019, and the Lean Construction implementation became mandatory for all new projects of Ashghal in Qatar as of 2022, however the construction of Landmark Interchange was started in May 2017, and two of its flyover bridges were opened to traffic at the end of 2019. The contract of the Landmark project did not mandate implementation of Lean Construction but the contractor had implemented part of Lean Construction and BIM techniques at his own cost to overcome the challenges faced in the design and construction of the project, including consideration of using the Last Planner System, Organization/Standardization of the workplace, implementation of Just in Time concept, using a systematic procurement approach, utilization of Multi-layer subcontractors and consultants, etc. This paper will present briefly the construction of Landmark Bridges and discuss Lean implementation during the construction.

Why Construction Projects are delayed in PWA: Problems and Solutions

Dana Ahmad Al Marri — 2023-08-27

Construction is, by its nature, complex and uncertain. Changes and variations are inherently part of many construction projects, which require serious efforts to overcome. Project delay is a construction problem resulting in contractual claims, increased project cost, and decreased end-user satisfaction. This study investigates the root causes of project delay in Public Works Authority construction projects and gathers different perceptions on the causes of delay to propose a solution matrix that mitigate the effect of those delays and prevents its reoccurrence in future projects. A sample of over two-handed projects in 2021 have been granted an extension of time to its original completion date have been studied to identify and analyse the root causes of project delay and the risk relevant to the project delivery being prolonged. For these reasons, a categorization of delay has been adopted, and every cause of delay has been coded. The method adopted to identify the top root causes of project delay was the Pareto Analysis (Pareto analysis is premised on the idea that 80% of problems can be traced to 20% of the causes). The result of the study was the development of a holistic solution matrix to address the root causes of delay. The solution consists of two parts, (1) identify the relevant corrective, immediate and preventive actions, and (2) develop a responsibility matrix for the implementation of those solutions to ensure its governance.