This study seeks to provide insight into how varying water cement ratios (0.40, 0.45 and 0.50) influence the properties of fresh and hardened concrete made with aggregates prepared using two different preparation methods (manual and mechanical) both experimentally and statistically. Concrete properties evaluated included workability, density, compressive and flexural strengths at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of curing. Results revealed that varying the water-cement ratio impacted both fresh and hardened concrete properties while concrete having low water cement ratio performed better for both aggregates. Although handcrushed aggregates had slightly higher percentage gains in compressive strength over time, the machine-crushed aggregates started at a much higher strength. The flexural strength increased over time, with machinecrushed aggregates exhibiting a faster rate of gain while early-age differences were minimal, the disparity became more pronounced at 21 and 28 days. For all w/c ratios, machine-crushed aggregates consistently demonstrated lower water absorption compared to those with handcrushed aggregates at later ages. ANOVA and the independent samples t-Tests were employed to statistically verify these effects. A significant impact of water cement ratio and curing age was observed on the compressive strength, flexural strength and density while water absorption was significantly less impacted. The independent samples tTest showed a significant difference between the mean values for compressive strength, flexural strength and density (p < 0.001), with machine-crushed concrete consistently outperforming hand-crushed concrete. Water absorption, however, showed no statistically significant difference (p = 0.689), suggesting that both aggregate types absorb water at comparable rates

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, experiencing rapid urbanization and significant population growth. This urban influx has resulted in an overwhelming demand for housing, leading to large-scale construction, which is often marked by widespread violations of development control rules and unplanned building construction practices. Significant problems have resulted from these haphazard constructions, such as dwindling wetlands (12.98 % in 2022), decaying green areas (from 17% in 1989 to 2% in 2020), insufficient road networks (7 %), and decreased open spaces (0.9 %). The city is consequently confronted with issues including waterlogging, traffic jams, and increased susceptibility to natural calamities like earthquakes and fires. Despite regulatory frameworks such as the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) 2022–2035 established by Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK); which is the capital development authority, deviations in building construction are prevalent, with commercial, industrial, and residential buildings encroaching on conservation zones and failing to adhere to zoning and setback provisions. This study aims to explore the underlying causes of construction deviations, assess the current state of such violations through field surveys, and identify potential solutions based on stakeholder perspectives. The findings of this study can guide coordinated efforts among government agencies, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and construction stakeholders to improve compliance with building regulations, promote sustainable urban development, and enhance the quality of life in Dhaka

Access to mortgage financing is a significant challenge in developing countries, including Uganda, hindering the growth of the housing sector. This study explores the perceptions of bank credit professionals regarding clients’ awareness, attitudes, and challenges related to mortgage eligibility terms in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area. Employing a qualitative approach, indepth Key Informant Interviews were conducted with six credit professionals from two major financial institutions. The findings reveal that over 75% of applicants fail to meet the stringent eligibility criteria, with key barriers identified as high interest rates averaging around 21%, substantial down payment requirements of 20% to 30%, and rigid collateral stipulations. Credit professionals suggested strategies to alleviate these challenges, including relaxing eligibility conditions, accepting alternative collateral, and encouraging self-financing through investment returns. The study highlights the urgent need for enhanced stakeholder collaboration to improve mortgage accessibility and affordability. Policy implications include reducing interest rates, revising eligibility criteria, and strict measures against corruption within financial institutions. Implementing these recommendations is vital for making mortgage financing more attainable for housing developers in the GKMA, thereby fostering a more inclusive housing market in Uganda.

Public schools in Bahrain and in the Arabian Gulf Public schools in Bahrain and in the Arabian Gulf Region are facing poor indoor and outdoor environments due to the prevailing problem of harsh hot humid weather most of the year. This leads to high consumption of energy, and other resources due to the nature function of the schools. This necessitates effective actions to fill the gap and address properly the climate issues, consumption of resources, and design challenges. Reviewing related literature indicated a lack of Arab region studies in this field, in contrast to Foreign Studies. This gap includes items such as knowledge, data collection, design flaws, performance, guidelines and others. The objectives of this article are to investigate, and identify factors, green elements and possible solutions contributing to sustaining green public-school buildings and the environment while saving national resources and meeting performance sustainable criteria for school buildings and students. Literature review and qualitative descriptive method are essential investigation methodologies. The goal of qualitative descriptive studies is a comprehensive summarization and categorical. Literature review was the main action in the process to start exploring prior research and published works on green school buildings. Collected data on research materials published by reliable professional institutions and research are reviewed, explored, identified, categorized, and summarized in outputs. These are discussed and analyzed to ensure their positive influence on schools’ buildings and address collective challenges. Findings can be summarized in the following outputs: Characteristics. Advantages. Guidelines and standards. Green Building Council’s influence. Performance and rating tools for schools and students. Statistics. Innovation and Case studies and Lessons learned. The first Bahrain green school case study will contribute to the exchange experience with others concerned. In conclusion, this article recommends greening school buildings and environment design through various sustainable elements that are included in the results to enhance school buildings, the environment and student performance.

Internal displacement, often triggered by conflict or natural disasters, has left millions worldwide seeking refuge in temporary settlements. These camps, while providing essential necessities, face design challenges in balancing longevity and the freedom of movement for displaced individuals. Prolonged displacement, particularly for children, raises concerns about educational continuity and social cohesion. This paper explores the concept of fast-deployable shelters for IDPs using recycled maritime containers. The research stems from the observation of a large number of refugee children in all age groups requiring adequate spaces for learning, working, and social interaction. Inspired by the work of the Molham volunteer team, which aids disaster-affected communities, the study aims to propose an affordable and sustainable solution for IDP housing and social spaces. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining analysis of case studies and qualitative feedback from IDPs in northern Syria. This approach enables comprehensive insights into the design requirements and social needs of IDPs. The paper proposes a prototype boarding school unit constructed from recycled shipping containers. This design offers several advantages: Fast deployment allows for rapid construction, minimizing disruption to education. Provide an environmentally friendly and cost-effective solution. The modular design allows for flexibility in layout and expansion, catering to varying needs and site conditions. The design incorporates communal spaces to foster social cohesion and promote a sense of normalcy among IDPs. The proposed prototype demonstrates the potential of recycled maritime containers to provide fast-deployable, sustainable, and socially inclusive shelters for IDPs, particularly children.

The increasing research interest in the reuse of waste plastics have presented vast potentials for improving concrete properties and contributing to sustainable concrete production. This work studied the sorptivity behaviour of grades M25 and M50 concretes prepared using pulverised high density polyethylene (HDPE) immersed in 20% hydrogen peroxide as treatment. As an additive, the pulverised HDPE was added to the concrete at 0 %, 0.25 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, and 1 % based on cement weight. The concrete had been made with 150 mm3 steel moulds using mix design method. A superplasticiser -Hydroplast-500, was used in the mixes. For the grades M25 and M50 concretes, respectively, 0.4 and 0.36 water/cement ratios had been selected to represent medium and high strengths concretes after 7, 28, and 90-day periods of water cure. After being taken from the water and dried, the concrete cubes underwent a sorptivity test. Results obtained indicated that incorporation of treated HDPE to the concrete reduced its sorptivity up to 59 % and 64.5 % respectively for grades M25 and M50 concretes due to the admixture’s existence in the mix. The study recommends concrete prepared with 1 % HDPE by weight of cement for use in water retaining structures, drainage systems and constructions where damp is a challenge to existing infrastructure.

The intensity and diversity of human activities in public open spaces are indicators of their success and high quality. Although some studies addressed the relationship between the quality of open spaces and their use, none has comprehensively addressed the intensity and diversity of use and users. This study attempts to develop the Mehta method 2007 “GPSI” for measuring the quality of public open spaces, by adding the spatial dimension and using the time dimension more widely. Procedures for developing a tool for measuring the intensity and diversity of use (IDU) were applied to four selected public open spaces in Sana’a city in Yemen by the survey studies. The tool of (IDU) includes the intensity of temporal use, the intensity of spatial use, the intensity of social use, diversity of age and gender, the intensity of stay, and the intensity of activities. This study used the perception of architects and urban designers to determine the quality of public space (QPS). It then examined the correlation between IDU and QPS using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficients. The results show significant correlations between indexes of IDU and QPS.

Entrepreneurship orientation (EO) recently came to light as a major business strategy for improving firm performance in different contexts. The goal of this paper is to investigate the impact of EO dimensional components as independent constructs on the financial performance of Nigerian construction SMEs. A field survey method was used to collect information from 139 owners and top managers of construction SME in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) technique with the aid of Smart PLS 3.0 software was used to analyse and tests the hypothesized relationships between EO dimensional components and financial performance of construction SME’s. Finding shows that EO strongly explains 78.1% of the variance in construction SME’s financial performance. Innovativeness, proactiveness and autonomy orientations were found to correlate positively with financial performance while competitive aggressiveness and risk taking reported no significant relationship with financial performance. The study concludes that EO has a very strong potential for boosting the financial outcomes of construction SMEs in Nigeria. The study recommends construction SMEs to leverage on EO strategies to engender improvement in their general corporate performance.

A thermal insulation material’s effectiveness is influenced by its thermal conductivity and ability to maintain its thermal characteristics, particularly in hot and humid environments. In this study, different waste materials used in building envelopes are investigated for their thermal conductivity under temperature and humidity variations. Four materials are being studied experimentally; rubber, paper, plastic, and foam are mixed separately and proportionally with plain mortar. Thermal conductivity in testing samples is determined using heat-flow meters. Testing waste materials in a room environment for 14 days revealed varying degrees of thermal resistance. Compared to plain mortar, the inclusion of rubber, plastic, paper, and foam increase thermal resistance by 1.6, 43.4, 50.5, and 101.4%, respectively. In a climatic testing chamber, samples were exposed to extreme temperatures and humidity levels consistent with Bahrain’s monthly average temperatures. To determine the effect of changes in temperature and humidity on each waste material’s thermal properties, the thermal resistance of the samples was measured after 24, 48, and 72 hours. The change in environmental factors seems to have a mild impact on rubber’s thermal resistance. Most materials are foam and plastic, while paper and paperboard are moderately affected. Such a change is not substantial for the four tested waste materials during the July environment. Foam, which has demonstrated more significant changes throughout the January environment, shows fewer changes than rubber, paper, and plastic. In an extreme environment, all the tested waste materials, except for plastic, are highly influenced by exposure to extremities of temperature and relative humidity.

During the 21st century, food security has become a significant concern due to the growing population and the Earth’s diminishing resources. The Kingdom of Bahrain is one of the numerous countries that has been affected by urbanization, where the urban expansion was at the price of agricultural land. The paper introduces a rational for Vertical Farms that are sustainable solutions for 21st – century urbanization. It brings multiple benefits to Bahrain and its community in terms of food security, education, awareness, and health. It also supports its food security strategy and its 2030 vision. The study discusses the proposed project location in terms of the project’s needs as an urban vertical farm that aims to serve locals & residents of Bahrain by improving the quality and quantity of locally grown fruits and vegetables in an indoor controlled environment. The paper discussed various analyzed case studies of comparable type projects to understand better the project’s purposes, spaces, technological needs, and other significant features. Then, introducing and discussing a decision support framework for a set of criteria that responds to the primary sustainability pillars have been established to identify the best potential site to assure project success.