Massey Documents by Type
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Item Accurate Facial Temperature Measurement Using Low-Cost Thermal Camera for Indoor Thermal Comfort Applications(MDPI AG, Basel, 2025-11) Ahsan M; Shahzad W; Arif KMNon-contact measurement of human skin temperature is an important area of research. Infrared temperature devices have played a critical role in measuring skin temperature without physical contact. Thermal cameras have also been employed for non-contact skin temperature measurements. However, both infrared devices and thermal cameras have limitations that restrict their use in the building industry for assessing occupant thermal comfort. The building industry requires sophisticated equipment capable of measuring human temperature non-invasively and, through integration with building control systems, adjusting the environment to meet occupants’ thermal comfort needs. Unfortunately, standard thermal cameras and infrared temperature sensors are not designed with building applications in mind. This paper proposes an affordable and building-compatible thermal camera designed to measure occupant skin temperature via a non-contact method, enabling better integration with building control systems to support occupant comfort. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system can reliably capture facial skin temperature and establish a quantifiable relationship between facial and room temperatures. Moreover, this provides a foundation for future real-time thermal comfort and building-control applications.Item Material selection in the construction industry: a systematic literature review on multi-criteria decision making(Springer Nature, 2025-01-21) Bajwa AUR; Siriwardana C; Shahzad W; Naeem MAMaterial choice is critical for ensuring sustainability in the construction industry. Higher carbon embodiment materials contribute towards greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Decisions on sustainable material selection depend on multiple criteria and variables, thus creating a difficulty to determine the best choice. Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) techniques have the potential to address this challenge. However, there is limited data that reviews MCDM in choosing building and construction materials. This study aims to review the MCDM methods employed in the sustainable selection of building materials within the construction industry. This systematic literature review (SLR) incorporates meta-analysis and thematic mapping through applying “PRISMA framework” and “Bibliometrix”, respectively. This study explored and analysed the records published from 2010 to 2023. This work identified the critical steps for addressing decision problems in building material selection: Establishing criteria, ranking the hierarchy, comparing the selection criteria, and enabling consistency indices. Moreover, one of the most used MCDM methods, i.e. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) was particularly found particularly useful for the selection criteria and weight assignment of variables regarding the waste, recycled, and composite materials. The involvement of several criteria and alternatives raised the complexity of decision problems, leading to the use of Hybrid MCDM. Hybrid MCDM techniques possess the capacity guide informed decisions for the sustainable material selection in the construction industry.Item Identifying Critical Criteria on Assessment of Sustainable Materials for Construction Projects in New Zealand Through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-11-30) Qian J; Siriwardana C; Shahzad W; Rasekh H; Armaghani DJ; Mortazavi MNew Zealand’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 2050 highlights the urgent need for integrating sustainable practices into the construction industry. Since the construction industry makes a major contribution to GHG emissions, this study aims to address this need by identifying and prioritizing the critical criteria relevant to the effective selection of sustainable construction materials for New Zealand’s construction industry. The research employs a multi-stage approach, including a comprehensive literature review, expert interviews, and industry surveys. Initially, 80 criteria were identified through the literature review. Subsequently, expert interviews and industry surveys led to the identification of 30 critical criteria, which were categorized into environmental, technical, economic, and social impacts, and were ranked based on their importance. This study utilizes a 5-point importance index and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to rank these criteria. This study notably integrates technical impacts with the three traditional sustainability pillars—environmental, economic, and social—providing a nuanced evaluation of construction material selection. The results indicate that environmental and technical criteria received the highest priority weights (32% each), followed by economic (19%) and social impacts (17%). The findings offer valuable insights for industry stakeholders, assisting them in applying these critical criteria to improve material selection practices in alignment with New Zealand’s sustainability objectives.Item AI-Based Controls for Thermal Comfort in Adaptable Buildings: A Review(MDPI AG, 2024-11-04) Ahsan M; Shahzad W; Arif KDue to global weather changes and pandemics, people are more likely to spend most of their time in indoor environments. In this regard, indoor environment quality is a very important aspect of occupant well-being, which is often ignored in modern building designs. Based on our research, thermal comfort is one of the essential items in building environments that can improve the mental stability and productivity of the occupants if the building’s indoor environment is created in a way that meets the occupants’ comfort requirements. Buildings nowadays operate on adaptive or stationary models to attain thermal comfort, which is based on Fanger’s model of the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV). Based on the literature review, limited work has been carried out to enhance the quality of the inside environment, and most research work has been devoted to building energy management. Moreover, there have been no definite solutions so far that have the capability to detect the thermal comfort requirements of multiple occupants in real time. Modern buildings tend to operate on predefined set point parameters to control the indoor environment based on the measured room temperature, which can be different from the thermal comfort requirements of the occupants. This paper discusses the limitations and assumptions that are associated with the existing thermal comfort solutions and emphasises the importance of having a real-time solution to address the thermal requirements of occupants.Item Closing the Loop: A Comprehensive Review of Circular Repurposing Options for Decommissioned Wind Turbine Blade Materials(Ubiquity Press, 2024-08-14) Vishnupriya V; Meldrum J; Kahandawa R; Domingo N; Shahzad W; Shen XGrowing global concern about how to dispose of wind turbine blades has sparked an investigation into more sustainable alternatives. This research delves into finding eco-friendly solutions for managing the waste generated by wind turbine blades, specifically by exploring options for repurposing them. To put this into action, this study has focused on a New Zealand wind farm with 196 wind turbine blades at the end of its life cycle. Through a thorough review of documents, 60 potential ways were identified to repurposing these blades. Options falling under the downcycling category were excluded, thus narrowing down to 45 promising solutions to repurpose. Futher 7 practically applied global solutions are identified. Implementing these repurposing solutions would divert 331 tonnes of waste material from landfills from the New Zealand Wind Farm. This study is significant because it highlights the potential for a circular and sustainable approach and provides an example of how wind turbine blade waste can be diverted from landfill. The findings of this study contribute to practical insights and support initiatives across New Zealand to encourage the adoption of wind turbine blade repurposing. This, in turn, will foster environmentally conscious waste management practices within the renewable energy sector and promote a more sustainable future.Item Enhancing sustainability considerations in construction industry projects(Springer, 2024-04-29) Moshood TD; Rotimi JOB; Shahzad WIn today’s society, the construction sector significantly influences all three aspects of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social. Industry and academia have recognized sustainability in construction projects as a key concern. The New Zealand government also focuses on providing a sustainable construction sector centred on high performance, high productivity, enhanced innovation, and improving community well-being through a better-built environment. Project management and sustainability are two distinct areas of research. Previous empirical research on the effectiveness of construction project implementation lacked sustainability success components. This research aims to provide criteria for project sustainability success for future performance on construction projects. Based on the existing literature, many economic, environmental, and social sustainability indicators were compiled for consideration at various pipeline project life cycle phases. The information gathered from the Scopus database was analyzed using ATLAS.ti 9 software to create project sustainability success criteria. Pipeline construction projects and sustainability must focus on environmental challenges while managing economic and social advantages. The research investigated sustainable construction adoption, revealing weak awareness among organizations due to limited understanding among key actors like clients, regulatory bodies, and construction organizations. Lack of effective application of sustainability guidelines, inadequate legislation, and building codes were significant hurdles in implementing sustainable practices in the construction sector. The study highlights essential issues to promote sustainable practices in the industry. The study findings suggest that organizations and individual factors are strong predictors for achieving sustainable construction and are vital antecedents leading to greater sustainability adoption. Finally, the study points to construction project managers’ knowledge of how to set up criteria connected to sustainability and how it could affect the outcome of their projects.Item Infrastructure digital twin technology: A new paradigm for future construction industry(Elsevier B V, 2024-03-26) Moshood TD; Rotimi JOB; Shahzad W; Bamgbade JAThe construction industry has traditionally been slow to adopt digital technology, resulting in inefficient workflows, frequent cost overruns, and delays. Moreover, its fragmented structure, inherent to market dynamics, exacerbates these challenges. Embracing digitalization and transitioning to Industry 4.0 can substantially enhance efficiency and productivity in construction through increased innovation and improved collaboration, ultimately reducing information gaps and data discrepancies. This study aims to assess the potential integration of digital twin technology across various construction stages, spanning from initial design to project delivery. Existing literature emphasizes the transformative power of digital twin technology in advancing building innovation and environmental sustainability. These virtual replicas are crucial in optimizing industrial manufacturing by harmonizing production processes and societal interactions. A focused examination of digital twin technology applications in construction highlights its ability to streamline coordination and facilitate data sharing among stakeholders. Property owners increasingly recognise the value of digital twin technology in local contexts, driving the digitization of design and collaboration methods in construction. Integrating digital twin technology right from a project's inception and extending it across design phases optimizes project delivery, enhances asset quality, and contributes to societal sustainability. As the nexus between digitalization and sustainability goals strengthens, the construction industry stands at the cusp of a significant transformative journey.Item The H&S case for prefab(2019-02-01) Shahzad W; Rasheed EItem Panellised prefab's benefits(Building Research Association of New Zealand (BRANZ), 2018-02-01) Shahzad WItem Potential of Modular Offsite Construction for Emergency Situations: A New Zealand Study(MDPI, 14/11/2022) Shahzad W; Rajakannu G; Ghalenoei NKNatural disasters cause significant adverse social and financial impacts by damaging homes and infrastructure. These disasters also need a quick and immediate solution to post-disaster housing problems, to provide temporary housing services for short-term disaster relief and reconstruction of lost and damaged houses for complete recovery. Reconstruction of new permanent housing for disaster victims is one of the most time-consuming post-disaster activities. However, time is a vital consideration that should be minimized for the reconstruction of houses for affected populations. Modular offsite construction technology has the potential to enhance the post-disaster housing reconstruction process due to its intrinsic characteristics of time-efficiency. This study aimed to assess the potential of the modular offsite construction method as an approach that could promote the design and construction process of post-disaster reconstruction in New Zealand in emergencies. An extensive literature review has been carried out to evaluate the features of the modular construction method, which can add value to the post-disaster recovery phase. To evaluate the suitability and viability of modular offsite construction for post-disaster reconstruction and to find substantial obstacles to its implementation, feedback was collected and evaluated using the multi-attribute methodological approach by performing a national survey of construction industry experts in New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews with New Zealand experts were then followed to confirm and validate the questionnaire findings. The findings indicate that modular offsite construction technology is a viable solution for providing housing in emergencies or during post-disaster reconstruction in New Zealand, with its time-efficiency and ability to overcome the challenges of the current traditional method by its specific advantages. Reduced need for onsite labor, overcoming local labor resource constraints affected by the disaster, and enhanced productivity due to a controlled environment are the advantages of the modular offsite technology, which are discussed in this research.
