Integrating Resiliency into Future Sustainable Cities

Nunavik Inuit communities seek a sustainable production system of their built environment that would respond to their human, technological, technical, economic, and ecological needs according to their aspirations. Hence, Biomimicry, which aims at innovation and Sustainability by emulating nature’s proven models and strategies, seems promising since it introduces a philosophy of the relationship between humans and nature that evokes the Inuit one. However, like other approaches, Biomimicry needs work on implementing Sustainability, particularly in architecture, which leads to seeking reasons for those malfunctions and potential remedies. A literature review was conducted to circumscribe the notion of Sustainability to better understand its relationship to Biomimicry and investigate its significance and implementation into architectural design processes. It revealed two principal aspects: first, the essential role of communities’ involvement in the definition of Sustainability, its implementation and monitoring tools; and second, the vernacular architecture embodies sustainability models that can provide valuable guidance for architectural Biomimicry, particularly in their feasibility, due to the process of integrating learnings from experiences to improve and adapt their architecture over time. The paper exposes these findings and suggests the creation of a Nordic Architectural Sustainability Index for assessing sustainable northern architecture in Nunavik. This index will trigger the reflexive process by analyzing actual biomimetic and vernacular Inuit architecture cases, integrating the contemporary views of stakeholders, including the Inuit community, on architectural Sustainability.

This chapter investigates  into exaptation in architecture, highlighting its crucial role in bolstering resilience. The objective is to explore the multifaceted concept of exaptation and its implications for architecture, viewing it through the lens of biological evolution’s intricate mechanisms. Exaptation, involves a principle that enables a functional shift in architectural elements, encouraging creative repurposing. Drawing parallels between exaptation in architecture and evolutionary biology challenges traditional notions of adaptation and functionalism. Additionally, the chapter introduces a methodological categorization of architecture, reevaluating standard definitions such as function, use, and creativity. To illustrate the transformative potential of human creativity, case studies from various civilizations and historical periods are presented. These examples highlight how creative thinking and exaptation can produce innovative solutions during crises and disruptions. The chapter particularly emphasises the concept of human intelligence as exaptive, reliant on the evolutionary reuse of structures for diverse functions. It underscores exaptation’s critical role and ecological perspectives in architectural design. The integration of case studies from diverse cultures and eras reaffirms the potential of human creativity in confronting challenges and reshaping architectural spaces. Lastly, it argues for the necessity of change, highlighting that maintaining the status quo is untenable amid pressing crises.

The research aims to address a critical issue in New Zealand, where a significant number of homes lack insulation within their external walls. The lack of insulation leads to significant energy loss, resulting in high heating costs or a significant burden on the healthcare system due to respiratory illnesses. The research investigates how to retrofit existing homes with external insulation while considering the thermal and hygrothermal performance of the building. The study highlights the Parka Wrap system as a potential solution that has shown a 60% reduction in energy required to maintain a comfortable temperature inside a house. The research also recognizes that existing walls are typically leaky, and the addition of insulation requires careful consideration of water penetration and drainage to avoid damage to structural framing. Therefore, physical testing and software-based analysis have been conducted to develop a robust weathertight assembly with predictable thermal performance. The value of this research is significant, as it provides a solution to retrofit cold houses in New Zealand, reducing the burden on the healthcare system and potentially improving the quality of life for homeowners. Overall, this research is essential and has significant implications for the resilience of New Zealand’s housing stock

Timber is a highly valuable resource in New Zealand’s building industry, with a wide range of applications. To make wood useful and easily applicable, the timber industry processes and engineers it in various ways. However, this process often results in the generation of factory waste and discarded material. Unitec’s School of Architecture, in collaboration with industry partners, is taking proactive steps to promote sustainability in the timber industry in New Zealand. One of these initiatives involves encouraging students to design solutions to upcycle timber waste, to reduce waste and promote resourcefulness creatively. The course offers four different approaches for students to work with the material: creating useful architectural artifacts, household items, and structures for communities. The student research projects encourage consideration of material life cycles and the application of design briefs from timber industry clients. Equipping students with sustainable and creative thinking skills contributes to a more resilient and sustainable future for the timber industry in New Zealand. This exemplifies the critical role that tertiary education can play in promoting sustainable timber use. By developing responsible and sustainable skills and knowledge, students become agents of change in the building industry and can promote a more environmentally friendly built environment. The promotion of sustainable practices in the timber industry is crucial for a resilient and environmentally friendly future, making it essential to invest in sustainable practices and education in New Zealand and beyond.

This paper discusses a systematic online approach for precedent analysis introduced as a compulsory learning activity in the first two weeks of Design Studio 3 in Semester 1, 2022, at Unitec School of Architecture, Auckland, New Zealand. The brief is to create a safe, attractive, and vibrant mixed-use urban environment in Auckland with a strong focus on sustainability and high-quality living. The brief challenges BAS third-year students with designing a high-density mixed-use development in Auckland, and their work was evaluated based on five primary learning outcomes: (1) critically examine alternative design ideas which respond creatively, formally and accountably to a project brief; (2) evaluate and present effective solutions to planning problems in a systematic way; (3) respond strategically to urban issues, such as contextual relationships, position in broader public space, and planning in relation to the environment; (4) define the structural system of the building(s) through diagrammatic analysis; (5) display competence in both verbal and visual communication of design proposals. The paper describes how students employed a systematic architectural precedent analysis in a group work atmosphere to achieve the desired learning outcomes and enhance the integration of sustainability in their studio output. The precedent analysis involved examining successful/unique/inspirational projects with similar design requirements, environmental, social, economic and urban challenges and opportunities, and extracting key elements/lessons learnt from the precedents that could be applied to their projects. Results showed that the systematic approach to precedent analysis discussed in this paper helped students to identify and evaluate successful sustainable design strategies and enhance their incorporation into their design output. The effectiveness of the systematic approach to precedent analysis was confirmed in both the external examination report, student feedback, and the grades achieved by the students. The paper concludes that using a systematic cooperative learning approach to architectural precedent analysis can significantly enhance student engagment with one another and increase the integration of sustainable practices in design studio outcomes and should be considered an essential part of studio pedagogy.

Work from home theme has been discussed thoroughly in relation to sustainability and transportation reduction. However, it was less common to work from home before the COVID-19 pandemic, when many professionals experienced significant changes in their working environments. Telecommuting was made an option at the time due to the need for adaptation to the lockdown. After COVID-19, the work from home option remained as a basic alternative. This transition has motivated researchers to investigate various related economic, environmental, and social issues. The current study highlights the social resilience of the work from home environment post-COVID-19 in the Jordanian context in terms of telecommuters’ adherence and satisfaction prior to, during, and post-COVID-19. The study focused on telecommuters in the call center of a leading telecommunications company. Telecommuters’ adherence was investigated based on monthly employee performance assessment data. A questionnaire was also disseminated to examine the telecommuters’ satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality of their workspaces in terms of the social dimensions, including privacy, personalization, and territoriality at home. There was then a comparative analysis of two resulting groups: namely, those with better adherence to their work and those who became less devoted to work after telecommuting. Finally, a set of recommendations and design guidelines were developed to improve the social resilience and flexibility of future work from home settings. This result is expected to have a beneficial effect, supporting comfort, satisfaction, and productivity enhancements. This, in turn, will improve the implementation of sustainability measures during times of crisis, thus promoting the resilience of the worker’s home life.

This review article tackles Urban Acupuncture Theory to address the consequences of COVID-19 affecting today’s cities through various forms of people’s low presence and boredom in public spaces. After several rounds of lockdowns and applying social distancing policies in a wide range of places across the globe, there might be a need for catalytic action to restore public spaces to livable conditions. To address the argument, this review conducted a bibliometric analysis of articles indexed in databases and books published in the last eleven years, then a thematic content analysis. The collected sources determined the catalyst for humans’ daily use of public spaces and the role of pandemics that changed their function. A literature review was conducted to map the theory used in the literature. The results figured out the principles and capabilities of urban acupuncture that can help humans interact with urban spaces. Out data mining shows this theory can convert un-functional spaces into livable places. The contribution of this research may assist urban designers and planners in designing public areas of the future.

Climate change has dramatically impacted the natural and cultural environment, and residential streets in suburban areas, which occupy up to 35% of suburban areas, are important for building community resilience. However, most of these streets were initially designed as car-dominated paved spaces, and are increasingly criticized as environmentally and socially unsustainable. This article focuses on enhancing urban community resilience in Auckland through street retrofitting interventions. The authors view streets as a cultural tool and a public space that can be used to bring communities together and encourage social interaction. Being a multicultural city, Auckland provides a unique challenge in creating street designs that work with the diverse identities of its communities. The authors present three student-built projects in Onehunga, Avondale, and Aurangua neighborhoods where they aim to create architectural interventions for the community to use. The design process involves close collaboration with the community to understand their particular ways of living and to provide them seating, shelter, and expression with spaces. The authors argue that this approach will help increase community engagement and a sense of pride in their public spaces. Overall, this paper highlights the importance of street retrofitting pop-up interventions in enhancing urban community resilience. It also shows how this can be achieved through a collaborative design process that reflects the desires and aspirations of the community. The success of these architectural interventions can act as a catalyst for community-based street retrofits that integrate environmental intervention with cultural solutions. It has the potential to transform car-dominated streets into vibrant and resilient public spaces that are proud by all cultures.

The term sustainable development has become, in recent years, commonplace in any socioeconomic debate. A government and business marketing tool, as well as a challenge for economists and policymakers. Nonetheless, despite its widespread use and significant popularity, the concept remains somewhat ambiguous, with short-sighted interpretations regarding its definition, origins, and dimensions. This article aims to (re)position the debate on the issue of sustainable development, examining the origins and construction of this concept through the analysis of its historical evolution. It also presents and discusses its key conceptual dimensions, originally introduced in the nineties through the tripod (i) social justice, (ii) environmental protection, and (iii) economic efficiency, until its later expansion with the introduction of two more pillars of sustainability: (iv) cultural diversity, and (v) institutional capacity. This is done through an extensive literature review and content analysis of foundational documents and significant events that played a crucial role in shaping the concept of sustainable development. The article concludes and argues that the understanding of sustainable development has changed and evolved from a narrow view focused only on economic growth and environmental protection to a broader understanding that must also encompass social, cultural, and institutional aspects.

The digital heritage research centre (DHRC) was established in 2022 to foster transdisciplinary and industry-engaged research to meet the challenges of housing intensification, climate change and natural disasters contributing to the continual loss and degradation of New Zealand’s cultural heritage. Founded by three researchers, it currently engages with 35 internal and external researchers, industry, and community partners. To respond to the emerging heritage crisis, we are utilising the expertise of a transdisciplinary team of national and international academics, industry practitioners, and experts in architecture, engineering, seismic strengthening, digital technologies, and intercultural relations. Regulators, government bodies, and the private sector widely support our work. It is guided by an Advisory Group of industry and public sector end-users, leading experts, and a Kāhui Māori who are the guardians of the projects aspirations around Vision Mātauranga. We intend to transform the disparate knowledge sets, standards, and legislation currently relied on by regulators and industry professionals, utilising tangata Tiriti and tangata Whenua knowledge systems to address the current lack of synchronisation between those working in the heritage sector. Since its establishment, DHRC has submitted two national funding applications for contestable funds from the central government organisation and had several successful fundings secured by the industry, which required extensive communication and coordination with multiple stakeholders. This paper will provide an overview of the applied research towards a more resilient environment that we are working towards within the Digital Heritage Research Centre. It will focus on the strengths and challenges of the development of transdisciplinary research and the first results we have developed so far.

Smart urban furniture is a designed, and potentially networked type of street furniture that is equipped with either an intelligent system or is controller operated. It usually involves the integration of renewable technologies like solar panels for self-generation and can provide different functions to the city. Research has demonstrated that smart street furniture can significantly contribute to climate resiliency, sustainability, community, and the economy. Moreover, it is a relevant component of public infrastructure that can provide shelter and outdoor temporary workspaces, contribute to enhancing micro and active-mobility, and perform as a collector of big data. The goal of this research was to build a community of innovation around a project of smart solar urban furniture for Auckland and to develop a design proposal to be prototyped in the very near future. A literature review on international case studies and two workshops with stakeholders were carried out to co-ideate a preliminary design proposal. Following that, a detailed design was developed through an iterative design-based research process, including material selection and cost estimation. The paper describes the research process and methodology that was used and the outcomes achieved to date. Results show a growing interest in this topic in Oceania; moreover, they also indicate that a large majority of these objects are non-site specific, which may open the door for future research opportunities. This research was focused on the Auckland context and prioritised local needs. The final detailed design will be critically discussed and compared against the outcomes of the co-ideation process.

Numerous studies, reports, and articles in the general media discussing housing in Aotearoa New Zealand’s cities have been published in the period since Auckland Council adopted the current version of its strategy for intensifying the city, now well embedded as the Auckland Unitary Plan of 2016 (AUP). It is widely accepted in the literature of urban planning that medium density housing “done well” offers a sustainable pathway to urban growth. Central government introduced the Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Act (New Zealand Government Environment Committee. Resource Management (Enabling Housing Supply and Other Matters) Amendment Bill. (83–1). Wellington: NZ, 2021) to Parliament in November 2021. The Amendment Act endorses higher density by introducing more “permissive” regulations. The revisions now passed into law in Wellington remove provisions in the AUP that provide for the regulation of density by zoning; they reduce minimum standards for internal and external private space, and they increase permitted building heights while reducing boundary proximities. They over-ride the evidence-based and documented research that went into the AUP, which was also validated by exhaustive community consultation. A majority of expert opinion expressed in a brief process of public consultation predicted that the Act’s effect will be to create a legacy of poor-quality housing for Auckland. Preliminary analyses emerging from a survey carried out by the Unitec Housing Research Group of post-2016 examples of housing projects now suggests that while some developments reach a standard of design that compares reasonably well with housing overseas, a majority do not. This paper examines positive and negative outcomes of the current regulatory regime using data from the Housing Research Group surveys. Conclusions indicate that, with fine-tuning, mechanisms that already exist within the AUP can achieve policy objectives to “do medium density well”.

Studies about urban resilience have been proliferating since it has been considered a desirable quality for cities when recovering from flooding, earthquakes, or tsunamis. However, in ecology, resilience is a property of complex adaptive systems, like cities, that might or might not be desirable. The concentration of crime in cities is an excellent example of a highly resilient phenomenon that is undesirable. Nevertheless, it has persisted by adapting successfully to changes in policies, laws, and urban design interventions. How can resilience be used to produce an alternative approach to the design of safer built environments? The present paper discusses the development of crime in Santa Ines, a neighbourhood in Bogota better known as “El Cartucho” that has been the subject of different urban transformations. The methodology used is quantitative and compares different stages in the development of El Cartucho by mapping the urban changes at each stage and the concentration of crime at the end of the twentieth century. A theoretical resilience framework is applied to process the data and to interpret the impact of the urban changes in the concentration of crime. The conclusion discusses the opportunities of using ecological resilience to study urban landscapes and design safer cities.

Heatwaves pose undesirable consequences to human health as a ‘silent killer’ and penalise the environmental, economic and social aspects. Future heatwaves are predicted to be more severe, longer and more frequent. Over the past decade, Melbourne, Australia, has experienced three notable summer heatwaves. This study presents a simulational experiment in Melbourne’s central business district for the 2014 heatwave, using ‘The Air Pollution Model’, a mesoscale urban climate model. The study evaluated the effectiveness of green and cool roofs as heat mitigation strategies, considering various scenarios that balanced their occupancy on city rooftops, with a maximum 50:50 combination. Temperature data for heatwave days, including average (T_ave), maximum (T_max), and minimum (T_min) temperatures, were compared to the average seasonal summer temperatures. The results showed that heatwave temperatures exceeded seasonal averages significantly, with T_max exceeding by 16.1 °C and T_min and T_ave by 5.8 °C and 12.5 °C, respectively. The temperature reduction behaviour of scenarios during heatwaves proved scenario d5 with 25% green roofs and 75% cool roofs with 0.7 albedo to be the best performance for T_max with the highest reduction. For T_min and T_ave, d8, a scenario with 50:50 green and cool roofs (0.7 albedo) offered the best heat reduction. Moreover, d8 recorded the best reduction for the total average air temperature and apparent temperature, a measurement used to evaluate human thermal comfort. The combined scenarios exhibited complementary cooling potential for multiple heat indices, surpassing the individual effectiveness of either green or cool roofs for heat mitigation in Melbourne. Therefore, wise utilisation of total roof area by integrating both green and cool roofs in urban planning can offer a resource-efficient, cost-effective, and realistic strategy, making them a promising solution for addressing the challenges posed by rising heatwaves in urban areas.

For the past many years, the research group’s top priority has been to better understand the urban heat island effect and to develop sustainable cities with a clear path towards heat mitigation techniques. This problem is typically observed in urban areas where rising global warming is changing the climate and raising the earth’s surface temperature. As a result, this research study seeks to explore several heat mitigation techniques for enhancing outdoor thermal comfort in a large-scale urban environment by taking into consideration a residential + commercial area from Kalupur near Ahmedabad railway junction, Ahmedabad City, Gujarat, India. Which has an administrative boundary of 89,700 m² = 0.09 m² was modelled in Envi_met (SPACES) V5.0.2 software. As Ahmedabad city has been considered for the research study, which is classified as hot, semi-arid climate-Bsh based on Köppen climate classification and aim of the study is to improve the outdoor thermal comfort and to plan heat mitigation strategies of an Ahmedabad city, Gujarat, India, with analyzing mean radiant temperature (Tmrt) and Air Temperature (AT) with the application of ENVI-met V5.0.2 Software. The input data for the simulations process are based on the meteorological station and downloaded from visual crossing website. In this paper, a residential + commercial area of 0.09 m² which is located at latitude (N°, −S) = 23.03 and Longitude (W°, + E) = 72.60 in Ahmedabad city were analyzed for the hottest day which has an extreme condition of heat stress in area. The selected day for simulation was 15th May 2022 with maximum Ta 45 °C. Based on simulation of modeling the four different case scenarios in ENVI-met (SPACES) model for a hot summer day in May. The simulated results (for a typical Summer on 15th May 2022 at 15:00 & 5:00 AM) show that the suggested strategies have an effect on OTC. The results are provided in both spatial and temporal terms. It means adopting case-3 (clustered arrangement of tree (N, S, E, W and Middle) with 20% increasing in green cover) and case-4 (no trees but only grass means green ground near the building) in particular location can reduce the Ta around 0.852 to 2.052 °C with Tmrt reduce up to 2.044 °C in summer at 15:00 and the results are validated through a field measurement and software simulations. Comparisons using statistical metrics of R², d, and RMSE which have value (RMSE = 0.079, R² = 0.80 and d = 0.895).

This article aims to understand the relationships between city resilience challenges in a refugee host developing country, taking Amman in Jordan as a relevant case. It aims to investigate its built environment challenges and define which should be given priority over others, given the country’s limited possibilities and current economic, environmental, social and political conditions. Around 200 local professionals, including practitioners, academics and policymakers, responded to a web-based questionnaire that aimed to rank Amman’s most pressing chronic and sudden problems in order of priority, rate their impact on the built environment, and evaluate the level of preparedness to those challenges. Besides identifying a list of problems in order of priority and reflecting on them, findings highlight significant interconnections between stresses and shocks of Jordan’s built environment and visualise them using the Causal Loop Diagrams. Results from this study contributed to a deeper understanding of Amman’s urban challenges and could potentially inform further development of the urban resilience plans in the local case of Amman, beyond in cities experiencing a rapid influx of refugees and perhaps those aiming to understand their challenges to enhance urban resilience.

A digital twin is the as-built replica of a physical setting. It’s the most advanced form of a digital representation following Building Information Modelling (BIM) and City Information Modelling (CIM). Applications of Digital Twins (DTs) are foreseen to transform the built environment into dynamic, responsive and interconnected settings. Yet, the potential of DTs applications for the life cycle of a built asset is to be investigated. This book chapter explores DTs applications in the built environment and investigates their potential as a framework for achieving responsive, interconnected, and resilient architecture and urbanism. The book chapter presents a state-of-art review based on AEC industry directions (Architecture, Engineering, and Construction), real-case applications, and research explorations. The findings of this book chapter highlight DT applications as potential gears for the digital transformation of the built environment with a particular lens on the life cycle of a built asset. This book chapter, also, contributes to the body of knowledge by illustrating real cases of city-scale DTs and their associated applications as a practical framework for responsive, resilient, and interconnected architecture and urbanism.

There are instances where a piece of infrastructure may assume multiple roles, especially when it has the potential of becoming inhabited. The case in point, on the island-country of Cyprus, is the product of a bi-communal conflict which has resulted in a demarcation and buffer zone between opposing sides. The issue of what to do with respect to cultural heritage in this contested zone that contains underutilized built and natural landscapes comes into play. The question is asked as to whether it can be put to use as a venue not only for reconciliation but also as a zone of production, of cultural regeneration and of economic redevelopment. Indeed, action in such areas of contestation may lead to restoration, regeneration and resilience within an area that may benefit from reacquiring a positive message of unity in diversity in such a way as that of making heritage anew and in re-articulating the demarcation line by the use of a piece of infrastructure. The case study presented is one such attempt at a mechanism for creating new possibilities for economic and cultural production and for the redevelopment, regeneration and resilience for the underused territory. At the same time, it offers on one hand the possibility for the rapprochement of the disengaged communities on either side of it, as well as the unlocking of the economic potential of the underused dormant land it occupies. In this latter incarnation—and utopina in nature as it may seem—it may well offer alternative appropriation, occupation and habitation platforms and additionally it may present a means of strengthening bicommunal resilience.

The recent terrible flooding has caused severe damage to people’s lives and housing in Tamaki Makaurau and across Aotearoa, New Zealand, particularly those in flood-prone areas. These events make it clear that the provision of denser housing will make the problem of climate change worse. The two issues, urban flooding and increasing housing supply necessitate a new urban design model. This model recognises the intersection of the existing urban topography and the environmental conditions of climate change. Utilising the techniques of catchment planning and GIS mapping, the model advances a way to increase the housing supply while at the same time ensuring the safety of the inhabitants. The model was explored in a student design studio. This design exercise was a joint project with students from the Unitec School of Architecture community groups from Māngere for a site adjacent to the Te Ara-Rata Stream. One of the key aims of the studio was to reduce the risk of flooding through different design techniques. These included where future housing was located and the benefits of nature-based strategies such as recreating wetlands and increasing riparian margins The community and professionals have recognised the outcome of this studio as an effective way to design resilient urban models for climate change, particularly flooding.

In 2009, a Tsunami caused significant damage to several island nations in the South Pacific. Samoa was one of the countries most affected by this catastrophic event. The earthquake which triggered the tsunami happened within the Tongan trench line, about 200 km south of the capital Apia. In Samoa, the areas affected most strongly were located along the southern coastline of the main islands, Upolu and Savai’i. The village of Poutasi is located on the South coast of Upolu. Having been devastated by the tsunami, the village has taken the initiative to develop and improve their community to be better prepared for such a disaster. This is where the project Tutū Fa’atasi sets in. Aiming to design a disaster relief centre for Poutasi, the project investigates how vernacular building and design techniques can be utilised for the benefit of a contemporary indigenous community. Making use of work by the UNESCO on International Disaster Resilient Architecture (INDRA). UNESCO. https://​en.​unesco.​org/​disaster-risk-reduction/​built-environment/​indra (INDRA), the project identifies design techniques for building houses to withstand high winds. These techniques were connected to elements that already exist within the Samoan customary architecture. Taking the project Tutū Fa’atasi as its starting point, this paper investigates approaches to designing climate-resistant architecture in Moana Nui through exploring ways of combining the architecture of the past with the technology of today. Taking the notion of the vā as its centre, the paper propagates to connect exterior help with utilising knowledge and materials that already exist within indigenous communities. Such an approach may assist the communities that face the effects of climate change.

The built environment, including all the structures and systems that make up our cities, towns, and communities, is facing an increasing range of ongoing stressors and unexpected shocks that threaten its ability to withstand and adapt to change. These challenges include everything from natural disasters and climate change to infrastructure failures and social resilience issues. In order to ensure that our built environment is resilient and able to withstand today’s as well as future challenges, it is essential to have a comprehensive list of strategies that enhance resilience to multiple hazards. While efforts have been made to address building resilience, most of the focus has been at the urban scale. Much work is needed to address multi-hazard resilience at the building scale, and most importantly existing building retrofits as the majority of buildings already exist, and retrofitting them to incorporate a multi-hazard resilience approach presents a significant challenge. This book chapter presents an overview of several retrofit strategies that address a number of bottom-up and top-down urban challenges and promote multi-hazard resilience in buildings. Bottom-up challenges include issues such as high energy costs, water scarcity, natural disasters, and infrastructure failures, whereas top-down challenges include hazards related to climate change, human-made hazards, and social resilience issues. The retrofit strategies outlined in the chapter have been derived from a range of sources, including academic articles, reports, and international sustainable and resilient building guidelines and rating systems. The findings highlight a range of retrofit strategies that can effectively enhance the multi-hazard resilience of buildings. These strategies have been summarised in two tables, which can serve as a foundation for the development of comprehensive guidelines and frameworks aimed at promoting multi-hazard resilience in building retrofits.

The significant negative impacts of Construction and Demolition Waste (C&DW) on the environment worldwide have been increasingly debated in recent decades. The existing work has largely remained focused on reducing waste and increasing recycling and upcycling strategies. One of the major problems with timber in the construction industry is the overuse of resources associated with monoculture forestry practices. Furthermore, forestry slash is increasingly adding to environmental issues during increased rainfall due to climate change. At the same time, these challenges do not align with Māori values, which emphasise the responsibility of caring for and preserving the environment for future generations. The forests of Aotearoa New Zealand are the inspiration for the indigenous people who believe that everything in nature is interconnected. This expanded understanding of the totality of the life-cycle of grown materials shows that even greater importance should be given to retaining the grown materials in use for as long as possible. The paper evaluates the overarching goal of waste minimisation in the case study of grown materials, primarily timber. It proposes that the life-cycle of timber used in the construction industry should be expanded when considering the initial and later phases, by including more cultural values associated with timber practices for construction. To achieve this, the paper critically examines issues with the current growing practices in detail, incorporating critical discourse analysis and a decolonising lens to promote inclusivity, equity, and respect without bias. Additionally, the paper reports on international cutting-edge examples for the management of timber waste, thereby providing a more comprehensive understanding of the life-cycle of grown materials and ways to minimise waste. The overarching objective is to encourage a radical reconsideration of current practices through a framework that prioritises cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness. This paper asks, if the integration of cultural values, particularly Māori perspectives, into the timber life-cycle in the construction industry, could contribute to minimising C&DW and enhance environmental resilience in the face of climate change impacts.

Approximately one third of all landfill can be attributed to the construction sector. Waste generated by construction is a major hurdle to providing liveable built environments that crucially do not pollute natural environments. Countries that historically imported waste are reducing and stopping this practice. Waste is becoming a national problem for which many nations are not equipped. We delineate two of the key challenges in this area (1) dealing with the surplus and waste generated during construction and (2) reducing waste created during demolition. First, we look at several aspects of the problem of construction waste including its economics, culture and business model. Second, we focus on construction processes and discuss the authors original research, a pilot study of a digital fabrication construction project. It explores an off-site manufacturing (OSM) methodology for construction that minimises waste and does not require a proprietary factory. We discuss why the proprietary factory approach present major challenges for the sector. Additionally, we discuss the involvement of project partners and local communities. Finally, we look at demolition, specifically the limitations of existing systems to reduce waste. We finish by summarising our findings that this method of construction dramatically reduces construction waste. As well as outlining key obstacles to improving digital systems and reducing waste in the sector.

Construction waste (CW) recycling is becoming increasingly important in New Zealand due to growing environmental concerns, escalating demand for residential construction, and a scarcity of building materials. This study explores the barriers to CW recycling in New Zealand through semi-structured interviews with experts in the residential construction sector. The primary objective of this paper is to identify barriers to recycling CW and understand the current perspectives of professionals toward CW recycling in New Zealand’s residential construction sector. Five semi-structured interviews were conducted with relevant experts, including development managers and waste management and sustainability professionals in New Zealand. The collected data were analysed using a thematic approach to identify key themes and response patterns. The findings suggest that while there is a rising awareness of the importance of CW recycling in New Zealand, there are still significant barriers to its adoption. The identified barriers were categorised into four categories: (i) recycling infrastructure, (ii) recycled materials availability, (iii) cost of recycling, and (iv) awareness and education. Despite these barriers, there is a growing interest in implementing CW recycling best practices, such as investigating end-of-life options for building materials and initiating take-back schemes with suppliers. This study highlights the need for a more coordinated and collaborative approach to recycling CW in New Zealand. The study also emphasises the importance of addressing the barriers identified in the interviews to promote the broader adoption of CW recycling practices and reduce the environmental impact of the residential construction sector.

The construction industry is a diverse and complex sector consisting of projects that include development phases and stakeholders’ interaction. However, in a crisis, the industry gets immensely exposed to unanticipated events that disrupt original plans, operation and progress of organisations. After the recent pandemic, the effort to ensure the preparedness of construction organisations against future adversities has become a focus for the sector. Thus, the paper aims to get a detailed insight into the relationship between individual and organisational resilience, exploring whether resilient individuals are sufficient for attaining organisational resilience in the construction industry. The research also investigates the existence of any intermediating factors that can facilitate individual resilience in procuring organisational resilience. The methodology of the study would be systematic literature review, specifically focused on the resilience of New Zealand construction industry. The results of the paper would present crucial links between employees and resilient organisations. This will help in understanding the role of mediating factors and will foster holistic resilience-building programs across different levels in construction organisation.

By using low-density aggregates in concrete, reductions in weight and density are achievable, as well as the carbon footprint of concrete, therefore. The study found that improved thermal performances are also possible with all four of the technologies: Pumice aggregate concrete, Infra-Lightweight concrete, Ultra-lightweight concrete, and functionally graded concrete. This paper aims to overview four distinct technologies in the realm of low-density concrete, comparing their characteristics, benefits, and challenges. This paper serves as an analysis of the contemporary homogeneous and inhomogeneous low-density concrete technologies that succeed in exhibiting the aforementioned characteristics. This research provides a novel comparative analysis, bridging the gap between conventional and low-density concrete technologies. The advantages of the technologies that are highlighted in this analysis show innovative advancement in the field of concrete technologies, as well as the possibility of concrete being used on a larger variety of site and environmental conditions across the world.