Environmental Impact of Construction Products on Aquatic Systems—Principles of an Integrated Source–Path–Target Concept

Buildings exposed to water can release undesirable substances which, once transported to environmental compartments, may cause unwanted effects. These exposure pathways need to be investigated and included in risk assessments to safeguard water quality and promote the sustainability of construction materials. The applied materials, exposure conditions, distribution routes and resilience of receiving compartments vary considerably. This demonstrates the need for a consistent concept that integrates knowledge of emission sources, leaching processes, transport pathways, and effects on targets. Such a consistent concept can serve as the basis for environmental risk assessment for several scenarios using experimentally determined emissions. Typically, a source–path–target concept integrates data from standardized leaching tests and models to describe leaching processes, the distribution of substances in the environment and the occurrence of substances at different points of compliance. This article presents an integrated concept for assessing the environmental impact of construction products on aquatic systems and unravels currently existing gaps and necessary actions. This manuscript outlines a source–path–target concept applicable to a large variety of construction products. It is intended to highlight key elements of a holistic evaluation concept that could assist authorities in developing procedures for environmental risk assessments and mitigation measures and identifying knowledge gaps.

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS) from Industry and Academia Perspective

External Thermal Insulation Composite System (ETICS) is a commonly used solution in EU countries to increase building energy efficiency. The article describes ETICS in terms of environmental impact from two perspectives, i.e., industry and academia. In EU countries, ETICS manufacturers to place construction products to the market must subject it to the assessment and verification of constancy of performance (AVCP). The basis of this process is the European Technical Assessment (ETA). Based on the number of issued and valid ETAs for ETICS and the number of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), the dimension of sustainability issues was discussed. Analysis of one of the environmental indicators (Global Warming Potential—GWP) for ETICS with EPS, XPS, and MW showed only a general trend. However, there are significant differences between the values of the GWP and other environmental indicators that one can use for future AVCP of construction products. In the light of the research described in the paper, it seems reasonable to conclude that AVCP for ETICS in terms of sustainability will be challenging to implement in practice-based only on environmental indicators according to EN 15804. The article also reviews scientific publications on the sustainability of ETICS.

Methodology of making organizational and technological decisions at the stage of operational management of construction operations based on the forecasting system

The article discusses the issues of forecasting two key parameters of an investment and construction project: time and cost, while the building company is considered as a complex dynamic system. Taking into account the long-term nature of the creation of construction products and, as a consequence, the high level of work in progress, the need to use forecasting models is justified, both at short-term planning intervals (week, month) and at longer intervals (quarter, year). The article examines the formalized forecasting methods, gives a characteristic of the methods most widely used in practice. These methods include forecasting based on ARIMA models. DSTU has developed a pilot software package for an intelligent construction management system, which includes a software package for forecasting the time and cost parameters of a construction object at the stages of operational and current management.

Planning of production and economic activities of construction organizations

The textbook discusses the subject, methodology and methods of intra-company planning in the management system of production and economic activities of construction and installation organizations. The role, functions, subject, goals, tasks and principles of intra-company business planning, methods of planning the production program and the sale of construction products, labor and wages, material and technical support for the construction of facilities, construction production costs and the cost of construction products, economic results of production and economic activity, taking into account possible risks, are described. The issues of the organization of intra-company planning, budgeting and economic evaluation of the plans of production and economic activity of construction organizations are considered. Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. For students of higher educational institutions (bachelor's degree) studying in the areas of training 38.03.01 " Economics "(profile" Economics of enterprises and organizations") and 38.03.02" Management "(profile" Production management"), as well as for practical workers of construction and installation organizations.

Cost Analysis of Various Factors for Geopolymer 3D Printing of Construction Products in Factories and on Construction Sites

The utilization of geopolymer 3D printing for construction products in recent years has been exceptionally substantial, owing to their low carbon dioxide emissions, high-performance properties such as durability, and good thermal and mechanical properties. This automated manufacturing process reduces the need for additional formworks, capital investments, and human resources. Geopolymer 3D printing development is emerging because of its advanced use in construction applications. However, high costs of the initial stages of geopolymer production and 3D printing has inhibited the development of this technology in many countries. This research presents a comprehensive economic evaluation of the investment for each principal stage that facilitates a better deployment of the resources. The study investigated all phases of geopolymer production, from the extraction of raw materials to printing. The cost for the four fundamental stages, namely raw material availability and transportation, pretreatments for raw materials, parameter selection and strength requirements, and printing in factories and on construction sites, were analyzed. The results show that 3D printing of a geopolymer on a construction site is economically more advantageous compared to printing in the factory. The study also verified that raw material transportation cost has the least effect on the finished product cost, whereas pretreatments of raw material and mixing parameters significantly influenced the ultimate cost of the product. Finally, research work suggested the need for future tasks to make geopolymer 3D printing a viable construction approach.