Problems of Formation of System Thinking in Modern Russian Education

The construction of new, market-based economic relations in Russia in the early 90s of the last century was accompanied by a radical transformation of the education system to the Bologna standard. At the same time, Western scientists - teachers drew attention to the work on the cognitive development of the child by L.S. Vygotsky, the theory of developmental education by P.Ya. Galperin, the theory of inventive problem solving by G.S. Altshuller and the results of research by other scientists providing the formation of systems thinking in Soviet education. The article shows that the documents regulating the development of Russian education include the formation of systematic and critical thinking in students, but in practice this is not always implemented. The directions of transformation of the Russian education system since the beginning of building market relations in the 90s of the last century are identified as the cause of the current situation. The formation of systems thinking in higher education should consider the peculiarities of the age dynamics of adults. The most developed figurative and verbal thinking among students makes it possible to use the teaching methods of V.F. Shatalov, which reduces the time for studying educational materials by more than 30 times in comparison with classical teaching methods.

Natural Fibre Insulation Materials: Use of Textile and Agri-food Waste in a Circular Economy Perspective

Fibrous materials are among those most used for the thermal and acoustic insulation of building envelopes and are also suitable for a wide range of applications. In building construction, the demand for products with low environmental impact — in line with the Green Deal challenge of the European Community — is growing, but the building market is still mostly oriented towards traditional products, missing the many opportunities for using waste materials from existing industrial production. The paper presents the experimental results of new thermal and acoustic insulation products for building construction and interior design, based on previous experiences of the research group. They are produced entirely using waste sheep’s wool as a “matrix” and other waste fibres as “fillers”. The materials proposed originate from textile and agri-industrial chains in the Piedmont region and have no uses other than waste-to-heat biomass. The panels have characteristics of rigidity, workability, and thermal conductivity that make them suitable for building envelope insulation.

Agroforestry: Opportunities and Challenges in Timor-Leste

Agro forestry is a land management system that integrates trees, agriculture crops, and animal farming in order to provide a diverse range of ecosystem services. Timor-Leste, the newest country and one of the least developed counties, has faced multidimensional challenges on land use management, including deforestation, land degradation, and poverty. The agroforestry system is recognized as one of the viable options for balancing the socio-economic needs and ecological functions of the lands in Timor-Leste. The system has been practiced traditionally by farmers in the country; however, the lack of knowledge and experience, limited institutional capacity, and lack of funding have impeded the wider implantation of the agroforestry system in Timor-Leste. The Strategic Development Plan of Timor-Leste has recommended sustainable agriculture and natural resources management in the rural areas of the country to generate income and create employment for the youths. The paper presents the initiatives, challenges, and opportunities of agroforestry application in Timor-Leste to support sustainable forest management and livelihood improvement. Learning from existing initiatives, capacity building, market access, and financial incentives could promote the agroforestry system in the country.

Contradictions of the institutional and economic environment of the development of new market countries: the experience of Kazakhstan

The current cyclical transition, complicated by the COVID–19 pandemic, has revealed weak links in the economies of many countries, caused by systemic contradictions accumulated over 30 years. Kazakhstan, as a country that has been building market relations only since the end of the 20th century, found itself in the grip of not only economic and political, but also institutional costs. One of the problems hindering the economic development of the nation is the contradictions between the political ambitions of the authorities and the real results of the implementation ofstate programs, the loss of public trust. The purpose of the study isto assessthe quality of economic growth in Kazakhstan. An attempt is made to provide an analysis of the institutional and economic environment and an econometric assessment of the real indicators of the country's development. The methodological basis was the scientific heritage in this area and new theoretical and methodological approaches of modern scientists in the study of issues of socio-economic development. The object of the research is economic development of Kazakhstan. Research results: based on the historical and logical analysis of theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of economic development and the constructed regression model of panel data, it is shown that an increase in the level of indicators selected in official statistics has a small effect on economic growth, that is, there is a discrepancy between the target indicators of state programs and actual results. Revealed the institutional features of Kazakhstan's development model that cause economic lag.

Sustainability Perspective to Support Decision Making in Structural Retrofitting of Buildings: A Case Study

The reuse of existing materials in buildings can give a contribution to sustainable practices such as a balance in embodied energy, water, and emission reduction. However, it is not always possible to maintain the existing structural materials because some different technical variables could hamper their usability, namely seismic reinforcement needs, fire safety protection, conservation state, and new legal requirements. The paper follows a case study approach for assessing the technical and environmental performances of structural options for old building retrofitting works. All structural options were analyzed through the results of several categories of environmental impact. Some parameters of a retrofitting management system were also used to frame in a comprehensive way the technical constraints pertaining to building retrofitting works. The structural option choice was taken by the owner with the contribution of the design team and the construction manager of the construction project as well as the results of interviews with other construction professionals, considering the variables related to technical suitability and environmental impact. The results of the study show that the steel structure is the solution that best addresses the technical constraints of the building retrofit works and minimizes environmental impact. The results of the study also suggest that the consideration of other variables other than the technical ones can contribute to the effective functioning of the renovation subsegment of the building market. Some suggestions for further studies to enhance the results of this work are put forward.

Construction Risks Management of Building Projects in Sultanate of Oman: Contractor and Owner Perspective

Managing risks is vital for any construction project to avoid cost overrun, schedule delay, and to meet the quality requirements. Over the last 10 years, the building market has evolved rapidly; businesses face greater risk and complexity than ever before. Risk assessment has been an integral aspect of the project management process. Because of the time and costs overruns involved with building projects, risk of building has become the focus of concern. This research focuses on exploring risk control techniques in construction industry. Risk reduction and management of planning is a critical approach that helps one to deal with the removal of different risks, their analyses, and the remedial steps that can be taken to remove them in a given project. Any construction company has to set up a risk management scheme to improve performance, reduce costs and increase sales. In this regard, set of principles have to be adopted for the development of ethical risk management planning decisions. In addition, hazards ought to be taken care of such that ensures a suitable norm of security for human wellbeing and the earth and at any rate offers the level of wellbeing that is sensible to people in the future today; there doesn't seem, by all accounts, to be any lawful avocation for limiting likely wellbeing and condition chances.

Main Features of the Timber Structure Building Industry Business Models

The use of timber as structural building material is growing and a greater number of firms are looking to enter this raising market. Erecting a complex timber building usually involves combining the work of architects, structural engineers, builders, suppliers and/or supplier–builders, all of them having their own business models. The purpose of this research was to uncover the specific nature of business models in the timber structure building industry. First, a thorough mapping of these business models was undertaken. Second, underlying patterns were uncovered within these models. A triangulation method of secondary data, semi-structured interviews and participant observation was used to allow for an in-depth study of 23 stakeholder business models. The analysis shows that knowledge sharing appears as crucial and may be achieved through sustained collaboration. As a result, collaborative contract procurement modes seem to be the most appropriate for timber construction. Tight relationships with suppliers and supplier–builders also appear as prerequisites. Furthermore, stakeholder partnerships with universities appear common in the field, while prefabrication is increasing in popularity. These findings can be useful to grasp the prevailing business models in this industry given the sustained growth of the timber structure building market.

Unwanted Housing: Localism and Politics of Housing Development

We examine pervasive opposition to building market-rate housing and relate it to localism: a perspective that grants moral authority to incumbent residents. We argue that localism has become prevalent in housing planning in the United States and that its seeming equality—allowing all communities the right to define themselves—conceals profound imbalances that favor the affluent. We use survey data from California to measure localism, using opposition to state land use preemption as a proxy. We find that localism is concentrated among white, affluent homeowners. This suggests that localist beliefs are less prevalent in the population than they are in planning practice.