Nicola Naismith

• Auckland University of Technology

Sustainability is a critical issue that requires urgent attention, and the circular economy (CE) is a promising concept for creating a more sustainable future. Understanding the factors influencing the adoption and implementation of CE is essential. This research aims to conduct an analysis of the literature on CE and sustainability with the aim of...

Improving outdoor thermal comfort is a critical aspect of enhancing the quality of outdoor spaces in various urban contexts. Despite Auckland, New Zealand, having a moderate climate, projections based on various Representative Concentrations Pathways (RCPs) suggest a significant future warming trend for the city. Analysing outdoor thermal comfort p...

Outdoor thermal risks in urban areas are increasingly critical due to climate change and urbanization. This study identifies high-risk areas at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, using a multi-layered approach integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Locations with Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) exceeding 23°C wer...

Outdoor thermal risks in urban areas are increasingly critical due to climate change and urbanization. This study identifies high-risk areas at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, using a multi-layered approach integrating hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Locations with Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) exceeding 23°C wer...

Purpose Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to transform the infrastructure, mobility and social well-being paradigms in New Zealand (NZ) amid its unprecedented population and road safety challenges. But, public acceptance, co-evolution of regulations and AV technology based on interpersonal and institutional trust perspectives pose signif...

Any building creates a unique micro-environment. Educational buildings tend to offer a wide range of purposes, with more operational functions than most other buildings. This paper focuses on the occupant’s experiences of Indoor Thermal Comfort (TC) in educational buildings in Auckland, New Zealand. The TC can impact the occupant’s experience and t...

Purpose Given the distinct and unique climates in these countries, research conducted in other parts of the world may not be directly applicable. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct research tailored to the specific climatic conditions of Australia and New Zealand to ensure accuracy and relevance. Design/methodology/approach Given population growt...

Purpose-This study aims to identify the primary research areas of modern methods of construction (MMC) along with its current trends and developments. Design/methodology/approach-A combination of bibliometric and qualitative analysis is adopted to examine 1,957 MMC articles in the Scopus database. With the support of CiteSpace 6.1.R6, the cluster...

The New Zealand housing market has become a public concern due to the significant surge in housing prices. The steep increase in housing prices has presented significant difficulties for individuals seeking homeownership, particularly for first-home buyers. Therefore, this research aims to identify the crucial factors of the New Zealand housing pri...

Purpose: In New Zealand, building information modelling (BIM) prevalence is still in its early stages and faces many challenges. This research aims to develop a BIM adoption framework to determine the key factors affecting the success of a BIM project. Design/methodology/approach: Both primary and secondary data were employed in this research, in...

Despite being established in Vietnam for over a decade, LOTUS has not achieved the same popularity as other international green building rating systems (GBRS), such as LEED and Singapore's Green Mark (GM). Consequently, concerns about its effectiveness persist. This study employed a systematic literature review to compare and analyse the effectiven...

Purpose This study aims to determine the effects of sexism and unfavourable job conditions on women's mental and physical wellbeing in construction operations. In addition, this study will establish the mediating role of work morale in the association between workplace challenges and wellbeing. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were...

Context: Frontier firms have growth ambitions. However compared to OECD peers, NZ frontier firms have a relatively low productivity and are also relatively small with avg. 24 employees. Increasing their productivity is important for the NZ society as a whole. The Findings & Recommendations in the 2021 NZPC report on frontier firms did not discuss a...

Purpose To maximise acoustic comfort in a classroom, the acoustic conditions of the space should be variable. So, the optimal acoustic state also changes when the classroom changes from a study environment into a lecture environment. Passive Variable Acoustic Technology (PVAT) alters a room’s Reverberation Time (RT) by changing the total sound abso...

Globally, the construction industry presents a cause of concern for the wellbeing of its workforce. Mental health issues in the industry are on the rise, and literature trends are beginning to recognize this. However, women have been widely neglected from such literature. Thus, this paper aims to identify future research directions on the mental he...

Purpose Informed by acoustic design standards, the built environments are designed with single reverberation times (RTs), a trade-off between long and short RTs needed for different space functions. The novel intelligent passive room acoustic technology (IPRAT) has the potential to revolutionise room acoustics, thus, it is imperative to analyse and...

Green Star NZ is New Zealand’s primary rating system that determines and assesses how environmentally friendly non-residential buildings are. New Zealand portrays itself as a clean and green nation; however, its uptake of the Green Star NZ assessment tool has been slow. This research examines the current strengths and limitations of the New Zealand...

Autonomous Vehicles [AVs] will emerge as a powerful catalyst, thus forming a potentially disruptive technology opening doors to technological, socio-cultural and legal challenges. Present-day research is mainly focused ontechnological orientation, lacking the predominant social and behavioural linkages. NZ being a testbed of innovative technologies...

NZ frontier firms have growth-ambitions but have a relatively low productivity. Increasing their innovativeness is important for the NZ society. The recent report from the New Zealand Productivity Commission (NZPC) on frontier firms did not discuss benefits from engaging with suppliers. We reviewed 80 international academic articles on innovation &...

Purpose Green building information modelling (BIM) has been highlighted as an essential topic owing to its potential benefits. However, both Green Star and BIM are still in their earlier stages in New Zealand. This paper aims to examine and evaluate the benefits, barriers/challenges and solutions for the integration of Green Star and BIM in New Zea...

Simulated architectural environments provide immense value in technology validation and optimisation in smart buildings. Automated variable acoustics (intelligent acoustic technology) as a novel, emerging technology would benefit largely from simulated environments. Notably, such technology exhibits opportune application for use in classrooms, sugg...

Purpose Informed by acoustic design standards, the built environments are designed with single reverberation times (RTs), a trade-off between long and short RTs needed for different space functions. A range of RTs should be achievable in spaces to optimise the acoustic comfort in different aural situations. This paper proclaims a novel concept: Int...

Many New Zealand houses are energy-inefficient, unhealthy, cold, mouldy, and damp. Therefore, a new approach to building design is imminent. This article proposes a framework for the transformation of housing that integrates construction planning and design, optimization, and control tools at strategic, tactical, and operational levels. The introdu...

Purpose Dynamic planning and scheduling forms a widely adopted smart strategy for solving real-world problems in diverse business systems. This paper uses deductive content analysis to explore secondary data from previous studies in dynamic planning and scheduling to draw conclusions on its current status, forward action and research needs in const...

Just before X-mas, we discussed our plans to develop unique procurement tools for SMEs in New Zealand. These will help small businesses (1-49 fte) to improve on their sustainable & innovation procurement. This 3rd blog discusses developing tools based on the ISO 20400 sustainable procurement standard. Over 70 countries ratified the ISO 20400 stan...

In three earlier blogs, we discussed plans to develop procurement tools for SMEs in New Zealand. These will help NZ companies (often < 20 or 50 staff) to improve on their sustainable & innovation procurement. NZ has its share of companies with growth ambitions. Our 4th blog discusses developing procurement tools for these so-called frontier firms....

This submission relates to the NZ Productivity Commission's Draft report - New Zealand firms: reaching for the frontier, December 2020. .................................................................................................................................................. Procurement and supply chain management in frontier firms are key...

Just before X-mas, we discussed our plans to develop unique procurement tools for SMEs in New Zealand. These will help small businesses (1-49 fte) to improve on their sustainable & innovation procurement. This 3rd blog discusses developing tools based on the ISO 20400 sustainable procurement standard. Over 70 countries ratified the ISO 20400 stand...

Early December 2020, we discussed that we plan to develop unique procurement tools for SMEs. These will help businesses (1-49 fte) to improve their sustainable & innovation procurement. Entrepreneurs, business owners, consultants, and students alike often use the Business Model Canvas from Osterwalder & Pigneur. (See right, & the Strategyzer webs...

Three universities want to develop & test new procurement tools. These tools will help New Zealand SMEs improve their sustainable & innovation procurement with their suppliers. The universities have applied for MBIE Smart Idea investment funding for a three-year project. ...............................................................................

Purpose A construction project is complex and requires dynamic modelling of a range of factors that deters time performance because of uncertainty and varying operating conditions. In construction project systems, the system components are the interconnected stages, which are time-dependent. Within the project stages are the activities which are th...

Purpose: This research aims to explore the perspectives of the key actors in the New Zealand construction industry towards BIM adoption. Specifically, four themes are examined, including what BIM is; BIM knowledge and understanding; benefits of BIM adoption; and challenges/barriers to BIM adoption. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approa...

Due to the ever-increasing demand for urbanized life and fast-constructed built environments, the urban quality of life and psychological well-being of the inhabitants is often neglected. This has led to the current built environment that we spend most of our lives in, without adequate investigation into how it impacts the human mental health and w...

Although academia has concentrated on issues related to green building recently, Green Star, considered as the primary green rating system in New Zealand, has not caught adequate attention, leading to its slow development with a modest number of certified projects. This research aims to explore the perspectives of the key stakeholders in the New Ze...

Sustainable buildings, planning and construction process in the 21st century require an interdisciplinary approach by which the use of materials and products has to be a result of a complex decision procedure. Every building in its life span has an immense impact on the environment. This study shows that even small changes in material specification...

This paper describes the early stages of a research project aiming to develop a BIM framework for practical assessment. Globally prestigious models adopted to evaluate the development of an organization including Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM), and Australian Business Excellence Fr...

Building Information Modelling (BIM) has rapidly developed in the construction industry recently; it is also considered as one of the core concepts in the Industry 4.0. However, BIM understanding is always seen as a significant problem for BIM implementation. Therefore, this paper aims to provide the insights into BIM awareness of the construction...

Neither Building Information Modelling (BIM) nor Green Star certification has yet to be widely adopted in the New Zealand construction industry. This paper, therefore, aims to encourage their development by examining the relationship between BIM adoption and Green Star certification. The qualitative approach using 21 semi-structured interviews with...

Emerging immersive technologies comprising Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality (VAMR) and Electroencephalography (EEG) environments are creating a revolutionary and non-invasive Brain Robot cum Human-Computer interaction paradigms. The burgeoning rise of autonomy in the vehicles and expected introduction of self-driving vehicles will underpin the...

Inspection of sustainable performance during post-construction has become increasingly essential. However, conventional operation and maintenance processes are limited with a high probability of inaccurate manual building inspections and the lack of real-time input of dynamic factors. In this regard, engagement of an Integrated Knowledge-based Buil...

Nowadays, research on improving built environment accessibility have a significant effect on occupants’ daily life, especially for disable occupants. The existing smart building facility smart control solutions enhance the built environment accessibility, however, fail to consider the disables. In this regards, electroencephalogram (EEG) technology...

With the increasing need for energy efficient occupant comfort, the maintenance process becomes a key factor. Aspects including failure response time, maintenance treatment time and maintainability have a great influence on the building occupant comfort. Normally, the efficiency and effectiveness of maintenance process largely rely on the knowledge...

The role of an academic mentor is typically diverse, discipline specific and institutionally heterogeneous. Mentoring relationships are commonplace, yet the experience and delivery of mentoring in universities reflect a broad spectrum of approaches and execution. This article reflects on the pedagogic evolution of mentoring, examining the student r...

Purpose Green Star is becoming a broadly accepted mark of design quality and environmental sustainability. Compared to other green tools, Green Star is considered as one of main streams green assessment tools, which cover almost sustainable criteria. Simultaneously, building information modelling (BIM) has also been introduced into the industry. BI...

The construction industry has been evolving to embrace sustainability, this has highlighted the necessity to inspect sustainable performances throughout the post-construction building lifecycle. The application of relevant building management systems (BMS) to achieve this goal is essential. Likewise, it is vital to balance the maximization of build...

Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environments. These are residential units substantially integrated with a communicating network of sensors and intelligentsystems based on the application of new design initiatives and creative technologies. This studyprovides a holistic overview on the essenc...

To assess the performance of construction projects, green rating systems, such as LEED (Leadership in energy and Environmental Design), BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Assessment Method), and Green Star, has been initiated. In the past, they focus only on " green " , which has been usually used interchangeably with " sustainability " ; howe...

The push toward sustainable design has been focused recently to embrace the delicate balance between buildings and the sustainable environment. As a result, various building rating systems have been established around the world to evaluate and rate green buildings. A green product certification is considered as a recognized award to ensure those pr...

Rapid advancement of technology continues to leverage change and innovation in the construction industry. Continued digitization of the industry offers the opportunity to totally reinvent contemporary construction design and delivery practice for future development. Building Information Modelling (BIM) within the context of Architecture, Engineerin...

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a new found reality by construction industry towards a Digital Built Envelope (DBE). Realizing its potential, UK government has made achievement of BIM Level 2 mandate essential for all publicly procured projects by 2016. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which form the backbone of UK construction industry...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on approaches to enhancing built environment sustainability in Africa. There is a mismatch between global societal resources and the increasing demand for natural resources. The consequences of this mismatch are prevalent in many African countries, causing...

There is a wealth of knowledge concerning conflict management and its resolution in the workplace, however there is a dearth of information relating to conflict management and its resolution in engineering project management. This paper set out to examine the reality of conflict management in engineering project management in New Zealand. This was...

Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environments. These are residential units substantially integrated with a communicating network of sensors and intelligent systems based on the application of new design initiatives and creative technologies. This study provides a holistic overview on the esse...

With the increasing cost living in the downtown, the issues from misdistribution of the accommodation and the work places for office workers become worse and worse. Linking together them can not only ease urban traffic congestion but also save much time for the office workers. By utilizing the vacant time of some public areas, this study proposes t...

Construction productivity is a primary driver for economic growth. Understanding the factors that contribute to productivity will lead a country to prosperity. The trend for construction productivity in New Zealand is that it has remained stagnant over the past 12 years. For an accurate assessment on construction productivity and the factors contri...

Researchers have indicated promising futures concerning the application of Virtual Reality (VR) for Architecture, Engineering and Construction / Facilities Management (AEC/FM) as an industry. Technological advancements have allowed for utilization of highly-efficient computer-based cloud servers. To cater for this potential, contemporary AEC/FM pra...

The construction industry has been evolving to embrace the delicate balance between buildings and the sustainable environment. This has highlighted the necessity to optimize resources to create healthier and more energy-efficient constructions. Likewise, it is vital to determine the viability of architectural design and building process. The applic...

Purpose The purpose of this article is to examine the various meanings of empowerment for employees from their own perspective, the psychological dimension of empowerment and whether employees want to be empowered. Design/methodology/approach In order to understand how employees feel about empowerment, it is necessary to ask them directly so that...

A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy of Loughborough University. Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) offers a peoplemanagement framework which promotes improved performance, innovation and competitiveness. However, little research has considered how such practices are i...