Over the last decades of development of knowledge management and organizational learning, there has been an increase in learning research within and across projects. Learning from past lessons in projects and preparing for the next project management practices is very important in large infrastructure projects. The autonomy of projects brings opportunities for generating new knowledge to solve problems but makes diffusing the knowledge between projects and even within stages of the project difficult. This poses a significant gap that may be negatively affecting practices. A clear and in-depth understanding of project-based learning is needed. The research aims to stimulate discussions and further debate about learning at the project level to identify and implement capabilities and structures that enable more efficient learning within and between projects in terms of value creation...@en

An increasing awareness of sustainability problems urges the need for more sustainable practices within the infrastructure industry. Organisations actively engage sustainability in strategic missions and objectives. However, how these visions translate proactively to the tactical and operational levels of decision-making is still considered an exploratory area for the extant theoretical body of knowledge. Therefore, this research aims to support managers in tactical and operational decision-making for sustainability by means of a diagnostic research in the context of a long-term Strategic Partnership between client and contractor at Schiphol Airport. Their collaborative agreements based on Best Value aims for synergy by close cooperation between the partners and valuing professional expertise. To become highly committed to sustainability, organizations need to take responsibility over decisions regarding their organisational processes, in terms of dedication, motivation, and long-term investments to achieve effective solutions. Interventions require the direction of efforts into an organization-wide approach, meaning that both tactical and operational level management are internally aligned and stimulated to involve sustainability in their considerations. Also, a future directed mind-set and long-term investment approach are required to overcome technical and respectively cost related barriers. Fragmented decision-making can be overcome by engagement of stakeholders in sustainability ambitions. Moreover, proactivity in strategic partnering collaborations also requires extending responsibility towards supporting the partner’s responsibilities in order to achieve the best outcome for all parties involved. Therefore, it is key for both parties to allow each other to showcase their expertise within the set boundaries and ambitions of the Best Value principles. Currently, the client initiates new projects in which utility infrastructure projects play a role, whereas the contracting organization becomes involved after scope, budget, and planning are mainly determined. A mutually structured approach of formal meetings in the initiation process needs to be enhanced to collectively explore opportunities and define ambitions. Based on the gathered elements on proactive implementation of sustainability in decision-making levels, a conceptual framework is developed to test the case studies by analyzing sustainable outcomes in terms of their level of effectiveness. The analysis framework introduced by this study connects the different levels of proactivity with a chronological order of project phases, ranging on tactical and operational decision-making levels. This developed framework provides a practical solution for the collaborative setting between client and contractor, as it stimulates the development of mutual ambitions, substantive opportunities and directions for sustainable outcomes.

The climate is changing and industries world-wide need to transform to assure a liveable earth for future generations. Within the construction sector, this requires a different approach and perspective on the life-cycle of civil engineering assets since the construction industry and its build environment is the world’s largest consumer of raw materials and responsible for 25-40% of the CO2 emissions. To make the transit to a more sustainable system, an increasingly discussed approach is a shift from the current linear lifecycles to a circular orientated economy. This latter means the preservation of used materials rather than dispose. In this way, the lifecycle loop of the materials is closed and the energy demand and the scarcity of raw resources is reduced. This more circular way of constructing entails the integration of the assets’ end-of-life phase and its’ circular solutions into the design. The reuse of assets, flexibility and adaptability in its’ function, modular based structures and a material database are all possible ways in dealing with assets after their lifetime in a circular manner. The shift towards a circular economy provides the possibilities for reducing the use of primary materials, protection of material resources and reduce the carbon footprint. This enhances a more sustainable practise of the construction industry though asks for major changes in its current operation. Clients play a substantial part in the transition towards a circular construction industry due to their responsibility in the formulation of the scope, project ambitions and requirements in the initiation phase of a project. Rijkswaterstaat, the biggest public client in the Netherlands, has the ambition to tender all the projects climate neutral and circular together with enhancing the sustainable living environment by 2030 and be fully circular by 2050. Circular pilot projects and programs are developed to promote the use of circular principles in the initiation phase, although circularity is currently often seen as an additional feature instead of an integral design principle. This results in a late consideration of the aspect and therefore a low level of circularity. To enhance circularity in projects there is a need for a clear and integral design process that includes circularity and an increase in knowledge among all team members of a project on circularity and the possibilities for the design. The aim of this research is to unite the circularity principles with the design process of hydraulic infrastructure projects and enable circularity to become common practice and a way of thinking. This is accomplished with a framework for implementing circularity in the design process based on state-of-the-art literature and results in a flowchart that aims to guide a project team to consider circularity and its opportunities during the integral design process of an asset. The flowchart visualizes the important development steps needed for the implementation of circularity, together with a circular way of approaching de design of an asset that includes the circular design principles. Thereafter, the public clients’ current design process and practice on implementing circularity is researched in an empirical quantitative study. These findings are reflected against the approach based on literature and show the points of attention for the public client on implementing circularity in the design process. The flowchart is verified with a case study on the project Weir Grave concerning the reconditioning of a historical weir in the river Meuse in the province of North-Brabant. This case study showed that the flowchart is valuable for the implementation of circularity and includes the significant aspects to consider. Although, the flowchart is not yet an applicable chart for design teams due to the high amount of information, layout and English language. A workable version with instructions is realized to improve this. Various barriers accompany the implementation of circularity in the construction sector with the most substantial being the necessary integral character of the industry and design process along with the timing of including the aspect in this process. An integral design method benefits circularity because numerous aspects and lifecycle phases of an asset influence the level of circularity. The integral character also assist the required early consideration of circularity, which is now often considered too late in the design process. Currently, the circular guidelines for the public client are focused on their role as an acquisition party and not on their part in the design. Therefore the design steps for circular assets are not part of the clients’ procedure, although this procedure does influence the possibilities for circularity. Therefore, the public client needs to take circularity into account prior to the tender procedure, in the initiation- and design phase, as relevant decision that influence the possibilities for circularity are made in these phases. This also influences the collaboration with the market party and requires a clear and uniform ambition towards them. Additionally, support, knowledge and an organization wide approach on circularity are of significance when implementing circularity in the design process. This reduces the current risk avoidance culture on circular design and supports the decisions made. One of the most practical measures to enhance circularity in a project is the implementation of the aspect as a requirement from the start in the clients’ internal project assignment and in the tender towards the market to create a responsibility for considering the aspect.

Wind energy from the North Sea is one of the solutions to achieve the climate goals of the Paris agreement. The Dogger Bank, a North Sea sandbank, has a lot of potential for wind energy due to the relatively shallow location and good wind conditions. An artificial island creates even more opportunities, because alternating energy can be converted here into direct current. An island will also make the construction and maintenance of the windmills cost-effective. The Dogger Bank, however, is part of Natura2000 area, for which strict legislation applies. To design a stable island coastal defence, which contributes to the North Sea ecology, it is researched how natural value could be added to make the island licensable. The flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) has been chosen as an umbrella species, a species that creates an environment in which a large group of other species can benefit. The disappearance of the present ecology by building an island can be counteracted by restoring an oyster habitat. To obtain the boundary conditions for a successful oyster bed, research was done into the relationship between the bed shear stress and the historic presence of oyster beds. The shear stress boundary condition for the highest significant waves was 119.8 N/m2 while the shear stress due to the average significant wave climate must stay between 2.5 and 10.3 N/m2. The orientation of the coastal protection, the depth, the profiles (as the presence of a reef or foreshore) and the chosen material are decisive factors for success of oyster beds. Concluded is that opportunities are available in the coastal defence. In typical cross-section are only few areas suitable. For the most exposed side (330-360ºN), it is opportune for oyster beds to grow around the toe and foreshore when located in water deeper than -25.0 m MSL. At the least exposed side (120-150ºN) this is -18.0 m MSL. Reefs and prolonged foreshores are expected to be efficient for creating larger nature enhancing surfaces. The design and three-dimensional consequences of the suggested measures are recommended to study into detail. In addition, the biotic factors and the method of initiation of oyster beds will have to be further investigated to obtain more information about successfully creating oyster beds around an island on the Dogger Bank.

Immersed tunnels, located in waterways, could be a limiting factor in the dredging in waterways. This dredging is required since cargo vessels draught increased the past decades. In this thesis a new method is defined for temporarily, effectively, re-floating immersed tunnels. With this method extra risks arise, for these risks’ measures are given. The validity of this method is proven by applying the method a relevant case study. This case tunnel is the Wijkertunnel, consisting of six elements and a total immersed length of 600 meters. It showed that the maximum deepening available is 6.60 meters. It is concluded that the impact of the risk measures is limited. Finally other immersed tunnels are compared to the Wijkertunnel. For these tunnels the different types are described, and the impact of these differences are discussed. It showed that for all the immersed tunnels the method is viable, except for immersed tunnels with a very few elements.

The aim of this research was to investigate if and how the project performance of integrated construction projects can be improved by focussing on empathy during the preconstruction phase. Big infrastructural construction projects often face a poor project performance which causes the sector is aimed at searching for strategies to deal with this. Looking at what drives project success it is said the people involved and their competences are main factors of influence. These people need to integrate working processes and collaborate with each other to successfully deliver the project. Experiences from practice and a literature review resulted in a strong expectation that especially the competence empathy is important to this in construction projects. This would be important during the preconstruction phase in specific to support the alignment and integration between project team members. The research focusses hereby on the preconstruction phase of integrated construction projects and follows the Integral Project Management (IPM) structure to describe the structure of construction project teams. Empathy is defined as ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’. The research adopts a difference in internal empathy ( = empathy between people within the project organization) and external empathy (= empathy with the client and/or stakeholders). The research first investigated in interviews with experts from the industry if and where during the preconstruction phase it would be important for the involved people to be empathic. Second the empathic ability of a construction project organization has been measured to indicate how empathy is distributed across project participants. The results showed that the construction professionals on average score low on empathic competence and that in certain situations it would be important for project participants to be empathic for a good project outcome. This results in a gap in the construction sector between required empathy and actual empathic competence which demonstrates there’s room for improvement in this area. Based on the results of the research it seems that the project performance of integrated construction projects can be improved by focussing on stimulating more empathy between client and contractor and towards stakeholders during the preconstruction phase (= external empathy). Especially in the relationship between client and contractor there’s room for improvement as there’s a gap in required empathy of the contractor. The reason that the performance of construction projects can be improved via external empathy is that when looking at what mostly causes projects to perform badly, it is said this is often related to a bad collaboration between client and contractor and/or insufficient involvement of stakeholders. The research results also showed that project performance can be improved by focussing on stimulating more empathy internally in the project organization within teams and between people from different disciplines. However, this has a lower effect on improving the performance of the project compared to stimulating external empathy. The research finally presents The Empathy Framework as a recommendation for the construction sector to be used as a strategy to improve project performance via empathy.

The aim of the thesis investigates and addresses what strategies municipalities can use in relation to collaborative action in a collaborative governance setting to facilitate heat transition at regional scale. The heat transition is a multifaceted problem where fragmentation and a deficient direction role of municipalities is a key institutional challenge. To address the problem, regional energy strategies are established to collaborate with state and non-state stakeholders, but the heat transition is still stagnating today. Collaborative governance is a governing arrangement that engages public and non-public organizations in a collective decision-making process to implement public policy to resolve social-technical problems. However, today the application of the collaborative governance theory is scarce on sustainable transformation. For this reason, the author decided to apply a collaborative governance lense on the current situation for heat transition. The thesis first examines the collaborative governance framework, which is the most suitable to apply in relation to heat transition. In the second step, the selection of a comparative empirical research methodology is selected. Third, two RES regions with rural characteristics are investigated to get insight into the current situation. Lastly, the empirical findings are discussed in relation to current collaborative governance literature and governmental policy. Finally, recommendations for municipalities and other regional stakeholders can be provided. The empirical findings show that collaborative governance conditions are rarely present to facilitate the heat transition at regional scale. The author identified crucial conditions within the system context and collaborative governance process itself, which is explainable by the iterative nature of the model. The conditions include the current deficient policy and legal framework, high level of contention among citizens, inadequate resource conditions. In the collaborative governance regime itself this results in lack of interdependence, trust and high level of uncertainty, through which no shared interest or common language are practiced. The thesis concludes with recommendations for the regional collaboration regarding heat transition for practitioners and for future research on collaborative governance.

A new trend to found offshore wind turbines at larger depths or on harder soils is to apply gravity based foundations (GBFs). These foundations are caissons with a set of properties which are different with respect to other caisson types. The number of constructed caissons is large and the timeframe for construction and transportation from land into water is small when these foundations are applied on commercially scaled offshore windfarms. In general, an offshore wind farm is constructed within two years and all GBFs must be constructed and transported into the water in a tight time schedule. To accomplish the construction and installation of a large number GBFs in a tight timeframe, a new design method is developed. A realistic case study is composed and the target is to construct and install 64 GBFs in front of the Belgium coast in a timeframe of 2 years. Two designs are considered, a materialefficient design and a design which is optimized regarding the constructability. When the GBF-design is known, the transportation method from land into water is considered. According to the decision matrix, developed in the literature study, the only feasible method is to apply a semi-submersible vessel. However this solution is quite expensive, whether the storage location is at the construction area or in the sea. Due to the large costs a new alternative method could be feasible. Several new ideas are created and the most promising solution is ‘The immersion structure’. Because time is the most important factor, the construction planning and construction area layout are considered. Three options are considered and the most optimal construction planning is chosen. On four locations the construction activities are optimized and with the use of a production line it is possible to construct the 64 GBFs in time with minimal use of area and equipment. Because of the small area left, the storage location cannot be designed on the construction area. The design of the immersion structure consists of a platform which consists of H-beams and two concrete hollow legs. The immersion structure is innovative because it is placed directly on sand and no foundation works are needed. Due to the large capacity the main part of the caisson types can be transported. Because the structure is able to float it can be easily transported. At last the construction and operational costs of the immersion structure are compared with the cost of renting a semi-submersible vessel. The semi-submersible vessel seems to be the best solution but when the immersion structure is applied at multiple projects it could be a profitable solution. The depreciation and interest costs for the immersion structure are calculated and the immersion structure is profitable when a minimal utilization rate of 22% is achieved during a service lifetime of 20 years. Depending on the market development and the amount of applicable caisson construction projects the immersion structure could be profitable. Comparing with the case study the immersion structure is profitable if three comparable projects are executed in the service lifetime.

With the expansion of infrastructure projects in the Netherlands in terms of size and complexity, government bodies are increasingly inclined towards adopting a programmatic approach for managing multiple projects. This approach incorporates innovations to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in achieving program objectives. However, the development and implementation of innovations within these infrastructure programmes encounter various challenges, leading to not optimum utilization of innovations. One significant challenge stem from the limited practical experience in utilizing the programmatic approach, resulting in a limited understanding of both the programme's context and innovation process in multi-projects. Consequently, innovations tend to be developed and implemented using a project-based approach, which poses issues. Project-based approaches are inherently rigid and time-bound, while innovations necessitate time and flexibility. Furthermore, the discontinuous nature of projects impedes the effective utilization of the progressive learning curve essential for innovation development. This project-based approach creates an ongoing dilemma for suppliers, who face high risks and a lack of incentives to innovate, despite their pivotal role. To bridge the gap between understanding and implementing innovations within infrastructure programme, this research aims to address the issue of ineffective innovation utilization in multi-project settings based on suppliers’ perspective. The research approach involves conducting three case studies where innovations are developed and implemented in multi-projects as part of infrastructure programmes. 11 suppliers, including engineering companies and contractors, were interviewed to identify the elements of innovation in multi-projects, including barriers and enablers. The study reveals seven specific barriers and five enablers related to innovation in multi-projects within infrastructure programs. Notably, it highlights the previously overlooked challenges related to time in innovation, arising from prolonged processes and programme durations. The primary innovation challenge in multi-projects revolves around technical challenge, tied to iterative processes and uncertainty management, irrespective of the type of innovation. These challenges, inherent to innovation, emphasize the need to strike a balance where time supports rather than impedes innovation. The study also confirms known barriers and enablers from project literature. With the choice of a suitable contract form, such as framework or alliance contracts, emerges as a significant enabler. However, contracts can become barriers when they lack risk-sharing mechanisms and still promoting competition, hindering knowledge exchange with external parties. Client-related barriers include the client’s organization size/structure and clients’ inflexible demands. Additionally, the study identifies drivers, inputs, preconditions, outputs, and outcomes of innovations in multi-projects. Preconditions unique to multi-projects include strong organizational leadership, vision, commitment to innovations, financial capabilities, and the selection of an appropriate contract form. Beyond the typical inputs, suppliers stress the importance of certainty regarding the volume of work or the number of projects within multi-projects. Based on research findings, a solutions framework was developed to facilitate the implementation of innovations in multi-projects. It consists of practical action plans and innovation boundaries designed to address barriers to innovation in multi-projects. Suppliers and public client organizations are recommended to use the Innov-Infra framework during project/program initiation (Part I) and project/program implementation (Part II), led by a designated person within the organization involved in multi-project innovations. Future research should explore public clients' perspectives in similar research across various programme types and sectors, employing qualitative research methods to delve deeper into procurement for innovations and the bundling of supply and demand in contracts.

In infrastructure construction projects, stakeholder alignment is an important factor that contributes to project success and prevents excessive delays. Literature shows that it is known how to align stakeholders and what to do, however, when to carry out those actions, it not yet clear. This research contributes to that knowledge gap by analysing the Landside Infrastructure project of Schiphol as a single case study. Interviews with project stakeholders, project documents and field observations were used to collect data in order to develop a model.

In recent years, the concept of sustainability has grown in popularity and has become a critical strategic component for businesses (Garza, 2013). Corporate organizations, as the industry's productive drivers, play a crucial role in attaining sustainable development. Thus, the problems have shifted from "WHY" to "HOW" to integrate sustainability into management decisions at all organizational levels (Epstein & Buhovac, 2014). Corporate entities, such as EPC contractors, tend to realize their strategic goals and produce value for their shareholders through projects. However, for sustainability to be evident in all organizational practices, these methods must be well adapted at the operational level. Organizations are increasingly struggling to translate their strategic goals into project-specific activities (Marcelino-Sádaba et al., 2015; Engert & Baumgartner, 2015). In practice, there is a significant gap between strategy formulation and project implementation (Økland, 2015). The problem addressed by this study is the gap between the formulation of strategic level objectives and its implementation at the operational level. According to researchers, integrated ways to putting sustainability into action are inadequate, and there is no systematic approach to effectively incorporating sustainability into projects (Silvius et al., 2012; Sabini et al., 2019; Epstein & Buhovac, 2014). As a result, sustainability goals often remain confined at the strategic level. The purpose of this research is to provide solutions to the EPC contractor to overcome the barriers to enhance the integration of sustainability in projects and bridge the implementation gap. The results will provide a structured approach in connecting high-level sustainability objectives to more concrete and tangible solutions for the project. This research is an attempt to respond to the lack of empirical studies on the implementation of organizational sustainability strategies and helps reveals how organizations can move towards translating strategy into action and overcome the barriers to sustainability implementation. To achieve this objective, the research is divided into three main phases. In phase one, literature review and document review was conducted. Through literature review five elements essential for implementing sustainability strategies were identified i.e., organizational decision-making, lifecycle thinking, balancing the triple bottom line, stakeholder engagement, and proactive approach. Through document review the gap between strategic and operational level was highlighted. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with people in the top management and project managers to identify the barriers to sustainability implementation resulting in the gap between strategic and operational level. In total 20 barriers were identified. The interviews also included understanding the application of elements identified from literature review in practice. The third and the final phase, synthesised all the findings from phase one and two, and proposed solution to the EPC company to integrate sustainability in projects. This was done by providing mitigating actions to overcome the identified barriers and proposing a framework to translate strategy into action, thus bridging the implementation gap. Using the suggested framework to make the strategy explicit has the following benefits: it encourages communication and strategy execution, allows for strategy discussion within the organization, and tracks progress toward long-term goals to determine whether the strategy is clear or needs improvement.

The Dutch construction sector is confronted with a complex and challenging situation. The majority of the infrastructural elements in the Netherlands were built in the 1950s and 60s, which means they are approaching the end of their lifespan. This state, in combination with backlogged maintenance and budget cuts, created a significant and urgent renovation and replacement wave that the sector is now facing. Additionally, other challenges like the tightness of the labour market, increasing material prices, the sector’s substantial emissions of CO2 and nitrogen and it’s limited learning capacity only exacerbate the complexity of the situation. One of the key solutions emerging in this context is the implementation of the contractual portfolio approach (CPA), where multiple works are bundled into one tender. This approach shows potential to efficiently tackle the renovation and replacement task, while at the same time creating a healthier situation in the sector. However, it is a very novel strategy about which both stakeholders and researchers possess limited knowledge. Therefore, this research fills this gap by exploring the implementation of CPA for the civil engineering sector. This exploration is done by analysing what CPA exactly entails, the objectives clients pursue when implementing a CPA and the choice options they have when doing so. Out of this study, a clear definition of CPA emerges, which is: The bundling of a logical set of similar works into one initial tender, with the purpose of reaching certain work-transcending objectives. Next to this, eight main objectives are identified, accompanied by eleven key choice options that clients have at their disposal. These objectives include enhancing standardisation, increasing efficiency and stimulating a learning curve. The choice options, among others, are the selection and award criteria of the initial tender, the composition of the bundling of works and the implementation of performance management. Clients tend to lack a concise list of objectives while at the same time having a shortage of an overarching view on available choice options. Next to this, the links between choice options and objectives bring about certain dilemmas. This happens when a specific choice has a positive effect on one objective, but a negative one on another. As an example, the implementation of performance management provides the client with a certain degree of control over the quality of the portfolio, while at the same time decreasing the contractor’s willingness to invest. Next to these dilemmas, certain situational factors prove to be influential for the effectivity of choice options. For instance, a high complexity of the environment of a work hampers the workflow within a portfolio. Concluding, clients can adopt the contractual portfolio approach as a way to achieve a variety of objectives. From sustainability to efficiency, and from risk reduction to standardisation. To effectively do this, it is important to explicitly define objectives and limit these to the most important ones. Furthermore, it is important to consider all the available choice options and to position the buttons in a way that it aligns to both the portfolio situation and the specific objectives. Then, it is vital to consider the circumstances of the specific case and to carefully weigh the trade-offs associated with certain dilemmas. Ultimately, clients are advised to use the CPA Decision Guideline that is constructed in this research as a tool that supports the decision-making.

More than 50 locks owned by Rijkswaterstaat need replacement or renovation in the coming 40 years. Due to this fact an opportunity for changing the traditional way of building and maintaining navigational locks has arisen. Because of the replacement/renovation of locks in the coming time, implementing a new owning and building strategy is relatively easy. Rijkswaterstaat is interested in how standardization could be applied to (some) lock components to save costs, and increase reliability and availability. The lock gates are the lock components with the highest potential for standardization. A parametric model for several lock gates is made in order to compare these gate types for a range of boundary conditions. The comparison of several gate types which can be made by the parametric model, could lead to a prescription of a standard gate type for specific boundary conditions. With this prescription, standardization could be implemented in the design process for navigational lock gates. The parametric model can also be used to assess the impact of design choices on the standard design. A parametric model is made to assess rolling gates and mitre gates (with and without clearance at the pivots) made in steel. The model has led to a way of optimising one design (in terms of steel volume used) per gate type for these gates for a range of boundary conditions. The model is able to prescribe a gate type for the case study used, the Prinses Marijkesluizen. The model is unable to prescribe a gate type for bilateral retaining gates, since the results of the design are too close to each other to prescribe one variant as the best variant. It is recommended to record more data, since costs can be added as optimisation criteria (instead of material volume) when this data is known.

In 1987, Brundtland coined the term "sustainable development" to tackle the worldwide issue of environmental deterioration. Subsequent to that, swift progressions in science and technology have resulted in climate change, characterized by a rapid increase in global temperatures. The primary objective of the Paris Climate agreement is to limit the increase in global temperatures to a maximum of 2°C, with a preferable target of 1.5°C. The issue of energy usage in buildings is increasingly concerning as buildings contribute to 40% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Global governments are implementing stringent steps to mitigate emissions and establish benchmarks for energy usage in buildings. In the Netherlands, mandatory energy labels have been implemented to regulate energy usage. However, these labels solely consider energy consumption related to heating, cooling, lighting, and hot water supply. This leads to disparities in energy performance, which are frequently disregarded or ignored throughout the design phase. The behavior of occupants is a critical factor in building design, as it has a substantial influence on energy consumption. Occupant-centric design minimizes overall energy usage by decreasing buildings' susceptibility to occupant behavior. The categorization of occupant behavior encompassed three primary classifications: occupancy, interactions, and behavioral efficiency. These characteristics highlight the diverse manners in which occupant-related factors impact the energy efficiency of buildings. The industry's current processes expose multiple issues and limitations that contribute to energy performance gaps, including specific design and asset management techniques. In order to minimize the overall energy consumption in buildings and close the energy performance gap, it is imperative to tackle these issues. Considering the problems and deficiencies found in present industry practices and the theoretical insights from scientific literature, it is crucial for real estate developers to consider aspects associated to the occupants when designing a building. Occupant behavioral aspects identified in literature are associated with the design of building components, including the façade, spatial layout, HVAC systems, lighting, and others. A design approach that prioritizes the needs and preferences of the occupants was developed by establishing a connection between factors linked to the occupants and the design of the building. The design strategy has three distinct phases: pre-design, conceptual design, and detailed design. During each stage of the design process, a design that prioritizes the needs of the occupants is created by considering the several aspects that influence the occupants' energy consumption behavior. Additionally, a strategy for asset management will be created to guarantee the fulfillment of energy performance goals during the building's operational phase. Real estate developers must take this crucial step to achieve regulations, such as Paris-proof targets, which impose limits on the overall energy consumption in buildings, including those by the tenants. The design strategy incorporates various metrics to monitor the energy performance of buildings, which serve as the foundation for bridging the energy performance gap. The developed design strategy also has several significant practical implications that were identified.

The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of empathy in the project team on the outcome of the integrated design process of infrastructure projects. Despite years of experience, many infrastructure projects are still underperforming. Within the project lifecycle, the integrated design process has an important role in this. Empathy could be an important tool to improve the outcomes of the integrated design process through communication. This study represents one of the first steps towards a better understanding of this competency as an important tool for project success through the use of serious research gaming. The serious game Patchwork was designed and played for data collection. The research showed that empathy positively influences the degree to which people understand each other's information expectations and the communicative hindrance experienced due to logistical, interpersonal, or accessibility barriers. This is particularly determined by the cognitive side of empathy. In addition, this study shows that sufficient effective communication is necessary for solid project outcomes. Communication seems to serve as a prerequisite for a successful integrated design process. No demonstrable effect was found in the direct relationship of empathy and the outcome of the integrated design process. The line of empathy through communication is not reflected in the direct results. Additionally, this says that influences of empathy on the game results through other processes than communication cannot be demonstrated. However, this study cannot rule out that there was no positive effect of empathy on the outcomes of the integrated design process. Further research with larger datasets needs to conclude what the proportion is of other confounding variables being dominant in game success and how empathy relates to them. All in all, this research has taken first important steps toward recognizing the value of empathy in construction projects and it provides much reason for follow-up research into this topic.

In modern construction, collaboration has become a key element for the success of projects. Both clients and contractors are aware of the importance of maintaining a solid relationship. However, as collaboration is subject to ambiguous factors that influence both the content of the project and the social elements, it is proven to be difficult to achieve this mission. Elemental differences in the goals, ambitions and responsibilities of clients and contractors during projects still exist and cause differences in perception. One of the elements collaborations are subject to, are external factors. These are especially hard to deal with due to the fact that the occurrence of said factors is beyond the control of the project team. This research provides insight in this volatile environment with the aim to increase the resilience of collaborations by answering the question: “What external factors are present during construction projects that influence the collaboration between client and contractors and how can the impact of these events be reduced up-front?”. To answer this question, a Q-study is performed. As input for this study, a model of the project environment distinguishing the internal and external project environment is created. The model defines 8 domains of external factors which influence client-contractor collaboration: economic, technological and political -context, the parent organisation of both client and contractor, subcontractors, related projects & surroundings and lastly the stakeholders. From the Q-study four perspectives on external factors are retrieved, confirming the difference in perception of the external factors for individuals, based on their respective role and organisations in the collaboration. To reduce the influence of external factors on the dynamics within the project team, a framework of measures to create resilient collaborations is composed. The measures are divided in three categories: preliminary organisation, creating flexibility and attention to soft side. Each category is elaborated on with specific measures and which domains are addressed by implementing these measures. Moreover, the implementation in the project life cycle is explained making the framework directly usable for project organisations.

This research extensively examines the pivotal shift toward circularity within the European construction and building sector, with a specific emphasis on HVAC systems in utility buildings. It commences by underscoring the pressing urgency precipitated by the Paris Agreement of 2015 and subsequent climate objectives, necessitating reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and resource utilization. The construction and building sector's notable contributions to energy consumption, waste production, and material extraction highlight the imperative to address circularity within this industry. The report delves deeply into the notion of the circular economy (CE), emphasizing its potential to disassociate economic growth from resource depletion and waste generation. While acknowledging the growing scholarly and corporate interest in CE, exemplified by industry giants such as Philips and IKEA, this study highlights the limited practical application of circular principles, particularly within the HVAC systems sector. Recognizing the multifaceted and varying interpretations of circularity, the report seeks to demystify the concept by conducting a thorough literature review and interviews. Through a thematic analysis, it identifies existing challenges, proposes potential solutions, and evaluates the feasibility of implementing circular strategies for HVAC systems. Key findings encompass project-specific considerations, the influence of location and climate, and the imperative need for legislative reforms to expedite the transition. Ultimately, the research provides a valuable starting point for MEP consultants, equipping them with a pragmatic decision support framework and a categorized repertoire of circular strategies. It encourages industry professionals to embrace circularity in HVAC design, bridging knowledge gaps and promoting sustainable practices. While acknowledging the study's limitations, including its qualitative nature and potential for bias, this study calls for future research to validate the framework through real-world cases, expand performance evaluation criteria, and advocate for policy reforms across the broader built environment. In summary, this study constitutes a vital stride toward fostering circularity and sustainability within the construction and HVAC sectors.

Infrastructure mega-projects are highly important for economic and societal growth, but they are also extremely susceptible to a high degree of risks leading to massive delays. These delays affect not only the project schedule but also the cost and the quality. The delay events are present throughout the project life cycle but, according to the researcher’s observation, most of the delays were found to occur in the design-construction interface. In general, the problem of delay has been studied a lot by previous researchers; however, being one of the critical phases, delays in the design-construction interface have still not been investigated. Therefore, this research conducts a detailed study for developing mitigation measures for delays within the design-construction interface in the infrastructure mega-project. To achieve the above goal, the research investigates critical events in an infrastructure megaproject to develop measures with the help of the critical incident technique (CIT). CIT was used for the research because it helped in evaluating the success or failure of the adopted and recommended measures. Based on the evaluation the research proposed a preventive and corrective measure framework to minimize the delay's effect on the project schedule.

The market industry is rapidly changing and modifications are taking place. Over the years, it has been noticed that project success is a challenging issue, which requires several endeavours from project parties. The procurement system is characterized as a tool, the implementation of which delivers project results. The procurement system is classified into four distinct categories; traditional, design & build, strategic & integrated, partnering. Based on those, the most popular procurement technique historically is the traditional method. The traditional method is mostly applied successfully in small projects, when less complexity and uncertainty emerge. However, the complexity and uncertainty have largely increased, marking the traditional method slightly impractical for successful results. In that case, a new procurement method is introduced, the Best Value Procurement (known as BVP) method. A critical advantage of the BVP is the embodiment of complexity and collaboration demands into its process. Despite its advantages and ambitions, the BVP does not always secure a successful result. Therefore, the main question that will be addressed in this research is: “How could public organizations implement Best Value Procurement (BVP) to benefit the project delivery?” To answer the main research question, a deep investigation through the BVP concept (elements, activities etc.) was executed. Firstly, an extensive literature review was exercised in order to cover the BVP method on the theoretical side. Based on the literature results, a theoretical BVP framework was established. Secondly, the findings acquired from the literature review were examined, leading to the exploratory interviews. Interviews are exploring the practical side of the BVP and how is applied in practice. Seven interviewees were selected. An understanding of differences and similarities between theory and practice was essential. Using the findings from the frameworks’ comparison, a list of adjustments (or recommendations) for improving the BVP method is established. Interviews with experts were held. Three experts, coming from public organisations and consultancy firms apply their knowledge and expertise in order to improve the BVP method. Thereafter, an alternative BVP framework was established. The alternative BVP framework incorporates components (elements, activities, including parties, final deliverables), the influence of which is characterized as critical for the BVP success. Public organisations frequently apply the BVP method in their projects. Being BVP initiators in the market industry, public organisations should implement BVP carefully. The alternative BVP framework, proposed in the research, could be used by public clients in order to achieve successful project outcomes. For a successful implementation of the BVP method, special attention should be attributed to the main alterations: General highlights: 1. An introduction of Stage zero; training sessions, about BVP philosophy, are becoming available through every single project participant 2. An introduction of final deliverables (per step); setting clearly the deliverables to be received at the end of every stage Selection stage: 1. Interviews inclusion as part of the evaluation process, not separate activity of the selection stage 2. Consultants and tender managers are getting an important role throughout the selection stage 3. Once the selection stage finishes, the evaluation committee or client has to select only one contractor. Multiple contractors should not be accepted...

The current market forces of infrastructural projects in the Dutch construction sector necessitate public clients to divide a large-scale multidisciplinary project into multiple contracts. This causes diverse contractors to have to work simultaneously. Interfaces arise between the contracts, which require a deeper collaboration to align all activities. Coordination becomes a very important factor in such projects. Current attempts to create better coordination focus mainly on clients' contractual and organizational measures. This research aims to map the importance of the human aspect within coordination and help a client organize itself to create a better coordination process. This is done by looking at the contractual and organizational instruments that stimulate coordination. Hereby, the organizational measures are divided into relational, personal, and governance aspects. Through a literature review, the steering mechanisms for good coordination within the contractual, relational, personal, and governance contexts were established. A case study provided the issues of coordination in practice and laid down the basis of possible instruments to help a public client with the coordination process. The main takeaways were the misinterpretation and misalignment of the specifications of agreements, choosing the wrong coordinator, the lack of attention to relations, and the unclear governance from the client’s side. After this, a preliminary framework of the coordination process was reviewed through expert sessions. Together, this created the basis for the final framework of this thesis. The key findings of this research were the need to facilitate coordination and collaboration during the pre-execution through requirements in the contracts and a start-up period with the involved clients and the co-contractors. During the execution phase key findings were the need to facilitate coordination and collaboration by the attention to the human aspect and its process, besides aiming for the best project result. This research contributed to the current literature by showing how the current coordination processes of a public client within the Dutch construction sector lack attention to the human side during projects.