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Go to Editorial ManagerThis study evaluates the performance of bridge projects in Iraq using international performance evaluation standards set by USAID. The assessment focuses on two major bridge projects in Baghdad: the Bridge Project over the Army Canal and the Design and Implementation Project for developing the Shaljia and Tobji Intersection. The evaluation standards include relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. Data collected from these projects were analyzed to measure performance against these standards. The results revealed significant gaps between both projects' expected and actual performance. The Bridge Project over the Army Canal showed moderate performance in relevance and sustainability but had substantial weaknesses in effectiveness. The Shaljia and Tobji, Intersection Development project, exhibited major weaknesses across all standards. The study concludes a critical need for better planning, improved resource utilization, enhanced stakeholder communication, and more effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to address these performance gaps and achieve desired project outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of adopting comprehensive and adaptable evaluation standards to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of infrastructure projects in Iraq. The research provides valuable insights for stakeholders involved in bridge projects, emphasizing the need for ongoing improvement in project management practices to ensure infrastructure reliability and safety.
Today, our cities are facing a host of challenges to accomplish the quality of life or their inhabitants. On the one hand, city planners and architects seek to preserve heritage, habits, and city peculiarities. On the other hand, it is necessary that the city is kept abreast of the rapid changes in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and smart city concept. In Baghdad, it could be observed that there are several activities based on community initiatives, awareness campaigns, and initiatives which are self-funding from youth or funding from NGOs, and INGOs. How can we invest in such initiatives to achieve a smart city, emphasizing that the city is for the people, not a city of things? As we know that smart cities have six factors: smart (economy, governance, environment, people, mobility, and living)._x000D_ This paper assumes that smart communities are the seventh factor of smart cities factors which could play an essential role to apply the smartness in Baghdad. In this case, it will help to achieve making decisions and a feedback evaluation system will be subject to transparency, openness, vitality, and sustainability because it will stem from the community and ensure the sustainability in a smart city.
The strategy of reusing materials and architectural elements in new buildings and locations after extracting them from previous structures and sites, known historically as "spolia," is now an important approach in contemporary architectural project design. This strategy showcases a balance between tradition and innovation, transforming heritage elements into new architectural pieces that carry contemporary artistic and cultural values. The purpose of this research is to uncover the forms of this practice and the meanings or purposes associated with it, within a theoretical framework that serves as a tool for designers when dealing with such projects. The research reviews studies on the subject and extracts the most important terms, then moves on to analyse several worldwide case studies of contemporary projects that have applied the concept of spolia reuse. The purpose is to enrich the framework by highlighting the reused architectural elements and their new functions, as well as the meanings and interpretations linked to these cases. The research identifies key indicators, including respect for heritage, creative artistic expression, sustainability, and recycling. The aim of the article is to shed light on the importance and effectiveness of using the concept of spolia reuse in the design of modern architectural projects and to promote a sustainable and innovative architectural culture.
Soil reinforcement techniques have been successfully used to improve the shear properties of weak soils in recent years. To improve the utilization of waste resources and promote sustainable development of infrastructure amid rapid urbanization, one potential option for reinforcement materials is human hair fibers (HHF). Because it is a natural fiber, there are risks to human and environmental health associated with the improper disposal of human hair fiber, an occurring waste product that does not decompose completely. This fabric is abundant, has a high reusability rate, and is ideal for use as a reinforcement to address waste management issues and make the most of inefficient or unnecessary manufacturing websites for long-term sustainability. The CBR test was executed on several samples with diverse fiber possibilities to evaluate the engineering properties of the randomly placed HHF in clayey soil samples using fibers whose average length was 50 mm and whose diameter ranged from 60 to 80 microns and compared the outcomes to those of unreinforced soil. The soil sample was treated with different percentages of Human Hair fiber (0%, 0.75%, 1.5%, 1.75% and 2.25%). The results showed that the value of CBR of the soil sample decrease at 0.75% of HHF and then increased up to 2.25% of HHF.
Quality control of riverbank roads is a vital part of the road construction and maintenance process and aims to ensure infrastructure quality, safety, and sustainability. This requires adherence to technical standards, constant auditing, and regular maintenance to maintain the condition of the roads and avoid potential problems. The first step in the quality control of roads is to test the efficiency of the subgrade soil. A geotechnical investigation of subgrade soil under river bank roads is carried out to evaluate the engineering properties of the soil and determine the soil’s ability to bear the loads resulting from vehicle movement and road traffic. This investigation includes analyzing soil samples and laboratory tests to determine soil properties and determine any improvements the soil needs to bear the loads. Soil samples were collected from Al-Kadhimiya Corniche Street. It was dried and subjected to laboratory tests, the soil in this study is classified as poorly graded sand (SP), GS 2.589, the shear strength parameters an internal friction angle of 33 degrees and cohesion of 0.5 kN/m2, and the results of the compaction test indicated that the optimal moisture content was 8.1%, with a maximum dry density was 18.24 kN/m3, CBR 26.04%, and chemical tests (SO3 0.222, pH 8.55, T.SS 0.891, CL 0.085). Software FAARFIELD was used to check pavement design, the thickness design was executed utilising a subgrade CBR value of 26.04%. The subgrade pavement thickness was determined to be 304mm in total. The results agree with the actual design of Al-Kadhimiya Corniche Street, which was recently maintained during the field investigation in 2023.
Reclaimed (recycled) asphalt pavement (RAP), the most recycled material worldwide, is the mostly reclaimed material utilized in hot mix asphalt. Polymer (Crumb rubber) incorporation frequently leads to enhanced durability and resistance to heat cracking and rutting, two forms of permanent deformation. It also relieves stiffness and minimizes fatigue damage. This study aims to gather all previous RAP-related research and crumb rubber CR, so that the impact of using these materials on mechanical, physical properties of asphalt pavement, environmental effect and cost effective are clarify and explained. The finding of this research proved that the use of RAP and CR provide considerable structural and financial enhancements to the construction.
Concrete is considered the most important and widely used building material in the world of construction and building due to its durability, high efficiency in shaping, and relatively reasonable cost. The main component of concrete is cement, and one of the most important problems related to cement is the environmental problems associated with cement manufacturing, as the cement manufacturing process releases a large amount of carbon dioxide. Despite the essential role of concrete in construction, we cannot ignore its environmental impact. Some claim that exploring alternative materials or innovative building techniques would reduce the carbon footprint and enhance sustainability in the industry. Partial cement replacement with pozzolanic materials like zeolite is a key technique to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Zeolite, which reduces permeability, is a typical concrete ingredient that strengthens and lasts. Recently, natural zeolite has become a prominent concrete pozzolanic component. For environmental preservation and sustainable development, various experiments were done on concrete with pozzolanic components partially substituting cement and compared to ordinary concrete. A partial replacement of cement with zeolite improves the properties of concrete up to a certain age and mixing ratio. More than 44 relevant articles from 2004–2024 were selected from 762 papers evaluated for this paper. This paper reviews natural zeolite research in real applications. Additionally, it provided a cutting-edge review of natural zeolite literature through a critical analysis of various previous investigations. It also helped to understand how zeolite influences concrete mixture workability, strength, and durability. Since zeolite is a major concrete ingredient, it should be promoted as a sustainable resource.