The construction industry plays significant roles in the country’s economic development and growth. There would be a domino impact on the economy if any construction projects are being delayed. As the pandemic of COVID-19 had arisen into our global that had affected the construction industry, including building projects. Identifying the underlying problems caused by COVID-19 can provide the best solution to reduce the pandemic’s impact. Consequently, emphasizing the impact of COVID-19 and the strategies to address those problems in the building construction industry becomes vital. Thus, this research objective is to identify problems caused by COVID-19 in the building construction industry and mechanisms to reduce COVID-19’s negative impact. The data collection involved individual interviews with 20 contractor companies that are engaged in building construction projects. Then, the data is analyzed using the thematic analysis approach. The findings show that COVID-19 is causing operational and financial issues, while financial aids and complete information is needed to overcome those impacts. These findings will help policymakers improve existing strategic plans and create new policies to cope with the circumstances caused by COVID-19 among building construction organizations.

Purpose This study aims to investigate the interrelationships between COVID-19 pandemic impact and architectural, engineering and construction (AEC) organizations. To achieve that aim, the objectives are to: identify the critical pandemic impact (CPI) of COVID-19 on AEC organizations; compare the CPI between the different organization characteristics; and analyze the interrelationships between the CPI. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review of 519 articles and in-depth interviews with 40 AEC practitioners were carried out, yielding 12 COVID-19 impacts. Then, data on the 12 impact’s criticality were collected through a survey among AEC practitioners. In total, 127 valid responses were received and analyzed using mean ranking analysis, analysis of variance and Spearman’s correlation. The findings were also compared with pandemic impacts from prior works. Findings Five CPI exist among the 12 impacts, namely, “reduced construction productivity,” “reduced foreign investment in the construction industry,” “reduced demand on construction-related works,” “disruption in the supply chain” and “reduced number of public projects.” “Reduced foreign investment in the construction industry” and “reduced demand on construction-related works” significantly impact small-medium enterprises than large enterprises. Also, “disruption in the supply chain” and “reduced construction productivity” are recurring impacts in all countries compared. Finally, moderate relationships exist between “reduced foreign investment in the construction industry” and “reduced demand on construction-related works” and “disruption in the supply chain” and “reduced construction productivity.” Originality/value The findings can be used to prioritize available resources in developing short-term responses for COVID-19. Also, action plans can be developed to mitigate the CPI from recurring.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the overall economy and the construction industry badly. The Movement Control Order (MCO) caused the suspension of the construction sector, including infrastructure projects. Contractors are suffering losses and facing many problems caused by the pandemic, even with the on-going government financial aids. By identifying the right approaches to improve existing government policies and strategies, contractors could better manage the problems. Thus, this research aims to explore mechanisms for reducing COVID-19’s negative impact on the infrastructure construction industry. To achieve that objective, this study involves collecting and analyzing interview data with industry practitioners. The significant findings from the analysis are: (1) COVID-19 affects the infrastructure construction industry by causing financial and productivity problems; and (2) mechanisms to address those problems include legal, financial, productivity, and environmental support. This paper’s finding is valuable for the government in determining the right actions in assisting contractors in this critical period.

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The construction industry is one of the most significant sectors in Malaysia, specifically in terms of its contribution to the Malaysian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and facilitation of other industries to enhance their productivity outcome by constructing buildings and facilities for them. However, the process of constructing buildings and facilities will take a long period of time if done according to conventional practices. Due to this circumstance, the establishment of the Internet of Things (IoT) in construction development is beneficial to improve productivity levels and reduce the construction time as well as the cost. Hence, this paper intends to review the adoption of IoT in Malaysia’s construction industry towards Construction 4.0. In conjunction with that, the use of IoT in terms of construction technology such as BIM, smart communication, sensor, big data, augmented reality, location services and remote operation during the construction process has made a massive impact on the monitoring of the construction process, especially in reducing the risk of construction error, defects, and avoiding construction delay. The proper adoption of IoT in the Malaysian construction industry will give a huge positive impact to the construction industry and encourage it to grow and compete with other developing countries. This paper is noteworthy to the Malaysian construction industry, especially for the key players in the construction industry to raise their awareness regarding the benefits of adopting IoT for their future projects.