Building

INTRODUCTION: Fires in residential buildings, commercial complexes, and small and large industries cause a lot of financial, human, and environmental damage in different communities annually. This study is conducted with the aim to evaluate the fire risk in the selected commercial buildings in Mashhad, Iran. METHODS: This was a descriptive-cross-sectional and applied study conducted in the spring of 2019 on 10 separate commercial buildings in Mashhad. First, the necessary checklists for fire risk assessment from the NFPA 101 standard were prepared and compiled by the researcher, and the necessary information was completed according to the field surveys and obtaining the urban planning documents of the buildings. The information collected was then analyzed in the Computerized Fire Safety Evaluation System (CFSES) software for final evaluation of the buildings. FINDINGS: In general, the total number of commercial buildings examined (10 cases) was in an unacceptable condition in all three areas of fire risk, including the fire control, exit, and general safety aspects. In addition, the fire risk situation in older buildings (5 cases) was worse than in new buildings (5 cases). CONCLUSION: The fire risk assessment score of the commercial buildings studied in terms of fire control, exit route, and general safety aspects was unacceptable and none of the buildings evaluated obtained the minimum safety score in these three aspects. Therefore, to improve fire safety in commercial buildings, valid fire safety regulations and standards, including NFPA 101, must be observed to prevent fire accidents and irreparable financial and human losses.

In the metropolis of Ahvaz, contemporary housing plays a significant role in shaping and enhancing its residents' cultural and social identity. This research employed a questionnaire as the data collection tool. A total of 16 questions were designed for the identity questionnaire, centered around two main components: social and cultural. Additionally, 34 questions were provided to residents of various regions in Ahvaz, covering eight primary components: cultural, structural, functional-executive, physical-spatial, operational, experiential-aesthetic, environmental, and social-political, to distinguish between the internal and external housing components. The analysis of correlation coefficients and regression between contemporary housing variables and the urban identity of Ahvaz reveals a strong positive correlation between these two variables. This indicates that as the level of industrialization of buildings increases, urban identity indicators also rise across different areas of Ahvaz. The final weight of the housing and contemporary identity components was calculated using the Shannon entropy method. The results indicate that different components hold varying importance and influence in different domains. In cultural identity, the social system plays a more prominent role, while in social identity, religion is more significant. Regarding housing, functional and environmental aspects are more important, focusing on efficiency and sustainability in housing design. This analysis can be helpful for policymakers, designers, and planners to understand better the importance of various components in identity and housing.

This article examines digital transformation in the construction industry, which begins with adopting digital technologies and culminates in comprehensive organizational change. The diverse and often conflicting conceptualizations in this field have created ambiguity in the theoretical framework of digi-tal transformation in construction. Using topic modeling and pattern analysis, this study identifies key themes and trends in the domain. The article analyzes 1,308 articles published between 1990 and 2023 to review research areas related to digital transformation in the construction industry. It identifies six main topics: Security & Safety, Organization & Project Management, Digital Simulation & Interaction, Sustainability, Innovative Building Materials, and Dynamic Monitoring Methods. The analysis reveals that Organization & Project Management is the most researched topic, while Sustainability receives the least attention. The article offers recommendations for advancing research in this field and serves as a valuable reference for researchers and practitioners interested in digital transformation in construction. By addressing existing criticisms, it provides a clear map of the field’s structure and trends, comple-menting previous qualitative studies with a broader, more structured, and objective analysis.