Jul 2026· Global academic journal of economics and business· 0 citations
Abstract
Saudi Arabia's giga-projects are expanding the scale, density, and technical complexity of building services systems. High-rise districts, hospitality destinations, airports, hospitals, cultural venues, and mixed-use communities require heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), electrical, water, fire-safety, vertical transportation, security, and energy systems that remain reliable in harsh climatic and operational conditions. This review paper evaluates how digital monitoring and predictive maintenance can improve the operational performance of building services systems in Saudi mega projects. Following a review-paper structure inspired by recent Springer-style construction technology studies, the article synthesizes 2020-2025 literature on Building Information Modelling (BIM), Internet of Things (IoT), building management systems (BMS), digital twins, automated fault detection and diagnostics (AFDD), machine learning, and facility management. The study proposes a Saudi-oriented Digital Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Framework (DMPMF) that links asset information requirements, sensor telemetry, analytics, work-order systems, and governance indicators. The review finds that the strongest value is achieved when predictive maintenance is treated not as a stand-alone algorithm, but as an information ecosystem connecting design handover, commissioning, operations, cybersecurity, workforce competence, and sustainability reporting. The paper contributes practical implementation stages, two conceptual visuals, and two synthesis tables for researchers, asset owners, consultants, and facility managers seeking Scopus/Q1-level alignment with Vision 2030 priorities.
Saudi Arabia's mega-project portfolio is reshaping the operational logic of the built environment. Smart districts, high-rise mixed-use assets, hospitals, transport hubs, hotels and mission-critical public facilities are expected to perform as continuously optimised systems rather than static construction outputs. This review examines how digital twin applications can improve smart building operations, maintenance and risk management in Saudi mega projects under Vision 2030. The paper synthesises peer-reviewed literature from 2020 to 2025 and develops a building lifecycle framework linking BIM, IoT, building management systems, artificial intelligence, facility management platforms and governance controls. The central argument is that a digital twin becomes valuable only when it converts live building data into verified operational decisions: fault detection, energy optimisation, predictive maintenance, safety alerts, resilience planning, asset lifecycle analysis and executive risk visibility. The review identifies four implementation layers: data foundation, analytical intelligence, operational intervention and governance assurance. Findings show that digital twins can reduce fragmentation between design, construction and facility management; however, success depends on data quality, interoperability, cybersecurity, workforce capability, procurement discipline and ethical use of automation. For Saudi mega projects, the strongest value is expected in MEP-intensive assets where energy, cooling, lifts, water systems, fire safety, indoor environmental quality and equipment availability directly affect public value. The paper proposes a practical roadmap for staged adoption, beginning with priority assets and moving toward portfolio-level digital twin governance. It concludes that digital twins should be treated as socio-technical operating systems for smart buildings, not merely 3D visual models.
Ibad Ullah· Global academic journal of e...· 0 citations
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 infrastructure portfolio requires buildings that can be designed, commissioned and operated as high-performing digital assets rather than static civil works. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are central to this requirement because they determine energy demand, indoor environmental quality, water security, fire safety, maintainability and operational cost. This review develops a smart building management systems framework for enhancing MEP performance in Saudi infrastructure projects by synthesising literature published between 2020 and 2025 on building management systems, BIM, IoT, digital twins, energy management, facility management, interoperability and Saudi sustainability policy. The study follows a structured narrative review methodology supported by thematic coding and framework synthesis. The proposed model links BIM-based asset information, sensor networks, building automation, analytics dashboards, commissioning feedback and facility management workflows into a lifecycle performance loop. Findings indicate that the main value of smart building management is not isolated automation, but the integration of design intent, real-time data and operational governance. The review identifies six performance domains: energy and carbon reduction, HVAC stability, electrical load optimisation, water and pumping control, fire and life-safety readiness, and maintainable handover data. It concludes that Vision 2030 projects can improve long-term MEP outcomes when smart building systems are specified early, connected to open information standards, governed through measurable KPIs and embedded into owner-led facility management routines. The paper contributes a Saudi-oriented review framework, two visual models and practical KPI tables for researchers, consultants and infrastructure owners.
-Saudi Arabia’s aviation transformation under Vision 2030 requires airport infrastructure to support rapid growth while preserving safety, security, service continuity, and lifecycle value. Airport critical systems — including baggage handling systems, passenger boarding bridges, security screening equipment, closed-circuit television, access control, fire detection, power supplies, building management systems, communications networks, and airfield support assets — are tightly coupled. Failure in one subsystem can create cascading delays, congestion, security exposure, and reputational or financial loss. Traditional corrective and time-based preventive maintenance remain necessary but are insufficient for complex, sensor-rich environments in which degradation can be detected before functional failure. This review examines how artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, digital twins, and enterprise asset-management platforms can enable predictive maintenance in Saudi airports. It synthesizes recent research on condition monitoring, anomaly detection, fault diagnosis, remaining useful life estimation, and maintenance decision support, while interpreting these capabilities within the operational and strategic context of the Saudi Aviation Strategy. The paper proposes a layered framework that links criticality analysis, secure IoT sensing, data governance, AI analytics, human validation, computerized maintenance management systems, and performance assurance. It also presents a phased implementation roadmap and a set of technical, operational, safety, cybersecurity, and economic indicators. The central argument is that predictive maintenance should not be implemented as an isolated algorithmic project. It should be treated as a safety-conscious, cyber-secure, human-governed asset-management transformation that supports airport
Taimoor Shahid Malik· Iconic research and engineer...· 0 citations
Saudi Arabia's industrial expansion is increasing the importance of electrical systems that can sustain production, protect critical process loads and accommodate frequent modification without creating hidden reliability weaknesses. This paper studies ETAP-enabled electrical system planning as a lifecycle engineering process for reliable and smart industrial facilities in Saudi Arabia. The emphasis differs from broad smart-grid planning: the review focuses on industrial network architecture, critical-load classification, redundancy, contingency operation, motor acceleration and reacceleration, load shedding, restoration, maintenance switching, equipment duty, and expansion planning. A structured narrative review of recent power-system reliability and maintenance literature, technical standards, Saudi energy-sector sources and ETAP engineering documentation was used to identify planning practices that can be translated into industrial decision-making. The review proposes a Reliability-Centred ETAP Planning (RCEP) framework in which a verified digital model is used to compare normal, maintenance, outage, disturbance and future-production scenarios before physical changes are approved. Particular attention is given to main-tie-main arrangements, transformer and feeder contingencies, process load priorities, large motor restart sequences, generator-supported operation, selective protection and the use of operational and maintenance data to keep the model current. The analysis shows that ETAP creates the greatest planning value when study cases are tied to explicit acceptance criteria such as retention of critical loads, acceptable voltage recovery, adequate interrupting duty, selective fault isolation and realistic restoration sequences. For Saudi industrial facilities, this approach supports safer capacity growth, stronger outage preparedness, more disciplined maintenance planning and better transfer of engineering knowledge from projects to operations. The paper concludes that smart industrial electrical planning should be treated as a controlled cycle of modelling, scenario testing, field validation and change management rather than as a one-time software study.
Inayathulla Shareef· Global academic journal of e...· 0 citations
Saudi Arabia's mega infrastructure program is expanding the scale, complexity, and climatic exposure of buildings, transport hubs, healthcare cities, tourism districts, campuses, airports, and mixed-use developments. In these assets, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems are no longer secondary building services; they define operational carbon, lifecycle cost, indoor environmental quality, resilience, maintainability, and the ability of projects to meet Vision 2030 sustainability ambitions. This review paper synthesizes recent literature from 2020 to 2025 on energy-efficient MEP system design for large infrastructure projects in hot-arid and Gulf contexts. The study examines how high-performance HVAC, intelligent controls, BIM-enabled MEP coordination, efficient lighting, water-energy integration, renewable-ready electrical systems, commissioning, and digital twins can be combined into a lifecycle design framework. The aim is to develop a practical review-based model that links technical MEP decisions with Saudi Vision 2030 priorities, including energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, smart cities, local capability building, and resilient infrastructure delivery. The paper follows a structured literature review methodology covering peer-reviewed studies, energy standards, Saudi policy documents, and international reports. Findings show that the greatest performance gains are achieved when MEP design is treated as an integrated system rather than a collection of separate disciplines. Early-stage load reduction, climate-responsive HVAC selection, demand-controlled ventilation, high-efficiency chillers, smart lighting, heat recovery, greywater reuse, submetering, analytics-based operations, and continuous commissioning provide a coherent pathway for reducing energy intensity without compromising comfort or reliability. The review contributes a Vision 2030-aligned framework for mega project teams and identifies research gaps in climate-specific benchmarking, digital twin verification, water-energy optimization, and procurement models that reward lifecycle performance.
Nayeem Ahmed Chikmagalur Muneer· Veredas do Direito· 0 citations
Building management systems now connect HVAC, electrical, fire and life safety, security, lighting, metering, and ELV subsystems within a single operational environment. In commercial high-rise buildings, this connection affects equipment control, alarm traceability, emergency sequences, maintenance planning, and long-term serviceability. The study examines BMS integration architectures through an analytical review of ten recent scholarly sources and technical standards issued from 2021 to 2025. The source base covers BACnet communication, building automation functions, IoT-enabled energy management, smart building adoption, data-driven BMS models, BAS integration, and emergency control interfaces. The article identifies three architectural priorities: layered control separation, multi-vendor interoperability, and commissioning-based validation of HVAC, electrical, and fire-life safety interfaces. The resulting model links protocol selection, point governance, cause-and-effect testing, alarm management, trend review, and maintenance feedback. The proposed logic suits commercial buildings operating under high temperature, dust, humidity, and long operating hours, where BMS performance depends on traceable integration.
Paulson Geo Philip· Universal Library of Enginee...· 0 citations
We use cookies to run the site and, with your consent, for analytics and to show ads.
See our Cookie Policy.
