Infrastructural construction projects in the Netherlands, such as roads, bridges, and tunnels, have become increasingly complex. This complexity introduces various risks, which are further compounded by human biases during risk management processes. This thesis investigates the influence of heuristics and biases on risk assessment in infrastructure projects, with a particular focus on Dura Vermeer, a major Dutch construction firm. The primary research question addressed is: "How do heuristics and biases influence project risk assessment, and what role can serious gaming play in enhancing awareness and management of these cognitive factors?"

The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining literature review, semi-structured interviews with risk and project managers at Dura Vermeer, and a serious game designed to simulate decision-making processes.

The study identifies several common biases, such as the representativeness heuristic, affect heuristic, and optimism bias, which significantly impact risk assessments. The literature review provides a theoretical framework on the impact of heuristics and biases on risk management. Interviews reveal that while risk assessment at Dura Vermeer follows structured methodologies, biases still influence the decision-making processes. The serious game, incorporating real-life scenarios from Dura Vermeer's projects, demonstrates its effectiveness in engaging participants and fostering a collaborative environment where biases can be identified and addressed. The serious game also highlights discrepancies between perceived and actual use of biases, indicating a lack of self-awareness among professionals.

Findings suggest that although biases are acknowledged, there is a preference for objective risk assessment methods. Serious gaming emerges as an effective tool for increasing awareness of biases, thereby improving risk management practices. The study concludes with recommendations for integrating serious gaming into risk management training at Dura Vermeer, emphasizing its potential to enhance team dynamics and decision-making processes. This research contributes to both theoretical and practical understanding of risk management in construction, offering insights into how biases can be managed to improve project performance. The insights gained provide a foundation for further research and practical applications in the construction sector.

The increasing generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) due to urbanization and population growth has highlighted the importance of effective Municipal solid waste management. Waste sorting plays a critical role in enhancing waste quality and boosting recycling rates, aligning with the circular economy goals of the European Union. However, despite significant waste production in cities, limited separation and recycling occur, primarily due to insufficient citizen involvement. When it comes to involving citizens in sorting household waste, there has been limited research and exploration of the waste sorting behavior of college students. Given that the majority of college students reside in student housing, the research aims to understand college students’ waste sorting behavior in student housing and recommend interventions that motivate students to engage in waste sorting.

To attain the objective, the research utilized a mixed research approach, initially employing semi-structured interviews as the qualitative method and subsequently conducting an online survey as the quantitative method. Qualitative results were derived through the application of thematic analysis and subsequently served as a basis for constructing the questionnaire survey in the subsequent quantitative phase. The factors that impact waste sorting behavior in student housing were identified and quantified in the quantitative phase by employing the partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method.

The results revealed that the subjective norm and perceived behavioral control directly impact students’ intentions to engage in waste sorting, which in turn, indirectly affects their waste sorting behavior. In addition, the waste sorting facilities and information publicity holds a significant influence on the students’ household waste sorting behavior.

Based on the findings, it is suggested that the intervention aimed at encouraging waste sorting among students could involve enhancing the publicity of waste sorting information by providing information prompts in the communal space within student housing and distributing information through social media. Furthermore, interventions like improving the waste sorting facilities could engage students in waste sorting. Additionally, promoting communication within the student housing community and incorporating waste sorting education into the college curriculum were also suggested as interventions to incentivize students to sort their household waste.

Due to the stricter sustainability requirements and associated governmental regulations, the real estate development process in the Netherlands is becoming increasingly complex, narrowing the real estate developer’s opportunity space and increasing the uncertainty regarding the feasibility of the real estate development project. Recently developed AI powered generative design tooling could potentially be used to decrease this uncertainty during the concept design process. However, there is currently no scientific method that helps the (concept) developer evaluate the concept design with the use of this AI powered generative design tooling and make decisions based on more objective design criteria instead of estimated guesses. The goal of this research is to develop an evaluation framework for the concept design process that can be used by real estate development professionals in the Netherlands, during the concept design stage of inner-city apartment buildings, to make more informed choices (based on additional objective information) earlier on in the design process to decrease the uncertainty with regards to the feasibility of the real estate development project. The framework will be developed considering the current visualisation and simulation abilities of AI powered generative design tooling.

Using the concept design evaluation matrix, the real estate developer and other relevant stakeholders are encouraged to 1) carefully determine what they consider important for the specific real estate development project, taking into account the site-specific characteristics, prior to the evaluation and decision-making process. 2) By subsequently focusing on these priorities during the location/market investigation and concept design process (for example by focusing on identifying any uncertainties and/or risks related to environmental factors such as noise pollution), the expert panel expects that the developer 3) can better steer the process because the different interests are clear and the developer can better evaluate the results with stakeholders by using the analysis results and ranking scores of the different parameters in negotiations/discussions. The expectation is that the evaluation matrix combined with the use of AI powered generative design tooling will decrease the uncertainty regarding the feasibility of the real estate development project, and will provide the developer with a handle to ultimately achieve an even better real estate development result.

The Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operations (AECO) industry can be descripted as a fragmented industry, with relatively low productivity and efficiency. Digital solutions like Building Information Modeling (BIM) can increase an organization's productivity. However, the Built Environment has been slow to adopt digital transformation, due to insufficient information management. Existing literature concentrates on addressing this challenge, by focusing on a single aspect of information management rather than providing a comprehensive picture of all the procedures, parties engaged, information, formats and platforms used as well as their interdependencies. Therefore, the objective of this graduation research is to determine the workflows for information management to allow digitization across the whole lifecycle, by examining multiple aspects. The case study findings lead to the creation of a process map, demonstrating more efficient workflows to be followed, by linking the distributed information between the different parties involved throughout the several project stages, while also considering each party’s digital ambitions. The main processes identified during each project stage concern the production of information deliverables by the respective party, using the suitable format. As both geometrical and non-geometrical information is generated during the different project stages, different formats are used, i.e. information models and documentation. Subsequently and at the end of each stage, the respective information is shared to other parties during specific information exchange moments. A collaborative environment is used by the different parties, both during the production and information sharing. Concluding, as digital transformation becomes even more widespread, a growing number of organizations strive for effective information management. To acquire a more reliable view on the subject, it is necessary to look at several aspects at once, hence the development of the proposed process map. To increase the validity of the outcome, more research and elaboration of the process map's elements is advised. Recommendations for the construction industry, with regard to the incorporation of digital ambitions, are also provided together with suggestions for a further enhancement of the company’s information management.