The 12th World Construction Symposium 2024, themed "Empowering the Construction Industry: Towards Sustainable Development Goals," was held successfully via hybrid mode from 9th to 10th August 2024. The symposium, jointly organized by the Building Economics and Management Research Unit (BEMRU) of the Department of Building Economics, University of Moratuwa, and the Ceylon Institute of Builders (CIOB), has been SCOPUS-indexed since 2019. This year’s symposium recognized outstanding research with awards presented by BEPAM and CIOB. Prof. Charles Egbu, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University, UK, delivered the first keynote virtually on "Empowering a Sustainable Future: The Role, Place, and Interconnections in Construction and the Built Environment." The second keynote was delivered by Prof. Narein Perera on "Towards a Place-Specific Response: Placemaking through Climate-Sensitive Interventions in the Tropical Climate of Sri Lanka." To recognize outstanding research, awards were presented by BEPAM and CIOB. Prof. Charles Egbu, Vice-Chancellor of Leeds Trinity University, UK, delivered the first keynote virtually on "Empowering a Sustainable Future: The Role, Place, and Interconnections in Construction and the Built Environment." The second keynote was delivered by Prof. Narein Perera on "Towards a Place-Specific Response: Placemaking through Climate-Sensitive Interventions in the Tropical Climate of Sri Lanka." Following the scientific paper presentations, a panel discussion was organized on the theme of “Optimising Use and Minimising Misuse of Public Private Partnerships in Developing Countries.” The discussion was attended by over 150 in-person participants, with virtual contributions from over 100 attendees worldwide, including participants from Australia, China, India, Hong Kong, Indonesia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. The symposium concluded with the presentation of the BEPAM and CIOB awards for Best Paper and Highly Commended Papers, celebrating scholarly excellence in the construction industry.
