Manpower Use in High-Rise Residential Construction

Abstract

The paper reports on the manpower utilization patterns in high-rise residential construction. In the analysis of 57 high-rise structures built in New York City, the writer observes an uneven distribution of manpower and the comparatively long construction time for conventional high-rise residential structures is primarily due to the long lead time required for fabrication of the concrete superstructure and masonry skin. The addition of resources to this “critical path” would not significantly reduce its time for completion because of the curing time needed at each stage of construction. In addition, the observed method results in a severely skewed distribution of labor utilization. The superstructure and masonry cycle require massive amounts of manpower in comparison to the other trades.