Canadian Construction Industry Research Articles

Building Information Modeling (BIM) partnering framework for public construction projects

Abstract Organizational and people centered issues pose the greatest challenge for Building Information Modeling (BIM) implementation. Studies showed that BIM implementation is still a challenge for the North American construction industry. The Canadian construction industry, in contrast, is well behind that of the U.S. in its BIM adoption rate. Maturity and adoption of BIM depends mainly on the client or the owner in construction projects. Public sector clients often think that the market is not ready for BIM and are afraid to increase project costs by limiting competition. Moreover, if the contractor is not integrated in the project in the design phase, BIM has limited power. This paper proposes a ‘BIM partnering’ based public procurement framework to ensure ‘best value’ in construction projects. The case study presented in the paper proved the feasibility of proposed BIM based procurement in publicly-funded construction projects. The suggested contractual arrangement for the project resulted in improved productivity, better coordination, and reduced error, and rework.

Development and implementation of a benchmarking and metrics program for construction performance and productivity improvement1This paper is one of a selection of papers in this Special Issue on Construction Engineering and Management.

To improve construction productivity and performance, it must be measured. The Construction Sector Council (CSC) has started a Labour Productivity and Project Performance Benchmarking Program for the infrastructure sector of the construction industry in Canada. Metrics were developed for project cost, time, safety, and quality performance; labour productivity; rework; project conditions; and management practices related to health and safety. Data from 19 projects located in different regions of Canada were collected and analyzed. Based on the results and on industry feedback, additional metrics for practices related to project planning, materials management, and construction supervisory skills development were developed. This paper describes the development of the program. Lessons learned during the development and implementation of the benchmarking and metrics program are summarized and steps to establish a sustainable program are identified. It is concluded that a successful program is feasible and has the potential to have broad impact.

An overview of construction and demolition waste management in Canada: a lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability

The construction and demolition (C&D) waste generated by the Canadian construction industry accounts for 27 % of the total municipal solid waste disposed in landfills. However, it is evident that over 75 % of what the construction industry generates as waste has a residual value, and therefore could be recycled, salvaged and/or reused. The need for comprehensive and integrated waste management mechanisms, technologies, rating systems and policies is widely recognized. Owing to increasing C&D waste volumes, shortage of landfills and long-term adverse environmental, economic and social impacts of the disposed C&D waste, sustainable C&D waste management is becoming increasingly essential to protect public health and natural ecosystems. This paper proposes a conceptual C&D waste management framework to maximise the 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) and minimise the disposal of construction waste by implementing sustainable and comprehensive strategy throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. In addition, a life cycle based C&D waste sustainability index is developed. This approach can be used to make decisions related to selection of material, sorting, recycle/reuse and treatment or disposal options for C&D waste.

Sustainable Materials Selection for Canadian Construction Industry: An Emergy-Based Life-Cycle Analysis (Em-LCA) of Conventional and LEED Suggested Construction Materials

Building industry is a major cause of ecological and environmental problems in the global scale. It accounts for 40% of material and 30% of global energy consumption. Emergy (spelled with an “m”) is the energy of one kind (usually solar energy) that is used, directly or indirectly, to make a product or service. The objective of this paper is to identify sustainable construction materials by assessing the specific emergy of major construction materials used in Canada, including a few rapidly renewable materials suggested by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Lifecycle analysis (LCA) of the selected materials was carried out to identify all type of natural, human, and energy resources used in their production process. The specific emergy of each selected material was calculated using the corresponding transformity functions. Results show that rapidly renewable materials suggested by LEED should not be taken blindly without considering the location of construction.

Current status of factors leading to team performance of on-site construction professionals in Alberta building construction projects

A skill-measuring criterion or strategy can be used to optimize the scarce skilled labour force in the Canadian construction industry. The University of Calgary conducted an extensive study to assess the skill levels and team performance of field workers and managers in Alberta’s building construction projects. Over 150 workers and field managers were interviewed, surveyed with questionnaires and observed, to identify team efficiencies, skill levels, team spirit, and team perceptions of supervision. The average construction worker had over 15 years of field experience. Most of the workers were high school educated. More than 70% of the workers wanted to improve their career skills; however, internal and external opportunities were limited and (or) not promoted by the respective construction companies. A very few foremen had certified skills in administration, computer handling, planning, job management and work records. The research clearly noted the urgent need for training programs, for workers and field managers, to improve their present skill levels.

Recycling as a construction waste management technique

As green building concepts and sustainability principles continue to grow within the Canadian construction industry, construction companies are forced to adopt alternative, environmentally friendly waste management methods in order to avoid traditional landfilling. This paper documents the findings of a study carried out to investigate the economic viability of recycling construction waste. The study was carried out based on data collected on waste material collection, sorting and other activities related to waste management processes at two building construction projects in Calgary, Alberta. The results indicate that, under current market conditions, recycling is still not economically favourable compared with landfilling for two categories of waste (clean wood and drywall), while recycling of cardboard is favourable under certain conditions, for instance in situations where the rate of waste generation justifies the allocation of labour for waste collection and sorting. However, economisation of the recycling process is not unachievable if efforts are made. Recommendations towards the optimisation of the recycling of construction waste as a sustainable technique are provided.

Strategic roadmaps for construction innovation : assessing the state of research

A strategic planning initiative was undertaken to advance innovation in the Canadian construction industry. A preliminary step in this strategic planning process was to carry out an inventory of the current state of research relating to the construction process that was conducted within Canadian Universities. It was found that this type of current research inventory was not often included in strategic planning initiatives, but has proven to be a valuable contribution to the process. The paper describes the research inventory initiative and briefly summarizes the resulting picture of the construction research landscape in Canada. This methodology involved collecting summaries of over 100 individual research projects, mainly through direct interviews, and deriving a series of research classifications through a clustering analysis of the results. The projects were classified according to the three dimensions of application area, technology, and innovation lifecycle phase forming a framework for analysis (resulting in three distinct roadmaps of current Canadian construction research). Further dimensions of scale, drivers, and time are then added to further assist the ongoing strategic planning process. Two examples of opportunities and activities underway to improve the innovation climate are discussed as they relate to the use of the framework. The scope of the strategic planning process is expanding in scope to include other stakeholders in the process (e.g., industrial research, users of technology). The results are expected to provide an underlying planning, coordination, and dissemination foundation to improve the ability for the research community to contribute to innovation in the Canadian construction industry. Key beneficiaries of this paper are individuals involved in creating and using industry-level strategic plans for construction innovation. The timeframe for the discussed roadmap is 0-2 years.

Review of the LEED Points Obtained by Canadian Building Projects

The expansion and advancement of businesses, cities, municipalities, and populations in Canada are increasingly demanding the effective usage of land and resources in building development. Companies, organizations, and individuals are seeking to construct more environmentally responsible buildings to help minimize the negative effects that structures place on the natural environment, as well as on the people that have either direct or indirect contact with them. In an effort to set a benchmark for what constitutes a green building, the Canada Green Building Council provides a certification system called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is a point scheme that seeks to measure sustainability. Many stakeholders in the construction industry in Canada are increasingly employing this system to validate their achievement in sustainable development. This paper reviews the usage of the LEED system in Canadian building construction and the potential challenges and barriers associated with LEED implementation that specifically pertain to Canadian circumstances. Information from 42 new construction projects across Canada that achieved LEED certification were collected and analyzed. The points most often awarded, as well as those that are granted the least frequently, were tabulated. The percentages of points obtained were compared to American projects. Credit frequency indicators (CFIs), which were used to depict the achievement of credits by each project, can provide decision makers with information on credits awarded in the past and insight into credit implementation in future projects with similar goals. The energy and atmosphere and materials and resources categories proved to have the lowest CFIs, whereas the innovation and design process and water efficiency categories yielded the highest CFIs. The study also found that there were differences in the points obtained by LEED projects in Canada and the United States as some credits are influenced by climate, such as weather and temperature, as well as regional location.

Construction process technologies: a meta-analysis of Canadian research

As one component of a broader initiative to develop a roadmap for innovation in process technologies throughout the Canadian construction industry, a survey and meta-analysis of current research and developmental activity was conducted. Twenty-two researchers were surveyed, resulting in an inventory of more than 100 research project descriptions. This dataset was used to develop a series of roadmaps of the current research and development activity. The results show a number of high-quality research initiatives underway spanning a wide range of application areas, technologies, and innovation process phases. The recommendations focus primarily on the need to continue the roadmapping process. The study has identified some of the issues that should be addressed and provided elements of the framework for ongoing strategic planning — yet it provides only a modest incremental step toward establishing overall mechanisms to harness the ongoing research activity to drive effectively the innovation process throughout the Canadian construction industry.

Le comportement des salaires chez les travailleurs syndiqués de l’industrie de la construction au Canada

In this paper, we analyze the behaviour of wages of the unionized workers of the construction industry in Canada. We compare the behaviour of construction wages to those observed in the sectors exposed to and protected from international competition. One conclusion of our analysis is that the construction sector is by far the most inflationnary sector of the Canadian economy. Union power in the construction industry combined with the control of labour supply by skilled trades associations in a market which lends itself to bilateral oligopoly can thus lead to wage increases in the construction sector which in the current inflationnary context exceed those in all other sectors of the economy. This situation is possible because construction firms do not have to face the threat of international competition. The result of this situation is to reduce the level of activity and employment in the construction sector. In addition, the mechanism for fixing wages serves to accentuate the cyclical fluctuations in the construction sector.

Initial metrics and pilot program results for measuring the performance of the Canadian construction industry

A study has been initiated by the Canadian Construction Innovation Council to support the measurement of the performance of the Canadian construction industry. Metrics have been established to cover aspects of cost, time, scope, quality, safety, innovation, and sustainability. The metrics were piloted with industry partners and applied to institutional building and infrastructure projects. The metrics were selected in recognition of other national and international efforts in benchmarking and with a view of supporting analysis at the project, organization, and industry level. The experience gained through the pilot project indicates that the metrics are reasonably well understood in their definition. While the cost, time, scope, and safety information is readily available, as expected, the information for quality innovation and sustainability is not or requires more detailed in-person interviews of project participants to obtain a complete picture of project performance. The data analysis and presentation conducted to date indicates that a combination of radar charts and box plots works best as a means to communicate results. The result of the study to date is a standard set of metrics, and collection and reporting methods for the performance of the Canadian construction industry that are useful as the basis of a broad benchmarking program.

Study of information technology development for the Canadian construction industry

This paper studies the state of companies that develop information technology (IT) for the construction industry in Canada. The study collects survey results and other data about these companies. It explores the number and nature of companies; their products and markets; and their opinions about IT trends, opportunities and barriers, and collaboration with government and university resources. The study concludes that a small construction IT industry exists in Canada, with some established successful companies and a number of younger ventures. These companies offer some products on par with the best construction IT in other countries, but they fall somewhat behind other countries in forming an advanced construction IT community of practice.Key words: information technology, development, construction industry, survey, Canada.

How do contractors evaluate company competitiveness and market attractiveness? The case of Toronto contractors

The Canadian construction industry has sustained a healthy growth rate over the last 10 years. This could make the Canadian market attractive to foreign competitors. Moreover, Canadian companies possess enough expertise and resources to be able to effectively compete in the global market. This highlights the increased importance of developing marketing strategies for Canadian companies. This research study provides an understanding of how Toronto construction companies evaluate market attractiveness and company competitiveness. Such evaluation is the first step towards building effective marketing strategies. The research included an analysis of the main indicators of the Toronto market over the last 10 years and one-on-one interviews with 39 experts. The research deployed the analytical hierarchy process to identify the most important factors that can be used for measuring company competitiveness and market attractiveness. The most important factors that influence company competitiveness include customer satisfaction, cost efficiency, and safety record. Factors with the highest impact on market attractiveness are sustainable profitability (return on investment), supply of finance, and overall economic conditions.Key words: construction marketing, company competitiveness, market attractiveness, strategic planning, analytical hierarchy process.

The implications of reuse and recycling for the design of steel buildings

There is an increasing interest in reuse and recycling in the Canadian construction industry. This interest is driven partly by the recent adoption in Canada of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System and partly by a greater general awareness of environmental issues. Designers are beginning to look at how to incorporate reused steel components into construction projects, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions by saving on primary steel production. However, although some designers are willing to redesign their projects to make use of available reclaimed structural steel components, it is often difficult to identify suitable materials in the local area at the appropriate time in the life of a project. A limiting factor is that designers, construction companies, and others perceive a lack of a well-established and easily available mechanism for exchange of reclaimed components. This paper reviews the issues that are relevant to increasing recycling and reuse in construction and focuses on examples that illustrate the benefits that steel can bring to sustainable construction. In particular, it discusses the issues relevant to designing to enable future disassembly and the way in which steel components can be readily reused.Key words: reclaimed steel, reuse of materials, steel recycling, design for deconstruction, sustainable construction.

Construction contracts: the cost of mistrust

Current contractual relationships are mainly based on confrontational situations that reflect the level of trust (or mistrust) in the contract documents. This can be the driver to increase the total cost of a specific project and affect the overall relationship between the contracting parties. This has been tested in the construction industry in Canada, and appears to be generalizable across North America. Based on two independent surveys (including the one presented in this paper) of Owners, Consultants and Contractors across Canada, the assessed premium associated with the five most commonly used exculpatory clauses in construction is between 8 and 20% in a seller's market. It should be obvious that trust and contracting methods are related and that this relationship is of vital importance to effective project management and contract administration. To date, little work has been done to explore the advantages of this relationship. This paper presents some of the results of a survey conducted across the Canadian construction industry that identifies some opportunities for better risk allocation mechanism and contracting strategies that are based on a trust relationship between the contracting parties. These opportunities are based on a trust relationship that can be the root cause for a significant saving in the annual bill for construction.

Is Workers' Compensation a Substitute for Unemployment Insurance?

This paper examines how the Workers' Compensation (WC) and Unemployment Insurance (UI) programs interact to influence the duration of claims due to workplace accidents. We use longitudinal WC administrative micro-data on more than 30,000 workers in the Canadian construction industry for the period 1976–1986. For the estimations, we use the Meyer (1990) semi-parametric proportional hazard model. Our results show, in particular, that a reduction in the UI replacement ratio is associated with an increase in the duration of claims due to severe accidents that are difficult to diagnose. Moreover, the duration of spells on WC is much higher when an accident occurs in December, a month which corresponds to the beginning of the lay-off season in the construction sector. This result is consistent with the fact that WC benefits are more generous than UI benefits in Canada.

International competitiveness of the Canadian construction industry: a comparison with Japan and the United States

Competitiveness can be a useful indicator of the long-term health of an industry. Whereas competitiveness has been studied at the corporate and national levels, its usefulness at the industry level has not been explored. The research objective is to develop a model to evaluate competitiveness at the industry level. Motivated by persistent problems of the Canadian construction industry, an attempt is made to quantify its international competitiveness. The industry is compared with its counterparts in Japan and the United States. Competitiveness is defined, the different dimensions of competitiveness are illustrated, and the need to quantify competitiveness is discussed. A multicriteria hierarchical model was developed and tested using both statistical and survey data. Salient findings of the research and conclusions are presented.Key words: international competitiveness, industry performance, strategic management, Canadian construction industry, Canada, Japan, United States.

International competitiveness of the Canadian construction industry: a comparison with Japan and the United States

Competitiveness can be a useful indicator of the long-term health of an industry. Whereas competitiveness has been studied at the corporate and national levels, its usefulness at the industry level has not been explored. The research objective is to develop a model to evaluate competitiveness at the industry level. Motivated by persistent problems of the Canadian construction industry, an attempt is made to quantify its international competitiveness. The industry is compared with its counterparts in Japan and the United States. Competitiveness is defined, the different dimensions of competitiveness are illustrated, and the need to quantify competitiveness is discussed. A multicriteria hierarchical model was developed and tested using both statistical and survey data. Salient findings of the research and conclusions are presented.Key words: international competitiveness, industry performance, strategic management, Canadian construction industry, Canada, Japan, United States.

The Influence of Institutional and Task Environment Relationships on Organizational Performance: The Canadian Construction Industry

This study compared the influence of organizations' relationships to the institutional versus task environment on organizational performance in the Canadian construction industry. This industry is characterized by both intense institutional regulation and strong market competition. Regulatory stringency and resource stringency were proposed as key determinants of the relative importance of institutional versus task environment relations in predicting organizational profitability and productivity. Results favoured the contribution of task environment relations to organizational success in support of an economic or strategic perspective on organizations. However, under highly stringent conditions, institutional relations were shown to be associated significantly with performance, suggesting that future research needs to consider both institutional and task environment effects on organizational performance and success.

Unemployment Insurance and the Duration of Workplace Accidents

The social cost of workplace accidents is large. In a typical year in the United States, from one-third to one-half as many working days are lost to work injuries as are lost to unemployment (see Krueger 1988). Recently, economists have paid more attention to the economic issues involved in occupational safety and health (OSH). In particular, they have investigated the different effects of government intervention in this area'. For example, it has been found that, in general, safety regulations and their enforcement had little impact on the incidence of workplace accidents. There also seems to be a consensus that an increase in the generosity of Workers' Compensation (WC) benefits is associated with an increase in both the frequency and the duration of WC claims for workplace accidents. In this connection, some researchers have raised a potentially important issue: the possibility of substitution between WC and Unemployment Insurance (UI). In most countries, WC is more generous than UI in terms of wage replacement, and there may therefore be an incentive for workers about to be laid off to try to benefit from WC instead of Ul2. Workers suffering from a workplace accident may also be tempted to take action in order to obtain a longer period of recovery compensated by WC. These two types of moral hazard are likely to be particularly important when injuries are hard-todiagnose (e.g., low-back injuries) and in industries where the level of unemployment is such that many workers may expect to be unemployed and to receive UI benefits after their recovery. The construction industry in Canada may be considered such an industry since climate constraints mean that many workers are unemployed during winter time. Fortin and Lanoie (1992) were the first authors to investigate these issues. In particular, from Quebec aggregate data at the industry level, they found