Chinese Construction Industry Research Articles

Decoupling relationship between economic output and carbon emission in the Chinese construction industry

By positioning in the discourse that economic output is always coupled with natural resource depletion, pollution, and carbon emission, decoupling analysis is widely adopted to evaluate how “quality” economic growth can lead to fewer such downsides so as to encourage sustainable development. This paper aims at examining the decoupling relationship between economic output and carbon emission by focusing on China's construction industry, which is a pillar industry for national economic growth, meanwhile contributes a huge amount of carbon emission. The method of Tapio decoupling model is used to examine the decoupling relationships at both national and provincial levels from 2005 to 2015. It continues to identify the driving force leading to a certain decoupling state by adopting the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI). Results show that: (1) there existed an expansive decoupling relationship between economic growth and construction carbon emission in most provinces of China during 2005–2015; (2) Shanghai presented the best decoupling performance, while in contrast, other provinces such as Guizhou and Fujian displayed expansive negative decoupling state; and (3) “Economic output” played the most significant role in inhibiting the decoupling at both national and provincial levels, while “Indirect carbon intensity” was the main driver for promoting the national decoupling. Although the paper refers to the specific construction of China, the decoupling analysis approach can be extended to other countries as well as to other pollutants such as land pollution, waste water and haze. The understanding of driving forces for the decoupling state in China's construction industry provides international policy-makers with valuable reference for formulating effective measures to balance the dilemma between economic output and carbon emission.

The total-factor energy productivity growth of China’s construction industry: evidence from the regional level

This study uses the total-factor energy productivity change index (TFEPCH) to investigate the changes in energy productivity of construction industry for 30 provincial regions in China from 2006 to 2015, adopting the improved Luenberger productivity index combined with the directional distance function. In addition to traditional economic output indicator, this study introduces building floor space under construction as a physical output indicator for energy productivity evaluation. The TFEPCH was decomposed into energy technical efficiency change and energy technical progress shift. Results indicate that, first, energy productivity of China’s construction industry decreased by 7.1% annually during 2006–2015. Energy technical regress, rather than energy technical efficiency, contributed most to the overall decline in energy productivity of China’s construction industry. Second, energy productivity in the central region of China decreased dramatically, by a cumulative sum of approximately 77.1%, since 2006, while energy productivity in the eastern and western regions decreased by over 54.3 and 65.3%, respectively. Only two of the 30 provinces considered—Hebei and Shandong—improved their energy productivity during 2006–2015. The findings presented here provide a basis for decision-making and references for administrative departments to set differentiated energy efficiency goals and develop relevant measures. Additionally, the findings are highly significant for energy and resource allocation of Chinese construction industry in different regions.

Applying fuzzy interpretive structural modeling to evaluate responsible consumption and production under uncertainty

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to adopt fuzzy interpretive structural modeling (ISM) to develop a precise evaluation framework and provide a theoretical basis for enhancing the understanding of responsible consumption and production (RCP) in academic and industrial fields.Design/methodology/approachAn integration of fuzzy set theory and ISM is proposed to maintain a higher level of consistency and reduce the uncertainty inherent in expert responses.FindingsRCP can be categorized into seven levels, which represent the driving power from higher to lower. The top aspect is management style; the remaining aspects are stakeholder management, regulation compliance, efficiency improvement, sustainable awareness, sustainable production and social responsibility.Research limitations/implicationsThis study attempts to integrate the triple bottom line (TBL) concept and corporate sustainability to develop a significant framework for evaluating RCP. Although the proposed aspects and criteria can be used to evaluate the Chinese construction industry, these may be insufficient for other industries. In addition, further discussion regarding important aspects and criteria is required to complete the theoretical basis.Practical implicationsThe results indicate that the top two criteria are establishing transparent communication channels and promoting managerial attitudes and behavior, which are followed by technology capabilities, organizational culture and stakeholder engagement. These five criteria play important roles when implementing RCP practices among Chinese construction firms.Originality/valueThis study is the first to discuss RCP via an integration of the TBL concept and corporate sustainability. The framework developed herein provides a precise guideline for Chinese construction firms to improve their performance, and it also promotes the efficient use of resources via sustainable practices.

Is there agreement between worker self and supervisor assessment of worker safety performance? An examination in the construction industry

Introduction: Individual safety performance (behavior) critically influences safety outcomes in high-risk workplaces. Compared to the study of generic work performance on different measurements, few studies have investigated different measurements of safety performance, typically relying on employees' self-reflection of their safety behavior. This research aims to address this limitation by including worker self-reflection and other (i.e., supervisor) assessment of two worker safety performance dimensions, safety compliance and safety participation. Method: A sample of 105 workers and 17 supervisors in 17 groups in the Chinese construction industry participated in this study. Comparisons were made between worker compliance and participation in each measurement, and between workers' and supervisors' assessment of workers' compliance and participation. Multilevel modeling was adopted to test the moderating effects on the worker self-reflection and supervisor-assessment relationship by group safety climate and the work experience of supervisors. Results: Higher levels of safety compliance than participation were found for self-reflection and supervisor assessment. The discrepancy between the two measurements in each safety performance dimension was significant. The work experience of supervisors attenuated the discrepancy between self- and supervisor-assessment of compliance. Contrary to our expectations, the moderating effect of group safety climate was not supported. Conclusions: The discrepancy between worker self- and supervisor-assessment of worker safety performance, thus, suggests the importance of including alternative measurements of safety performance in addition to self-reflection. Lower levels of participation behavior in both raters suggest more research on the motivators of participatory behavior. Practical applications The discrepancy between different raters can lead to negative reactions of ratees, suggesting that managers should be aware of that difference. Assigning experienced supervisors as raters can be effective at mitigating interrater discrepancy and conflicts in the assessment of compliance behavior.

Research on the mobility behaviour of Chinese construction workers based on evolutionary game theory

The Chinese construction industry is characterised by the frequent job changes of lower-level workers, which has been identified as one of the principal causes of poor performance, quality and safety accidents, and high technology loss in the construction industry. Assuming that each party has incomplete market information about the other, we can thus define a dynamic game relationship between employers’ incentives to retain workers and workers’ mobility behaviour. By using evolutionary game theory, in this study we analyse various conditional evolutionary stable strategies and explore how employer behaviour influences the mobility of the workers in this industry in China. The results show that under the prevailing employment model, construction workers are bound to change jobs regardless of whether their employers adopt incentives to retain them or not. This finding suggests that the government, as the market regulator, should reform its employment model to ensure that construction workers switch jobs in an orderly and rational manner.

Supply chain quality management: An investigation in the Chinese construction industry

Recently, in China, the issue of poor quality construction has drawn much public attention. This problem is related not only to poor quality control on the part of the construction firm, but also to the use of inadequate materials and inexperienced subcontractors, that is, to poor quality assurance in the construction supply chain. The purpose of this article is to examine supply chain quality management (SCQM) in the construction industry. Using a case-study approach, this research focuses on a Chinese medium-sized private enterprise in order to determine the most efficient way to conduct a high-quality project when collaborating with material suppliers and subcontractors. To this end, we replicate and extend the SCQM practices to help develop a more refined SCQM conceptual model relevant to the construction industry. Based on the different perspectives of managers and engineers, two frameworks are presented to illustrate (1) the correlation between SCQM and purchasing function (PF), and (2) how to work with material suppliers and subcontractors; the proposed models also show how these aspects will influence and control the quality of projects. Although constrained by the limitations inherent in case-study methodology, this article consolidates the work in one particular area of supply chain management. It also succeeds in meeting two core challenges, namely to explicate the interaction between SCQM and PF, and to provide guidance to construction firms on how to deal with SCQM issues with material suppliers and subcontractors.

Relations between Safety Climate, Awareness, and Behavior in the Chinese Construction Industry: A Hierarchical Linear Investigation

The vast majority of accidents in construction are generated by unsafe behaviors. Some researches also find that the behaviors could be influenced by the awareness and safety climate. The safety behavior and awareness belong to individual levels, while the safety climate belongs to the organization level. Previous studies mainly focus on the relationships between safety climate, safety awareness, and safety behavior without considering their different respective levels and the interaction between levels. This study establishes a hierarchical linear model (HLM) of safety climate, individual safety awareness, and safety behavior to examine the multilevel relationships between them. Data were collected using questionnaire from workers in different teams on the construction site in China. The results indicate that organizational safety climates affect individual safety behavior and safety awareness. In addition, there is a positive correlation between individual safety awareness and safety behavior, and the safety climates have a positive moderating effect on the relationship between them. The final conclusion offers a path for the current practice of safety management in the construction industry.

Framework for Designing Project Delivery and Contract Strategy in Chinese Construction Industry Based on Value‐Added Analysis

A project delivery method (PDM) and project contract strategy (PCS) are two critical factors for project success in construction industry. Currently, there are several options available for them in the construction industry, with several innovative PDMs and PCSs emerging along with the development of the industry. This paper maintains that the PDM should be designed in combination with the PCS given their close relationship. This paper focuses on the design of project delivery and contract strategy (PDCS), with the aim of developing a conceptual framework for the PDCS design. The design process is divided into two stages: preliminary design and detailed design, taking engineering design as a frame of reference. In the design process, the value‐added analysis of project objectives is adopted as a tool to make decisions at different stages. The framework proposed in this paper is intended to provide a more distinct and direct path to improving PDCS selection or design, as well as enhancing the reliability of decision‐making.

DEA-Based Performance Evaluation System for Construction Enterprises Based on BIM Technology

AbstractAfter decades of rapid development by the Chinese construction industry, the management of the construction industry has increasingly relied on good models. Building information modeling (B...

The development of a novel process for the production of calcium sulfoaluminate

Abstract In an industrial climate where the reduction of carbon emissions is paramount to meeting industry standards for a sustainable future, the cement industry is looking for alternative and creative solutions to reducing its carbon footprint and energy consumption. The title review develops a novel process for the production of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement, a material produced in the Chinese construction industry for use as a rapid hardening binder for 5 decades; but now undergoing rapid change. The novelty of the proposed process lies partly in its source of sulfur. Typically provided by gypsum in conventional raw feeds, the novel process instead sequesters sulfur into the cement solids through the combustion of elemental sulfur. This combustion event, in turn, contributes towards the calorific value required to heat and maintain kiln temperatures by burning fossil fuel, e.g. natural gas. The combustion of sulfur also provides various added benefits. The resultant sulfur-containing atmosphere in the reaction system provides a protective environment which represses S volatilisation at the operating temperatures used for CSA production, ca 1200–1300 °C. The novel process was developed with the intention for eventual commercial production in Doha, Qatar. The combustion of sulfur would be additionally beneficial due to the nation’s production of vast quantities of natural gas; elemental sulfur is a by-product of the Claus process, used for the desulfurisation of natural gas or sour crude. The proposed novel process would thereby utilise a waste product, i.e. sulfur, for the production of a low carbon cement product.

(Dis)Trust, Control, and Project Success: From a Chinese Project Owner’s Perspective

This research aims to investigate the relationship between interorganizational trust and control and their effects on the project success from the perspective of project owners. Based on relevant literature and the actual situation in the Chinese construction industry, trust was classified as calculative trust and relational trust, and control was classified as outcome control, behavior control, and social control. Results show that project owners’ distrust of contractors is independent of project owners’ trust of contractors. Calculative trust has a positive influence on all kinds of control. Relational trust has negative impacts on outcome control and behavior control and positive impacts on social control. Of the three kinds of control, outcome and behavior control have negative impacts on social control. All constructs have positive impacts on project success. Project managers should be aware that distrust has a positive influence on project success through the mediation effects of control. Similarly, social control is the most influential type of control, influencing the controller to internalize norms to complete project tasks.

Effects of inter-organizational conflicts on construction project added value in China

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to investigate the effects of inter-organizational conflicts on the project added value in the Chinese construction industry, and also to examine the mediating effect of conflicts on project added value and the moderating effect of conflict management strategies.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual model was developed, and a structured questionnaire survey was conducted with 667 professionals. The structural equation modeling technique was used to analyze the data.FindingsThe results showed that task conflict, relationship conflict and process conflict were influenced by subject characteristics of project participants, bilateral relationship characteristics and project characteristics. Similarly, these three types of conflicts interact with each other. Meanwhile, these three types of conflicts influence the added value in construction projects, which are moderated by conflict management strategies. Under a collaborating strategy, task conflict and process conflict were positively associated with project added value, and relationship conflict was negatively associated with project added value. Under a competing strategy, task conflict, process conflict and relationship conflict were negatively associated with added value in construction projects. Therefore, the constructive and destructive effects of conflicts on project added value under different conflict management strategies are verified in Chinese construction projects.Research limitations/implicationsThe variables may not be exhaustive for construction projects and most of them were applied in construction projects for the first time. As a result, their rationality and effectiveness could be further improved. The results implied that inter-organizational conflicts had a constructive effect on project added value and should attract broad attention for future research. Additionally, different driving factors had different influences on these conflicts, and even the driving factors can be divided into different dimensions.Practical implicationsThis study provides a better understanding of the relationship between inter-organizational conflicts and added value in construction projects, and a reliable reference for the project manager to effectively deal with these conflicts. In addition, this research reveals the effects of conflicts on project added value and the path of conflicts transformation. This provides a useful reference for project managers to take advantage of the positive effect of task conflict and process conflict, and to avoid the negative effect of relationship conflict.Originality/valueVery few studies attempted to examine the effects of inter-organizational conflicts on project added value in construction projects. Therefore, this research makes significant theoretical and practical contributions to the existing body of knowledge on the conflict management and project added value. This research provides an empirical evidence to support the viewpoint that different types of conflicts can be mutually transformed. Similarly, this study explains how conflicts present functional and dysfunctional effects in construction projects. Both of them are potential theoretical contributions to the existing body of knowledge.

Research on Investment Risk Management of Chinese Prefabricated Construction Projects Based on a System Dynamics Model

Prefabricated construction, a new direction for the future development of the Chinese construction industry, can maximize the requirements of “green”. As a new form of green building, prefabricated construction is of particular interest. On account of the immature development of the green building market in China, the investment risk for prefabricated construction is higher than for traditional architecture. Hence, it is especially important to improve its investment risk identification and management. This study adopts system dynamics and builds a risk identification feedback chart and risk flow chart, to comprehensively identify investment risks that projects in China may face and to process quantitative estimation of investment risk factors. Key factors influencing project investment risks are found, and corresponding measures are pointedly proposed. This paper may provide guidance and a reference for promoting the sound development of prefabricated construction in China.

An empirical study on the CO2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry

In assuming its commitments to the reduction of CO2 emissions, China is contributing great efforts to mitigate CO2 emissions across its all economic sectors including construction industry. The Chinese construction industry is one of the main contributors to CO2 emissions in China. This paper presents an empirical study on the CO2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry across the period of 1995–2011. The input-output analysis method is employed for conducting the study. The data used for analysis are mainly collected from the world input-output database. The analysis results demonstrate that the CO2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry increased by 388.7% from 1995 to 2011, reached to 3035.9 Mt in 2011. However, the carbon intensity in the construction industry decreased by 46.9% from 1995 to 2011, recorded as 0.00198 Mt/million dollars in 2011. The indirect CO2 emissions were the majority of the construction CO2 emissions, accounting for over 95% during 1995–2011. The process-based CO2 emissions contributed 8.7%–12.6% of the total construction CO2 emissions during 1995–2011. The electricity, gas and water supply industry, the other non-metallic mineral industry, and the basic metals and fabricated metal industry were the main contributors to the construction CO2 emissions during 1995–2009. This study presents a comprehensive picture on the CO2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry, which provides valuable references both to further study and to formulate more effective policies.

Risk factors for project success in the Chinese construction industry

PurposeTo achieve project success, an effective project risk management procedure is inevitable. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of risk factors on project success in the Chinese construction industry context.Design/methodology/approachThis study by way of utilizing both qualitative and quantitative methods has examined risk factors that are closely linked to project success in the Chinese construction industry.FindingsAfter a thorough survey and analysis, risk factors related to designer, contractor, subcontractor, client and government are shown to affect project success to some extent.Originality/valueIt is suggested that the present research may be made more generalizable by a larger, more representative samples across various industries and regions of China.

Construction Engineering Management and its Assessment System Based on Green Building Methods

In recent years, the construction industry has been searching for intra-industry development methods, developing new technologies as well as introducing new equipment and environment-friendly materials, etc., and the arising of green buildings has brought new opportunities to the development of construction industry. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the engineering management system of green buildings, as well as explore the development mode, engineering design evaluation and construction management methods in the management of green buildings. The development of construction engineering is connected with the multiple relations among the government, developers and consumers. The government restrains behaviors of developers through policy control, thus to promote development activities. However, market promotion should be based on consumers’ demand and purchase intension. Therefore, according to the game analysis between the government and developers, this study discussed the development management mechanism of construction engineering; combining with the development status of Chinese construction industry, four kinds of designing schemes of construction engineering were established, and the optimal scheme was selected according to the evaluation criteria of engineering construction products, thus to lower the construction costs; finally, based on the static game analysis of incomplete information of contractors, the choice mechanism of green construction contractors was put forward.

Driving factors of the changes in the carbon emissions in the Chinese construction industry

As the world's largest carbon emitter, China is confronting a great challenge to mitigate its carbon emissions. The construction industry is one of the major contributors to the carbon emissions in China. This study investigated the driving factors of the changes in the carbon emissions in the Chinese construction industry by using the structural decomposition analysis method and the data from the World Input-Output Database. The results show that the total final demand effect contributed most (131%) to the increase in the construction carbon emissions, while the energy intensity effect offset the largest part (108%) of the increase during the whole period. The production structure effect and final demand ratio effect contributed 49% and 35% to the total increase in the carbon emissions between 1995 and 2009, respectively. The carbonization factor effect had a very small decrease impact (7%) on the carbon emissions between 1995 and 2009. The trends of the effects of driving factors during 1995–2009 and the contributions by industries to the effects of driving factors between 1999 and 2009 have been further explored. This study can help the Chinese policymakers formulate more effective policies for mitigating the construction carbon emissions.

Identification of Trust-Repair Strategies and Their Effectiveness in the Chinese Construction Industry

Identification of Trust-Repair Strategies and Their Effectiveness in the Chinese Construction Industry

Moving Low-Carbon Construction Industry in Jiangsu Province: Evidence from Decomposition and Decoupling Models

The carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions caused by the global construction industry account for 36% of the world’s total carbon emissions, and 50% of China’s total carbon emissions. The carbon emissions from Jiangsu Province’s construction industry account for approximately 16% of the total emissions of the Chinese construction industry. Taking the construction industry in Jiangsu Province as our study object, therefore, this paper introduces the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) carbon emission accounting method as a means to measure the total CO2 emissions of the Jiangsu Province construction industry. Specifically, we examine the period from 2005 to 2013. Based on the Tapio decoupling model, we analyze the decoupling state between the CO2 emissions of the construction industry in Jiangsu Province and the province’s economic growth. Our paper also employs the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) approach, in order to conduct a decomposition analysis of those factors that influenced the changes in the level of CO2 emissions during the studied period. According to the results of our research, during the period from 2005 to 2013, the CO2 emission levels caused by the construction industry in Jiangsu Province experienced a significant increase. The cumulative total CO2 emissions reached 402.85 million tons. During most of the years covered by our study, an expansive negative decoupling state existed between the level of CO2 emissions and the output value of Jiangsu’s construction industry. These periods were interspersed with either a weak decoupling state in some years or a strong decoupling state in other years. The indirect carbon emission intensity effect and the industry scale effect were the main factors influencing the increases in the construction industry’s CO2 emissions. At the conclusion of our paper, we put forward policy suggestions, with the objective of promoting the de-carbonization of the construction industry in Jiangsu Province.

Reprint of: Uncertainty analysis for measuring greenhouse gas emissions in the building construction phase: a case study in China

Uncertainty analysis is useful in determining whether the results of life cycle assessment are sufficiently reliable and valid when making optimal decisions. However, only a few studies have measured carbon emissions by considering the inherent uncertainty during building construction phase that may result in the misinterpretation of critical parameters. To address such weakness, a multi-method-based uncertainty analysis framework was developed in view of the basic characteristics of the construction practice. This framework integrated the deterministic and probabilistic approaches to facilitate the uncertainty assessment in quantifying carbon emissions and to provide insights into the sensitive construction activities from the uncertainty perspective. The developed framework was examined through a mix-use project in Guangzhou China. Results showed that the uncertainties in the measurement method and geographic representativeness are the major uncertainty sources for the building construction phase. The total greenhouse gas emission for the target building was 8791.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent with a 9.8% coefficient of variation, which was in line with the result calculated by the deterministic method and with the result extrapolated based on the data collected from China. The results of the scenario analysis showed that the proportion of 1% in contribution analysis and the coefficient of variation of 18% in uncertainty analysis can be regarded as the baseline for determining the critical input parameters. This study lends a useful tool for monitoring the uncertainty of LCA studies in the construction practice. In addition, this framework can facilitate to avoid the misinterpretation of the final results during the decision-making process. Although this study focuses on Chinese construction industry, it also provides good references for measuring uncertainty of greenhouse gas emissions of construction industries around the world.