Construction Projects In Terms Research Articles

Assessment of Construction Risks in Projects Funded by External Sources in Jordan during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In general, construction projects are vulnerable to various risks during their life cycle. These risks may negatively affect the project cost and duration, in addition to other factors, including environmental impact, health and safety, and quality of construction work. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought more challenges to construction projects. This study presents an assessment of 47 major risks affecting construction projects. The research investigates and assesses the risk factors associated with a special type of construction project, namely, projects funded by external sources, due to their importance, characteristics, and sensitivity. Furthermore, the study was carried out under the impact of the special conditions and constraints associated with the COVID-19 health pandemic. These conditions provided specific types of risks, results of risk assessment, and recommended responses to the risks. The studied risks were categorized using the PESTLE technique, an external factor analysis technique, which includes six groups of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental risks. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 34 construction organizations that implemented or supervised projects funded by external sources. The aim of the survey was to assess the risks affecting the construction projects in terms of probability of occurrence and severity on the projects’ cost and time schedule. Then, the importance of each risk was calculated, and the risks were ranked according to their importance. The results showed the high importance of environmental and legal risks and indicated that the most important risk factors are the difficulty of issuing licenses and permits and the inappropriate definition of the scope of work. This study would help managers and fund providers make decisions regarding risks during uncontrolled pandemic or disastrous circumstances. Although the current study was conducted in Jordan, its procedures and results can be useful in other locations with different properties and conditions.

Challenge and Awareness for Implemented Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) in Indonesian Projects

Many projects in Indonesia have implemented new strategies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. Many projects suffered unexpected losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and conditions were unpredictable. This situation must be considered by all stakeholders participating in a project. Another problem in the implementation of construction is the fragmentation between project participants. Therefore, a strategy is needed in each phase of the project life cycle. In the absence of proper planning, the contractor is the party responsible for bearing the risk associated with this occurrence. Improved project performance is a shared responsibility among owners, contractors, designers, and subcontractors, all of whom need to tap into their own sources of creativity and innovation. The potential of partnering as a tool for achieving lean construction performance, it is still in its infancy as a means of enhancing project outcomes. In this study, we used qualitative methods and in-depth interviews enhanced by focus group discussions of 14 experts (owners, designers, contractors, and academics) using the Delphi method. The results illustrate the maturity of partnering in integrated project delivery (IPD); therefore, its guiding philosophy can be developed and implemented to improve the outcomes of construction projects in terms of cost, quality, schedule, health and safety, and environmental performance. The most important part of this research is related to the implementation of the 17th goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), i.e., partnerships to achieve the goals. This research contributes to a deepening of partnering practices that can drive performance in project implementation.

Project success and critical success factors of construction projects: project practitioners’ perspectives

Abstract Project management is primarily practitioner-oriented and loaded with many critical success factors (CSFs), and although these are well-evidenced in theory, they do not deliver as efficiently as factors of interest to project professionals during execution. The present study explores the perceptions of senior project managers (PMs) about project success, CSFs and complexity in large construction projects. Data from project practitioners were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using content analysis. The participants were selected with convenience sampling method given the complex understanding of the domain and included highly experienced PMs from the global community with expertise in project management. PMs perceive a small number of CSFs in contrast to the large exhaustive CSFs listed in the questionnaire surveys. Though important, traditional constraints of the Iron Triangle are considered inadequate in defining project success. Project professionals are seen as relying more on other performance indicators for defining a project as a success. They perceive complex construction projects in terms of a large number of interfaces, complex working systems and uncertainty. The findings of this paper suggest that project practitioners perceive differently about the CSFs and project success.

Construction Cost and Schedule Impacts Due to COVID-19

Construction companies are facing unprecedented challenges in terms of coping with the new circumstances as well as understanding their legal and contractual impacts. Because the COVID-19 pandemic affected all businesses across the globe, identifying and analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on construction projects in terms of material supply disruption, labor shortage, construction delay, and disruption in cash flow is vital. The purpose of this study is to enhance construction companies’ ability to better tackle such situations in the future by identifying and addressing the impact of COVID-19 on the material supply disruptions and construction schedule. This research used a quantitative methodology using an online questionnaire as the instrument to collect data. The study analyzed responses from 32 construction company executive members across the United States. The survey collected cost and schedule impact due to material supply disruption in building construction divisions. The analysis shows that COVID-19 pandemic impacted project schedule, increased cost, and disrupted the supply chain of building materials. The findings can provide a better understanding and solution to reduce the pandemic’s impact on the construction industry in the future and understand the legal implications that can arise due to this pandemic disruption.

Analysis of The Most Affecting Factors in The Selection of Conventional and Precast Concrete Floor Slabs on Time Performance

One of the efforts to achieve the goals of construction project in terms of cost, quality and time is to replace conventional methods with more modern ones, namely by applying precast concrete. Precast concrete products, especially for buildings, are quite varied, one of them is Hollow Core Slab (HCS). Supported by previous research which explains that precast concrete floor slabs can save processing time compared to conventional floor slabs. Therefore, it is necessary to identify factors and variables that affecting the selection of conventional and precast
 floor plates on time performance and how the influence of the X variable (Factors) on the Y variable (Time performance).The results showed that the most affecting factors in the selection of conventional floor slabs on time performance were manpower factor with variable number of workers (41.3%), location factor with variable distance of batching plant to project site (19.8%), and also technical factors with shop drawing revision variable (by 41.8%). As for, the most affecting factors in the selection of precast concrete floor slabs on time performance include manpower factors with worker’s expertise variable (29.7%), and technical factors with shop drawing revision variable (by 38.4%).

Impact of the Pandemic on the Construction Projects of DPWH Nueva Ecija 2nd District Engineering Office

Several countries have ordered a complete national lockdown after the World Health Organization (WHO) labeled the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic. These judgments have limited people's mobility and forced the closure of several firms in various industries. Without exception, the construction industry is a substantial growth driver for the economy. This study attempted to investigate the impact of the pandemic on the construction projects of DPWH Nueva Ecija 2nd District. The researcher provided checklists to various positions among project personnel to garner data from different sectors of the construction projects. Respondents agreed that the pandemic affected the construction projects in terms of workforce, time management, supply chain shortages, and communication. Meanwhile, the most significant concern is the health and safety on-site. 10.47191/etj/v7i6.01

Augmented reality in design and construction: thematic analysis and conceptual frameworks

PurposeThis study aims to present a comprehensive review, critical analysis and implications of the augmented reality (AR) application and implementation in the construction industry arena and demonstrate the gaps along with the future research agenda.Design/methodology/approachThe construction industry has been under pressure to improve its productivity, quality and sustainability. However, the conventional methods and technologies cannot respond to this industry's ever-growing demands while emerging and innovative technologies such as building information modelling, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and AR have emerged and can be used to address this gap. AR application has been acknowledged as one of the most impactful technologies in the construction digitalization process. However, a comprehensive understanding of the AR application, its areas of effectiveness and overarching implications in a construction project life cycle remain vague. Therefore, this study uses an integration of systematic literature review and thematic analysis techniques to identify the phases of a construction project life cycle in which AR is the most effective, the current issues and problems of the conventional methods, the augmented parameters, the immediate effects of using AR on each phase and, eventually, the overall influence of AR on the entire project. Nvivo qualitative data analysis software was used to code, categorize and create themes from the collected data. The result of data analysis was used to develop four principal frameworks of the AR applications – design and constructability review session; construction operation; construction assembly; and maintenance and defect inspection and management – and the gap analysis along with the future research agenda.FindingsThe findings of this study indicated that the application of AR can be most effective in the following four stages of a project life cycle: design and constructability review session; construction operation; construction assembly; and site management and maintenance, including site management and defect inspection. The results also showed that the application of AR technology in the construction industry can align and address building industry objectives by various elements such as: reducing project costs through the application of digital technologies, saving time, meeting deadlines and reduction in project delays through integrated, live scheduling and increased safety and quality of the construction work and workers.Research limitations/implicationsOne of the main limitations of this study was the lack of materials and resources on the downfalls and shortcomings of using immersive technologies, AR, in the construction project life cycle. In addition, most of the reviewed papers were focused on the experiments with simulations and in the lab environment, rather than real experiments in real construction sites and projects. This may cause limitations and inaccuracy of the collected and reported data.Practical implicationsThe results of this study indicated that the application of AR technology in construction industry can align and address building industry objectives by various elements such as: reducing project costs through the application of digital technologies; saving time; meeting deadlines and reduction in project delays through integrated, live scheduling; and increased safety and quality of the construction work and workers.Social implicationsApplication of AR in the various stages of a project life cycle can increase the safety and quality of the construction work and workers.Originality/valueThe reviewed literature indicated that substantial research and studies are yet to be done, to demonstrate the full capacity and impact of these emerging technologies in the field. The collected data and literature indicate that amongst the digital technologies, AR is one of the least researched topics in the field. Therefore, this study aims to examine the application of AR in construction projects’ life cycle to identify the stages and practices of a project life cycle where AR and its capabilities can be exploited and to identify the respective problems and issues of the conventional methods and the ways in which AR can address those shortcomings. Furthermore, this study focuses on identifying the overall outcome of AR applications in a construction project in terms of cost and time efficiency, process precision and safety.

From Risk Matrices to Risk Networks in Construction Projects

Risk management is considered as a vital process contributing to the successful outcome of a complex construction project in terms of achieving the associated project objectives. The widely used industrial practice in managing construction project risks is to assign probability and impact values to each risk and to map risks on a risk matrix. The main criticism of this practice relates to ignoring complex interdependencies between risks and using point estimates for probability and impact values. Furthermore, risks mapped on a matrix are deemed to influence a specific objective and there is a challenge involved in aggregating the impact of risks across multiple (conflicting) project objectives. Utilizing a data-driven Bayesian Belief Network methodology, in this paper we introduce a new process where the risks mapped on a risk matrix corresponding to each project objective are aggregated and modeled as a risk network, and a holistic impact of each risk is captured across the network by means of new risk metrics. The proposed methodology is demonstrated through a real application. The results specific to the two ranking schemes (assuming independence/interdependence of risks) are found to be negatively correlated, which substantiates the importance of utilizing an interdependency-based risk management process.

Types of Works in Construction Projects in Terms of Effectiveness When Applying Value Engineering in Saudi Arabia

In construction projects,reduce the cost while keeping the level of quality is an important matter, which defined as Value Engineering(VE). The main concern of VE is to search for the most effective type of works in construction projects to save project direct cost by maximizing or keeping target quality for the studied project. It is a difficult challenge to keep a balance between maximizing project quality with corresponding its minimum cost and duration at the same time. When the value-engineering process is used, each factor affecting the cost is taken into consideration all detailed studies as a specific unified factor to determine its suitable alternatives. This Paper investigates ordering the types of works in terms of effectiveness in the cost saving using the value engineering process for construction projects in Saudi Arabia. A questionnaire has been used to obtain results of only valid samples from all 205 responses, which analyzed and discussed. This study concerned with types of works in a correlation with the four main engineering categories; construction, mechanical, electrical and finishing work. The results indicate the difference effect of using value engineering between these major categories of construction engineering works. Finally, the importance score index applied to appraise the influence of the tested types of works when applying VE process on the project cost.This paper also serves as a resource and guide for construction managers, contractors, and more efficient management in the construction of Saudi projects in order to achieve a sustainable level of cost and quality.

Urban Development and Sustainable Utilization: Challenges and Solutions

Many countries are contemplating a smart sustainable approach to the next generation of cities. However, there are many obstacles to achieve this objective, such as planning and implementing sustainable dimensions. The aim of this study is to (1) investigate the level of importance of the different sustainable dimensions in Riyadh and (2) distinguish the effect of two proposed solutions on dimensions for a smart approach to rank the proposed solutions based on their level of impact in Riyadh. In this study, the sustainability dimensions are six main measurable criteria that include Smart Economy, Smart Mobility, Smart Environment, Smart People, Smart Governance, and Smart Living. The research also utilized a multi-step methodology that involved an expert-based survey and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP) to assess the performance indices of components for a smart method in Riyadh and evaluate the proposed solutions, namely, the construction of a metro network to link all of Riyadh to align with the government objective for 2030, and encouraging the construction of smart buildings through Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The results show that Smart People, Smart Mobility, and Smart Living were the three most important sustainable indices for Riyadh. Furthermore, the results of the proposed construction projects illustrate that both projects had the same impact on five of the six sustainable indices, but that the metro project had a significantly higher impact on one of the indices. The study is also envisaged to aid decision-makers in prioritizing the upcoming public construction projects. Finally, this is the first study of its kind to address ranking real public construction projects in terms of sustainable development.

Management of Investment and Construction Projects in Terms of Project Financing

The possibilities of applying the project approach to the financing of investment and construction projects are considered. The article analyzes the implementation of the processes of housing construction project management in the context of changes in the legislative framework and the transition of the activities of real estate developers to project financing. The article considers the features of project finance that are significant for project management as a form of project resource management, which determine its advantages in comparison with traditional bank lending. The expediency of adjusting the project risk management processes in the context of a legally approved transition to project financing is justified. The article analyzes the impact of changes in the legislation regulating the conditions for financing investment and construction projects on the situation in the residential real estate market. The advantages and limitations of project financing for various participants of investment and construction projects in the field of residential real estate are identified.

The effectiveness of project management construction with data mining and blockchain consensus

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) middle office, Blockchain (BC) technology, and Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology are applied to manage construction projects, thereby solving the trust problems during construction project management and optimizing the management model of construction project quality. The construction project of a university in Guangdong Province, China, is adopted as a case to discusses the disputes between the stakeholders of the construction projects in terms of contract and construction claims, as well as exploring the material price forecast, cost, and schedule, thereby verifying the effectiveness of the method proposed during the project management. The results indicate that AI middle office can provide evidence support for stakeholders. Especially during the claim, AI middle office can define the accountability and analyze data when forecasting prices, thereby providing stakeholders with data support. If the BC technology is utilized to input, process, and export relevant program files and price data, the accuracy and safety of the data will be guaranteed. When the progress and cost indicators are analyzed, the results of using this technology are more accurate than the original results, which saves the cost. Therefore, applying AI technology, BC technology, and BIM technology to manage construction projects is of great significance for improving the efficiency and quality of project management.

Building Information Modeling and Building Knowledge Modeling in Project Management

Background: The key element for the success of construction projects in the era of technology and information is knowledge. Knowledge management in the construction sector has become a necessary and vital matter, starting with the planning stage, designing, implementing and ending with operation and maintenance stage. One of the most prominent features of knowledge in the construction sector is the building knowledge modeling (BKM). Problem: Although the design stage is considered one of the most important stages of the construction project in terms of eliciting the knowledge element, designers suffer from poor knowledge management, as well as their inability to exploit the capabilities and benefits of building information modeling (BIM), especially knowledge management. Objective: The main aim of this study is to present a conceptual model that integrates the basic principles of knowledge management with contemporary principles of BIM in the design stage and has the ability to store, classify and share the knowledge generated from past designs into future projects. Methodology: The research methodology is constructed on reviewing the pillars of the proposed conceptual model, namely: BKM parameters, BKM library, and BKM clash detection system, then a hypothetical case to prove the validity of the proposed conceptual model using Basmaya residential complex project in the Republic of Iraq is presented as a case study. Results: New four definitions are introduced: client knowledge, context knowledge, standards knowledge and technical knowledge. The conceptual model proposed in this study has shown great ability and high efficiency in improving and developing knowledge management in the design stage of buildings and projects. In addition, the knowledge stored in the BKM library can be reused in designing new projects in the future. Novelty: The conceptual model has the ability to update constantly itself over time by sharing the knowledge of designers, suppliers and other stakeholders.

Causes of Delays in Road Construction Projects in Laos

One of the most important sectors in infrastructure development in Laos is road construction. However, many road construction projects in Laos suffer from extensive delays. This causes damage such as recurring problems in the road construction industry, and has a negative effect on the success of road construction projects in terms of schedule, cost, quality, safety and the amenity of road users. The goal of this study is to determine the main causes of these delays and to offer remedies. To identify the causes of delays, a questionnaire is designed by modifying one used to measure causes of delays in road construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine and in consultation with engineering experts with more than 10 years of experience in Laos road construction projects. A total of 53 causes of delay are identified as important in Laos. Questionnaire respondents included 35 contractors, 31 owners and 24 consultants in total. The survey results indicate that the five top factors causing road construction delays are: Contractor cash flow; Delayed payment by owner; Difficulties in financing project by contractor; Financial issues related to owner; and Insufficient equipment and vehicles for the work.

Defect Risk Assessment Using a Hybrid Machine Learning Method

AbstractDefects pose considerable risks to construction projects in terms of both cost and quality, and identifying defects thus is crucial to effective construction quality management. In this stu...

Effect of Accident Due to Fall From Height at Construction Sites in Malaysia

Nationally, falls from height (FFH) are a significant threat to the construction fields and are one of the leading causes of a fatal accident to construction workers. Since the construction industry is carried out in hazardous environments, accidents occurring at various severity rates, leading to minor, severe and fatal injuries. Meanwhile, the majority of accidents are caused by a variety of significant causes and uncertain actions or unsafe conditions. The recognition effect of falls from height accidents at construction sites is the focus of this research. Therefore, this paper revealed the major effect of an accident due to a fall from height from past researchers. The reported cases of accidents were investigated by the Malaysian Department for Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) were reviewed. The finding of this paper indicates a time loss of project execution due to accident investigation was the major effect of the accident due to fall from height at construction sites and cost implication for hiring a new worker, training for a new employee and compensation for injury or settlement of death claims. Discoveries of this paper will enhance the construction industry to improve the performance and regulation of all construction projects in terms of safety.

Original Model for Estimating the Whole Life Costs of Buildings and its Verification

Abstract The model for estimating the whole life costs of the building life cycle that allows the quantification of the risk addition lets the investor to compare buildings at the initial stage of planning a construction project in terms of the following economic criteria: life cycle costs (LCC), whole life costs (WLC), life cycle equivalent annual costs (LCEAC) and cost addition for risk (ΔRLCC). The subsequent stages of the model development have been described in numerous publications of the authors, while the aim of this paper is to check the accuracy of the model in the case of changing the parameters that may affect the results of calculations. The scope of the study includes: comparison of the results generated by the model with the solutions obtained in the life cycle net present value method (LCNPV) for time and financial input data, not burdened with the risk effect; the analysis of the variability of results due to changes in input data; analysis of the variability of results as a consequence of changing the sets of membership functions for input data and methods for defuzzification the result.

Financial stability of investment and construction projects in terms of project financing

The paper determines the relevance and purpose of the study. The characteristic and functions of a special purpose vehicle of project financing are presented. The conditions of project lending are described. The ways of ensuring financial stability of the investment and construction project at various stages of its life cycle are considered. At the preinvestment stage, the financial model and budget of the project are considered as a mechanism for ensuring the sustainability of the project. The directions of normative and methodological support for effective financial modeling and project budgeting in the context of project financing are identified. At the implementation stage, a cost control system for the investment and construction project was developed. A formal decomposition of the control system under study is proposed, and a functional description of the subjects of control is presented. The conditions of preserving the project within the budget and adaptive management of investment and construction projects are considered.

An Overview of Total Quality Management (TQM) practice in Construction Sector

In construction sector TQM can be termed as a philosophy which guides construction professionals on the proper execution of construction projects in terms of quality. The aim of this paper is to discuss on quality management practice in construction sector. This paper evaluated five previous researches and the findings were discussed to find a conclusion of TQM practise in construction sector. The study found that TQM had been successfully practice in construction sector at Saudi Arabia, India, US and South Africa. Application of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) help to improve the implementation of TQM in construction sector. In conclusion, quality management practices will give better control of processes in construction sector.

Comparison of steel and timber formwork system used for building projects on the basis of quality, cost and speed

The type of formwork system used is the factor which determines the success of building construction project in terms of quality, cost and speed. Completing the project with estimated cost, time and specified quality is the measure for successful deliverance of the project to client but almost all building projects in our country are not lucky to be delivered successfully to the client. Pointing out the usage and practices of formwork system this research study the comparison of steel and timber formwork with regarding to cost, quality and time of completion of selected building construction projects. The study was conducted by selecting the building projects from different sites that are under construction during the study period. The projects comprise different category of building such as office, commercial, apartment, multipurpose, hospital buildings. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted in the projects to get relevant data which helps to achieve the objectives of this thesis. Formwork rental companies and regulatory bodies were also interviewed. The research finding indicated that the average meter square cost of steel formwork is higher than timber formwork the cost difference varies based on the type of structural element, for instance cost of steel beam formwork is 20% higher than timber beam formwork and for column steel formwork is 25% higher than timber formwork, Taking average the difference is steel formwork costs 22.5% higher than timber formwork. Regarding to the speed of construction the research finding indicated that the steel formwork construction gives faster phase of construction and concerning with the quality of finished concrete modern formwork system creates good surface concrete.