Construction Stakeholders Research Articles

ASSESSING THE ADOPTION OF CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER BY ARCHITECTS AND STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS WITHIN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) is an engineered wood product for the construction industry offering multiple structural, environmental and supply chain benefits. CLT can be used for an entire building, as both the lateral and vertical load resisting system, or for select elements such as the roof, floors or walls. CLT products were developed in the early 1990’s and have been widely adopted throughout Europe, and more recently, in Canada. However, use of CLT products is still relatively rare in the US. We present the results of a nationwide phone survey in the US conducted with architects and structural engineers to gauge their awareness, rate of adoption and assimilation of CLT products. Although adoption of CLT amongst architects and structural engineers is still at a nascent level within the construction sector, awareness is high, with 100% of our sample respondents cognizant of CLT. Architects and structural engineers perceive relative advantages of using CLT as well as compatibility with traditional construction. However, the adoption process is impeded by issues associated with complexity, trialability and observability. Key barriers to adoption of CLT as perceived by these two stakeholders are lack of experience from construction stakeholders, lack of training and tools for construction management stakeholders, lack of client requests and CLT inventory.

Investigating Current Practice on Disincentive Programmes in the Indonesian Construction Industry

Much attention has been paid to practices and methods for improving the safety management of construction projects using an incentive approach, but limited studies that focus on the disincentive programme have been found, particularly in developing countries such as Indonesia. This study aims to present the findings of current practice on the disincentive programme by considering the perceptions of Indonesian construction stakeholders. In this study, a mixed-method approach through a semi-structured interview with stakeholders in the construction industry such as academics, associations and professionals, private and state-owned enterprise contractors is used. This article proposes that a penalty in terms of the cost and duration of the suspension should be enforced while strategies for alleviating increased injuries may include training, regular communication, socialisation, education, repetitive briefing and continuous supervision. It also indicates that laws and safety policies need to consider the costs suffered by personnel, families, and the ability of both small and large companies to manage such a disincentive programme.

A Governance Framework to Assist with the Adoption of Sensing Technologies in Construction.

Sensing technologies present great improvements in construction performance including the safety, productivity, and quality. However, the corresponding applications in real projects are far behind compared with the academically research. This research aims to discover dominate influence factors in the sensing technologies adoption and ultimately develop a governance framework facilitating adoption processes. The framework is dedicated on general sensing technologies rather than single sensor in previous framework studies. To begin with, the influence factors of sensing technologies and other similar emerging technologies are summarised through a review. Then, a mixed methods design was employed to collect quantitative data through an online survey, and qualitative data through semi-structured interviews. Findings of the quantitative method reveal that the most widely implemented sensing technologies are GPS and visual sensing technology, but they’re still not adopted by all construction companies. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling reveals that supplier characteristics have the highest effect in all influence factors. Qualitative method was adopted to investigate perceptions of construction stakeholders on the major decision-making considerations in the adoption process. Ultimately, a triangulation analysis of findings from the literature review, online survey and interviews resulted in the governance framework development. The overarching contribution of this research focus on the general adoption of sensing technologies rather than the adoption of a specific sensor. Therefore, the governance framework can assist with the decision-making process of any sensing technology adoption in construction.

Causes, effects and potential measures of cost deviations in high-rise building projects in Egypt

Cost deviation is a global issue that has negative impacts on projects, stakeholders and the industry. Egypt, a developing nation with the rising demand for high-rise buildings is also plagued with the issue. It is inevitable that high-rise buildings cost more than low-rise buildings, further accentuating the needs to study cost deviation from all angles, which was previously absent. Therefore, this study aims to provide an overall perspective (causes, effects and measures) of cost deviation in high-rise building projects in Egypt by adopting both quantitative (questionnaire survey) and qualitative (brain storming sessions) approaches. The questionnaire survey has been administered among various construction practitioners (project manager, consultant, quantity surveyor, site engineer) with experiences in high-rise building projects, while the brainstorming session involved expert panels from the industry. Findings from the 106 questionnaires have revealed inflation as the major cause of cost deviation that has the most effect on profit loss for the contractor. Government and project-based measures with great collaboration has been proposed to address the issue. The overall perspective (causes, effects, measures) provided in this study would be of interest to the local construction stakeholders, as well as foreign investors towards improving the cost performance of high-rise building projects in Egypt.

Review on Sensing Technology Adoption in the Construction Industry.

Sensing technologies demonstrate promising potential in providing the construction industry with a safe, productive, and high-quality process. The majority of sensing technologies in the construction research area have been focused on construction automation research in prefabrication, on-site operation, and logistics. However, most of these technologies are either not implemented in real construction projects or are at the very early stages in practice. The corresponding applications are far behind, even in extensively researched aspects such as Radio Frequency Identification, ultra-wideband technology, and Fiber Optic Sensing technology. This review systematically investigates the current status of sensing technologies in construction from 187 articles and explores the reasons responsible for their slow adoption from 69 articles. First, this paper identifies common sensing technologies and investigates their implementation extent. Second, contributions and limitations of sensing technologies are elaborated to understand the current status. Third, key factors influencing the adoption of sensing technologies are extracted from construction stakeholders’ experience. Demand towards sensing technologies, benefits and suitability of them, and barriers to their adoption are reviewed. Lastly, the governance framework is determined as the research tendency facilitating sensing technologies adoption. This paper provides a theoretical basis for the governance framework development. It will promote the sensing technologies adoption and improve construction performance including safety, productivity, and quality.

Causes of road projects' delays: a case of Blantyre, Malawi

PurposeThe study aims to find the causes of road projects implementation delays in Blantyre, one of the four city councils (CCs) in Malawi.Design/methodology/approachThe study followed a qualitative research approach using a Blantyre City Council (BCC) as a case study. This study combined in-depth, face-to-face interviews with councillors, secretariat staff, consultants, and contractors who worked on the city's road projects. Data gathered were analysed using thematic content analysis. Also, some road project documents were examined.FindingsThe findings from the case study revealed the primary cause of road project construction delays as the shortage of engineers in conducting detailed proposed projects surveys resulting in incomplete project scope definition before contractor's procurement. Other identified factors were service providers delaying the removal of existing public utility infrastructure from project sites, client funding issues, scope changes, and client delays in issuing instructions to the contractors during project implementation. Another factor was the shortage of construction equipment and construction materials experienced by some appointed contractors.Research limitations/implicationsOnly road construction projects and stakeholders operating from Blantyre city, Malawi, were contacted for the study; thus, the findings may not be generalizable.Practical implicationsThere is an urgent need to increase technical employees, especially engineers and other critical technical staff such as quantity surveyors in Blantyre. Employees' conditions of service should be conducive to attract qualified people to undertake effective management and assessment of projects before commencement to identify the feasibility of proposed projects to decrease the rate of road construction project delays.Originality/valueThe study has established Blantyre city's core challenges in implementing its road projects seamlessly and has provided mitigation measures for dealing with the shortcomings.

INNOVATIVE TOOLS FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTION STAKEHOLDERS

Ukraine takes part in many international programs for the implementation of regulations in the field of economics and environmental safety based on the principles of sustainable development. Implementation problems associated with the transformation of the environment should be solved through systemic transformations in production as the main tool of the modern post-industrial society, influencing all spheres of human life. The article discusses promising directions for optimizing structural and organizational ties in investment and construction systems, which have emerged as a result of taking into account the formation of managerial influences of economic and other types of cyclicality. The fundamentals of a new tool for analytical substantiation of decision-making in managing changes in construction stakeholders – resonance-compensatory management - are outlined.Key words: investment and construction systems, resonant compensation management, theory of economic cycles, engineering, adaptive development.

BIM aided information and visualization repository for managing construction delay claims

Delays in construction result in a multitude of negative effects on project performance, and severe dismays among participating parties. This study aims to digitize the traditional process of recording and managing the construction delays using Building Information Modeling (BIM). Extensive literature review followed by semi-structure interviews of 21 industry experts were carried out to identify the issues faced by construction stakeholders in managing construction delays. To resolve these issues, a plugin named BIM-based Construction Delays Recorder (BIM-CDR) is developed using Application Programming Interface (API) of the most commonly used BIM software i.e. Autodesk Revit. BIM-CDR provides a centralized repository, encompassing detailed information related to delays, which can be retrieved and visualized to analyze their impact on delay claims. To assess the effectiveness of BIM-CDR, a feasibility study is conducted with the experts’ review panel. The results revealed that BIM-CDR can record wide-ranging information related to all the significant issues causing delays on construction sites, and can help in effectively managing their corresponding claims. The advantages of the developed prototype include visualization of delays’ location, facilitation of delay analysis and effective delays management. Moreover, it also promotes transparency and speedy settlement of delay related claims without any unwanted disputes.

Factors Affecting Occurrence of Claims in Building Projects in Lagos State, Nigeria

The occurrence of claims prevails in all projects, making the successful completion of projects within the predetermined budget a mirage. This is recognized to have added to costs of projects and adversely affected project performance. This paper aims at investigating critical factors influencing occurrence of claims in building projects in Lagos State, Nigeria. Forty-three (43) construction project attributes affecting project performance were identified through literature and presented to the key stakeholders in the study area using questionnaire survey. Two hundred and seventy-six (276) copies of the questionnaire were randomly administered to key stakeholders involved in the building construction process. One hundred and fifty-one (151) were retrieved representing 57.61% response rate. Principal component analysis of responses to a set of 43 characteristics identified through literature review extracted four components. The results indicated important factors such as: ‘Project Participant Characteristics’, ‘Basic Project Characteristic’, ‘Procurement Characteristics’, along with ‘Complexity Characteristics’ were factors influencing the occurrence of claims. It was concluded that the construction stakeholders should effectively manage these factors in minimising claims occurrence and thereby improving building projects delivery.

Barriers to the implementation of cloud computing for sustainable construction in a developing economy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the applicability of cloud computing (CC) and the challenges that contribute to more successful projects with a major sustainable construction development.Design/methodology/approachThe previous studies provided information on CC implementation barriers, which were then evaluated by 104 construction stakeholders through a questionnaire survey. As a result, the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) approach was used to investigate these barriers. Furthermore, a partial least square structural equation model was used to build a model of these barriers (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe EFA results revealed that the above-noted factors are in a close relation with three key components, i.e. social, economic and communication. In addition, the proposed model results found the social barrier a key challenge to the implementation of CC.Research limitations/implicationsThe results from this study can help decision-makers to improve the approaches regarding data fragmentation that has great effects on the execution of all construction projects. The focus of the paper is to enhance the data fragmentation processes. In addition, the results would be useful to strengthen the sustainability of existing construction projects by enhancing the implementation of CC.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research work will provide a solid foundation for critically assessing and appreciating the different barriers affecting the adoption of CC.

Knowledge, attitude and practices of design for safety (DfS): A dynamic insight between academics and practitioners in Malaysia

Design for safety (DfS) is increasingly gaining relevance in improving construction occupational safety and health. Specifically, Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) (OSHCI(M)) guidelines were established in Malaysia to improve DfS practices. Therefore, the need to gauge the DfS knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of construction stakeholders is significant. The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, to investigate the DfS KAP between the academics and practitioners. Secondly, to recommend the mechanisms for improving the learning of DfS among the key stakeholders. This study used a KAP survey and a discussion forum from five DfS workshops, followed by the development of framework using a Causal Loop Diagram (CLD). The findings revealed that stakeholders are very positive towards DfS implementation. Creating a culture of shared DfS learning, continuous engagement in education and training, and organisational lifelong DfS learning were highlighted as ways to improve DfS learning. The CLD shows that the effectiveness of DfS learning is attributed to funding, early learning, capacity building, and practical DfS guidance. This study helps advance DfS learning towards improving the KAP of construction professionals, hence facilitating DfS diffusion within and beyond the organisation and construction projects.

Modeling the robotics implementation barriers for construction projects in developing countries

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate the barriers militating against the adoption of robotics in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachRobotics implementation barriers were obtained from the previous studies and then through questionnaire survey construction stakeholders in Nigeria evaluate these barriers. Consequently, these barriers were examined via the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) technique. Furthermore, a model of these barriers was implemented by means of a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM).FindingsThe EFA results showed that these barriers could be categorized into two: cost and technology. Results obtained from the proposed model showed that platform tools were crucial tools for implementing cloud computing.Originality/valueThe novelty of this research work will be provided a solid foundation for critically assessing and appreciating the different barriers affecting the adoption of robotics.

Economic challenges: Conceptual framework on factors affecting construction cost during COVID-19 pandemic in malaysia

Various studies have found that COVID-19 pandemic impacts on a country’s economy through several channels, including the construction sector. The construction sector, which has always been a big growth generator for the economy, has also been completely shut down. Construction stakeholders are facing a several of the issues as the construction costs keep increasing as a result of the workplace safety and health compliance, suspension and termination of the project, and productivity loss. Accordingly, this paper attempted to propose a conceptual framework on the factors affecting construction cost during COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. Almost all evidence from the literature shows that project completion, supply chain and regulatory compliance are the main factors that need to take heed of by the construction players during COVID-19 pandemic. Significantly, all these three components have the potential as the contributors to the increment of construction costs during COVID-19 pandemic.

Integral approach of assessment of interaction level of stakeholders of construction enterprises

This article is devoted to issues of interaction of stakeholders of construction enterprises. First of all, the peculiarities of the construction industry are defined, which form additional requirements for the development of an integrated system for assessing interaction with stakeholders. Second, approaches to the formation of a register of potential stakeholders have been identified. A template for analysis has been developed, and individual examples are grouped by interaction directions. The methodology of identifying potential stakeholders by means of a three-level process of applying different versions of expert assessment methods in order to minimize their negative factor – subjectivity, is proposed. Methods of direct selection of experts and algorithms of their assessment are defined. Proposals to rank stakeholders according to their priority and potential result from their interaction with the construction enterprise have been developed. According to the integral assessment, ways of controlling the processes of interaction with stakeholders of different ranking levels are proposed, recommendations for building a further strategy for managing these processes are given. A system of modeling interaction between construction enterprises and stakeholders to ensure planning, organization, monitoring, and control processes in optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic scenarios has been created. Recommendations for further use of the methodology of integral assessment of the interaction of stakeholders of construction enterprises in practice are given.

On-Site Construction Quality Inspection Using Blockchain and Smart Contracts

Typically, on-site construction quality inspection (OCQI) is manually conducted, and its effectiveness highly depends on the self-discipline of responsible personnel. Furthermore, construction quality information is still recorded on paper, with the risk of document loss and data manipulation, jeopardizing quality accountability. Blockchain has attracted increasing attention from the construction industry because it can record information in an immutable and transparent way and automate some businesses with smart contracts. These properties can tackle information fraud and improve the automation level of OCQI. Unfortunately, very few documented blockchain solutions for OCQI exist. To fill the theoretical knowledge gap, the design thinking approach was adopted to present a blockchain-based conceptual framework. The consortium network and Hyperledger Fabric (HLF) were selected as the suitable blockchain type and development platform for OCQI. The consensus process in HLF and smart contracts–based compliance checking are illustrated. Moreover, the benefits of integrating the Internet of Things (IoT) and ontology technology with blockchain are analyzed in detail, which can facilitate the coevaluation of these three technologies. Finally, a prototype system was developed to vividly show the theoretical feasibility. The proposed blockchain solution can be fine-tuned and evaluated in future research. Challenges hindering the practical implementation of blockchains are systematically discussed within the technology–organization–environment (TOE) theory, which can be reused in future investigations to identify construction stakeholders’ concerns on adopting blockchains.

Prospects for the adoption of Agile Project Management techniques in Nigerian construction industry


 
 
 Persistent failure of construction projects to meet clients’ objectives has compelled a review of the extant systems for project delivery. This study assessed the prospect of adopting Agile Project Management (APM) for construction project delivery in Lagos State. To achieve this, the study examined the level of awareness of APM among construction stakeholders and developed a SWOT model for the adoption of APM technique for construction projects. The research adopted survey method using questionnaire. The study sample involved 196 construction stakeholders. Data obtained were analysed using Mean Score and Fussy Set Theory. The result showed that stakeholders’ level of awareness about the individual methodologies of APM is high. There are also weighty strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in the adoption of APM in construction project delivery. The level of awareness among stakeholders portrays high prospects for APM adoption. However, there is need to embed trust, cooperation and improved team performance.
 
 

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on indigenous contractors in a developing economy

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on indigenous contractors in a developing economy with a view to enhancing their performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a purposive sampling technique to select 37 indigenous contractors with ongoing construction contracts in Osun State, Nigeria who provided data for the study. A structured interview protocol was used to elicit the required information from the interviewees and frequency, percentage and content analysis were used for data analysis.FindingsThe results showed that the critical impact of COVID-19 on indigenous contractors in a developing economy is: time overrun, loss of profit and creation of dispute. Further results showed that other impacts are a disruption in supply of labour, locally sourced materials are with additional cost, the additional cost of implementing COVID-19 protocols, difficulty in sourcing imported materials and absence of new jobs with the corresponding retrenchment of workers.Practical implicationsThe study recommended special palliatives for the indigenous contractors from the government so as to cushion the impact of the pandemic on them, thereby enhance their survival and performance. A special arbitration panel is set up in each state of the federation to look at disputes arising from the aftermath of the pandemic, this is with a view to adequately compensate indigenous contractors with genuine and properly compiled claims. inferring from the findings of the study, it suffices to say that the severity of the impact of the pandemic is very high on indigenous contractors in developing economies, as such a better preparedness strategy could lessen the impact of such pandemic in the future.Originality/valueThe study is an attempt to unearth the impact of COVID-19 on indigenous contractors with ongoing construction contracts in a developing economy. The study will be of value to construction stakeholders in providing the information needed to devise strategies to minimise the impact of a pandemic on indigenous contractors in future projects thereby enhance their performance.

Modelling construction 4.0 as a vaccine for ensuring construction supply chain resilience amid COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic came with a lot of stress, uncertainty and disruption for managing the construction supply chain (CSC). The disruption in return caused weak resilience of CSC activities. Unfortunately, the existing models for managing CSC focus on preparedness and recovery while neglecting the visibility perspective of resilience CSC. Towards creating a resilience CSC, this study modelled construction 4.0 as the vaccine for supply chain resilience in the construction industry.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was used to collect data randomly from construction stakeholders. The questionnaire was analysed with a structural equation model analysis using SmartPLS while conducting tests such as path coefficient analysis, discriminant analysis and importance-performance analysis.FindingsThis study discovered that construction 4.0 is a significant tool and vaccine for ensuring visibility, recovery and adaptation within the supply chain. Construction 4.0 will function as a vaccine for ensuring resilience because of its capacity to optimise CSC management by introducing an evidence-based management approach and less dependent on implicit knowledge. Towards reaping the full potential of construction 4.0, it should be adopted as a moderating variable.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited by the use of a single methodology (quantitative) without including a qualitative method to understand better and explore the impact of construction 4.0 on CSC resilience. The qualitative part can be carried out by conducting interviews targeted at construction stakeholders.Practical implicationsIn spite of the limitations, the findings of this study contributed to building a more responsive and resilient CSC during the pandemic period. Furthermore, this study also presented the crucial construction 4.0 technology capable of ensuring resilience within the CSC.Originality/valueThis paper presents a model for applying construction 4.0 as a vaccine for ensuring CSC resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic period. This study contributed to ensuring that decisions made within the CSC adopt an evidence-based approach.

Exploring the effects of positive organizational behaviour (POB) models on occupational eustress amongst construction employees

The general perspective of organizational behaviour (OB) has been characterized more by negativity than positively. The introduction of a positive approach into OB is known as positive organizational behaviour (POB), which focuses on employees' positive emotions and strengths to enable them to thrive and reinforce the organization. The study assesses the effects of POB constructs on eustress amongst construction employees in Nigeria. Data were collected from 326 respondents practising in the construction firms using a quantitative survey and analyzed using both descriptive and inferential surveys, including structural equation modelling (SEM). The study identified five constructs of POB models and five parameters of eustress that have a significant influence on eustress. The study focuses on identifying the areas that can propel positive mental health among construction employees to improve their performances and increase work productivity. Therefore, it recommends that construction stakeholders should consider adopting company policies that can drive their implementations. Keywords: Construction employees, distress, occupational eustress, positive organizational behaviour delivery.

The Circular Retrofit Lab: a multi-disciplinary development of a building envelope according to circular design qualities

From 2016 until 2019, the Circular Retrofit Lab (CRL) was realised within the H2020-funded project Building As Material Banks (BAMB). The CRL was an experimental pilot project concerning the refurbishment of eight student housing modules in Brussels, Belgium. The lab aims to demonstrate how to implement circular building design in a retrofitting project. This paper discusses the design choices and the outcome of the CRL’s building envelope. That envelope consists of a modular façade system of prefabricated panels. The innovative, adaptable and reusable building solutions applied in the CRL have been developed in collaboration with various construction stakeholders and included, exceptionally in the design and construction process, also industrial partners. In this study, we go deeper into the impact of the multi-disciplinary approach on the resulting implementation of a circular building envelope. Through a reflexive learning-history workshop, we can show how the involvement of various actors and unconventional circularity requirements increase the complexity of the project, but also how they positively impact the reactivation of existing buildings and proved to be a lasting learning opportunity to all partners involved.