Multi-storey Building Projects Research Articles

Safer designs with BIM based fall hazards identification and accident prevention

The construction industry has continuously changed its work processes, methods, techniques and associated hazards. In addition, the way in which work is carried out on construction sites varies from project to project. As a result, it is difficult to prevent workplace accidents. What is worrying is that the majority of hazardous situations that arise as a result of decisions made during the design phase are not identified until construction begins. According to studies carried out around the world, some of the hazardous situations in construction are due to decisions made during the design process. The aim of this study was to minimise the hazards that arise from design decisions and cause occupational accidents. To this end, a system has been developed that operates in a BIM environment used by designers during the design phase. Thus, if a designer makes a decision that could cause a hazard, he/she would be warned by the BIM software. Therefore, in terms of occupational health and safety, safer buildings should be designed. This study uses multi-storey building projects and a system that detects and alerts on design decisions that cause fall accidents. The study concluded that most of the hazards that cause falls can be identified at the design stage. Consequently, the majority of these hazards can be eliminated through alternative design recommendations.

Effect of Cost of Scaffolding on Cost of Preliminaries in Multi-Storey Building Projects in Abuja, Nigeria

This paper investigated the relationship between cost of scaffolding and total cost of preliminaries for fifty construction projects in Abuja, Nigeria. Data used for the study were obtained using pro forma method of data collection for both cost of scaffolding and preliminaries for all the fifty (50) multi-storey building projects studied. The use of both descriptive and inferential statistics was adopted to analyze the collected data. Percentage was used for the descriptive analysis while hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used for the inferential analysis and development of predictive models. It was discovered from the analysis that cost of scaffolding carries a significant proportion from total cost of preliminaries and a positive, strong and significant relationship exists between the cost of scaffolding and the total cost of preliminaries in multi-storey building projects. The respective strong value of coefficients of correlation and determination observed ranges from 76% – 80% and 59% – 62%. The degree of association between the cost of scaffolding and total cost of preliminaries and that between the cost of scaffolding and total cost of construction were also respectively found to be strong. The coefficient of correlation ranges from 75% to 80%. All the three predictive regression models formulated were discovered to be suitable for predicting the cost of scaffolding with the use of the total cost of preliminaries and total construction cost at 95% confidence limit. It was suggested that consultants and contractors should ensure that cost of scaffolding is measured in detail at the pre-contract stage and that larger project samples should be used in further studies to formulate better predictive models for cost of scaffolding

Ambient Noise H / V Spectral Ratio in Site Effect Estimation in La Mesa de Macaracas, Panama

In the last 10 years, the community of La Mesa de Macaracas (central Panama) has experienced considerable aftershocks due to earthquakes of magnitudes up to 5.7 Mw. Although most of the community consists of single-storey houses, the agricultural development in the region has led to multistorey building projects. To determine whether the characteristics of the soils could affect future construction in the study area, 16 stations were established to measure ambient vibrations and estimate the predominant frequencies and their corresponding H / V ratio peaks through the ambient noise H / V spectral ratio technique. According to the site class established by the Japan Road Association, the results revealed the existence of (a) soft soil with a range of predominant frequencies between 0.7 and 1.6 Hz, (b) medium soil with a range of predominant frequencies between 2.1 and 2.4 Hz, and (c) hard soil with a range of predominant frequencies between 2.6 and 2.9 Hz. In the first type (soft), the resonance effect could affect constructions of between 6 and 14 storeys with H / V ratio peak values (amplification factor) in the range of 2.1 and 4.3, while in the second and third types (medium and hard soils), buildings of between 3 and 5 storeys could be affected, with H / V ratio peak values (1.5–2.0) except at the SS-9 station. These results were complemented with the V s 30 values obtained in four seismic soundings carried out at the site.

Advanced Timber Construction Industry: A Review of 350 Multi-Storey Timber Projects from 2000–2021

Throughout the last two decades the timber building sector has experienced a steady growth in multi-storey construction. Although there has been a growing number of research focused on trends, benefits, and disadvantages in timber construction from various technical perspectives, so far there is no extensive literature on the trajectory of emerging architectural typologies. This paper presents an examination of architectural variety and spatial possibilities in current serial and modular multi-storey timber construction. It aims to draw a parallel between architectural characteristics and their relation to structural systems in timber. The research draws from a collection of 350 contemporary multi-storey timber building projects between 2000 and 2021. It consists of 300 built projects, 12 projects currently in construction, and 38 design proposals. The survey consists of quantitative and qualitative project data, as well as classification of the structural system, material, program, massing, and spatial organization of the projects. It then compares the different structural and design aspects to achieve a comprehensive overview of possibilities in timber construction. The outcome is an identification of the range of morphologies and a better understanding of the design space in current serial and modular multi-storey mass timber construction.

Kematangan Shop Drawing Sebagai Penentu Pekerjaan Ulang (Rework) Proyek Konstruksi

Construction project implementation mostly faced by rework. Rework couldn’t be avoided and is experienced in a construction world. Rework is defined as all physical work of construction committed more than once or re-work which is done by contractor in the implementation stage, and or an activity to eliminate works that have been done before as a part of construction project out of resource context, where there is no change order and making up the cost from the owner. Rework could give a bad impact to performance, work productivity,and cost directly or indirectly having it has a quite significant consequences. By considering the bad impact obtained has far-reaching consequences, hence efforts to reduce the occurrence of rework in construction project stage is highly needed. This research was conducted to prove the maturity of Shop Drawing as a Determinant of Rework Project Construction of Multilevel Buildings Research carried out by using questionnaires. Respondents at the main survey stage were shown to contractors who were carrying out multistorey construction projects in the DKI Jakarta and surrounding areas. Respondents who filled in theProject Manager questionnaire were 3 people, 7 Site Managers, 5 Supervisors, 6 Quality Controls, 4 Engineering staff. In this study, data analysis techniques are determined using the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method, aiming to determine the dominant factors (ranking) of the factors that cause rework inconstruction work to prove the maturity of Shop Drawing As Determine Project Rework Construction of multistorey buildings. The results of this study indicate that the maturity of shop drawings greatly determines the occurrence of rework in multistorey building projects.

Collaboration and shared logic for creating value-added in three Finnish wooden multi-storey building projects

ABSTRACT Increasing societal interest towards sustainable and low-carbon materials contributes to demand for wood-based materials and modern solutions for urban construction. Wooden multi-storey construction (WMC), however, is a relatively new phenomenon in the construction business, and collaborative business models in projects that adopt such novel building techniques are yet to develop. Shared logic is a key concept shaping the development of well-functioning business ecosystems, even though actor priorities may vary between the WMC business ecosystem members. This study examines the applicability of business ecosystem concept based on actor perception involved in three Finnish WMC projects. The results suggest that elements from the business ecosystem thinking can be identified in all the cases. Moreover, network collaboration created benefits to the ecosystem, such as reference value and new insights from research and development. For some companies, engagement in the business ecosystem created financial and employment benefits, while some interviewees perceived these projects also to create immaterial value, such as awareness on sustainability issues in their business, marketing gains, or in the form of mutual learning effects.

Assessment of factors influencing the failure and abandonment of multi-storey building projects in Nigeria

PurposeThe failure and abandonment of construction projects have proven to be insurmountable problems incessantly militating against the efficient performance of the construction industry in Nigeria. The complexity, technicality and a host of other project execution issues unique to multi-storey building projects do increase their susceptibility to failure and abandonment. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the factors influencing failure and abandonment of multi-storey building projects in Nigeria. This is with a view to provide inferential empirical data that could enhance successful delivery of multi-storey building projects in Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachPrimary data were used for the study. A structured questionnaire was administered on consultants and contractors’ personnel within Lagos State, Nigeria. A total of 180 copies of the questionnaire were administered ,and 134 copies which represent a combined response rate of 74.4 per cent were retrieved. The data were analysed using frequency distribution and percentages, Mean item score and factor analysis.FindingsThe factors most significant to the failure and abandonment of multi-storey building projects are inadequate funding by the client, improper planning at the pre-construction phase, structural failure in multi-storey building during construction, bankruptcy/business failure of the contractor, improper scheduling of the building project activities and failure to engage qualified professionals with technical expertise and experience. The rated factors clustered under human resources capability, planning and structural quality, contractor selection and variation, insecurity and variation, and force majeure and political risk.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was limited to multi-storey building projects in Lagos State, Nigeria. Further studies could focus on specific resuscitation strategies for abandoned multi-storey building projects.Practical implicationsThe study provided implications for effective project and contract management of multi-storey building projects which is very paramount to improve the delivery of complex, technical- and capital-intensive building projects in Nigeria.Originality/valueThe study provides specific implications for the management of multi-storey building projects, thereby enhancing the delivery of building projects.

Construction materials management practices enhancing labour productivity in multi-storey building projects

ABSTRACTImplementation of good construction materials management practices can improve productivity in construction projects. The purpose of this research is to identify and prioritise construction materials management practices that have the potential to enhance labour productivity in multi-storey building projects. The study adopted two-phase mixed-methods research design and it was conducted in the Victoria State, Australia. Fifty-eight project managers, contract administrators and project coordinators were involved in the survey. During Phase I, qualitative data was collected from 19 experts using interviews and the construction materials management practices that could increase labour productivity in multi-storey building projects were identified. In Phase-II, quantitative data was collected from 39 contractors involved in the delivery of multi-storey building projects by using questionnaires. The data was analysed to prioritise the materials management practices identified in Phase-I. Long-lead materials identification (RII = 0.92), procurement plans for materials (RII = 0.85) and materials delivery schedule (RII = 0.75) are found to be the three most important construction materials management practices.

Survey of management practices enhancing labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify and prioritize management practices that have the potential to improve labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted two-phase mixed-methods research design and 58 project managers, contract administrators and project coordinators were involved in the survey. During Phase I, qualitative data were collected from 19 experts using interviews and the management practices that could enhance labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects were identified. In Phase II, quantitative data were collected from 39 contractors involved in the delivery of multi-storey building projects by using questionnaires. The data were analyzed to prioritize the practices identified in Phase I.FindingsWell-defined scope of work, safety and health policy, safety and health plan, hazard analysis, long-lead materials identification, safe work method statement, and toolbox safety meetings are the top seven practices that have the potential to improve labor productivity in multi-storey building projects.Originality/valueThe research identifies the management practices that can be implemented to enhance labor productivity in multi-storey building construction projects in the context of Australia. Being the first study in the Australian context, the findings can be used as benchmark for international comparison.

Extending the current model view definition standards to support multi-storey modular building projects

ABSTRACTBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) has significantly facilitated information management and collaboration in construction projects. During the past two decades, many information standards such as Information Delivery Manuals and Model View Definitions (MVDs) have been developed to enhance interoperability among construction-related tools. The focus of these standards has mainly been on conventional construction. In this paper, differences in the data structure of these two types of construction-related tools are discussed and compared with the current MVD standards. This study shows that the existing standards cannot fully support multi-storey modular buildings. By development of a product architecture model and comparing it with the data structure of current MVDs, it is concluded that available standards can be modified to support both modular and site-built constructions. In this paper, essential MVD concepts required for such extensions are presented. Through a case study, the developed concepts are applied to the currently available architectural-to-structural MVDs in order to create architectural to structural design/analysis MVDs for application to multi-storey modular buildings. The case study shows that using the presented concepts, an existing MVD can be extended to address special needs of multi-storey modular building projects as well as conventional construction.

Modeling the Relationship between Safety Climate and Safety Performance in a Developing Construction Industry: A Cross-Cultural Validation Study.

This study attempts to validate a safety performance (SP) measurement model in the cross-cultural setting of a developing country. In addition, it highlights the variations in investigating the relationship between safety climate (SC) factors and SP indicators. The data were collected from forty under-construction multi-storey building projects in Pakistan. Based on the results of exploratory factor analysis, a SP measurement model was hypothesized. It was tested and validated by conducting confirmatory factor analysis on calibration and validation sub-samples respectively. The study confirmed the significant positive impact of SC on safety compliance and safety participation, and negative impact on number of self-reported accidents/injuries. However, number of near-misses could not be retained in the final SP model because it attained a lower standardized path coefficient value. Moreover, instead of safety participation, safety compliance established a stronger impact on SP. The study uncovered safety enforcement and promotion as a novel SC factor, whereas safety rules and work practices was identified as the most neglected factor. The study contributed to the body of knowledge by unveiling the deviations in existing dimensions of SC and SP. The refined model is expected to concisely measure the SP in the Pakistani construction industry, however, caution must be exercised while generalizing the study results to other developing countries.