Pre-construction Stage Research Articles

Correlation of Material Waste Types With Life Cycle Stages in Building Projects Across The States in Southwest Nigeria

This study correlates the different opinions held by Nigerian construction industry stakeholders who participated in the survey on the types of material wastes that are generated from the activities of procuring building projects across the states in southwest region of Nigeria. This was achieved through the random distribution of 261 questionnaires to build environment professionals recruited in the study. The results from 261 respondents was analysed using SPSS 26.0 and presented using tables, figure, ranking and percentile. The study found that the wastes from building construction activities are primarily physical in nature and perceived to be prominent at the post-construction and construction phases of a building project, however, it is seen to occur across the life cycle stages of a building project in varying proportions that adds up to become significant and critical. Additionally, the study found that paper was the most (31.7% and 39.5%) common form of wastes generated at the pre-design and design stages of a building project., while at the pre-construction stage, cardboard and other package materials (35.1%) were the most common form of waste generated, Also, the study revealed that at the construction stage, wood (80.5%), aluminium (88.55), sandcrete (85.0%), and ceramic (85.5) were mostly the form of waste generated, while at the post-construction stage, wire and cables (19.3%) were the mostly form of waste generated. However, the findings from this study provide a valuable reference for practitioners to develop and adopt strategic guides for managing material wastes on building construction projects across building construction stages that imbibes principle of sustainable construction.

재개발지역의 사업단계별 분쟁 유형분석 : 인천광역시 107개 조합을 대상으로

Purpose: Since various stakeholders participate in the development and reconstruction project, various disputes may arise if the relationship between them is not smoothly adjusted. In particular, problems regarding the dispute over the redevelopment project are emerging, such as the number of arbitrations in the construction sector occupying a significant proportion. However, the research trend of redevelopment and reconstruction projects is conducted only with studies on the applicability of CM to the maintenance project management business from the perspective of the government or construction company, studies on the Environmental Renewal Development Act, or studies in the pre-construction stage and in the aspect of risk management. This indicates that there are insufficient practical research that can realistically respond to the dispute from the perspective of the union in the event of a dispute after moving in. Therefore, in this study, we tried to analyze the development project disputes occurring in the process of the development project step by step, Method: and for this purpose, the residents’ perception of the development project, the current status of the development project, and the frequency of disputes by each development project were analyzed. Result: Based on these analyses, it was concluded that for redevelopment that prevented the inflow of speculative capital and improved the lives of indigenous peoples, disputes would be eliminated only by (1) realistic compensation price, (2) transparent information disclosure, (3) step-by-step advisory group input, and (4) construction as designed.

A Hazard Identification Approach of Integrating 4D BIM and Accident Case Analysis of Spatial–Temporal Exposure

Construction sites are considered as complicated work environments. Various concurrent activities may overlap apropos to time and workspace, predisposing them to spatial–temporal exposure and repetitive accidents. Detecting the characteristics of repetitive accidents before the construction stage contributes to prevent injuries and fatalities caused by spatial—temporal conditions at construction job sites. To resolve this problem, this study proposes a novel hazard identification approach through spatial–temporal exposure analysis called HISTEA, which integrated scenario analysis of accident cases into 4D building information modeling (BIM). The proposed approach consists of three modules: (1) spatial–temporal hazard investigation (SHI) to analyze the accident cases and develop the hazard database of the spatial–temporal overlap condition of pair-wise activities; (2) spatial–temporal condition identification (SCI) to determine the conflict among different activities, considering the workspace and time overlap from the 4D BIM model; and (3) safety information integration (SII) to deliver safety knowledge to the project team through a web-based application. To illustrate and validate this approach, a HISTEA prototype for foundation work has been developed to be used at the pre-construction stage. The developed prototype is based on the analysis of 496 accident reports extracted from the integrated management information system (IMIS) of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the SHI module database. The proposed approach is expected to proactively aid project teams in detecting hazards that ultimately reduce repetitive accidents caused by overlapping activities.

Study on Risks and Countermeasures of Shallow Biogas during Construction of Metro Tunnels by Shield Boring Machine

With the intensive development of cities, the utilization of underground space has attracted more and more attention from industry and academia. Underground rail (metro) in cities has become an imperative mode for people in their daily lives. Meanwhile, the safety of rail tunnel construction has constantly been a challenging issue because of the presence of complex strata containing shallow biogas. Accidents in tunnel construction because of shallow biogas which resulted in massive casualties and property loss have been reported in some recent literature. The excavation of formations containing shallow biogas not only poses a threat to the safety of the earlier stage of tunnel construction but also affects the later operation of metro lines. Therefore, the safety problem caused by shallow biogas should be taken into consideration seriously and avoided in the pre-construction stage. A typical underwater metro tunnel, Hangzhou Metro Line 6, is introduced in this study to suggest the proper approach to deal with the biogas problem during the construction process. The generation mechanism of shallow biogas is clarified and the process of identifying biogas risk during strata exploration is also discussed. A risk identification and control system for shield tunneling through biogas strata is proposed to mitigate the potential dangers of shallow biogas during the construction process. This study provides actual construction experience and countermeasures for other similar metro tunnel projects that encounter biogas strata to diminish the potential risks and avoid severe accidents.

Implementation of circular economy principles during pre-construction stage: the case of Sri Lanka

PurposeDespite the positive impacts of the construction sector on enhancing economic growth and ensuring societal well-being, its negative impacts on the environment from unsustainable resource consumption levels, emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and waste generation is monumental. Circular economy (CE) concept is identified globally as an avenue to address problems regarding adverse impacts of construction on the environment. This paper presents the principles of CE as an avenue for enhancing environmental sustainability during the pre-construction stage within Sri Lankan construction projects.Design/methodology/approachThis research was approached through a qualitative research method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts. The number of experts were limited due to lack of experts with knowledge on the subject area in Sri Lanka. Data were analysed using content analysis.FindingsFindings revealed a range of activities under each R principle of CE, that is, reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, reclassification and renewability that could be implemented during the pre-construction stage, thereby providing a guide for construction professionals in implementing CE at the pre-construction stage. The need to expand knowledge on CE concepts within the Sri Lankan construction sector was recognized.Originality/valueThis study provides a qualitative in-depth perspective on how 6R principles of CE could be integrated to a construction project during the pre-construction stage. By adopting the proposed activities under CE principles, construction professionals can enhance the environmental sustainability of construction projects.

Risk identification at the pre-construction stage in post-earthquake community based housing reconstruction project in Pidie Jaya Regency

The post-earthquake housing reconstruction project is inseparable from being exposed to various risks. Risk is the possibility for an adverse event to occur due to uncertainty. The reconstruction in Pidie Jaya Regency after the 2016 earthquake is still ongoing and uses community-based methods. The purpose of this paper is to identify risks during pre-construction stage in the implementation of community houses reconstruction after the earthquake disaster in Pidie Jaya Regency. Stakeholders who were directly involved in the reconstruction phase were the Management Consultants, Community Group (Pokmas), and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and each had its own potential risks. Data were obtained using 58 respondents from these stakeholders by distributing questionnaires in the research location, namely Pidie Jaya Regency. A total of 29 risk variables were identified, of which there are 8 variables that had high risk. The results of the analysis shown that when viewed from risk factors, the Pokmas formation factor is the most potential risk factor compared to other risk factors because these risk variables are owned by the three groups of respondents with the highest ranking.

Specifications and types of seawall structures needed to protect beaches from sand erosion and storm disasters

When someone decides to buy a house or any other estate near the shoreline, they do not think that in future nature will impact the value of their asset significantly. Further to the risks of hurricanes or any other natural hazards (such as tsunami), waves are gradually shifting the coastlines by displacing soil from a location to various areas. In recent decades, coasts have been affected by a significant deterioration due to weather conditions, waves, and coastal soil erosion. Hence, it needs precise environmental consideration, and preserves coasts for leisure, specifying reasons that promoted effective technologies from immersed structures to coastal nourishing. Therefore, by constructing sea-walls should prevent shoreline environments, especially the mechanism of sedimentation, long-shore transfer of sand, altering the coasts to the significant proportion which results from weathering and sea waves sever. In this paper, an overview submitted to the kinds of seawalls and specifications needed to sustain the seawalls. There explained the positive and negative effects of seawalls on coastal area, and the required factors to enhance seawalls stabilization against overturning and sliding failure. Also, the developed types of seawall structures have been identified that, in addition to the more practical vertical model, the stepped, rubble-mound, and curves have also been designed. It is recommended to coastal structure designer and engineers, in the pre-construction stage should precisely be studied on the coast situation and weathering conditions in the area, that is essential to make sustainable decisions and designs for construction of these structures.

Early contractor involvement: a review of pre-construction service agreements

Early contractor involvement involves engaging contractors to work with the client’s design team during the pre-construction stage before agreeing on a construction stage contract. Despite the growing use of two-stage contracting, there is a lack of research into the forms of pre-construction service agreements and their effectiveness. This study aims to evaluate the optimal contract ingredients for a pre-construction stage agreement that can be used with a range of standard-form construction contracts based on industry preferences. Four agreements are critically evaluated: those of the Joint Contracts Tribunal and NEC3 and two bespoke agreements. Key ingredients were found to include scope of services, time obligations, design obligations, key personnel, price formation, confidentiality of material and communication and co-operation. Industry preferences were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 21 construction participants across New Zealand.

Design for occupational safety and health: A theoretical framework for organisational capability

For several decades, scholars and practitioners have searched for the underlying causes of occupational safety and health (OSH) incidents on construction projects. One of the insights from the investigations is the fact that the seeds of accidents, fatalities and occupational related ill-health are sown across various design and procurement decisions made during the pre-construction stage of project development. This insight has given rise to the design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH) initiative which has even informed regulations in certain countries, particularly the UK. However, knowledge and understanding of what, specifically, constitutes the organisational capability of design firms of generating designs which are inherently safe is very limited. Hence, this study undertakes a systematic review of prior conceptualisations of organisational capability, carries out contents analyses of the conceptualisations and provides a robust conceptualisation of the construct. The robust conceptualisation underpins the development of a nomological network to operationalise the construct organisational capability in respect of design firms’ ability to ensure design for occupational safety and health (DfOSH). Organisational capability is presented as a multi-dimensional construct that can be operationalised at various levels of specificity. The proposed framework can support the identification of organisational capability gaps that design firms seeking to build their DfOSH capability can address while at the same time assisting project clients to clarify the organisational capability of design firms in the procurement process.

Environmental Impact Analysis on School Building Reconstruction (Case Study: SDN Sukatani 7, Depok City)

In order to improve educational facilities and infrastructure, Department of Housing and Settlements, Depok City plans to reconstruction a school building. With the impacts caused by this activity, an environmental impact assessment is needed. The purpose of this study is to obtain the results of an analysis of environmental impact studies and ways of mitigation in minimizing the impacts that occur during pre construction stage, construction stage, and operation stage. The method used is observation, interview and scoping methods to determine the impact and good handling of the environment. The results of this study are obtained an analysis of environmental impacts that occur during the activity and how to minimize the impacts with good handling in order to create an environmental friendly construction.

Risk in Green Retrofits Projects: A Preliminary Study on Energy Efficiency

A green building has generally been adopted as one of the most effective strategies towards sustainable development in many countries which is vital in order to create sustainable environment. Despite the benefits of green retrofit to the sustainable environment, there are still retrofitted building is performed below expectation during planning stage which eventually rising operation cost. Although energy efficiency study is over emphasize in green building field, little attention has been paid off to examine the crucial phases in pre-construction stages for green retrofit and a risk that bring energy deficiency. Therefore, the aim of this research is explore a risk that influencing energy efficiency in each phases of pre-construction stage for green retrofit towards commercial building in Malaysia. The study is further support by interview sessions that has been carried out with five retrofit architects that actively involved in construction of commercial buildings in Malaysia. Based on the interviews, the risk in pre-construction stage is crucial to be assessed to minimizing energy deficiency in retrofit project. The findings of the study may useful for design consultant to deliver retrofitting project towards achieving feasible energy efficiency building.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a road improvement proposal based on sustainability Indicators: Case study Al-Nebai-Baghdad highway

Involving the sustainability assessment in the phases of road development project has become necessary to avoid unforeseen consequences. In Iraq, there is a noticeable lack of the environmental and social assessment of the development project. The economic assessment also needs to consider the project life cycle. The unavailability of validated and comprehensive methodologies of assessment is the main obstacle. Therefore, this study aims to outline a methodology of environmental, social and economic (ESE) assessment during pre-construction stages. The rehabilitation and upgrading project of Al-Nebai-Baghdad Highway is selected for this study. The ESE indicators are selected based on the available data and techniques. The needed data; traffic volume, pavement condition, and geometric design characteristics; are collected to process the engineering and the ESE assessment through aggregating several methodologies and analyse the results using thr cost-effectiveness technique. The results of the engineering assessment showed upgrading the traffic level of service to D due to adding a lane when the pavement condition was upgraded to good condition due to a new overlay. The results of the environmental assessment in terms of vehicle emission stated that the new pavement reduced the emission by1831967 tons but the emission due to widening increased by 1046100 tons. The social assessment indicated that the road casualties reduced by 38.5% but it boosted over the service life. The economical assessment demonstrated the worthiness of the project; the Net Present Value is 76,153,580$, the B/C is 3.45 and the IRR is 35.04. It can be concluded that the ESE assessment is applicable and effective in figuring out the negative and positive consequences over the service life. However, improving the data collection system can enhance the comprehensiveness of the adopted methodologies and consider more indicators.

Building information modelling applications in smart buildings: From design to commissioning and beyond A critical review

Building Information Modelling (BIM) constitutes the state of the art in the digital design techniques, and represents one of the main streams of the Industry 4.0 era. The integration of BIM into processes related to buildings design, construction and operation is a practice in line with the sustainability aspects of the built environment, and which gains more interest in the recent years in the field of research development. This study aspires to present the main advancements in the field of building integration modelling in the field of smart buildings. Emphasis is given on the integration of IoT applications into buildings smart operations. The study is structured in four sections, concerning the use of BIM in pre-, during- and post-construction life cycles of the project, as well as for other significant aspects. In the pre-construction stage, research trends in the field of building design and optimization, as well as for the environmental assessment of buildings’ design with the use of BIM and LCA tools is presented. Issues related to the use of BIM for monitoring and coordination during construction, as well as for health and safety topics in the construction site are also analysed. An overview of recent studies in the area of applications for buildings smart operation with the use of IoT technologies, as well as for renovation projects, are considered in the analysis of the post-construction applications of BIM. Interoperability issues concerning data sharing between BIM related applications is presented, according to the recent advancements in standardization processes.

Editorial

Editorial

A Research Study on Prevention of Occupational Accidents in the Construction Sector during the Design Process

Safety by design has recently become one of the most significant research topics. It is believed that safety by design will provide profits to the construction sector by improving efficiency, reducing operating costs, reducing hazards and risks, and decreasing expensive accident prevention methods on the site. The aim of this study is to determine the awareness of the safety by design in the Turkish construction sector, and to raise awareness of the importance among the professional stakeholders in order to anticipate occupational accidents at the design stage, and implement the accident prevention applications early in the design process. Because the construction sector is hasty and fast, pre-construction executions have always been perceived as a waste of time, and the issue of prevention through design, which is the subject of this study, also takes place in the pre-construction stage. Due to the fact that the work related to the health and safety of the workers takes time and creates financial requirements, it is sometimes perceived as unnecessary by employers. Particularly, small-scale construction companies, make investments on safety only to protect themselves from legal sanctions. In order to identify the awareness of safety by design among the stakeholders in the sector, the data required for this study were collected through a questionnaire. The results of this study show that although the sector awareness on safety by design has emerged, there is still a huge gap in terms of implementation. It will be possible to fill this gap by increasing the awareness of the designers (architects, civil engineers) and increasing the legal supervision and penal sanctions.

Optimising the time-cost-quality (TCQ) trade-off in offshore wind farm project management with a genetic algorithm (GA)

Time, cost and quality are major concerns in construction project management. To achieve a balance between time-cost and time-quality, a trade-off problem among time-cost-quality (TCQ) is proposed for optimisation by the application of a genetic algorithm (GA). A GA attempts to minimise a fitness function that describes the objective to be achieved. The fitness function is specifically designed according to the nature and characteristics of the construction project. By inputting the project parameters, the fitness function should be able to provide a balance between the time, cost and quality of the project. This study applied a GA to strategically search for the best project parameters for an offshore wind farm project to achieve a more accurate prediction for construction time, cost and quality of the project in the pre-construction stage. A series of practical mathematical models are developed through a review of previous studies based on specific merits, and a real offshore wind farm project is studied to identify and verify the applicability and viability of the mathematical models. After the process of optimisation, the results show that the output data is very close to the actual case in terms of construction time, cost and quality.

Monitoring of Surface Water Quality in Train Development Activities Plan between Makasar and Parepare, South Sulawesi Indonesia

Background and Objectives: The plan for the construction of the Makassar - Parepare railway line is the priority for the development of the land transportation mode in South Sulawesi. The development plan has received an environmental permit which was then continued with a monitoring study.
 Methodology: Descriptive analysis methods are then compared with quality standards based on South Sulawesi Governor Regulation No. 69 of 2010. Physical parameters with organoleptic and conductivity methods. Heavy metal parameters using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. Aquatic biota parameters are based on the Shannon wiener diversity index.
 The Results: The measurement results of the pre-construction stage addressing parameters that exceed the quality standard are turbidity. Measuring the monitoring period I, all parameters still meet quality standards, except Total Dissolved Solids and Cadmium, while other parameters are not required. Measurement. Period II, at all measurement locations the parameters of Total Dissolved Solids, Total Suspended Solid, Chemical Oxygen Demand and Dissolved Oxygen exceed the quality standards of the Diversity Index (H') results of the pre-construction period with the value (H') = 1.92, (D) = 66, (E) = -, mild pollution waters category. Period 1 (H') = 0.24, (D) = 0.88, (E) = 0.35, the category of moderately polluted. Period II (H') = 0.78, (D) = 0.22, (E) = 0.49, the category of moderately polluted waters.
 Conclusions: Monitoring results show an increase in surface water pollution from mild to moderate.

Housing rehabilitation and reconstruction in Central Sulawesi post-2018 earthquake

The 2018 Palu Earthquake had damaged many community houses. The post-earthquake settlements program is the construction of temporary shelter and permanent house. The paper discusses to evaluate the development and propose rehabilitation and reconstruction applied in Central Sulawesi. All data were obtained by questionnaire, interviews, and field observations. The data is analyzed in a result framework for the shelter evaluation and a comparison to other post-earthquake programs for permanent house development. The research found the temporary shelter is occupied by only 52% because of impractical mobilization, living cost assistance absence, uncomfortable conditions, lack of clean water, and several refugees have reconstructed their houses. A low satisfaction rate is caused by the inadequate indoor condition, small capacity, and lack of privacy. This rate makes the temporary shelter is less effective. Regarding the permanent house development, the construction of relocated and satellite houses use modular houses, while the house reconstruction program authorizes the community to choose the preferred house model. The result is concerned to be different in occupancy and satisfaction level, in which the house reconstruction program will be more accepted. Since the temporary shelter and permanent house development requires relocated sites, land provision has slowed down the pre-construction stage.

Performance Evaluation of Housing Construction Project, Using Earned Value Analysis; the Case of 20/80 Condominium Addis Ababa Bole Arabsa Site

Construction is a dynamic process, and no two or more projects are ever alike. Even if having years of experience, every job presents a new set of circumstances and challenges, no matter how to do good during pre-construction stages project monitoring and controlling are necessary to meet project objectives. The objective of this paper is to measures the performance of governmental housing construction projects using earned value analysis. The research is a case study type and mainly conducted at the BOLE ARABSA site. From the case study, the finding indicates that almost all sample blocks from bole arabsa site suffering delays and few cost variations. Material shortage, unit rate change, and work variation were the main reason for the negative cost and schedule variations. The stakeholders shall practice project controlling by continuous monitoring and evaluation using project management tools such as earned value analysis for all aspects of the job that have an impact on cost, time, and quality to improve their performance. The concerned body shall develop and provide a clear guideline and instruction (including the activities to be done to practice earned value analysis) for the stakeholders so that they can train their staff, and use it for day to day reference on their project site.

Modelling waste generated during construction of buildings using regression analysis.

The building industry is responsible for a large amount of waste, and the measurement and modelling of this waste could be used to develop better waste management plans. Several theoretical models explain the relationships between waste and building characteristics, but local practices may result in different behaviours. This study aimed to measure and analyse the waste generated through construction. It was based on the analysis of 18 building sites located in the region of Porto Alegre, Brazil. Waste was measured at these sites, and the results showed an average waste generation rate of 0.151 m3 m-2. A regression analysis of the collected data presented a satisfactory performance in two models. The first model was developed to explain total waste generation, including the effects of certain attributes, with an R2 = 0.81. The changes in waste generated during construction were estimated. The second model considered time schedules and examined the effect of the construction stage on waste generation, and reached an R2 = 0.91. The model with time indicated an S-shaped relationship. The models presented satisfactory statistical parameters and could be used to produce better waste management plans in the preconstruction stage.