Building Projects Research Articles

A Practical Study of LEED Certification for the Shanghai Tower Building Project

A Practical Study of LEED Certification for the Shanghai Tower Building Project

Identification of Sources of Complexity in Various Types of Building Projects in India Based on Design and Performance Attributes

Building projects as sub-sect of construction projects are complex and different in design and performance attributes. The prominent classes of building projects are high-rise residential buildings, hospitals, hotels, general offices, retail buildings/malls, educational institutions, and warehouses. In this study, building projects have been classified based on their end use. Complexities vary between construction projects and within various types of building projects, as well as across regions and countries. Understanding the sources of complexity is imperative to strategize their successful development. This research paper attempts to identify the sources of complexities using the design and performance attributes of seven prominent building types. A survey was conducted through experienced architects and construction professionals (the mean years of experience being approximately 13.88 years) over 34 different attributes or parameters under six categories. These attributes have been shortlisted from past research work by various authors, and the pilot study for this project. The Kruskal-Wallis Test was used to calculate the mean ranking and to confirm that the medians of each building type were not the same when compared against each attribute, irrespective of the level of complexity. Using data analysis and the mean ranking scores as a representation of relative complexity, primary sources of complexity in each class of buildings have been identified and listed. The results indicate that hospitals (as a building typology) are relatively the most complex building facilities in terms of design and performance attributes, showing the highest mean ranking towards 16 attributes (with only one shared ranking). Hospitals are followed by retail/malls (10 with one shared ranking), hotels (3), high-rise residential buildings (4), educational institutions (2), general offices (0), and warehouses (0). Strategies to manage these attributes have been proposed for each building typology so that the risks emanating from the complexities of these building projects can be mitigated and effectively managed at the design stage.

A novel approach to establishing bottom-up LCA-based limit values for new construction

The global construction industry, a significant contributor responsible for 37 % of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), necessitates immediate and relevant policies to reduce emissions. Consequently, several countries are implementing GHGe limit values in building regulations to initiate mitigation measures. To support this development and the efforts to mitigate GHGe, this study provides a method for defining a representative case sample of conventional practice and bottom-up Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based limit values for policy measures. Based on a dataset of 291 actual building projects, a representative case sample of 163 conventional case studies is defined, and their related life cycle GHGe is calculated with LCA, resulting in a variation from 8.3 to 11.8 kg CO2e/m2/year. Cumulative distribution functions are computed with share factors, which consider the construction activity in a country and reflect the physical output of completed construction work from which limit values are derived. A general limit value is calculated at 9.0 kg CO2e/m2/year, corresponding to the median where the ambition level targets 50 % of new construction to perform mitigation efforts. Across building types, limit values vary between 8.2 and 11.5 kg CO2e/m2/year, and more ambitious limit values for residential buildings are derived starting at 4.9 kg CO2e/m2/year based on examples of best practice case studies. Comparing the general bottom-up limit value against top-down targets reveals a gap, suggesting a necessary increase in the ambition level. Yet, limit values should be introduced and gradually tightened to reach net zero in 2050 across several building typologies to support the adaptation of mitigation strategies.

Design phase collaborative risk management factors: a case study of a green rating system in South Africa

PurposeWe explore the design risk factors and associated managerial practices driving collaborative risk management for design efficacy in green building projects. By illuminating project design risk as an important project risk category in its own right, the study contributes to our understanding of optimising design efficacies for collaborative project risk management.Design/methodology/approachThe study comprises exploratory interviews conducted with 27 industry project practitioners involved in the design and delivery/implementation of Green Star-certified building projects in South Africa.FindingsThe findings discursively highlight seven sources of design risk. We also identify seven specific collaborative risk management practices for design efficacy emerging from a consideration of how risk environments vary in the Green Star-certified projects, each with its own project design risk implications.Originality/valueThe study advances our understanding of how collaborations emerging from particular relational yet context-specific practices can be optimised to strengthen project risk management.

Deploying Value Engineering Strategies for Ameliorating Construction Project Management Performance: A Delphi-SWARA Study Approach

This study was carried out to rank and prioritize the aspects that have been shown to have an impact on the improvement of construction project management (CPM) performance based on value engineering. This analysis was carried out with the Iranian construction industry’s current situation in mind. The respondents and the Delphi panel were chosen from among Iranian managers and project management professionals with a focus on building projects. These professionals had more than 20 years of experience working on international projects, and in addition to their expertise in project management, they also understood the principles of earned value analysis and value engineering. Thus, the components extracted from the literature review were used as the basis for designing a structured interview based on 39 important effective components previously determined as identified factors. The questionnaires were distributed among the experts, and the returned questionnaires were analysed using the SWARA technique to rank the weight and importance of the factors. Using the SWARA method, the opinions of the expert panel members consisting of 20 engineers and a semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather expertise in project management and managers, with a focus on Iranian CPM. As shown by the results, stakeholder management, time value of money, and worth, allocated the first to the third rank to themselves with respective weights of 0.104, 0.103, and 0.087. The sub-criteria of cost objective, function objective, and value objective were in the 37th to 39th ranks with respective weights of 0.00050, 0.00033, and 0.00021.

Bringing “Religion as Such” to the City: Sacred History and Nation Branding in Contemporary Germany

Abstract This article focuses on a multireligious building project named House of One in contemporary Berlin. Initiated in 2012 by a Protestant community at the center of Berlin, House of One consists of a synagogue, a church, a mosque, and a communal room. My central suggestion is that House of One is invested in a pluralist re-branding of (liberal) Protestantism, a rebranding that underlies the post-unification emergence of a new national German imaginary: out of “soil” marked as historically Christian spreads an “Abrahamic” future that transcends its particularity via its assumed ability to incorporate Islam and Judaism. Liberal, Christian-secularized norms and affects are thus being rearticulated in a language of religious pluralism, so that a normative, Christian-secularized category of religion can be extended to Christianity’s “monotheistic brothers.” Elaborations of this building project’s intended purpose, I argue, are thus animated by a broader question about the appropriate relation between religion and the state, and conjointly, between the self and culture at a moment in time in which hitherto normative, Christian-secularized assumptions concerning this relation are challenged. As such, the discursive representation that sustains the yet-to-be-built House of One is conducive to the making of a new national imaginary: it is driven both by the desire to renounce past evil through a recognition and inclusion of alterity into the body politic, as much as by the simultaneous de-politization and scrutinization of such alterity.

E-Waste in construction: a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and review of the literature

Purpose The global construction industry faces both challenges and opportunities from electronic waste (e-waste). This study aims to present a bibliometric analysis and comprehensive literature assessment on e-waste in concrete construction materials. Design/methodology/approach This study studies 4,122 Scopus documents to examine garbage generation in different countries and inventive ways to integrate e-waste into construction as a sustainable strategy. This study lists famous researchers and their cooperation networks, demonstrating a robust and dynamic area with a surge in research output, notably from 2018 to 2022. Data is visually represented using VOS Viewer to show trends, patterns and study interests throughout time. Findings The findings imply that e-waste can improve construction materials’ mechanical characteristics and sustainability. The results are inconsistent and suggest further optimization. e-Waste into construction has garnered scientific interest for its environmental, life cycle, and economic impacts. This field has great potential for improving e-waste material use, developing sophisticated prediction models, studying environmental implications, economic analysis, policy formulation, novel construction methods, global cooperation and public awareness. This study shows that e-waste can be used in sustainable building. It stresses this area’s need for research and innovation. This lays the groundwork for using electronic trash in buildings, which promotes a circular economy and environmental sustainability. Research limitations/implications The findings underscore the critical role of ongoing research and innovation in leveraging e-waste for sustainable building practices. This study lays the groundwork for integrating e-waste into construction, contributing to the advancement of a circular economy and environmental sustainability. Social implications The social implications of integrating e-waste into construction are significant. Using e-waste not only addresses environmental concerns but also promotes social sustainability by creating new job opportunities in the recycling and construction sectors. It fosters community awareness and responsibility towards sustainable practices and waste management. Additionally, this approach can reduce construction costs, making building projects more accessible and potentially lowering housing prices. Originality/value This research contributes to the field by offering a bibliometric analysis and comprehensive assessment of e-waste in concrete construction materials, highlighting its global significance.

Seeking the “best CLCs practice” in China: A case study based on a conceptual framework of education entrepreneurship

AbstractRural adult schools, implemented by Community Learning Centers (CLCs) as part of the Capacity Building Project, face inadequate and irregular funding in China. Moreover, these schools lack technical guidelines for project implementation, posing additional challenges. This study employed the “entrepreneurship‐impact” matrix conceptual framework to conduct a case study and identify best practices related to CLC operation. Revealed through the study is an educational entrepreneurship model for implementing CLC projects. Resources, regulations, and outsider technical support shape educational entrepreneurship, with all factors influencing project implementation through the mediation of entrepreneurship. However, this influence is conditioned by loosened regulation. This study concludes that best practices emerge only when external conditions favor entrepreneurship and suggests that greater attention should be directed toward fostering circumstances conducive to educational entrepreneurship.

Automat Bill of Quantities for School Buildings Projects Using BIM

Automat Bill of Quantities for School Buildings Projects Using BIM

Adaptability of BIM technology to mitigate the cost overruns in design and build projects

Purpose Cost overruns are an inevitable issue in design and build (D&B) projects. In D&B projects, causes for cost overruns can be managed by adopting appropriate building information modelling (BIM) functions. Because there is a research gap in synergy between the use of BIM for mitigating cost overruns in D&B projects, this study aims to evaluate the adaptability of BIM to manage cost overrun issues in them. Design/methodology/approach Research objectives were attained through a quantitative research approach adopting the Delphi technique, which consists of three rounds of a questionnaire survey. Through statistical tools, the collected data were analysed. Findings This research revealed the ten most crucial causes for cost overruns in D&B projects, where continuous changes in designs and drawings are the top causes. Change and revision management and interoperability are the most crucial BIM functions to address the aforementioned cause. Subsequently, 16 enablers, 26 barriers and 19 strategies to implement BIM to manage the identified significant causes of cost overruns were overviewed. Originality/value This study addresses the literature gap pertaining to the cost overrun in D&B projects and the application of BIM by studying the causes for cost overrun, suggesting BIM functions to mitigate the above cause. Moreover, this study assessed the probable barriers and enablers for BIM adoption in construction projects from D&B perspective.

Heritage conservation and energy efficiency in adaptive reuse projects the case of Gaziantep, Türkiye

PurposeThis article explores the challenges and opportunities in adaptive reuse projects for historic buildings, focusing on the interrelationship between energy efficiency and heritage conservation.Design/methodology/approachThe study utilises a mixed-method approach, including semi-structured interviews and energy retrofit surveys, conducted in seven adaptively reused historical buildings in the Bey neighbourhood, Gaziantep, Türkiye. Thematic analysis is used for interviews, and survey results were discussed together within the framework of CSN EN16883.FindingsThe adaptive reuse of historic buildings can result in economic, social, cultural and environmental benefits for local communities. However, for this to occur, careful consideration must be given when selecting the new function, ensuring that it aligns with the buildings' environmental performance potential and the community’s needs. Considering the CSN EN16883 Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings, when the retrofits made by the users are assessed, the general approach is to preserve the heritage value of the building rather than making it energy efficient.Originality/valueThis study will add to a cross-cultural understanding of the complex relationship between adaptive reuse, energy efficiency and heritage conservation by looking at the local context of Gaziantep. No similar qualitative study addresses this issue in this region.

Innovation ecosystems beyond construction projects – a case study of Swedish cross laminated timber building networks

ABSTRACT While innovation ecosystems have been proven effective for driving innovation in high-tech industries, their application in construction with cross laminated timber (CLT) products have received limited attention, with most studies adopting a broad perspective on ecosystems, encompassing the entire supply network around individual building projects. This study explores niche innovation ecosystems within the context of construction with CLT products. Data from 15 CLT-based building projects in mid Sweden were collected through observations and interviews and analysed using a method combining existing theory on innovation ecosystem structure with social network analysis. Innovation ecosystem structure was identified within five of the projects, encompassing two unique ecosystems. These ecosystems feature interorganisational links and actor-level expected value capture in two dimensions: value creation within the standard contractual framework of the projects and the innovation ecosystem superimposed on these projects. The novel method bridges the gap between innovation ecosystem research and CLT practices. The findings reveal that niche innovation ecosystems interact with CLT-based building projects through collaborative efforts across multiple projects and partners. These ecosystems feature alignment links that indicate both intra – and inter-project interdependencies, potentially driving innovation in construction. Role extensions within these ecosystems highlight the complexity and adaptability required in the construction industry.

A hybrid transfer learning to continual learning strategy for improving cross-building energy prediction in data increment scenario

For a data-driven building energy prediction model, the insufficient data available for new buildings and existing buildings with limited data pose a challenge to achieving the expected prediction performance. Transfer learning (TL) and continual learning (CL) are two widely applied effective methods for addressing the shortage of building data. The actual building projects typically exist in a scenario of data increment, wherein their energy consumption data gradually accumulates with usage. Previous studies have indicated that the TL strategy can transfer the learned data distribution patterns from source buildings to target buildings of the same type. Meanwhile, the CL strategy can extract the dynamic characteristics from continuously accumulated data. Both strategies can be employed to enhance the performance of energy consumption prediction models for buildings with insufficient data. However, existing studies on data scarcity in energy prediction primarily focus on buildings with fixed data quantities, and have not provided sufficient analysis for newly constructed buildings in a data increment scenario. Therefore, this study proposes a TL-to-CL strategy to enhance the energy prediction performance of newly constructed buildings in a data increment scenario. When the available data is limited, TL should be utilized. But as the data volume increases to be sufficient, TL should be transformed to CL at the reasonable time. Additionally, this study provides a reference for determining the transform time for the TL-to-CL strategy. The validation was conducted using two years of energy consumption data from 36 buildings in the Genome Project 2 dataset. The results demonstrate that the proposed TL-to-CL strategy (transform time = 4-week) obtain the overall better prediction performance than pure TL, pure CL and combined TL-CL without transformation between the two) strategies. The prediction improvement ratio (PIR) can be as high as 0.9 compared with the traditional LSTM.

Impact of effective schedule management on high-rise building projects

Effective schedule management is a critical factor in the successful execution of high-rise building projects. This paper explores the impact of robust schedule management practices on project performance, highlighting the benefits, challenges, and strategies for optimizing timelines. High-rise construction presents unique complexities, including coordination of multiple trades, strict safety regulations, and logistical challenges related to vertical construction. Utilizing advanced scheduling methodologies such as Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM) and Building Information Modeling (BIM), combined with traditional techniques like the Critical Path Method (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT), can significantly enhance project efficiency. The integration of these methodologies facilitates better resource allocation, reduces delays, and improves overall project outcomes. The study also addresses the role of technology, including project management software like Primavera P6, in enhancing schedule accuracy and reliability. Additionally, it examines the critical role of project managers in orchestrating these activities and emphasizes the importance of effective communication and risk management. This comprehensive review provides insights into the key factors that contribute to successful schedule management, offering recommendations for future research and practice to further advance the field. Keywords: Building Information Modeling (BIM), Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), High-Rise Building Projects, Project Performance Optimization, Schedule Management.

Research on Carbon Emission Pre-Assessment of Residential Buildings in Xi’an City during the Scheme Design Stage

The effect of energy saving and carbon reduction in the building industry is closely related to the realization of China’s double carbon goal. In this study, a two-dimensional framework for building life cycle carbon emissions was established, which takes into account the early stages of building design such as the feasibility study stage and scheme design stage. Taking 57 residential buildings in Xi’an City as examples, the life cycle carbon emission characteristics of residential buildings in cold areas were introduced. This study found that the life cycle carbon emission intensity is about 45~55 kgCO2/(m2·a). The operation and maintenance stage and building materials production stage accounted for the largest proportion of carbon emissions, and the sum of carbon emissions of the two stages accounted for 92.3% of the total carbon emissions. In addition, based on the probability density function, the carbon emission intensity distributions of the building life cycle, building material production stage, building material transportation stage, and operation and maintenance stage were analyzed, and it was found that each distribution fitting graph was generally in line with a lognormal distribution, and their expected value provided a reference index for carbon emission pre-assessment in the feasibility study stage. Based on the analysis and determination of 11 independent variables that affect the total carbon emissions, such as area, floor number, story height, and number of households, a multiple linear regression model for carbon emission pre-assessment in the design stage of building schemes is proposed. The R2adj of the model is 0.985 and the error is about 10%. The prediction model can provide beneficial guidance for the life cycle carbon emission prediction in the design stage of building projects, so as to reduce carbon emissions by changing building design.

Road Corridors as Real Estate Frontiers: The New Urban Geographies of Rentier Capitalism in Africa

AbstractThis paper draws on research on infrastructure‐led development and urbanisation in Nairobi to explore the new urban geographies of rentier capitalism in Africa. Under the banner of Kenya's Vision 2030 national development strategy, Nairobi's agrarian hinterlands have been transformed by major road building projects. These initiatives have catalysed a peri‐urban property boom characterised by the conversion of agricultural and ranching land into urban real estate and the verticalisation of road corridors. The paper identifies four processes of land transformation driving this real estate market expansion: commodification; speculation; autoconstruction; and assetisation. Adopting a multi‐scalar conjunctural approach, it argues that rentier capitalism in this context is spatialised through the dramatic extension of real estate frontiers along the route of peri‐urban road corridors. Development along these corridors assumes a “grey” character that defies conventional formal–informal distinctions, enabling the extraction of large rentier profits and encouraging the further proliferation of frontier spaces.

Artificial Bee Colony Algorithm to Optimize the Safety Distance of Workers in Construction Projects

This paper presents the results of a simulation model regarding the productivity and safety working space for construction workers through the floors of a building using swarm intelligence (SI), a field of artificial intelligence (AI), and specifically using artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization. After designing the algorithm used to build the simulation model, the simulation was used in an actual building project by comparing the travel times of workers conventionally transporting material with another group working on routes optimized by the algorithm. Thus, the proposed algorithm provides routes combining shorter travel times and correct distances between workers when transporting materials in a construction site, handling the interference between crews. After validating the algorithm on-site, no statistically significant differences were found between the travel times of workers and the times delivered by the algorithm. Additionally, the travel times using the routes obtained through the algorithm were significantly lower than those made by workers who moved freely without a predefined route. In summary, the algorithm proposed may help construction practitioners maintain safe movements that respond to hazard contexts imposed by any restriction that demands a safety distance.

Analisis Penerapan Sistem Manajemen Keselamatan dan Kesehatan Kerja (K3)

Along with the rapid pace of development of multi-storey building construction in indonesia, it creates a high risk of work accidents, especially for field, workers therefore the role of controlling the risk of woek accidents is compulsary. Poor implementation of occupational health and safety can damage the occupational health and safety management (OHSM) system in a construction project. So the problem is wich factors are dominant in the application of OHSM in the construction of the Bapelkes building and what is the level of application of OHSM in the construction project. This study aims to analyze the level of implementation of OHSM implementation in the construction of the Bapelkes building. This research method uses quantitative and qualitative approaches through interviews and distributing questionnaires to PT. The work of Mukti Bersaudara as many as 12 people. This study consisted of 9 variables. The result of the validity test of the mean value of r-count of each variable is 0.81 and the r-table value is 0.497, so it fulfills the requirements of r-count> r table. The result of the reliability test on each variable obtained an average value of 0.8 and Cronbach’s Alpha critical value of 0.6, wich is means all variables are declared reliable. The result of the descriptive analysis of the highest mean value were obtained in the factor of development and commitment maintenance (X1) with a value of 4.72, and the last order was obtained the variable (X2) with a value of 4.45. it can be concluded that the very dominant factor in implementing OHSM in Bapelkes building construction projects is the development and maintenance of commitment (X1). The implementation of OHSM in the construction of new dormitory and class building project for the National Health planning Agency (Bapelkes) has been implemented well-planned, measured, and structured, and properly integrated according to the PP. No. 5 of 2012 concerning the occupational health and safety management system, although it has not been fully implemented, it is obtained from the average percentage of application assesment, which is 92.0%

Application Strategies of Modular Design in Assembled Teaching Buildings

As an efficient, environmentally friendly, energy-saving construction method, assembled buildings are now widely used in campus building construction. Modular design thinking is system-based design thinking, and its application to the design of an assembled teaching building project will comprehensively improve the rationality of the teaching building and component design. The paper focuses on the application of modular design thinking in assembled teaching building design, aiming to provide references for China’s architectural design units, giving full play to the advantages of modular design thinking in future teaching building design projects, and enhancing the level of design, for the construction of the teaching building and the basis of the technical guarantee.

Dissenter Diplomacy: Sub-Diplomatic Efforts in the Making of the Anglo-American Alliance, 1850–1918

ABSTRACT This article considers the efforts of sub-diplomatic actors in building the Anglo-American alliance during the long 19th century. Particular attention is given to the role of Dissenting churches, the use of common heritage, joint building projects, and trans-Atlantic tours as a form of public diplomacy in pursuit of this goal. The ‘Pilgrims’ in particular became a useful device for promoting closer Anglo-American relations – symbolising a common history and common values, civil liberties, the rule of law, and religious toleration, all in a world where these were not common. This brought British and American voices and values closer to many ordinary people, strengthening the increasingly complex and not always visible web linking Britain and the United States, creating personal relationships and group networks, together with a sense of common political values and history.