Construction Economics and Building

A New Era of Transformation for “Construction Economics and Building”

Alex Opoku — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 21:53:09 +1100

Evaluating social sustainability factors prioritization in sustainable urban regeneration: The case of UK construction industry projects

Julius Akotia , Bankole Awuzie — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:52:56 +1100

The social sustainability has been acknowledged as an essential component for delivering sustainable development objectives. While the importance of social sustainability has been well recognised by many construction industry practitioners, its core requirements have remained undefined. Many of such social sustainability concepts have remained implicit and undefined. In some case, they have been ‘concealed behind a seemingly random choice of common socio-political indicators hence making social sustainability requirements very difficult for practitioners to clearly specify and prioritise in an explicit manner and deliver it in practical terms. This study investigates the degree of consideration given to the promotion of social sustainability factors by practitioners engaged in the delivery of sustainable regeneration projects in the UK. It draws data from 15 and 122 practitioners through semi-structured interviews and questionnaire survey respectively, from practitioners who participated in the study. The results reveal that, health and safety issues were the most promoted among the other six key social sustainability issues considered by majority of practitioners. The findings indicate that various efforts and legislations initiated by the UK government to improve health and safety practices within the construction industry had played a key role on practitioners’ attitude towards the promotion of health and safety issues in their practices.

The role of project delivery methods on the execution of construction projects in Kenyan Judiciary

John Fredrick Okello, Omondi Bowa, Joash Migosi — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 17:13:13 +1100

This study investigates the influence of project delivery methods on critical performance indicators, such as time, cost, site disputes, and quality, when executing court-building projects in Kenya. The study hypothesized that project delivery methods have no significant influence on the execution of court-building projects in relation to time, cost, site-dispute and quality. Reliability was tested using Cronbach's Alpha technique, and validity was tested using Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This study combined the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data using a mixed-methods approach. Sixty-three projects were surveyed using a convergent parallel mixed survey design. Document analysis was used to obtain secondary data, and questionnaires and interview guides were used to collect the primary data. Descriptive statistics, such as mode, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyse the quantitative data, while correlation and regression analysis techniques were used for inferential statistical analysis. The slope coefficients were considered significant at p ≤ 0.05. Thematic and document analyses were applied to the qualitative data to triangulate the findings with the quantitative data. According to the study, project delivery methods significantly influenced the execution of construction projects in terms of quality, cost, and site disputes, but not time. The study also emphasizes how the Kenyan judiciary needs flexible and context-specific project delivery approaches because those that were employed did not address timeliness, a crucial delivery factor. This research offers helpful information to scholars, practitioners of project and construction management, policymakers, and other parties involved in putting the Kenyan judiciary's infrastructure into place.

Examining the decision criteria on BIM-LCA: A case study

Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:58:30 +1100

The mainstay of the extant literature on BIM-LCA has concentrated on comparing two materials for building elements and selecting the most environmentally friendly option based on the quantitative results from the LCA analysis. This current approach, while useful, raises issues about its robustness, necessitating a critical analysis of the decision criteria and areas for improvement. Therefore, this study examines the BIM-LCA decision-making process to identify gaps for improvement. A case study approach was used, which focused on multiple flooring systems in an office building in Sydney. Revit, as a BIM tool, was used to model the design and the Tally® BIM plug-in application based on Sydney climatic data was used to perform TRACI LCA analysis. The results revealed that hardwood flooring systems performed well against the nylon-based carpet in some environmental impacts indicators (EIIs), i.e., global warming potential (7673.5 < 11159.18 Kg CO₂eq), ozone depletion (-2.9767E-07 < 4.63E-04 kg CFC-11eq), and renewable energy (177882.42> 5,766 MJ). Whilst nylon-based carpet performed better than hard finishes in other EIIs, i.e., acidification (37.5357 < 66.5156 SO₂eq), eutrophication (7.26639 < 7.34547 kg Neq), smog formation (465.1< 1355.75 Kg O₃eq) and non-renewable energy demand (185,720 <198251 MJ). The results show an inconclusive basis for decision-making. The findings led to discussing potential areas for improving the BIM-LCA decision-making process.

Assessing and improving labour productivity management in construction: A practical framework and measurement tool

Nhat Minh Huynh, Long Le-Hoai, Chi Dien Do — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:34:10 +1100

Despite numerous studies and resources available, the global construction sector has witnessed a decline in productivity over the past two decades, highlighting the need for practical tools and strategies to enhance labour productivity management. This study proposed a tool to support labour productivity management in construction. To achieve this, initial data were gathered through literature reviews and on-site observations, followed by interviews with ten experienced site managers to refine a comprehensive set of productivity factors. These factors were then used to construct a system of factors before developing a quantitative management tool, inclusive of a measurement scale and an instructive guide. Finally, this tool was evaluated by the experts using a 5-level Likert scale to ensure its practicality and accuracy. The results show that the tool offers a structured and informative approach to assess and enhance labour productivity in construction projects, thereby supporting managers in making informed decisions and improvements towards more successful project outcomes. The insights gained from this research contribute to the ongoing efforts to address labour productivity challenges in the construction industry, paving the way for future developments and enhancements in productivity management tools.

Machine Learning Applications for Predicting Longitudinal Cracking in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement

Ali Alnaqbi, Ghazi G. Al-Khateeb, Waleed Zeiada — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:30:07 +1100

This study addresses the critical issue of longitudinal cracking in Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP), a paramount concern in pavement engineering due to its significant impact on infrastructure performance and longevity. methodology. The research uses a dual-phase methodology to leverage data from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) database. Conventional regression models provide insights into influential factors, but recognizing their limitations, the study extends to machine learning models. Gaussian Process Regression with a Squared Exponential kernel emerges as a standout performer, emphasizing its efficacy (RMSE: 11.84, R-squared: 0.78). Ensemble Tree models, especially Boosted Trees, also exhibit competitive results. Feature importance analysis highlights critical variables like temperature and AADTT. The study's findings underscore the superiority of certain machine learning models over traditional regression methods in predicting longitudinal cracking, offering practical implications for optimizing maintenance strategies and enhancing CRCP infrastructure longevity.

Interacting possibilities between off-site manufacturing and building information modelling for performance improvement

Pejman Sabet, Emil Jonescu, heap-yih Chong, Chamil Erik Ramanyaka — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:16:06 +1100

Building information modelling (BIM) and Off-site manufacturing (OSM) have been extensively studied as separate concepts, yet few studies have examined their combined application as a hybrid approach. The current immature level of BIM adoption and OSM's limited success in Australia urged this research to investigate the innovative simultaneous interactions of building information modelling (BIM) and off-site manufacturing (OSM) in the Australian construction industry, while its novel application in the larger global construction industry environment is equally considered crucial for the advancement of research in this sector. Structural equation modelling was applied to investigate complex relationships between dependent and independent variables. In this empirical study, 105 academic publications were reviewed to build a solid foundation to support the findings. The findings show that OSM and BIM are not widely used in Australia. Individually, these capabilities have had no considerable impact on the overall performance of projects. Also, BIM and OSM have constructively interacted when they are concurrently applied. The study concluded that systematic implementation of OSM–BIM interactions could improve key productivity indicators, followed by the performance improvement of projects. Implementing this OSM–BIM hybrid approach that aligns with the Diffusion of Innovation Theory is best applied at the planning and managerial stages to ensure a practical operating system in OSM-based projects supported by BIM.

Operational Effectiveness in Building Renovation Business: Best Practices for Profitable Execution

Pekka Rajala, Antti Ylä-Kujala, Tiina Sinkkonen, Timo Kärri — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:12:21 +1100

The operational side of business, such as processes, has been studied broadly in the construction industry. However, from the point of view of building renovation (BR) companies and their operational effectiveness, there is a research gap detected. These companies are becoming increasingly important in the construction industry due to the growth of BR needs, like energy efficiency improvements for existing buildings. Ensuring the continuity of BR companies is crucial to meet these increasing needs and that is where profitability plays an important role. Therefore, by comparing 2 cases, BR companies with high profitability (HP) and BR companies with low profitability (LP), we sought to identify best practices for operational effectiveness that enable a profitable BR business. To review the operational effectiveness, we used semi-structured interviews and 2 frameworks: operational excellence through the 4P model, and a model we created in this research, critical operational key elements (COKE) in the BR business. We detected that both HP and LP cases value the operational elements similarly, but there are clear differences in how the cases perceive and execute the elements. The HP case unconsciously seem to possess certain mainstreams of lean principles. The 4 best practices which we found, and that BR companies can utilize, are: focus on customers, be business-oriented, strive for simplicity and clarity and treasure employees and subcontractors. Additionally, the COKE model can be utilized in BR companies’ business development. For the academia, the COKE model offers a starting point for studying key operational elements in BR business.

Suitability of basalt textile reinforced granite-periwinkle shell concrete for sustainable construction in Nigeria

Paschal Chimeremeze Chiadighikaobi, Blossom Chinazor Ubani-Wokoma — Wed, 12 Mar 2025 16:05:18 +1100

Multiple construction methods have been researched and implemented to reduce the harmful effects of construction on society such as using alternative strengthening materials and aggregates in concrete. This study investigates the suitability of granite (G) - periwinkle shell (PS) as coarse aggregate in concrete for construction. The objectives are to determine the mechanical properties of G-PS concrete confined and not confined in basalt textile (BT), the possibility of achieving lightweight concrete, the durability of the G-PS concrete, and the impact of BT and PS on the construction economy. Slump, density, compressive strength, split tensile, modulus of elasticity, and water absorption tests were conducted on 108 concrete cubes and 180 concrete cylinders and analyzed to determine the behavior of the concrete. From the experiments, the workability of the concrete mix, density, and mechanical properties of the concrete reduced with a decrease in the percentages of granite and an increase in the percentages of PSs. The concrete with 100%G and 0%PS had the highest slump value of 7cm while the concrete with 0%G and 100%PS recorded the lowest slump value of 2.5cm. Confining BT on the concrete cylinders improved their mechanical properties. Though concrete with 100%G and 0%PS proved to have the best strength, this study concludes that PS concrete is suitable for light constructions and load-bearing structural members as the strength of concrete having some percentages of PS proved to be good and even better when confined in BT. It was also observed in a discussion that this concrete type is economical and easy to manage in construction. It is recommended to implement this type of concrete in the construction of structural members because the properties of this concrete are suitable for the Nigerian environment and incorporating PSs in construction is a sustainable means and a way to facilitate the actualization of the sustainable development goal “Sustainable Cities and Communities and Responsible Production and Consumption".

A Claim-based Risk Mapping of Construction All-Risk Insurance in Indonesia

Andreas Arianto Pramudya, Andreas Wibowo, Wimpy Santosa, Ferry Jaya Permana — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 23:09:02 +1100

Construction All-Risk (CAR) insurance is widely used within the construction market. Although constituting a modest fraction of the global insurance market, it registers more claims than other types of insurance. Therefore, identifying the root cause or origin of potential losses is pivotal. This study aims to map the risks that CAR covers based on historical data from the policies and claims of two major Indonesian insurance firms. The study employed descriptive statistics to summarize the frequency and characteristics of claim values for each risk and inferential statistics to determine significant differences in claim values among various attributes. A total of 15 risks were found to cause CAR claims, with six risks accounting for 77% of the overall claim values: “hurricanes and storms,” “poor quality of work,” “heavy rain, lightning, and flooding,” “landslides,” “fire, exposure, short circuit, and electrical failure,” and “material or equipment damage due to accidents or disasters.” Geographical area emerges as a determining factor in claim values. No significant differences in normalized claim values were found for different work progress statuses or types of construction projects. Most risks causing substantial claims are attributed to natural disasters based on their characteristics. This study acknowledges its limitations, notwithstanding its strengths.