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Technical Drivers and Barriers of Multi-Storey Wood Building Construction
Get PDFMulti-storey wood building (MSWB) construction has emerged as a promising solution for the construction sector, leveraging innovative methods such as prefabrication, automation, and modular construction. However, despite significant advancements, the industry faces complex technical challenges that limit its wider adoption. This study aims to identify and analyse the technical drivers and barriers influencing MSWB construction from industry and academic viewpoints. Employing a qualitative methodology, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders from construction companies, engineered wood products (EWPs) manufacturers, and academia. The findings reveal that while wood\u27s properties facilitate off-site manufacturing and faster on-site installation, particularly beneficial in urban areas, the industry is hindered by a conservative mindset favouring traditional materials like concrete and steel. Technical barriers such as lack of standardisation, limited collaboration among stakeholders, insufficient production capacity, and a shortage of specialized companies were identified. The study highlights the need for systematic development and standardisation to overcome risk aversion and facilitate broader adoption of MSWB construction. These insights contribute to closing gaps in the industry by providing a comprehensive understanding of the current technical drivers and barriers. The results are valuable for industry professionals seeking to innovate, policymakers promoting sustainable construction practices, and researchers interested in advancing MSWB construction technologies
AI in Construction Project Management education: Insights from the \u27AI for Construction Project Management\u27 Summer School
No full textThis paper provides an in-depth analysis of the outcomes of \u27AI for Construction Project Management\u27 summer school, a pioneering program that received the 2024 CIB Vistas Funding for its role in advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in construction project management. The summer school comprised six sessions that introduced a range of AI techniques—including Machine Learning (ML), Probabilistic Graphical Models, Computer Vision, And Digital Twins—each designed to automate and optimize key construction tasks. The program engaged 162 participants from industry and academia, representing diverse educational and professional backgrounds. During the introductory sessions and hand-on exercises, the participants explored real-world challenges such as project scheduling, cost estimation, safety management, and resource allocation. At the conclusion of the summer school, all participants were invited to complete a detailed survey assessing the educational content, logistics of each session, and the overall organization of the program. Their feedback emphasized the practical value and relevance of the AI techniques presented, highlighting the potential for further research and development. This paper includes a comprehensive review of each session, a sentiment analysis of participant feedback, correlations between participants\u27 backgrounds and the topics they found most compelling, and an evaluation of AI\u27s transformative potential in construction management. These findings contribute significantly to aligning AI advancements with industry and research needs and provide valuable insights for designing impactful educational programs for professionals and researchers in construction. It also emphasizes the necessity to develop specialized and practical educational content on AI to increase the efficiency and success rate of projects
The Performance of Key Stakeholders relative to Construction Health and Safety in South Africa
Get PDFConstruction health and safety (H&S) remains a challenge in South Africa, which manifests itself in accidents, fatalities, injuries, and ill-health. Furthermore, previous research findings and anecdotal evidence indicate that key stakeholders are not H&S compliant. The quantitative method was adopted for the study reported on, which entailed the completion of a self-administered questionnaire by delegates attending the Industry Day of a construction safety, health, and wellbeing conference in Cape Town, South Africa, prior to the commencement of the presentations. The aim of the study was to determine the extent to which, inter alia, Construction H&S Agents (CHSAs) and Construction H&S Officers (CHSOs) discharge their duties in South African construction. The salient findings include: CHSAs and CHSOs do contribute to and have had an impact on construction H&S, and CHSAs and CHSOs experience shortcomings in terms of various aspects of the practice of their occupations. Conclusions include: CHSAs act in a diligent, professional, and ethical manner, and do not engage in acts of dishonesty, corruption, or bribery, and subscribe to CPD. However, they experience shortcomings in terms of undertaking design risk management, and possessing the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources. CHSOs do not act in a diligent, professional, and ethical manner, and do not engage in acts of dishonesty, corruption, or bribery. Furthermore, they experience shortcomings in terms of various aspects of the practice of their occupation. Recommendations include: CHSAs must be empowered to contribute to the ‘project management of H&S’ and ‘designing for construction H&S’; CHSOs must be empowered to contribute to the ‘overall management of H&S on projects’ at site level, and construction H&S CPD relative to CHSAS and CHSOs should focus on professionalism, including ethics
The Reluctance of a Self-Selected Cohort of Construction Managers in Ireland to Report Work-related Stress.
Get PDFWorkplace stress in the construction sector is reported to have negative implications for employees and work practices. Although much literature exists on workplace stress, one relatively unexplored area within the field, is the reporting of stress-related concerns. This study investigated the hesitancy to report workplace stress from a sample of construction managers in Ireland. Using semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis, 25 construction managers were interviewed about their reluctance to report workplace stress to their employers. Participants noted an inability to report workplace stress due to fear, stigma, and possible repercussions. The main causes of this workplace stress reported by participants were interpersonal conflict, bullying, deadlines, workload, penalty clauses, shortages, costs, communication, quality issues, and delays. A reluctance to report these stressors was also found to exacerbate workplace stress as well as contribute to a sense of mistrust. This study as well as the current literature on workplace safety demonstrates that many cases of stress-related ill health currently go unreported. Employee hesitancy to report psychosocial stressors represents an important barrier to improving workplace safety in construction. Therefore, to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of Irish construction managers, further research into pragmatic stress risk management interventions is required
Corporate Social Responsibility assumed by Chinese International Construction Companies: Heterogeneities, Causes, and Evaluation
Get PDFChinese international construction companies (CICCs) are appearing as a major competitive force in the international market. However, there are limited studies exploring their corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices, which is, in fact, essential for informing CSR strategies. This research thus aims to explore CSR assumed by CICCs. Based on the coding instrument applied from CASS-CSR 4.0 (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences-Guidelines on CSR Reporting), a content analysis of 174 CSR reports of 22 CICCs from 2010 to 2019 was employed to undertake a candid evaluation of CICCs’ CSR practices. It found an enriching trend of CSR assumed by CICCs in both quantity and quality. CICCs perform CSR differently depending on their ownership (i.e., state-owned or privately owned). It also found areas in which CICCs could further enrich their CSR programs. CICCs’ embrace of CSR which are somehow perceived as heterogeneous has not been adequately articulated in the literature. This study fills the knowledge gap by analyzing the CSR heterogeneities of CICCs and their causes, and finally offering suggestions for their further improvement. This paper will allow managers of CICCs to effectively manage their CSR strategies and programs, and to foster sustainable construction management and reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Embodied Carbon Reduction Through Material Reuse: A Case Study
Get PDFAmong the existing methods to analyze the environmental performance of buildings, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is presented with the purpose of evaluating the environmental impacts resulting from civil construction, from the extraction of raw material to the disposal of its waste. This sector is largely responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases, consequently, the future of construction is inclined towards making choices that prioritize environmental factors. This research conducts a case study to quantify the embodied carbon emissions avoided through the reuse of materials from the Arena do Futuro, originally constructed for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), in the building of four new public schools. The projects were remodeled in Revit, and the environmental analyses were conducted utilizing the TRACI methodology within the One Click LCA tool. To illustrate the overall emission reduction, the case is compared with a baseline scenario where all materials undergo two life cycles within linear chains. With nearly the entire arena dismantled and its materials extensively reused, this study demonstrates that adopting Design for Disassembly (DfD)—a principle of the circular economy—along with material reuse, leads to a substantial 38% reduction in embodied carbon compared to the linear chain approach, providing a viable and effective path toward decarbonization. This research concludes that early planning for deconstruction effectively minimizes waste, highlighting its limitations, including the lack of a national database, the assumptions made, and the absence of operational carbon impact quantification
Lean Digital Management for Production Control
Get PDFThe understanding of Lean Construction (LC) management philosophy is essential to making effective decisions in construction projects. LC\u27s philosophy focuses on identifying and eliminating process waste while adding value to production. In construction management, timely decisions and instructions can positively impact projects. This paper will examine how lean and digital methodology can positively influence construction management. This research focuses on a digitised Last Planner System® (LPS) that provides a collaborative platform to make informed decisions promptly. Integrating numerous digital platforms, such as an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with 4K camera technology and virtual field walks using 360° images. The synergy between Lean and Building Information Modelling (BIM) has shown that is improves collaboration in design and construction activities. Enhancing the connection by incorporating reality capture with digital LPS and Business Intelligence (BI) tools can improve accountability and increase collaboration by providing the necessary information to make prompt and correct decisions. Focusing on project stakeholders we will examine how digital platforms used with lean philosophy can improve project workflow and the delivery of construction projects effectively and efficiently. The increased transparency provided by interactive digital platforms enhances collaboration and supports project team integration. Lean processes utilising digital tools can reduce the variability and uncertainty of construction projects and improved overall project delivery
Automaticity and Mindfulness in Construction
No full textMindfulness is critical in enhancing workers’ safety and productivity by improving attention regulation. Attention is a key factor in task performance, influencing the balance between safety and efficiency in repetitive work environments. One factor that significantly impacts attention is skill automaticity, which is associated with reduced attentional requirements following repetition or practice. Despite the known relationship between mindfulness and attention, the interaction between mindfulness dimensions and automaticity remains unknown. This study addresses this gap by investigating how mindfulness influences attention during the transition from novice to expert in a repetitive construction task, providing insights into the interplay between mindfulness, attention, and automaticity. To achieve its objective, we conducted a longitudinal study of the development of automaticity during a roofing task of repetitively installing shingles, where 28 participants were recruited and trained for 22 sessions until they gained automaticity with 616 installations. The Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), a 39-item 5-point Likert scale, was used to ascertain the mindfulness properties of the participants. The findings revealed significant correlations between non-reactivity to inner experiences and safety-focused attention metrics in the automatic state (p-value \u3c 0.05). These findings suggest that mindfulness traits may support safe and efficient automaticity, highlighting the potential of mindfulness training in enhancing safety and performance in repetitive work environments
Life Cycle Assessment and Cost Evaluation of Sustainable Production Technologies: A Parametric Approach for Complex Geometries in Architectural Design
Get PDFBuilding design has to deal with complex geometries and surfaces arising from current trends and “New European Bauhaus” initiative that imagines a sustainable and inclusive future that is beautiful for eyes, minds, and souls. This also relates to the rise of new design paradigms, such as \u27user-centred design\u27, which includes customized optimization approaches. The increasing adoption of customized components and unique solutions raises valid concerns about the optimal use of energy and resources. The study carried out stems precisely from these needs and focuses on the life cycle assessment of the technologies currently available on the market to realize the mentioned architectures.
In the first phase of the study, a comparative assessment of the carbon footprint of the production process of selected technologies for custom geometries production was carried out: CTC (cement-textile composite), CNC milling (computer numerical control), 3D printing and adaptable membrane casting. These technologies have different process principles and consequently, to make it possible their comparison, independently of specific configurations, a parametric methodology was implemented based on the use of a bounding box that encloses the target shape. This made possible the creation of nomograms to identify the different volume ranges in which it is more convenient, in terms of global warming potential (GWP), to use one technology over another. The investigation is in line with SDG 13 (climate action) which calls for reducing environmental impacts through sustainable alternatives. Radar charts were then created to complete the analysis to compare the different technologies with respect to the main aspects of both sustainability and production
Resilient Technology Adoption by Facility Managers for Enhanced Building Resilience in the USA
No full textClimate changes significantly impose stresses on the physical and the built environment. Facility Managers (FMs) within the buildings are vital in maintaining the optimal performance of facilities, particularly in the face of increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Therefore, this study presents preliminary findings about the in-house facility managers\u27 adoption and implementation patterns for technologies enhancing the resilience of a facility within the USA. The research also identifies the barriers to adopting resilient technologies, per the facility managers. The research utilized an online survey with the facility managers within the USA as the general population. When the publication was generated, data collection for this study was ongoing, and twenty-two facility managers responded to the survey. Most of the responding in-house facility managers indicated to have adopted resilient technology with technologies such as energy management systems, emergency response systems, advanced HVAC control systems, cybersecurity enhancements for operational technology, and smart sensors adopted by more than half of the respondents. Even with the high adoption of resilient technologies, a significant majority of the respondents either didn\u27t have a positive experience or weren\u27t satisfied with the performance of the resilient technology, which is concerning. The research also identified lack of funding, resistance to change, and lack of technical expertise as the most important perceived barriers to adopting resilient technologies