Construction projects in India are experiencing widespread delays. Due to a dramatic shift in the capacity and volume of the Indian construction sector over the last decade, the need of a systematic ...analysis of the reasons of delays and developing a clear understanding among the industry professionals are highly crucial. Using a selected set of 45 attributes, this research first identified the key factors impacting delay in Indian construction industry and then established the relationship between the critical attributes for developing prediction models for assessing the impacts of these factors on delay. A questionnaire and personal interviews have formed the basis of this research. Factor analysis and regression modelling were used to examine the significance of the delay factors. From the factor analysis, most critical factors of construction delay were identified as (1) lack of commitment; (2) inefficient site management; (3) poor site coordination; (4) improper planning; (5) lack of clarity in project scope; (6) lack of communication; and (7) substandard contract. Regression model indicates slow decision from owner, poor labour productivity, architects' reluctance for change and rework due to mistakes in construction are the reasons that affect the overall delay of the project significantly. These findings are expected to be significant contributions to Indian construction industry in controlling the time overruns in construction contracts.
This paper presents a systematic Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based approach for Prospective Safety Performance Evaluation (PSPE) on construction sites, with causal relationships and ...interactions between enablers and the goals of PSPE taken into account. According to a sample of 450 valid questionnaire surveys from 30 Chinese construction enterprises, a SEM model with 26 items included for PSPE in the context of Chinese construction industry is established and then verified through the goodness-of-fit test. Three typical types of construction enterprises, namely the state-owned enterprise, private enterprise and Sino-foreign joint venture, are selected as samples to measure the level of safety performance given the enterprise scale, ownership and business strategy are different. Results provide a full understanding of safety performance practice in the construction industry, and indicate that the level of overall safety performance situation on working sites is rated at least a level of III (Fair) or above. This phenomenon can be explained that the construction industry has gradually matured with the norms, and construction enterprises should improve the level of safety performance as not to be eliminated from the government-led construction industry. The differences existing in the safety performance practice regarding different construction enterprise categories are compared and analyzed according to evaluation results. This research provides insights into cause-effect relationships among safety performance factors and goals, which, in turn, can facilitate the improvement of high safety performance in the construction industry.
While sustainable construction practices effectively reduce environmental impact, their exclusive focus on environmental, economic, and social goals limits their ability to actively foster positive ...transformation and ecosystem restoration. Addressing the growing challenges in the built environment necessitates a shift to regenerative practices within the construction industry. Unlike sustainability, regenerative practices go beyond the concept of merely sustaining the status quo; they are geared towards actively enhancing and restoring the built environment over time. However, implementing these practices is less prominent in the construction industry due to the absence of a suitable tool for evaluating their expected performance outcomes. This study bridges this gap by introducing a novel performance evaluation framework for implementing regenerative construction practices, establishing a benchmark for implementation. Through an extensive literature review and data collection from a committee of regenerative outcome leads, we employ the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) to establish interconnections among key regenerative performance criteria. Results highlight the dominant significance of “Healthy, more resilient, and connected communities,” surpassing other criteria like “Thriving and prosperous natural systems,” “Prosperous and resilient local economies,” and “Net-positive environmental development.” The proposed evaluation framework offers theoretical and practical implications, fostering a new theoretical approach that exceeds sustainability standards and provides tangible guidance for construction decision-makers.
•Shift from sustainability to regeneration ensures more positive transformation.•The framework helps to evaluate the expected performance of regenerative practices.•FAHP-based study reveals key criteria for resilient communities.•“Healthy communities” outweigh other criteria in significance.•The Framework offers theoretical and practical guidance for decision-makers.
Once the tide recedes and leaves a significant amount of stranded seaweed on the coast, marine macroalgae pose a serious threat to the surrounding area. Through this work, we considered a large-scale ...application of stranded macroalgae in building construction. For the first time we studied the impact of incorporating Sargassum mitucum seaweed fiber in replacement of flax fiber used for a standard structural cob. Thus, cob specimens were elaborated and analyzed to evaluate their compressive and hygrothermal performances. It was found that the compressive strength and water vapor resistance factors of cob decreased with the algae content. Additionally, the obtained results showed that a cob made with Sargassum muticum algae presented better thermal (insulation and inertia) and hygroscopic properties than those of a cob made with a flax fiber. Indeed, the replacement of flax straw by algae lead to a reduction in the thermal conductivity by 38% when compared to the standard cob with 2.5% of flax straw fiber. Consequently, numerical simulation showed a reduction in the energy needs in buildings made with an algae-based cob when compared to those made with a flax-based cob. This study can contribute to a global environmental and economic issue, i.e., the valorization of brown algae on a large scale. Indeed, the worldwide knows the largest sea of sargassum algae extent measures over 8850 kmsup.2. This huge mass of brownish algae is expanding every year, which now covers an area from Africa to the Caribbean. It weighs more than 20 million tons and extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the west coast of Africa. We show that stranded algae, which are considered as wastes, have the ability to improve the mechanical and hygrothermal performance of cob-based material.
This study aims to identify the factors that influence the adoption of smart contracts in the UK construction sector. A deductive questionnaire-based approach informed by the ...technology-organisation-environment (TOE) model is adopted. The framework is comprised of twelve independent variables and one dependent variable of smart contracts use intention. Ten hypotheses are developed to statistically test the causal relationships between the eleven variables of the research model. The study adopts a convenience sampling approach, with the population of interest being primarily drawn from among UK construction practitioners. The results generated from linear regression analysis suggest that the following four factors have a significant influence on the adoption of smart contracts: supply chain pressure, competitive pressure, top management support, and observability. The descriptive statistics obtained also offer a greater understanding of the perceptions and attitudes towards smart contracts across the UK construction sector. The results demonstrate the usefulness of a perception-based model that utilises the TOE framework to assess facets that influence the adoption of smart contracts. The study contributes to innovation diffusion studies in construction project management and supports "early adopters" at the footfall of the technology's diffusion curve.
With the development of the construction industry, increasing concern over construction and demolition waste (CDW) has initiated a wave of environmental regulation by the government in order to ...reduce the environmental impact and ensure sustainable development. Research on behavioral decision-making can offer a theoretical basis for the government and individuals. This paper aims to study the behavioral decision-making of stakeholders in CDW recycling under environmental regulation. Considering the limited rationality of stakeholders and the difference in reference points, an evolutionary game model including contractors and manufacturers of construction materials is proposed based on the prospect theory of behavioral economics. The results indicate that, only when the perceived benefits of one or both stakeholders for participation under the environmental regulation exceed those for non-participation, can the CDW recycling system eventually evolve to a stable state in which both stakeholders choose to participate. In addition, factors such as the initial strategy, production cost, technology, subsidies, recycling benefits, and the degree of perception of the stakeholders, exert certain influences on the stable state. To attain the required stable state, the government should increase the subsidies for the stakeholders and strengthen the publicity regarding recycling effects to improve the perceived benefits.
► A game technology-based safety training platform is developed and tested. ► The possible contribution of the platform to safety training is identified. ► The platform can improve the process and ...performance of the safety training. ► The platform can assist in accident prevention during operating construction plant.
Many accidents occur world-wide in the use of construction plant and equipment, and safety training is considered by many to be one of the best approaches to their prevention. However, current safety training methods/tools are unable to provide trainees with the hands-on practice needed. Game technology-based safety training platforms have the potential to overcome this problem in a virtual environment.
One such platform is described in this paper – its characteristics are analysed and its possible contribution to safety training identified. This is developed and tested by means of a case study involving three major pieces of construction plant, which successfully demonstrates that the platform can improve the process and performance of the safety training involved in their operation. This research not only presents a new and useful solution to the safety training of construction operations, but illustrates the potential use of advanced technologies in solving construction industry problems in general.
The last decades, lowering the ecological impact of buildings is receiving increased attention by researchers, policy-makers and companies. Mostly the focus is on reducing energy consumption and the ...use of eco-friendly materials, but the concept of life-cycle thinking is growing in importance. This paper tries to give an overview of the current situation of Life cycle assessment (LCA) in the construction industry, both of regulatory developments and academic case studies. After a short history of LCA, the focus is on LCA methodology, new standards and frameworks and an extensive selection of recent case studies.
Despite some inherent limitations of LCA as an analytic tool and fundamental differences between the individual cases, still some common trends can be indicated. In standard buildings, the use phase contributes up to 90% of the total environmental burdens, mainly due to heating and/or cooling. Due to regulations, new buildings become more energy efficient, and thereby other phases of the life cycle gain in importance e.g., choice of materials, construction, end-of-life and water use. These research topics deserve more attention, together with economic issues, the improvement of data quality and implementation of probability density distributions.
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