scholarly journals Are we ready for circular economy? Towards zero waste in construction

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Renard Siew
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Conveyor Belt ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
The Past ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Poor Site

Over the past decade, the concept of circular economy (CE) has emerged encouraging a rethinking of the way products are designed so that they can be “made to be made again”, turning the conveyor belt of consumerism into a circle (a closed-loop supply chain) and hence eliminate waste. The construction sector, especially, is known to be one of the main contributors of material waste-to-landfill. This paper investigates (i) the causes of construction waste and (ii) the readiness of the construction sector in Malaysia to embrace CE. Based on the relative importance index (RII), the five main causes of construction waste in Malaysia identified include frequent design changes (RII = 0.853) by owner or agent during construction followed by poor site management and supervision (RII = 0.835), changes in material specification and type (RII = 0.803), rework (RII = 0.719) and lack of coordination between parties (RII = 0.680). Survey findings also show that a majority (75%) of stakeholders within the Malaysian construction industry is unfamiliar with the concept of CE while 90% of the respondents claim that they are not ready to implement such practices within the next 5 years. It is anticipated that the findings from this paper will be of interest to construction practitioners.

scholarly journals Preliminary Survey on the Crucial Root Causes of Material Waste Generation in Malaysian Construction Industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 3580-3584
Author(s):  
S. Nagapan ◽  
S. Kaliannan ◽  
A. H. Abdullah ◽  
S. Sohu ◽  
R. Deraman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Ecological Effect ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
Construction Period ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Score Analysis ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

Construction waste generation has been perceived as a crucial issue that has critical consequences on the project effectiveness and ecological effect of the construction industry. The key objective of the current research is to identify the root causes of material construction waste generation in Malaysia. A well-structured questionnaire was designed based on the 52 identified root causes of material waste generation. The developed questionnaire was distributed to 35 highly experienced in Malaysian construction industry experts. The collected data was analyzed by the use of mean score analysis. The top identified root causes are poor supervision during the construction stage, lack of efficient site management, last minute changes, cutting uneconomical sizes of materials, and constant design changes during the construction period. The initial findings will aid construction practitioners to focus on these root causes in order to reduce the material construction waste generation at construction sites.

scholarly journals Major Causes Assessment of Construction Delays

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 179-186
Author(s):  
Abdullahi Ahmed Umar ◽  
Rashid Khalfan Al Rizeiqi ◽  
Atef Badr
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Planning And Scheduling ◽  
Independent Events ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Poor Site ◽  
Causes Of Delays ◽  
Country Specific

AbstractDelays on construction projects constitute a major source of concern due to its associated cost increases and loss of revenue. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), of which Oman is a member, faces huge delays on their projects. Such delays in the GCC were among factors fingered in the collapse of the UK’s Carillion. Despite cultural similarities, substantial variability exists within the GCC construction sector which requires country-specific studies. The quest to understand delay causes results from the need to curtail wastes and adjust to the new regime of low commodity prices. There is a dearth of studies specific to the governorate of Muscat exploring the causes of delays and this study seeks to fill that gap. A structured survey questionnaire was administered at two independent events organized by the RICS and ICE in Muscat. The top causes of delays ranked using the Relative Importance Index (RII) include variation and changes in design, Poor site management and supervision, ineffective planning and scheduling, unclear and inadequate details in drawing, poor qualification of the contractors and technical staff, delay in material delivery, and shortage of labor. Contractors were found to be most likely to cause delays among the 6 categories of sources.

PROBLEMS OF PROJECTS AND EFFECTS OF DELAYS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OF PAKISTAN

2012 ◽  
Vol 01 (06) ◽  
pp. 41-50
Author(s):  
M. Haseeb ◽  
Xinhai Lu ◽  
Aneesa Bibi ◽  
Maloof-ud Dyian ◽  
Wahab Rabbani
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Common Factor ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Site Management ◽  
Time Performance ◽  
Poor Site ◽  
Project Delays

The problem of project delays is a fact that occurs mostly in construction industry of Pakistan. Delays are always measured as expensive to all parties concerned in the projects and very often it will result in clash, claims, total desertion and much difficult for the feasibility and it slows the growth of construction sector. For analyzing the causes of delay, an appraisal on construction project’s time performance was conducted. The main objective of this study is the identification of factors of delay and their effects on the success and completion of project. The most common factor of delay are natural disaster in Pakistan like flood and earthquake and some others like financial and payment problems, improper planning, poor site management, insufficient experience, shortage of materials and equipment etc. This paper covers the delay factors and causes of delay and some suggestion for reducing these delays in large construction projects in Pakistan.

A benchmarking approach to the progress of green materials and systems’ use in the UAE construction industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aly Elgayar ◽  
Salwa Mamoun Beheiry ◽  
Alaa Jabbar ◽  
Hamad Al Ansari
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Past ◽  
Green Materials ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Regulatory Guidelines

Purpose Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) introduced several green regulatory guidelines, federal decrees, and a considerable number of environmentally friendly initiatives. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the top green materials and systems used currently in the UAE construction industry as per the new laws dictate as well as see if professionals are switching over to incorporate more green materials, systems, and/or designs. Design/methodology/approach The work involved reviewing internationally popular green materials and systems for construction, developing a questionnaire based on the literature review, surveying professionals in the seven UAE emirates, and ranking the findings based on the relative importance index. Findings Findings found the top used green materials and system in the UAE’s construction industry. As well as identified that there is a communication gap between the design and implementation phases that is possibly hindering the use of more green materials and systems. Originality/value This study sets a baseline to measure the UAE’s progress over the coming years in terms of integrating more green construction materials, systems, methodologies, and trends.

scholarly journals Determining Root Cause of Construction Waste Generation: A Global Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. 2539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suaathi Kaliannan ◽  
Sasitharan Nagapan ◽  
Abd Halid Abdullah ◽  
Samiullah Sohu ◽  
Ashfaque Ahmed Jhatial
Keyword(s):  
Cross Validation ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Waste Generation ◽  
Main Root ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Construction Waste ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Gdp Growth Rate ◽  
Design Changes

Construction sector is one of the main sectors in contributing Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate in every developing country. The rapid growth of this sector directly produces a huge amount of construction waste. Hence, to find out the main root causes of the generation, this paper aimed to determine root causes of the construction waste generation in the construction sector. The research is carried out through triangulation technique (questionnaire survey and practitioner’s validation). This technique is adopted to facilitate cross validation by analysing 38 articles and then the final results have been validated by construction practitioners. A total of 80 root causes were identified from 38 articles and the 5 main root causes determined have scored more than 50% out of the total number of articles. Finally, the result was validated and found out that 87.5% of construction practitioners agree with the findings. The agreed root causes are ‘Constant design changes’, ‘Incorrect storage of materials’, ‘Poor handling of materials’, ‘Effect of weather’ and ‘Mistakes while ordering from suppliers’. Therefore, these initial findings will be able to aid the construction practitioner (contractors, consultants and developers) to be aware of the root causes that is mostly causing construction waste generation.

scholarly journals Polish Transition towards Circular Economy: Materials Management and Implications for the Construction Sector

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 5228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justyna Tomaszewska
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Resource Depletion ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Materials Management ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
The Social ◽  
Eu Policies ◽  
Energy Consuming

Poland’s economy as the sixth largest economy in the EU is painfully experiencing the effects of natural resource depletion, which extend to increasing prices and the growing dependence on foreign suppliers. The situation is particularly unfavorable in the construction sector, which is among the most resource- and energy-consuming areas of the economy. This paper juxtaposes the situation of Polish construction industry in the context of the national economy with the context of the evolving EU policies promoting green solutions. The resulting changes in Polish legislation, industry and society are identified. The implementation of selected Circular Economy (CE) aspects, outcomes, emerging challenges and future directions are discussed. The social aspects related to this transformation were analyzed based on a survey carried out among construction industry consumers. The results clearly highlight that individuals are aware of the need to protect the environment, but also indicate a strong necessity to educate the populace about the consequences of the excessive exploitation of the environment and the long-term benefits of CE solutions.

scholarly journals Assessment of Delay Factors in Saudi Arabia Railway/ Metro Construction Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Khan Mohammed Gopang ◽  
◽  
Qadir Buxalias Imran ◽  
Sasitharan Nagapan ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Railway Construction ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Importance Index ◽  
Control Procedures ◽  
Labor Skills ◽  
Spearman’S Correlation ◽  
Delay Factor

Railway construction industry has devoted vast amount of resources into advancing the management and technology of railway construction, yet most project in this industry often failed to comply with the set deadlines and budget limits. This study was conducted to recognize the critical factors that are causing delays in the construction of Riyadh Metro project, Saudi Arabia. From a thorough literature review, thirty-six (36) factors causing delays were identified which were then distributed to qualified industry experts in a survey questionnaire. A total of 105 respondents were gathered during the data collection. The datawas then evaluated statistically by utilizing different calculation tools that are frequency adjusted importance index for the delay factor ranking, and Spearman's correlation coefficient for the link between two different set of data. The result of this research identified the top five main delay factors to the railway construction projects which are “Client's decision-making process and changes in control procedures”, “Design Errors (including ambiguities and discrepancies of details/specifications)”, “Labor skills level”, “Design changes by Client or Consultant” and lastly, “Issues regarding permissions/ approvals from other stakeholders”.Finally, this study is hoped to help the railway construction industry in bettering itself by highlighting which issues should be focused on to counter the delays and reduce downtimes.

scholarly journals Estimating the Circularity Performance of an Emerging Industrial Symbiosis Network: The Case of Recycled Plastic Fibers in Reinforced Concrete

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (18) ◽  
pp. 10257
Author(s):  
Simona Marinelli ◽  
Maria Angela Butturi ◽  
Bianca Rimini ◽  
Rita Gamberini ◽  
Miguel Afonso Sellitto
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Cement Mortar ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Industrial Symbiosis ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Artificial Turf ◽  
Synthetic Fibers

In recent times, the construction industry has been handling circular economy strategies in order to face the most important challenges in the sector, namely the lack of raw materials and the environmental impacts derived from all the processes linked to the entire supply chain. The industrial symbiosis approach represents an effective strategy to improve the circularity of the construction industry. This study analyses the circularity performance of an emerging industrial symbiosis network derived from the production of a cement mortar reinforced with recycled synthetic fibers coming from artificial turf carpets. From the collection of artificial turf carpets at the end-of-life stage it is possible to recover several materials, leading to potential unusual interactions between industries belonging to different sectors. A suitable indicator, retrieved from the literature, the Industrial Symbiosis Indicator (ISI), has been used to estimate the level of industrial symbiosis associated with increasing materials recirculation inside the network. Four scenarios—ranging from perfect linearity to perfect circularity—representing growing circularity were tested. Findings demonstrate that the development of an effective industrial symbiosis network can contribute to improving the circular approach within the construction sector, reducing environmental and economic pressures.

scholarly journals Treatment of clay soils with steel slag, in road engineering

2020 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
pp. 02017
Author(s):  
Nizar Sebbar ◽  
Abdelaziz Lahmili ◽  
Lahcen Bahi ◽  
Latifa Ouadif
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Steel Industry ◽  
Steel Slag ◽  
Road Construction ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Road Engineering ◽  
The Road ◽  
Environmental Criteria ◽  
Public Laboratory

The road construction sector draws large quantities of materials every day to meet the needs of infrastructure networks. The main aim of the link between different regions is to facilitate the transport and connection of these agglomerations. With such a pace, a shortage of these materials is worsening by the day, causing an imbalance in our “ecosystem” on the way. All these factors and many others have raised the alarm among managers in the construction industry. Environmental organizations have since been constantly seeking palliative solutions to this global scourge. In addition, several industries generate a large amount of waste annually, in some cases recoverable while respecting certain technical and environmental criteria. It is in this environmental approach, embracing a philosophy of circular economy that multiple co-products (Slag, Fly Ash, Phosphogypsum, Silica Fume…etc.) have been tested and numerous studies have demonstrated their ability to be used as a substitute for natural resources. In this respect, the following article will focus, through studies conducted in public laboratory, on various mixtures of the "soil-slag" couple to assess their possible use in road engineering. First, an identification of the materials (soil from the Sidi Kacem region and slags from a steel industry) to be adopted in our analysis will be carried out, then we will proceed to Proctor/CBR tests on soil-slag mixtures, defined in advance in order to decide on the possibility of developing them in road engineering and thereby reduce the quantities in contribution of noble materials.

scholarly journals PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA IN THE CONDITIONS OF ECONOMIC CRISIS

Vestnik MGSU ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 119-129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Nikolaevna Nidziy
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Residential Real Estate ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
The Past ◽  
Russian Economy ◽  
Economic State ◽  
Near Term ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
Development Prospects

The construction industry is one of the key fund-creating industries, the formation of the Russian economy greatly depends on it. The construction sector is cyclic, that’s why it has always been sensitive to the tendencies of the national economy. In the contemporary conditions of weak economical climate the construction industry is in a state of sluggish recession. The key indicators exercising restraining influence on the construction complex are analyzed. The author carried out calculations of the prices for residential real estate in the past years. The author’s view on the near-term prospects on the exit from recession state is formulated. From the view of the today’s state and the nearest development prospects, it can be stated that the construction industry is one of the most problematic among the basic economic sectors. Retrieval of the expansion rate of the construction industry is possible in case of the positive changes of general economic state.

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