The implications of reuse and recycling for the design of steel buildings

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 489-496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Gorgolewski
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Steel Production ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Steel Buildings ◽  
Construction Companies

There is an increasing interest in reuse and recycling in the Canadian construction industry. This interest is driven partly by the recent adoption in Canada of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System and partly by a greater general awareness of environmental issues. Designers are beginning to look at how to incorporate reused steel components into construction projects, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions by saving on primary steel production. However, although some designers are willing to redesign their projects to make use of available reclaimed structural steel components, it is often difficult to identify suitable materials in the local area at the appropriate time in the life of a project. A limiting factor is that designers, construction companies, and others perceive a lack of a well-established and easily available mechanism for exchange of reclaimed components. This paper reviews the issues that are relevant to increasing recycling and reuse in construction and focuses on examples that illustrate the benefits that steel can bring to sustainable construction. In particular, it discusses the issues relevant to designing to enable future disassembly and the way in which steel components can be readily reused.Key words: reclaimed steel, reuse of materials, steel recycling, design for deconstruction, sustainable construction.

scholarly journals Regional Comparisons of Contemporary Construction Industry Sustainable Concepts in the Chinese Context

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 3831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liang Ma ◽  
Yun Le ◽  
Hongyang Li ◽  
Ruoyu Jin ◽  
Poorang Piroozfar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Sustainable Practices ◽  
Construction Market ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Industry Professionals

Emerging construction practices such as building information modelling (BIM), prefabrication construction, green building, and integrated project delivery methods are gaining momentum in China, with great potential due to the size of its construction market. Through this, the sustainability level of China’s construction industry is expected to be enhanced from the economic, social and environmental perspectives. So far, there has been limited understanding of how BIM, as a digital technology, would affect other contemporary sustainable construction practices from the industry professionals’ point of view. Limited studies have been carried out to study the regional differences of these contemporary sustainable practices in China. This study adopted a questionnaire-based approach targeting industry professionals from three different metropolitan cities (Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wenzhou).The follow-up comprehensive statistical analysis revealed that with regards to these contemporary sustainable construction practices, survey participants held much varied views on the growth of renovation projects, traditional Design–Bid–Build delivery, and conventional on-site construction methods. These three types were also generally perceived to have weak correlation with BIM application. Regional comparison further conveyed information on differences in perceptions among survey respondents from these three cities. For example, respondents from Wenzhou perceived more positive effects of BIM use in conventional construction projects. This research addressed the inter-correlation among these emerging sustainable construction practices, as well as the regional differences in China’s construction market. The findings provide insights and the big picture for both governmental authorities and industry practitioners on the latest sustainable practices of China’s construction industry. Recommendations are also offered towards improved economic, social and environmental sustainability performance for construction projects in the country.

scholarly journals Application of BIM and 3D Laser Scanning for Quantity Management in Construction Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Thu Anh Nguyen ◽  
Phong Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Sy Tien Do
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Management Process ◽  
3D Laser Scanning ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Construction Companies

The construction industry has played an essential role in the process of modernization and industrialization and it has also been a major factor in determining the development of the infrastructure for other economic sectors. Construction companies consider the measurement of work progress, which often wastes time and has a low resolution, to be one of the most challenging problems faced by project management. Therefore, this research aimed to propose practical solutions by applying recent technological achievements of the 4.0 industrial revolution to improve the efficiency of the quantity management process. By utilizing the advantages and features of a BIM model and 3D laser scanning, this paper proposes that adopting a BIM model and 3D laser scanning has the potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the quantity management process. The case study demonstrated some typical tasks to evaluate accuracy and efficiency as well as to showcase the research proposal.

scholarly journals Discussion on the Application of New Photovoltaic Energy in Building Electrical Energy Saving

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Qian Yang
Keyword(s):  
Energy Conservation ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Electrical Energy ◽  
New Energy

<p>With the rapid development of social economy, the demand for new energy is also increasing, and then the problem of large consumption also has a negative impact on the development of the construction industry. Under the concept of green building, the design and construction units pay more attention to energy conservation and environmental protection, so they actively use photovoltaic new energy in the field of electrical energy conservation of construction projects, so as to improve people's quality of life. Starting from the principles and characteristics of building electrical energy conservation, this paper discusses the methods of building electrical energy conservation, and analyzes how to use photovoltaic new energy in the field of building electrical energy conservation, hoping to better practice the concept of energy conservation.</p>

Roles of Contractors in Implementing Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC) in Construction Projects

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (S1) ◽  
pp. 53-69
Author(s):  
Mohd Shazreen Seman ◽  
Mohd Reza Esa ◽  
Mohd Reeza Yusof
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assessment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Technical Committee ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Industry Standard ◽  
The Government ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys

In recent decades, the construction industry has been widely criticized for its lack of efficiency and productivity, and it has been shown that the Malaysian construction industry records poor quality on its projects. To overcome this issue, the Technical Committee on Quality Assessment in Construction with the support of the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) has introduced Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC). QLASSIC is a scoring system that is used to assess and evaluate the performance of construction buildings. It is based on the Construction Industry Standard (CIS 7:2006). Unfortunately, this assessment system had poor implementation since its introduction in November 2006. QLASSIC was not extensively implemented and was taken lightly by the contractors and developers in Malaysia. There are still a huge number of contractors that are not aware of QLASSIC even the big construction companies. Thus, this research is aimed at investigating the contractor’s perspective towards the implementation of QLASSIC in the construction industry in Malaysia. Three objectives are developed to achieve the aim: (1) identification of the needs to implement QLASSIC; (2) investigation of issues and challenges to implement QLASSIC and (3) recommendation of strategies to implement QLASSIC. Structured questionnaire surveys were distributed to the G7 and G6 contractors in the Klang Valley area; which may have or may not have experience in implementing QLASSIC in their projects. The result revealed that majority of the respondents were aware and understand the needs of QLASSIC implementation, but there were still few who were unfamiliar with the QLASSIC. The current level of implementation of QLASSIC in Malaysia is still not satisfactory due to several issues and challenges acting as barriers to its implementation. Therefore, the initiatives from the government are important to promote QLASSIC implementation in the construction industry. By doing this, the contractors would be aware of the implementation of QLASSIC in the construction industry. The significance of this research is that it will assist contractors and other construction players in comprehending the implications and importance of QLASSIC implementation.

scholarly journals An Application of Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for Sustainable Procurement of Construction Equipment: Multicriteria-Based Decision Framework for Malaysia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Waris ◽  
Shrikant Panigrahi ◽  
Abdullah Mengal ◽  
Mujeeb Iqbal Soomro ◽  
Nayyar Hussain Mirjat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Construction Equipment ◽  
P System ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Sustainable Procurement ◽  
Selection Framework ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Sustainable procurement is an emerging theme in the construction industry across the globe. However, organizations in the construction industry often encounter impediments in improving environmental performance in construction projects, especially in procurement. Besides its other facets, procurement of construction equipment is inherited to be capital-intensive and vital for managing environmental concerns associated with built environment projects. In this regard, selection criteria in such procurement processes are generally supportive of considering cost and engineering specifications as key parameters. However, sustainability apprehensions in today’s Malaysian construction industry have mounted pressure on industry professionals to rethink their equipment acquisition strategies. The notion of green or sustainable procurement is still infancy for the Malaysian construction industry and facing challenges for embedding it in the current procurement practices. This research aims to address these apprehensions by considering six main criteria, namely, life cycle cost (LCC), performance (P), system capability (SC), operational convenience (OC), environmental impact (EI), and social benefits (SBs), and their 38 subcriteria towards procurement of sustainable construction equipment. A multicriteria-based equipment selection framework on the triple bottom line of sustainability in the context of the Malaysian construction industry has been developed and tested. The application of analytical hierarchy process (AHP) established the sustainable procurement index with a consistent sensitivity analysis results. As such, the proposed procurement index shall help decision-makers in the process of the acquisition of sustainable construction equipment in Malaysia.

Reducing waste to landfill in the UK: identifying impediments and critical solutions

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukumon O. Oyedele ◽  
Martin Regan ◽  
Jason von Meding ◽  
Ashraf Ahmed ◽  
Obas John Ebohon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Early Communication ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Critical Solutions ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe UK construction industry produces up to one third of all waste to landfill. This study aims to identify specific project practices impeding the reduction of waste in construction projects as well as uncovering potential waste solutions throughout the project delivery process. The rationale being that for such a drastic reduction in waste to landfill, holistic and extensive measures would be required.Design/methodology/approachA two‐way methodological approach was used. This comprised qualitative unstructured interviews and a quantitative questionnaire survey of three major stakeholders in the UK construction industry: clients, architects and contractors.FindingsDesign factors remain the major cause of impediments to waste reduction to landfill. Critical impediments include clients making waste prevention a top priority in projects, overly complex designs, waste taking a low priority compared to project time and costs, lack of concerns by designers for buildability, among others. Critical solutions include early supply chain involvement in design process, choosing materials for their durability, early communication of design changes to all parties, longer project programmes and better lead times, among others.Practical implicationsIn all, the target of halving construction waste to landfill based on the 2008 benchmark is achievable but would require construction companies to take it upon themselves to implement the proposed solutions suggested by this study.Originality/valueThe value of this research is to provide UK construction companies with solutions to reduce waste and aid the reaching of the landfill target, as landfill is decreasing as a solution to waste. In addition the cost savings on reducing waste could be crucial for companies in this current economic climate.

Review of the Development of Project Portfolio Management

2013 ◽  
Vol 838-841 ◽  
pp. 3131-3134
Author(s):  
Na Guo ◽  
Shi Rui Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Portfolio Management ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Project Portfolio ◽  
Project Portfolio Management ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Fast Development ◽  
Complex Construction

With the fast development of the construction industry, traditional project management cannot deal with some complex construction projects. This paper reviewed the development of the project portfolio management and the current situation of the Chinese construction industry. We suggest that project portfolio management is applicable and should be adopted in Chinese construction companies.

AN ENTROPY-BASED STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREFABRICATION IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter S. P. Wong ◽  
Luke Edmonson ◽  
Michael Phillip Kanellopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Energy Efficient ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Carbon Materials ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Design Stage ◽  
Construction Process ◽  
Industry Survey ◽  
Ranking Analysis

Prefabrication has been widely adopted in the construction projects in recent years. It has also been advocated as a greener and more sustainable approach of project delivery. However, with a wealth of evidence supporting other reasons as the drivers of using prefabrication, it is questionable whether the real goal of prefabrication is to achieve sustainable construction. This study aims to investigate the roles of prefabrication in fostering sustainable construction. The effectiveness of prefabrication on fostering sustainable construction was evaluated on the five aspects enlisted by the UK’s Green Construction Board: Waste, Water, Carbon, Materials, and Biodiversity. An industry survey was conducted in Melbourne, Australia for data collection. 200 questionnaires were sent via email or post to a variety of fields within the construction industry. Entropy ranking analysis was adopted to analyze the effectiveness of using prefabrication in construction. The results suggest that prefabrication is effective in reducing construction waste and sourcing energy efficient materials. However, the utilization of prefabrication was found unsuccessful in reducing carbon emissions during the construction process. It is suggested that proactive actions should be taken at the design stage to unleash the potential of prefabrication in construction.

Embracing sustainability practices in UK construction organizations

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Opoku ◽  
Vian Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Sustainable Construction ◽  
Organizational Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Organizations ◽  
Sustainability Practices ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – Adopting sustainable construction practices minimizes the overall environmental impact of the built asset throughout its whole life. Currently, there is demand from key stakeholders in the construction industry for organization to deliver sustainable built environment, however, leaders/champions within construction organizations charged with the adoption of sustainable construction practices face many challenges. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an investigation into the challenges facing intra-organizational leaders charged with the promotion of sustainable construction practices. Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interview with 15 leaders, followed by an industry-wide survey of 200 intra-organizational leaders in contractor and consultant organizations in the UK construction industry. Findings – The results revealed that increased capital cost is the most significant challenge facing construction organizations in attempt to adopt sustainability practices in the delivery of construction projects. Originality/value – This study provides the empirical evidence linking leadership within construction organizations and sustainability; filling the gap in literature and serving as a source of reference material for higher education programmes in the built environment.

Level of visualization support for project communication in the Turkish construction industry: A quality function deployment approach

2007 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasemin Nielsen ◽  
Bilge Erdogan
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Quality Function Deployment ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Communication Tool ◽  
Quality Of Data ◽  
Quality Function ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Visualization Tools ◽  
Types Of Information

Quality of communication is a key factor in the success of construction projects. Visualization technologies can play an important role in improving the quality of data by improving human comprehension and increasing the depth of the information delivered. Visualization has for some time been identified as one of the major technology themes allowing development of construction processes. However, visualization has not been embraced as a strategic tool by construction companies, and they generally fail to take full advantage of available visualization tools. This paper aims to evaluate the extent of visualization as a communication tool in the construction industry and to determine potential benefits to be gained through implementation of visualization. The current state of the use of visualization for communication in Turkish architecture, engineering, and construction companies is mapped through surveys and interviews. Information flow contents and types are analysed to determine the types of information in the construction process that may benefit from visual representation. According to the priorities of the expectations ranked by the users and the potential of different visualization tools, the level of visualization required for each data flow is determined by a quality function deployment (QFD) based approach.Key words: visualization, construction, visual communication, quality.

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