INVESTIGATING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY AS A SOLUTION FOR CONSTRUCTION WASTE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucien El Asmar ◽  
Namho Cho ◽  
Mounir El Asmar
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Great Success ◽  
Industrial Ecosystem ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Material Cycles ◽  
Industrial Metabolism ◽  
Output System ◽  
Material Reuse

The construction industry results in a large amount of material waste, most of which currently ends up in landfills. This study aims to find new ways to reuse waste materials captured as outputs of construction projects. First, the circular economy (CE) concept is explored. Second, the application of CE as a potential solution for minimizing material waste on construction projects is investigated. To achieve a healthy industrial metabolism, the paper illustrates how a complex industrial ecosystem is one that produces little or no waste and whose constituents can be interdependent. Output ratios from the construction industry are compared with previous literature on material waste, as a foundation to present a cycle of material reuse. Reformulating the traditional input-output system into a more circular concept presents a set of challenges; however, the opportunities and significant impacts to the material cycles and landfills have proven beneficial and some major cities are starting to employ this concept with great success.

scholarly journals Challenges and Opportunities of E-Procurement in the Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mansur Hamma-adama ◽  
◽  
Abdul-Basit Sa’eed Ahmad ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Lack Of Commitment ◽  
Cost Of Construction ◽  
Construction Works

Construction Industry is evolving amid the fourth industrial revolution. Transportation, commerce, manufacturing and many other industries ripened the current technological advancement and are striving to utilise every development in the IT sector. The procurement of construction works is known to be very conventional and backward in the adoption of digitalisation. The construction industry's procurement and supply chain are blamed for the most inflated cost of construction projects, mainly attributed to a lack of transparency and trust between the industry stakeholders. This research explores the challenges of E-procurement adoption in the industry and identifies the potential opportunities for its usage. This investigation's data are acquired through interviews, and the data are analysed using qualitative content analysis. This study reveals compounding challenges (i.e., corruption and lack of commitment) that lead to the failure of such efforts in Nigeria and the potential prospects (i.e., transparency and efficiency). This study is essential in developing a more effective and transparent process of procurement so that the Nigerian construction industry is not be left behind in the fast-digitalising markets.

Influence of Six Sigma on project success in construction industry of Pakistan

2017 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 276-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahim Ullah ◽  
Muhammad Jamaluddin Thaheem ◽  
Siddra Qayyum Siddiqui ◽  
Muhammad Bilal Khurshid
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Six Sigma ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Project Success ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of implementation of Six Sigma (SS) in the construction industry of Pakistan along with the current state of affairs and the challenges, and opportunities for a successful implementation. Design/methodology/approach The research is purely exploratory in nature. Based on published work, critical success factors are gathered, and a number of questionnaire surveys and interviews are conducted to refine and quantify their impact. A system dynamics framework to assess the SS influence on project success is developed and case study project are simulated. Findings The construction industry of Pakistan is still functioning in a traditional way; marred with low level of awareness and ad hoc approaches, the findings point to a huge improvement opportunity. Further, when under planning projects are exposed to SS, the chances of project success improve better than under execution projects. Research limitations/implications The limited level of awareness possessed by the respondents constrains the possible outreach of this work in industrially developed contexts. However, this work may become an impetus for further research in managing quality in construction industry. Practical implications The findings can be used to improve the quality provision of construction projects. Originality/value This work may trigger an important debate over the research and implementation of SS in the construction industry of developing countries that may greatly benefit by improving the quality of their projects and rectify their diminishing reputation for project success.

Circular economy in Brazilian construction industry: Current scenario, challenges and opportunities

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2110450
Author(s):  
Tatiane Isabel Hentges ◽  
Elaine Aparecida Machado da Motta ◽  
Tania Valentin de Lima Fantin ◽  
Deivid Moraes ◽  
Mauro Acir Fretta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Construction And Demolition Waste ◽  
Demolition Waste ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
The Government

The effective implantation of the circular economy (CE) presents a great challenge to the industrial sectors, mostly in those of greater environmental impact, such as construction industry. In Brazil, this industry has been growing over the last 20 years; however, such growth was based on an extractivist economy without any consideration to the end of its products lifespan. Only in 2017, 45 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste were generated in the country. This paper presents the current context of public policies in the Brazilian construction industry and proposes initiatives to introduce principles of CE. An exploratory study was developed, and all the 45 references presented in Appendix A of the review paper of Benachio et al. were considered to draw new ideas. These ideas are related and compared to key points in Brazilian regulations. Twelve opportunities for the improvement are listed and organized by construction stages (planning and design, materials manufacturing, construction processes, use and demolition). The ones related to design and planning using Green building information modelling, and materials manufacturing with recycled waste are highlighted due to the existing actions, standards, and Federal legislation. It was found that some sectors and the government already have actions related to CE (based on the 3R principle), but still there are several initiatives needed for its effective implementation in the Brazilian construction industry.

Inhibiting Factors of Cost Performance in UAE Construction Projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Salem Ahmed Marey Alhammadi ◽  
◽  
Aftab Hameed Memon ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Cost Overrun ◽  
Index Method ◽  
Cost Performance ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Inhibiting Factors ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

UAE construction industry frequently faces poor cost performance which commonly known as cost overrun problem. This problem is resulted from several factors and it is important to identify these cost overrun factors in order to avoid and minimize it. Hence, this paper focused on determined the relevancy of factors affecting cost performance in construction projects of UAE. Through a review of past research works conducted globally, 27 factors of cost overrun were listed and used for developing a structured questionnaire. A survey was conducted with 33 practitioners from client, consultant and contractors organizations involved in handling construction projects in UAE. The respondents were requested to state their perception regarding the relevancy of each of the factors that was perceived in context with cost overrun issue using 5-points Likert scale. The responses were analysed using average index method and the results found that all the 27 factors are relevant with construction industry of UAE in causing cost overrun. These factors can be used for further investigation to uncover critical problems of cost overrun.

The Impact of Terrorism on Construction Industry in Iraq

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Wadhah Amer Hatem ◽  
Samiaah M. Hassen Al-Tmeemy
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Statistical Procedures ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Suicide Attacks ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

     Suicide attacks, bombings, explosions became the part of daily life in Iraq. Consequently, the threat of terrorism put the Iraqi construction sector in the face of unique and unusual challenges that not seen on other countries. These challenges can have extensive impact on construction projects. This paper seeks to examine the impact of the terrorist attacks on construction industry and determine the extent to which the impact of terrorism on construction projects in terms of cost, schedule, and quality. This study adapted quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data using questionnaire survey and interviews, as well as historical data. The study focused on projects that have been the target of terrorist strikes in Diyala governorate. A variety of statistical procedures were employed in data analysis. The results revealed the extent to which terrorist attacks impact construction projects in terms of cost, time, and quality. The results of this study will enhance the awareness of all construction parties to the impact of the terrorist attacks against construction projects. Eventually, this can develop a risk management assessment and assist contractors to properly protect projects and buildings to minimize injuries and fatalities in the event of terrorism.

scholarly journals An Overarching Review on Delay Analyses in Construction Projects

Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Murat Çevikbaş ◽  
Zeynep Işık
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Delay Analysis ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Research Themes ◽  
Research Domains

Numerous studies have been conducted by researchers on the delay analysis topic, which is one of the primary areas of scientific study due to the effects of delays on time and cost in construction projects. Following fruitful contributions made by the researchers, it is believed to be extremely important to summarize the existing studies in terms of being a road map for future studies and practitioners. In this context, not only does this study aim to detect the most significant authors, sources, organizations and countries contributing to the improvement of delay domain in the construction industry concerning delay analyses worldwide but also to provide the researchers with extensive insights concerning the prominent research themes, trends and gaps in the literature. Hence, 168 documents related to delay analyses from 1982 to 11 February 2021 were detected through the Scopus Database and the Web of Science Database, and scientometric analyses were conducted via VOSviewer software. By evaluating the related research, two main research areas were detected in this field, namely; improving the delay analysis methods and resolving the disputes before they occur. This study is believed to make theoretical and practical contributions in that it examines the delay analysis topic in all aspects such as prominent institutions, countries, authors and sources, synthesizes the data and highlights possible research domains, gaps and trends concerning the delay analysis topic in construction industry.

Preliminary Benefits of Big Data in the Construction Industry: A Case Study

2022 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Bernard Tuffour Atuahene ◽  
Sittimont Kanjanabootra ◽  
Thayaparan Gajendran
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Big Data Applications ◽  
Data Application ◽  
Construction Firm ◽  
Big Data Application ◽  
Tangible Benefit ◽  
Design Construction

Big data applications consist of i) data collection using big data sources, ii) storing and processing the data, and iii) analysing data to gain insights for creating organisational benefit. The influx of digital technologies and digitization in the construction process includes big data as one newly emerging digital technology adopted in the construction industry. Big data application is in a nascent stage in construction, and there is a need to understand the tangible benefit(s) that big data can offer the construction industry. This study explores the benefits of big data in the construction industry. Using a qualitative case study design, construction professionals in an Australian Construction firm were interviewed. The research highlights that the benefits of big data include reduction of litigation amongst projects stakeholders, enablement of near to real-time communication, and facilitation of effective subcontractor selection. By implication, on a broader scale, these benefits can improve contract management, procurement, and management of construction projects. This study contributes to an ongoing discourse on big data application, and more generally, digitization in the construction industry.

The Vulnerability of the Construction Ergonomics to Covid-19 and Its Probability Impact in Combating the Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-17
Author(s):  
Ahmed Fahim Elgendi ◽  
◽  
◽  
◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
World Health ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Assessment Procedures ◽  
Chronic Health Problems ◽  
The Relationship

Currently, the world encounters the outbreak of an unprecedented epidemic named novel coronavirus COVID -19. World Health Organization (WHO) advises maintaining social distancing, preserving personal hygiene, and staying informed with the latest guidelines. WHO also reports the patients with robust immunity can combat the virus. However, the workers in the construction industry work and live in a crowded and non-hygiene environment. Moreover, they are characterized by illiteracy, a dearth of awareness, and chronic health problems that prove weak immunity. Therefore, this study aims to find the relationship between the virus and the prevailing conditions and the environment of the construction industry, under focus, and study so that the construction industry is not a vulnerability gap that may exacerbate the crisis. An extensive literature exploration for the latest research deals with coronavirus, the construction industry ergonomics, and its relevant diseases. This study makes robust alerts to motivate the governments, organizations, and individuals to collaborate to find solutions to close the gap between the current situation in the construction of ergonomics and the required precaution to avoid the outbreak of the virus. This study makes a crucial and novel contribution by paving the way for providing solutions to save humanity worldwide. The management system should review the conventional risk assessment procedures, and developed criteria must be introduced and become an everyday practice of all construction projects. This will help identify the gaps within the safety procedures associated with the COVID – 19 protection aspects. This article also introduces a framework in this regard.

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