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P R E V I E W M A N U S C R I P T Beginning in August 2009, JCDC is launching the “Preview Manuscript” as part of JCDC’s initiative to post-accept manuscripts online before the final, copyedited version in published online and in print. Early posting of accepted manuscripts enabling readers to access information faster. Preview papers are citable. The posted date will appear with the author name, title, and the journal name. A sample citation of a paper in Preview Manuscripts: Sapian, A.R. (2009). Validation of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Method for Predicting Wind Flow around a High-Rise Building (HRB) in an Urban Boundary Layer Condition. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, (Accepted for publication on May 14, 2009).
After final publication in print, the preview manuscript version will be
removed from the active list of Preview Manuscript and stored in an
accessible and permanent archive. Participation by author/s is optional.
BUILDABILITY FACTORS INFLUENCING MICRO-LEVEL FORMWORK LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY OF BEAMS IN BUILDING FLOORS (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 17 NOV. 2009)
Abdulaziz M. Jarkas ABSTRACT: Buildability is one of the most important factors influencing labour productivity. Nevertheless, a thorough examination of the literature revealed a dearth of research into the effects of buildability on labour productivity of in situ reinforced concrete construction. Since beams are major components of building floors, the objective of this investigation is to explore the buildability factors influencing their micro-level formwork labour productivity. Therefore, a large volume of productivity data was collected and analyzed using the categorical interaction-regression method. As a result, the main and interaction effects of repetition, size, intersections, and span geometry of beams were determined. The results obtained show a significant influence of the factors investigated on the labour efficiency of the forming operation, and substantiate the importance of applying the concepts of design rationalization, standardization and repetition to the design stage of construction projects. The findings fill a gap in buildability knowledge of the activity explored, which can be used to provide designers with feedback on how well their designs consider the requirements of buildability principles, on the one hand, and the consequences of their decisions on the productivity of the forming operation, on the other. Keywords: Buildability, Building Floors, Categorical interaction-regression, Formwork, Labour productivity, Rationalization, Reinforced Concrete Beams, Repetition, Standardization For full article, click here ATTITUDES OF PEOPLE IN THE THAI CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SECTOR ON ISSUES RELATED TO DELAY IN APPROVAL OF SUBMITTALS (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 26 Feb. 2010)
Visuth Chovichien1 and *Natee Suriyanon2 ABSTRACT: This study aimed to investigate attitudes of the Thai construction industry sector towards 21 issues related to “delay in approval of submittals” that may initiate conflict between them. Knowledge gained from this study could be applied to the analysis of completeness and appropriateness of contract conditions and for improving contract drafting. The attitudes of the majority of people in the industry towards several issues of the time frame for approval of submittals, compensation for cost increases and profit losses, and time frames for notification of delay approval and for claim submission were found not consistent with existing conditions in standard contracts. Various issues which are not covered in the standard contract forms, such as the time frame for giving reminders, and types of time loss and types of direct costs that can be claimed, are also found to have high tendency to initiate conflict between contracting parties. Lastly, it was also found that the affiliation of respondents with the organizations (either employer’s or contractors) had influence on their attitudes towards some, not all, contractual issues. Keywords: Attitude, Delay, Approval, Submittals, Thailand For full article, click here SELECTION OF PROJECT MANAGERS IN CONSTRUCTION FIRMS USING AHP AND FUZZY TOPSIS: A CASE STUDY (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 23 MARCH 2010)
Fatemeh Torfi1 ,*Abbas Rashidi2 ABSTRACT: Selecting a project manager is a major decision for every construction company. Traditionally, a project manager is selected by interviewing applicants and evaluating their capabilities by considering the special requirements of the project. The interviews are usually conducted by senior managers, and the selection of the best candidate depends on their opinions. Thus, the results may not be completely reliable. Moreover, conducting interviews for a large group of candidates is time-consuming. Thus, there is a need for computational models that can select the most suitable applicant, given the project specifications and the applicants’ details. In this paper, a fuzzy multiple criteria decision making (FMCDM) model is used to select the best candidate for the post of project manager in a large construction firm as a case study. First, using the opinions of senior managers, all the criteria and sub-criteria required for the selection are gathered, and their priorities are qualitatively specified. Then, the applicants are ranked using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), approximate weights of the criteria, and fuzzy TOPSIS. The results of the case study are satisfactory. Keywords: Construction Firms, Fuzzy TOPSIS, Criteria, AHP, Project Manager For full article, click here TIME-COST-RISK TRADE OFF USING ANT COLONY OPTIMIZATION (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 10 JUNE 2010)
S.LAKSHMINARAYANAN1,
ASHISH GAURAV1
and
*Dr.
ARUN C.2 ABSTRACT: Time, cost and risk of project delivery are among the crucial aspects of each project In order to maximize the return, both the client and contractor would strive to optimize the project duration and cost concurrently. Studies were been conducted to model the time–cost relationships, ranging from heuristic methods and mathematical approaches to genetic algorithms. Emergence of new contracts that place an increasing pressure on maximizing the quality of projects while minimizing its time and cost, require the development of innovative models considering risk in addition to time and cost which is modeled here extensively. In this research, a meta heuristic multi-colony ant algorithm is developed for optimization of three objectives time-cost-risk as trade-off problem. An example is analyzed to illustrate the capabilities of the present method in generating optimal/near optimal solutions. Keywords: duration, ant colony optimization, probability, risk, cost For full article, click here PROPERTIES OF SELF-CONSOLIDATING CONCRETE PRODUCED USING LOCAL ALGERIAN MATERIALS (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 20 JUNE 2010)
1N.
Bouhamou,
1N.
Belas,
2A.
Attar*, 1B. Achour,
1A.
Mebrouki
ABSTRACT:
This
paper describes an experimental investigation on the effects of the
Water/Cement ratio on the behavior of self-consolidating concrete in the
fresh and hardened states using local Algerian materials. Several tests
were carried out to characterize the properties of these concretes:
spread flow, L-box test, stability with sieve, bleeding, mechanical
strengths, shrinkage and microstructural studies that encompassed both
mineralogical characterization and porometric distributions. The results
have offered an important insight for optimizing the rheological
characteristics of self-consolidating concrete and permitted to develop
a variety of formulations that meet the rheological requirement such as
good deformability, less bleeding and absence of segregation. For full article, click here EFFECT OF MECHANISATION ON OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PERFORMANCE IN THE NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 17 AUG. 2010)
Godwin Iroroakpo Idoro
ABSTRACT:
The need to improve productivity, quality standards, efficiency and
performance in construction projects has brought about increased use of
plant and equipment in construction works. This study evaluates the
level of mechanisation and its correlation with Occupational Health and
Safety (OHS) performance of the Nigerian construction industry. The
purpose is to ascertain the influence of mechanisation on OHS
performance and raise the commitment of contractors to effective OHS
management. To achieve this purpose, a questionnaire survey approach was
adopted. In the approach, a field survey involving 45 projects randomly
selected from the population of 80 identified on-going projects in
Nigeria was conducted. Data were collected with the aid of structured
questionnaires and analysed using percentage, mean, t-test and Spearman
correlation test. The results of the study indicate that increased level
of mechanisation in the Nigerian construction industry leads to increase
in the rates of accident and injury and that the level of mechanisation
varies from one operation to another. The study concludes that
mechanisation can worsen the OHS performance of the industry when it is
not effectively managed. The study suggests that stakeholders should put
in place effective measures aimed at controlling OHS performance before
using new or additional plant and equipment in construction. It also
suggests that stakeholders in particular contractors should give more
attention to OHS management plan and in particular hazard management
plan in the use of plant and equipment on site. For full article, click here CLIENT REQUIREMENTS MANAGEMENT IN SOCIAL HOUSING: CASE STUDY ON THE RESIDENTIAL LEASING PROGRAM IN BRAZIL (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 17 AUG. 2010)
*Formoso, Carlos1, Leite, Fernanda L.2 and Miron,
Luciana Ines Gomes3
ABSTRACT:
Like other developing
countries, social housing programs in Brazil have suffered major changes
in the last two decades, such as decentralization in decision making,
growing participation of private developers, and decreasing
participation of the government, which has traditionally been
responsible for developing social housing projects in Brazil. This has
increased the complexity of those projects, and created new roles and
relationships for organizations involved in social housing projects. In
this context, there is a need for improving the product development
process of those projects and, more specifically, how client
requirements are managed. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the
Residential Leasing Program, one of the most important programs for
low-income families in Brazil, from the perspective of client
requirement management. Two sets of case studies were carried out. The
first set involved an analysis of the product development process and
indicated opportunities for improving client requirements management.
The second set of case studies involved the post-occupancy evaluation,
which pointed out some contradictions on the way the PAR Program was
conceived. The results suggest the adoption of mass customization
strategies, which have been successful in other industries, in the
social housing sector. For full article, click here COMPARING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (OHS) MANAGEMENT EFFORTS AND PERFORMANCE OF NIGERIAN CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 15 OCT. 2010)
Godwin Iroroakpo Idoro ABSTRACT: The study compares the management efforts and performance of construction contractors in Nigeria on Occupational Health and Safety (OHS). The purpose is to assist all categories of construction contractors in Nigeria to strive at improving their management efforts on OHS. To achieve this purpose, a field survey involving a sample of forty contractors selected by purposive sampling was conducted. The scope of operation of the contractors was classified into multinational, national, regional and local. Six OHS management parameters and seven OHS performance parameters were used and data were collected using structured questionnaires and analysed using mean and analysis of variance. The results reveal that contractors’ management efforts on OHS do not reflect in their scope of operation. The OHS performance of the contractors remains the same in six performance indicators but differs in accident per worker rate only. The study also reveals that the accident and injury rates of the Nigerian construction industry are high. The study considers these results as challenges to Nigerian contractors and other stakeholders to make more efforts at improving the OHS performance of the industry. It advocates effective risk management and regulation and control of OHS in the Nigerian construction industry. Keywords: Multinational contractors, National contractors, Nigeria, OHS management efforts, OHS performance. For full article, click here THE INFLUENCE OF PROJECT DOCUMENTS ON THE OUTCOME OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS PROCURED BY TRADITIONAL CONTRACT IN NIGERIA (ACCEPTED FOR PUBLICATION ON 4 NOV. 2010)
Godwin Iroroakpo Idoro ABSTRACT: This study evaluates the use of project documents in projects procured by traditional contract and their influence on project outcome. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey approach was adopted. In the approach, data were collected from a sample of 42 project leaders on project documents prepared at the inception, design, tendering and construction stages of projects procured by traditional contract and the outcome of the projects using structured questionnaire. The data collected were analysed to determine the levels of use of 21 selected project documents at the inception, design, tendering, construction and overall procurement phase. In addition, respondents’ assessment of the delivery time, cost and quality, time and cost overruns and the percentages of time-overrun to initial contract periods and cost-overrun to initial contract sums of the projects using percentage, mean and Spearman correlation test were analysed. The results reveal that the use of project documents in each project stage and overall procurement phase in projects procured by traditional contract method needs improvement and that such improvement will enhance the outcome of the projects. The study suggests that developers should ensure that project documents with low levels of use be prepared when they adopt the option to procure projects. Keywords: Project planning and documentation, project outcome, Nigeria and traditional contract method. For full article, click here |
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