JournalTOCs

Australasian Journal of Construction Economics and Building
Number of Followers: 10

This is an Open Access Journal

Open Access journal
ISSN (Print) 1445-2634 - ISSN (Online) 1837-9133
Published by U of Technology Sydney

[7 journals]

Further insights by project managers into the problems in project
management
- Authors: Peter Vincent Livesey
  Abstract: A Delphi study using twenty-three project practitioners over six rounds is aimed to identify significant problems in project management, arising from the nature of projects other than those readily identifiable in a literature review. The study goes on to identify project managers’ behaviours which are recognised as having successful impacts on the delivery of projects. A Relative Importance Index for the problems and behaviours resulting from the issues identified in the study is calculated. This study continues by reporting the views of practitioners involved in the management of large projects on the everyday problems they experience in managing projects, problems that are not adequately addressed in current project management texts concerning the nature of projects. Five additional problems, not generally discussed in the literature, were identified together with seven interpersonal skills and behaviours that are major contributors to increasing the likelihood of a successful project delivery.
  PubDate: 2020-11-19
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7121
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Project governance practices in urban public housing projects: a case
study of public housing in Malaysia
- Authors: Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Latiff, Aini Jaapar, Che Maznah Mat Isa
  Abstract: The urban public housing project, especially for low-income people, is essential to cater to the increasing urbanisation rate in Malaysia. This study aimed to gain an understanding of the project governance practices in urban public housing projects in Malaysia, which will lead to better project delivery and the successful outcome of the projects. A single case study was conducted on a public housing project or known as Projek Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) in Kuala Lumpur, and data for this study was gathered using semi-structured interviews with six (6) public officials, document analysis, and observation. The findings of this study indicate the positive interplay between project actors guided by the elements of trust, stakeholder management, empowerment, and collective decision making, which create value for the project. Hence, this article contributes to the dynamic understanding of how public officials practice project governance in conducting their works related to urban public housing projects. The findings of the study will enable related public organisations to reinforce the underlying project governance elements towards the strengthening of urban public housing delivery system. Case study research in different models of urban public housing could extend the discovery of other project governance elements while validating the findings of this study from different perspectives. The findings of the study are limited due to the use of a single case study related to the urban public housing project and its contexts.
  PubDate: 2020-11-19
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7166
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Identifying success criteria at the post-handover stage for international
development projects
- Authors: Johan Fahri, Julien Pollack, Duro Kolar
  Abstract: The question of how successful a project is beyond the handover stage is still echoing in the literature on project management and more magnified in international development (ID) projects. In addressing the question, this study aims to demonstrate the importance of time frame in assessing project success, particularly identifying the success criteria at the post-handover stages (outcome and impact stages). This study used a qualitative approach that was rooted in interpretivism, allowing the use of constructivist grounded theory method (CGTM) in an ID project as an example. The study identified eight success criteria: Convenience, Development, Documentation, Maintainability, New Capability, Price of Service or Product, Training, and Usability. The study also found that, first, each participant had different emphases on different success criteria; second, most of the identified success criteria were still under the outcome stage; and lastly, usability received the highest responses from the participants as the most concerned criterion at the post-handover stages. This last finding verified the importance of time frame where the other criteria became less important if the outputs were useful to deliver the institutions’ strategic objectives. Future studies that use more sampled participants and different types of institutions are also encouraged.
  PubDate: 2020-11-18
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7289
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Energy and economic analysis of environmental upgrading of existing office
buildings
- Authors: Dinh Manh Nguyen , Grace Ding, Göran Runeson
  Abstract: Over many decades, buildings have been recognised as a significant area contributing to the negative impacts on the environment over their lifecycle, accelerating climate change. In return, climate change also impacts on buildings with extreme heatwaves occurring more frequently and raising the earth’s temperature. The operation phase is the most extended period over a building’s lifespan. In this period, office buildings consume most energy and emit the highest amount of greenhouse gas pollution into the environment. Building upgrading to improve energy efficiency seems to be the best way to cut pollution as the existing building stock is massive. The paper presents an economic analysis of energy efficiency upgrade of buildings with a focus of office buildings. The paper identifies upgrading activities that are commonly undertaken to upgrade energy efficiency of office buildings and a case study of three office buildings in Sydney, Australia has been used to analyse the results. The upgrading activities can improve the energy performance of the case study buildings from 3 stars to 5 stars NABERS energy rating in compliance with the mandatory requirement in the Australian government’s energy policy. With the potential increase in energy price, energy efficiency upgrading will become more affordable, but currently, most of them, except solar panels and motion sensors show a negative return and would not be undertaken if they did not also contribute to higher rental income and an increased life span of the building. The upgrading discussed in the paper represent a potentially attractive alternative to demolition and building anew.
  PubDate: 2020-11-18
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7239
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Strategic determinants of big data analytics in the AEC sector: a
multi-perspective framework
- Authors: Sushil S. Chaurasia, Surabhi Verma
  Abstract: With constant flow of large data sets generated by different organisations, big data analytics promises to be a revolutionary game changer for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Despite the potential of Big Data, there has been little research conducted thus far to understand the Big Data phenomenon, specifically in the AEC industry. The objective of this research therefore is to understand the contributing factors for adopting big data in AEC firms. The investigation combined the perceived strategic value of BDA with the TOE framework (technology, organization, and environment), to develop and test a holistic model on big data adoption. A set of hypotheses derived from the extant literature was tested on data from structured surveys of about 365 firms, categorised as construction service firms (engineering and architecture) and construction firms (firms engaged in managing construction projects). The results indicated that the inhibitors and facilitators of BDA adoption are different in the construction services (architecture and engineering) and construction firms. For effective adoption of BDA solutions, the findings will guide the business managers to have realistic expectations of BDA integration challenges in AEC sector.
  PubDate: 2020-11-18
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.6649
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Barriers to reusing and recycling office fit-out: an exploratory analysis
of demolition processes and product features
- Authors: Alireza Ahmadian Fard Fini, Perry Forsythe
  Abstract: Within the highly waste-generative context of Australia, waste from demolition of office fit-out significantly contributes to unsustainable landfilling. The extant literature is, however, slim on scrutiny of the situation. Therefore, this study aims to uncover office fit-out demolition processes and product features that drive high ratio of landfilling fit-out elements. The research used ten case projects and fourteen interviews to document visible and latent parameters of office fit-out waste. Waste-stream mapping and decision-tree techniques, in conjunction with basic descriptive statistics, were used to model and visualize the extent and drivers of unsustainable fit-out demolition. Further, an exemplar product features analysis was conducted to validate the identified drivers. The findings show that 78% of fit-out waste from the studied cases is landfilled. This high rate is attributed to both latent and visible factors. The main latent factor is high lease price of premium or high-quality offices which favours expeditious demolition with low consideration for reuse and recycling. Key technically visible barriers are volumetric furniture, heterogeneous fit-out assemblies, and insufficient critical mass. To move away from landfilling, production of office fit-out should be transformed for sustainable material adequacy, product re-configurability and de-constructability, and easy handling in the use phase.
  PubDate: 2020-11-17
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7061
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
4D visualization to bridge the knowing-doing gap in megaprojects: an
Australian case study
- Authors: Abhijnan Datta, Johan Ninan, Shankar Sankaran
  Abstract: The literature on megaprojects are oriented towards ‘knowing’ the problems and ‘knowing’ the solutions, and there is a dearth in literature aimed at explaining strategies adopted in ‘doing’ or implementing that knowledge. Particularly, the literature highlights communication as important as part of the ‘knowing,’ while there is a gap in ‘doing,’ as performance improvements are still not evident. This research aims to explore how this knowing-doing gap in the communication of risk information was addressed by using 4D visualization. This article discusses the vent facility of a megaproject in Australia as a case study to illustrate the innovation. The 4D model developed for the facility helped the project team to visualize the construction of a critical part of the project, discuss the construction methodology, identify the risks in the construction process and persuade the non-technical decision-makers of the project to take appropriate action. The risks identified through the visualization covered safety, program, and interface risks. This study offers insights into the role of visualization in bridging the knowing-doing gap in the construction industry in the context of a megaproject.
  PubDate: 2020-11-16
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7015
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Relationship between contractor satisfaction and project management
performance
- Authors: Martin Skitmore, Bo Xiong, Bo Xia, Asrul Masrom, Sidney Newton
  Abstract: Despite the fast growth of project-based companies and industries, studies of the satisfaction-performance (S-P) nexus of project participants are lacking. This study aims to explore the role of contractor satisfaction in affecting contractor project management performance along with considering external effects from other key participants. Two broad dimensions of satisfaction toward noneconomic factors and economic factors were used to develop hypothesized models. Structural equation modelling techniques were applied with data collected from 117 projects, showing that it is insufficient to simply conclude that contractor satisfaction influences project managerial performance and vice versa, and that satisfaction disaggregation is necessary. Additionally, it was found that noneconomic satisfaction contributes to performance, which in turn contributes to economic satisfaction. The theoretical and practical implications are further discussed.
  PubDate: 2020-11-15
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i4.7366
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 4 (2020)
Innovation in the globalised world: educating future building
professionals
- Authors: Barry Cooper-Cooke, Monty Sutrisna, Oluwole Alfred Olatunji
  Abstract: Guest Editorial
  PubDate: 2020-09-04
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i3.7410
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 3 (2020)
Facilitating reflective practice: developing built environment
educators’ capacity for teaching and learning
- Authors: Gesa Ruge, Lara Mackintosh
  Abstract: The international literature on higher education emphasises the importance for academics and professional staff to develop their disciplinary teaching and learning practice. Teaching staff in built environment degree programs tend to focus on ‘what’ subject content is taught and less on ‘how to’ improve and innovate teaching and learning contexts and students’ skills development. To investigate these trends, this research reviewed the higher education literature and relevant international studies on strategies to enhance quality teaching and student learning. Findings highlight that reflective practice and engaging in a personal teaching philosophy and teaching profile provide an important link for individual professional development and basis for improving teaching and learning. The objective of this study was to apply findings from the literature in facilitating professional learning workshops, with a pedagogy for collaborative reflective practice and the development of a teaching philosophy. This research reports on the first stage of professional development for staff in built environment programs to establish a teaching profile through reflection on their personal and discipline specific pedagogies. Initial findings highlight the positive impact of reflection and collegial conversations about learning and teaching, as well as future opportunities for individual and discipline based capacity building for improving educational practice.
  PubDate: 2020-09-03
  DOI: 10.5130/AJCEB.v20i3.7035
  Issue No: Vol. 20, No. 3 (2020)