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A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction Management, and Computers & Digitization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2024 | Viewed by 22089

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Syed M. Ahmed

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Guest Editor

Building Construction Science, College of Architecture, Art & Design, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA
Interests: construction safety; quality; contracts; cost control; scheduling; knowledge management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

To: professionals involved in civil engineering, construction management, facilities design, construction scheduling, risk management, quality assurance, and environmental studies.

The construction industry has been underperforming for many decades, as evidenced by the declining productivity, cost and schedule overruns, and serious quality concerns. Approximately 70 percent of projects exceed their anticipated budgets and schedules. Owner satisfaction with the built environment falls short of the experience in other economic sectors, both service and manufacturing. Clearly, bold, informed action is needed.

You are invited to submit a paper for a Special Issue of Buildings. Buildings is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal on building science, building engineering, and architecture, published monthly online by MDPI. The International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) is affiliated with Buildings, and their members receive a discount on the article processing charges.

The main aim of this Special Issue on “Improving Construction Delivery” in Buildings is to create a collection of articles and/or papers from scholars and authors who have an interest in one or more of three areas: risk management, construction scheduling, and quality assurance. The aim is to have this collection serve as a body of knowledge that like-minded researchers can benefit from and leverage into even more advanced methodologies and cutting-edge research in these respective areas.

The editors are especially interested in the application of technology to construction scheduling as well as quality assurance and quality management. Lean construction may also serve an important role in creating agile construction schedules that can adapt quickly to changing field conditions.

Please submit an abstract that describes a paper, article, or documented research in one of the three areas of interest: risk management, construction scheduling, and quality assurance.

The abstract should be approximately 70 to 100 words long and should preferably focus on one of the areas in order to have a more detailed coverage of the subject.

Prof. Dr. Syed M. Ahmed
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

construction quality
construction safety
lean construction
construction scheduling
risk management
construction management
sustainable construction
construction productivity

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 7948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability-Based Value Engineering Management as an Integrated Approach to Construction Projects

by Esam M. H. Ismaeil

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 903; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14040903 - 27 Mar 2024

Viewed by 575

Abstract

The integration of sustainability standards and value engineering methods in public education projects is a significant concern, as it ensures the well-being and sustainability goals of students, lecturers, and employees. This study aims to enhance sustainability within public education campuses by utilizing value engineering processes that establish a balanced correlation between the available budget costs and the sustainability costs that affect educational objectives, strategies, and the overall sustainability of the environment. In order to evaluate the integration of value engineering and the sustainability rating system “LEED protocols” for schools, the study utilized HAP (Hourly Analysis Program) software to perform numerical analysis, with the objective of improving environmental efficiency and cost-effectiveness in school buildings from the perspective of both male and female students. By applying this approach to all engineering disciplines, systems, and materials involved in the project, the study achieved impressive results, including a reduction in energy usage by 53.67%, a cost reduction of 27.48% from the total project budget, and 13 points earned in credit C1 and credit C2 in the Energy and Atmosphere EA category in LEED 2009. These findings are of great importance for the planning and execution of construction projects, specifically in the context of educational infrastructure, and provide valuable insights into the construction and renovation of school buildings, which can be used to enhance the safety, functionality, and aesthetic appeal of these facilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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21 pages, 4470 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Dynamic Risk Interdependencies on the Saudi Precast Concrete Industry

by Khalid S. Al-Gahtani, Mohammed I. Aldokhi, Naif M. Alsanabani, Hatim F. Alotaibi and Abdulrahman A. Bin Mahmoud

Buildings 2024, 14(4), 875; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14040875 - 23 Mar 2024

Viewed by 801

Abstract

The precast concrete production process faces uncertainties and risks that reduce the efficiency of the Saudi precast concrete industry. Assessing the risk factors’ interdependence yields better results than considering individual analyses only. The previous precast risk studies did not consider the interdependencies among risk factors concerning different process stages. This paper aims to identify precast risk factors and prioritize their importance in Saudi Arabia. Using a dynamic Bayesian network, the assessment considers the interrelationships among the risk factors and different production stages. The risk factors were collected from previous studies, evaluated, and classified into the five construction stages by performing structured interviews with ten experts. The probabilities of the root risks and conditional probabilities of intermediate and leaf risks were assessed based on the ten experts. Then, a Monte Carlo simulation was utilized to provide the status of these probabilities, which were considered input data for the GeNIe program. The main results revealed that erection productivity is the highest risk, with a probability value of 0.87. In addition, the design schedule’s significance directly impacts production capacity, resulting in a probability value of 0.74. However, the site management risk is low, with a 0.32 probability value. This paper assists practitioners in optimizing construction schedules. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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20 pages, 6796 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Duration and Labor Resource Optimization for Construction Projects—A Conditional-Value-at-Risk-Based Analysis

by Fan Ding, Min Liu, Simon M. Hsiang, Peng Hu, Yuxiang Zhang and Kewang Jiang

Buildings 2024, 14(2), 553; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14020553 - 19 Feb 2024

Viewed by 693

Abstract

The complexity and uncertainty of construction projects contribute to low efficiency in the construction industry. This research applied the Takt-time planning method to optimize the construction working process, and proposed a risk control framework based on Value at Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) approaches to explore and predict a project schedule and cost performance under different scenarios. This research selected a high-rise residential building project for a case study and collected 1672 productivity data samples. Arena Simulation models were established based on 90 combinations of labor assignments to assess Takt-time planning strategies’ impact on project performance in four scenarios. The VaR and CVaR evaluations at 75% and 90% confidence levels were compared to balance project benefits and risks. Without any overtime or additional workers, this research found a Takt-time planning method that can reduce the project duration by 20.2% and labor costs by 2.1% at the same time, using a labor assignment of 12 bar placers, 12 carpenters, and 5 pipefitters. The findings can assist construction managers to achieve a shorter duration, reduced cost, and safer work environment, which will be very effective and beneficial to improve project overall performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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17 pages, 290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Risk Management Practices in Ethiopian Somali Regional State Construction Projects

by Serkan Kivrak and Omar Hiis Udan

Buildings 2023, 13(12), 3130; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13123130 - 18 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1415

Abstract

Risk management practices are critical for construction companies to prevent any problems caused by uncertainties in the projects. This study examines how risk management is practiced in construction projects of the Somali Regional State in Ethiopia. It also identifies the most influential risk factors in the region which need to be given a higher consideration when practicing risk management. Within this context, a questionnaire survey was conducted among construction professionals in the Somali region. Based on the findings, there is a deficient practice of risk management in Somali Regional State construction projects due to a lack of knowledge or budget. Risk factors like design errors, top management changes, insufficient experienced staff, and delays in payment are found to have the highest probability of occurrence in Somali Regional State construction projects. Findings from this study can help construction managers to better understand the risk factors influencing construction projects in the Somali region in the context of improving project performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

15 pages, 1919 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Buffer Sizing in Critical Chain Project Management by Brittle Risk Entropy

by Jun-long Peng and Chao Peng

Buildings 2022, 12(9), 1390; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12091390 - 05 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1950

Abstract

In order to solve the problems such as project duration delay caused by unreasonable buffer zone setting, a critical chain buffer zone setting method is proposed based on fragility theory. Firstly, we propose that the construction process is brittle and the brittleness of the construction process was analyzed. Secondly, this paper introduces a risk-integrated impact rate to describe the uncertainty of the construction process and establishes a brittle risk entropy function. Then, it presents entropy models and modification models of project buffers and feeding buffers based on the original Root Square Error Method. Finally, an engineering project was selected as an example, and the simulation was carried out using the Monte Carlo simulation software Crystal Ball, and the resulting method was compared with three buffer zone calculation methods. The results show that the method can effectively reduce the construction period and is effective and practical when compared to the other three buffer calculation methods. The results of the study provide a new way of thinking about buffer settings based on existing critical chain project management methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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31 pages, 3475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Power Plant Construction Projects Risk Assessment: A Proposed Method for Temporary Systems of Commissioning

by José Ignacio Sánchez Colmenarejo, Felipe Morales Camprubí, Cristina González-Gaya and Alberto Sánchez-Lite

Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1260; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081260 - 17 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4667

Abstract

The identification of hazards and risk assessment are key factors in the safety of the industries, including power plants. This paper contains an original risk analysis method that increases the level of safety in commissioning and start-up operations. With the proposed method, which has been tested in real industrial facilities, it has been possible to increase the safety of the system and reduce the likelihood of incidents and accidents in one of the most dangerous stages of project construction activities. This paper also gives an overview of the processes and procedures used in the construction of power plants compared to other industry sectors, proposing some areas for potential improvement. It has been verified that temporary systems used during commissioning apply risk evaluation techniques that do not consider some aspects related to process hazards, something that can be important for the prevention of accidents that historically happen at this stage. Analysis of the data has determined that, in these stages, there have been incidents and accidents, some of them severe. Thus, in this paper, a methodology is proposed. The method allows addressing the particularities of the execution of temporary systems in a safe way by putting into practice an agile and flexible method that can be applied to these particular systems, so that the risk levels can be reduced. The method was applied to one real application representative of this kind of system and yielded excellent results. The proposed methodology is highly recommended as an improvement for the power industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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16 pages, 2694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Determining Cost and Time Performance Indexes for Diversified Investment Tasks

by Jarosław Konior

Buildings 2022, 12(8), 1198; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12081198 - 09 Aug 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2018

Abstract

The aim of the research results presented in the article was to develop a method that enables the analysis and evaluation of deviations at the stage of implementing a construction investment in various construction sectors. The new method was based on the well-known Earned Value Method (EVM). It was assumed that the monitoring of costs and the constant control of the implementation time of construction projects, with the simultaneous analysis of the level of deviations, allows for the consistent management of the investment task. Moreover, it ensures—in the required time—the adoption of appropriate improvement actions, and also enables the quantification of risk during the planning of an investment. The article attempts to prove the validity of the assumption about the necessity of the cyclical verification of the level of deviations in construction projects budget and schedule. Such an approach provides numerous perceptible benefits; such as the precise determination of the size of possible losses; an immediate reaction to risk; and the possibility of making changes at every stage of implementing an investment. On the basis of the analysis of the author’s own research carried out in three research groups of facilities (collective housing; hotels; and commercial and service facilities), an original attempt was made to determine the size of cost and time performance indexes of various investment tasks. The values of these performance indexes were determined, and are presented as quantile images in boxplots. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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18 pages, 655 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Critical Factors Influencing Early Contract Termination in Public Design–Build Projects in Developing and Emerging Economies

by Claudia Riveros, Angie L. Ruiz, Harrison A. Mesa and Jose A. Guevara

Buildings 2022, 12(5), 614; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12050614 - 06 May 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2882

Abstract

Public projects continually face multiple difficulties for their satisfactory completion. One of the most complex challenges is early contract termination (ECT), which delays social goods delivery and exhausts public resources. This study aimed to determine the root causes of the critical factors that lead to ECT in public building projects. We studied 20 kindergarten construction projects in Chile through a multi-case study. It addressed a pattern-matching analysis of symptoms associated with risks of design–build (DB) contracts and a five whys analysis to determine the root causes of the symptoms identified in the units of analysis. The results show that ECT projects’ most common symptoms are labor force shortage, materials shortage, and non-payment claims. In addition, the root-cause analysis exposed that the main causes of ECT’s symptoms were deficiencies in the bidding evaluation process, which led to an inadequate selection of the general contractor, lack of experience of the owner, and regulatory limitations of the legal framework for public projects. The construction projects faced ECT and cost and time overruns associated with poor risk management due to the owner’s and general contractor’s lack of experience in DB contracts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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21 pages, 1959 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Effective Use of Tower Cranes over Time in the Selected Construction Process

by Vít Motyčka, Jozef Gašparík, Oto Přibyl, Martin Štěrba, Dita Hořínková and Radka Kantová

Buildings 2022, 12(4), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12040436 - 02 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3847

Abstract

The quality of preparations carried out before building work commences has a significant impact on the smooth running and overall financial costs of a construction project. The use of construction machinery, which is crucial with regard to the efficiency of the construction process, plays an important role. In building construction, the machines in question are mainly tower cranes. The paper presents a new method for assessing the utilisation of tower cranes over time during the construction of reinforced concrete monolithic structures. The method, which contributes to the efficient utilisation of such cranes, is based on a mathematical simulation model that predicts the work cycles of a tower crane during a work shift when work is being performed on individual construction sub-processes. Construction sub-processes are analysed in detail with regard to the service provided to them by a tower crane. Data can also be obtained from binding construction schedules and boundary conditions, which in every case are for a specific executed construction project. The simulation model of the work of tower cranes has been developed for use in software applications. The created application expands the possibilities of smart construction site design in a digital environment and can also be used directly from an internet browser. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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28 pages, 4432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamic Network Analysis of the Risks of Mega Infrastructure Projects from a Sustainable Development Perspective

by Yuanli Li, Pengcheng Xiang, Kairui You and Jin Guo

Buildings 2022, 12(4), 434; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings12040434 - 01 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2087

Abstract

Mega infrastructure projects (MIPs) are exposed to numerous interdependent risks of various natures which pose difficulties in risk management. Thus far, the research on the risk interactions of MIPs has been focused on developing static risk networks within a single category of risks, at certain stages of the project. It is essential to understand the risk interactions at various stages of MIPs to identify the key risks and key risk relationships that jeopardise their success. This is especially relevant nowadays, as MIPs are expected to be delivered sustainably. Therefore, to analyse the dynamic risk interaction of MIPs, initially, through literature analysis and expert interviews, combined with the four dimensions of sustainable development and the four stages of MIPs, 98 risk factors of MIPs were identified. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine risk relationships and weights. Risk networks were developed for each stage of MIPs, and improved social network analysis was applied to these risk networks. Finally, the key risks and key risk relationships in each stage of MIPs were identified by analysing the changes of multi-level network indicators. This aided in determining risk control strategies. The results demonstrate that the key risks and key risk relationships are different for each stage of MIPs. Furthermore, the risks of different dimensions of sustainable development have different relationships at different stages. This research is the first to identify the risk relationships involved in MIPs by taking into consideration the whole project life cycle and its sustainable development. This research provides theoretical support for the risk management of MIPs, and strategic suggestions for controlling the risks at each stage of the project. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Construction Scheduling, Quality and Risk Management)

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