Search results

This paper presents a comparative study of three well‐established building maintenance forecasting models in conjunction with a quantitative model which has been developed recently. After a brief introduction of each method, data collected from a large building survey were mapped into four distinctive methods and comparison was carried out in terms of priorities that these four methods adopt for future maintenance work. An analysis of responses to a questionnaire including 100 companies and individuals involved in maintenance and facilities management work (including quantity surveyors’ organisations) revealed that 100 percent of the public sector organisations use maintenance assessment methods for their prioritisation of maintenance management work. It also revealed that 92 percent of the private sector and 95 percent of all the organisations use condition based maintenance assessment methods for the prioritisation of maintenance operations. Results of this questionnaire have been used as introductory material to support the necessity for this piece of research.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and rank the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using Building Information Modelling (BIM) in sustainable building design. It also employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North.

The paper explores the benefits and barriers of using BIM through a literature review. Regression and factor analysis were used to rank these benefits and barriers. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of 120 practitioners with 69 completing the survey. Finally, the paper employs the use of a design tool analysis of a case study using BIM-compatible tools (Ecotect and Green Building Studio) to determine the environmental performance of a proposed multi-use building at Derby North riverside.

The key findings of the statistical analysis indicated that professionals ranked the integrated project delivery as the most established benefit, while the lack of interoperability was ranked the greatest technological challenge. Only three of the attributes of non-technological challenges made statistically unique contributions, namely, training costs and software costs, client demand and potential legal issues. It was also discovered that BIM delivers information needed for environmental performance. In a forward-looking approach, the paper attempts to provide some recommendations that would encourage the continuous application of BIM in sustainable building design.

This paper does not cover all features of BIM functionality, as the scope of BIM is very enormous and the resources of this research were limited.

The implication of the study is that it will assist in exploring and ranking the benefits and barriers (technological and non-technological) of using BIM while proffering recommendations for future use. This research will be of interest to industry practitioners and academic researchers with an interest in building information modelling.

This paper contributes with new outlooks aimed at syndicating sustainability with environmental performance and adds to the limited empirical studies on the benefits and barriers of the application of BIM.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current level of awareness, usage and advocated benefits of economic performance measures of life cycle costing (LCC) in sustainable commercial office buildings.

Questionnaire survey to 120 construction professionals was used to gauge the current level of awareness, usage and advocated benefits of economic performance measures in LCC.

The key findings of the statistical analysis indicated that there is a low awareness and usage of economic performance measures, and revealing the entire value of capital outflow alternatives was the most advocated benefit of its application.

Although the data used in this paper were from professionally qualified members of either the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) and the British Institute for Facilities Management (BIFM), the research is limited in some ways in that it does not cover all the professionals in the construction industry. Nevertheless, all the professionals who responded to the questionnaire have up-to-date level of awareness of economic performance measures in LCC.

The use of economic performance measures helps to make available the information required for building performance. Therefore, economic performance methods in LCC are useful devices for users to appraise and distribute recognisable values from initial costs, operating and maintenance costs to clients in the life cycle of an asset.

Value for money for construction products and its facilities should not be viewed only in terms of costs to design and construction. Rather, it is vital for corporate occupants and society in general to consider other key variables such as operations, maintenance, renovation, replacement and end-of-life costs.

This study fills the gap in the existing knowledge by addressing concerns over performance measurement to improve the confidence in LCC for sustainable commercial office buildings.

The aim of this paper is to investigate how a client's cooperative procurement procedures influence subcontractor involvement, value creation, and innovation in the construction of complex facilities.

Empirical data were collected through interviews, surveys and participation in workshops during a longitudinal action research case study. The case project was located in Sweden and concerned the construction of plant facilities for manufacturing of pharmaceutical products.

The case study findings reveal that the client's procurement procedures affect the level of subcontractor involvement and integration, but that this does not necessarily result in increased subcontractor value creation and innovation in the construction process.

Since the empirical results are based on data collected from only one case project, the possibilities for generalisations are limited.

Clients' procurement procedures heavily affect subcontractor involvement, but in order to increase subcontractor contributions to innovation and value creation the actors should adopt a long‐term perspective and actively work to establish an innovation‐friendly climate.

This paper focuses on the often‐neglected importance of subcontractors and their contributions to innovation and value creation.

The maintenance of green building technologies such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) is a challenge due to the non-existence of maintainability considerations during the design stage. This led to building defects which accounts to high expenditures throughout the building's lifecycle. The use of BIPV in buildings is an emergent trend, and further research is requisite for their maintainability. This paper assesses the performance and maintainability of BIPV façade applications based on the green maintainability design considerations.

Qualitative method is undertaken in this study, which includes field surveys, instrumental case studies and stakeholder interviews to probe the issues linked with the BIPV's maintainability.

Findings have shown some technical defects discovered in BIPV applications in tropical areas, as well as issues on cost, aesthetics and implementation are the main causes for the low adoption of BIPV in Singapore.

Understanding the research outcomes will embolden designers and allied professionals to team up in ensuring the long-term maintainability and sustainability of green building technologies. This research gives recent and important information in the design, installation and maintainability of BIPV, as well as good practices that would add value to facilities management and to the design of green building technologies.