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There is a lack of waste minimization in Vietnam. This study aims to investigate the barriers that are faced in implementing waste management and the extent to which waste management practices are adopted. It recommends improvements to management of waste in Vietnam, with a focus on Ho Chi Minh City.

Using the questionnaire survey approach, data were collected from construction practitioners in Vietnam using the self‐administrated postal survey. Findings were validated via in‐depth interviews with three experts.

There is a lack of awareness about construction and waste minimization in Vietnam. Effective waste management for Vietnam are: employ subcontractors with waste management ability; conduct training; audit and provide close supervision of subcontractors and workers; sequence activities to reduce damage to completed work; set level of wastage allowable; and enforce these through rewards and punishments.

As the survey was conducted on a small sample size of contractors in Ho Chi Minh City, the findings may not be representative of the whole of Vietnam. The data were based on respondents’ perceptions rather than factual records.

The effective strategies identified by this study could be used by construction industry practitioners in Vietnam to reduce waste generated, and thereby undertake construction in a more sustainable manner.

The benefits of better waste management include: improved environmental credentials; savings in disposal and transport costs; revenue from reuse and recycling; and reduced cost of materials.

Vietnam is undergoing infrastructure development, and these construction projects have large impacts on the environment. This study identified areas in which waste management is found wanting, and suggested ways for Vietnam to improve.

Waste minimization strategies and the relative significance of construction waste sources were examined using a survey of 24 construction firms operating in Australia. The results indicated that a sizeable proportion of respondent firms did not have specific policies for minimizing waste. Furthermore, while a majority of firms with specific waste minimization policies made efforts to minimize waste at source, i.e. to avoid generating waste in the first place, this minimization was limited to waste generated by site offices and amenities. Potential scope exists for improving the effectiveness of waste minimization at source by addressing the sources of all waste generated during the construction phase. The survey results indicated that the five most significant sources of construction waste were design changes, leftover material scraps, wastes from packaging and non‐reclaimable consumables, design/detailing errors, and poor weather. Potential opportunities for minimizing the amount of waste generated on construction project sites are identified.

Construction professionals are the major contributors to developing a sustainable construction industry, whereas architects, engineers and quantity surveyors are the key construction professionals who must play extraordinary roles in achieving better sustainable construction. Therefore, this study aims to identify the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change.

The study adopted a mixed research approach. A literature review and preliminary semi-structured interviews were used to appraise the job roles of architects, engineers and quantity surveyors in addressing challenges associated with climate change. The data collected through the qualitative approach were used in an online questionnaire survey, and the findings were analysed using the relative index method.

The findings highlight that regardless of the knowledge of the professional category on green rating tools, carbon footprint, adaptation of renewable energies for the reduction of energy consumption, building information modelling-related applications and waste management concepts/practices are the foremost job attributes required for the key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing challenges associated with climate change.

The results from this study provide a handful of guidance to construction industry professionals, national and international professional institutions, non-governmental organisations and other relevant authorities to address climate change within the built environment by identifying ways for improving the relevant key job attributes of construction industry professionals.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that explores the job attributes of key Sri Lankan construction professionals in addressing the challenges associated with climate change.

The purpose of this study is to explore existing literature on Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Malaysia and examine the perception of practitioners about the potential of BIM applications in reducing construction waste and enhancing productivity.

First, using 244 bibliographic data extracted from the Scopus database, the paper used scientometric analysis and VOSviewer mapping technique to assess the most impactful publication literature on BIM in Malaysia to identify the existing research gaps. Second, using a structured questionnaire, a total of 100 questionnaires were distributed to practising practitioners who incorporate BIM in the delivery of their projects. Descriptive analysis using cross-tabulation in SPSS software, radar chart, relative importance index and Pearson’s correlation were used to analyze the data.

The research gaps are in the fields of construction projects, buildings, energy efficiency, lifecycle and housing. The findings of the survey indicate that quantity take-off, clash detection, site utilization planning, digital fabrication as well as 4D stimulation were the main BIM applications used among the practitioners in Johor and Selangor.

By assessing the state-of-the-art of BIM and BIM applications in this region, the practical implications of this study provide useful insights to construction stakeholders, funding organizations, policymakers, research institutions, professionals, journal editors, reviewers and researchers to understand the overall trend of BIM in Malaysia and its usage.

This paper is the first to use science mapping using scientometrics to reveal the current BIM research in “Malaysia only”. Relying on the identified gaps, the study further examined the usage of BIM applications in Malaysian construction projects.

Owing to limited space, reducing the waste going to landfills has become a pressing issue in Hong Kong. As most of the solid waste was generated from construction activity, the Hong Kong Government has instituted a number of measures aimed at reducing waste from this source. However, it appears that the application of these measures has been of limited effectiveness. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of implementing regulatory measures for reducing construction waste in Hong Kong.

The data used for the analysis are from a survey to construction professionals in the local industry by means of questionnaire, interview discussions and case studies. The survey examined the commitments and responsibilities imposed on project participants for implementing seven major regulatory waste management controlling measures: legislative controls; controlling public filling facilities; controlling landfill areas; providing on‐site sorting facilities; implantation of a environmental management system; implementation of a waste management framework plan; and implementing recycling scheme.

The results of the investigation illustrate that legal commitments have been mainly allocated to contractors. Insufficient commitments and responsibilities are allocated to other project participants such as project clients, designers and consultants. The study has also found that existing waste control ordinances allow for skewed distribution of commitments and responsibilities of controlling construction waste among project stakeholders. The results demonstrate that there is need for a balanced allocation of responsibilities and commitments among all project stakeholders.

Revision and further development of legal measures are necessary to ensure that all project stakeholders play an active role and share commitments in waste control and reduction. This research provides references for studying construction waste management in other construction industries.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on optimization of recycling of concrete from lightweight aggregates containing expanded glass and hard polyurethane (PU) and on the issue of importance of environmental management in constructions, to produce the new combination using rest, construction waste of concrete from lightweight aggregates and hard PU new raw components of concrete from lightweight aggregates, as key reactive materials.

The research for this paper is based on the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, non‐linear programming (NLP) model and experimental research.

Results from the new recycled material have been compared with the normal existing concrete from lightweight aggregates. Characteristics of recycled lightweight concrete (LWC) such as density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity have been investigated and have been compared with normal existing concrete from lightweight aggregates. Results indicate that it is possible to recycle LWC aggregates and hard PU waste.

Research was limited to management of construction.

The use of waste LWC with aggregates containing expanded glass and hard PU seems to be necessary for the production of cheaper and environment‐friendly LWC.

The method shows great possibilities for increasing use of construction waste materials from LWC containing expanded glass and hard PU in order to benefit from the better use of existing construction waste. Characteristics such as density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity from the new recycled material have been compared with normal existing concrete from lightweight aggregates. They change depending on the type and part of waste as well as the type and part of fresh binding components. Thus, a new recycled material is created with new values of density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity, which conform to the compressive strength class and rules on heat protection and efficient use of energy in buildings (SI OJ RS No. 42/2002). Laboratory density, compressive strength and thermal conductivity tests results showed that LWC can be produced by the use of waste LWC with aggregates containing expanded glass and hard PU. The author proposes a model of recycling isolating materials, made of hard PU and LWC with aggregates containing expanded glass, based on recycling and NLP.

The generation of construction and demolition waste in China is a pressing need to be minimized in order to alleviate the environmental burden. The effectiveness of implementing construction and demolition waste management in this economy, however, is very limited due to various barriers. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the major obstacles to managing construction and demolition waste in China.

The views from Chinese practitioners were collected via a questionnaire survey. The respondents were invited to rate a total of 16 obstacles that hinder the effective implementation of construction and demolition waste management as gleaned from previous literature and six semi‐structured interviews. The results of the questionnaire were analyzed by ranking analysis and factor analysis.

The findings show that “lack of a well‐developed waste recycling market”, “insufficient regulation support” and “waste reduction does not receive sufficient attention in construction design” are perceived as the three barriers of most importance. Furthermore, the 16 obstacles could be grouped into five underlying components including: component 1 – weak awareness and inadequate training, component 2 – insufficient support of the authority, component 3 – economic consideration, component 4 – immature market and component 5 – barriers related to site activity.

Based on the findings, industry practitioners' understandings about the barriers to better performing construction and demolition waste management in China can be deepened. Furthermore, the results also provide useful information for developing strategies to improve the performance of construction and demolition waste management in China.

Major obstacles to improving the performance of construction and demolition waste management in China are identified and analyzed in this study.

The construction industry is shifting towards becoming more circular by reducing waste, reusing building materials and embracing regenerative solutions for energy generation and biodiversity conservation. Thus, construction professionals must perform diversified services to achieve a circular built environment (CBE). Implementing resource planning and waste management in CBE has already posed challenges to the quantity surveying profession; thus, quantity surveyors (QSs) should be equipped with new roles and competencies to tackle challenges in achieving a CBE. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the functions and competencies of QSs at the design and building material sourcing stages in achieving a CBE according to 3R principles.

The research apprehended a qualitative approach, including two expert interview rounds adhering to the Delphi technique with 14 and 11 experts per each round. Manual content analysis was incorporated to analyse the collected data.

The research findings revealed the important roles and competencies of QSs in achieving a CBE. In addition, essential functions and competencies were categorised according to the 3R principles (reduce, reuse, recycle) to successfully implement CBE during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. According to the 3R principles of CBE, cost control, cost planning, feasibility studies, measurement and quantification, risk management, value engineering and innovations and technologies were well-received by most interviewees as essential roles of QSs during the Design and Building Material Sourcing stages. Further, basic/mandatory competencies (personal, interpersonal, professional practice and business skills), economic analysis, BIM management, cost management and risk management are highly regarded by experts for QS as important competencies to achieve CBE.

With new construction trends, QSs must enhance their conventional roles and competencies and search for new skills and competencies. Those skills and competencies could be linked to the CE concept, either directly or indirectly. Since QS holds a prominent place in sustainable construction in CBE, adapting to changes in the construction industry such as CBE is timely for QSs. Further, there is a shortage of literature regarding QSs' roles and competencies in achieving a CBE; thus, this study will contribute by identifying new avenues for QSs in achieving a CBE in the practice and the research.

In a conventional sense, information technology has frequently been considered a source of Lean waste management. However, as the corporate world evolves, new models that provide a competitive edge by merging technical breakthroughs with the Lean paradigm must be developed. Enterprise resource planning (ERP), which is such technological advancement, is found to be highly influential for Lean implementation. However, there is a dearth of literature on the adaptability of ERP to minimise Lean waste in the construction industry. This paper, therefore, aims to investigate the possibility of applying ERP to minimise Lean waste in the construction industry.

The study used a qualitative approach, consisting of fifteen (15) expert interviews and code-based content analysis was used to analyse the empirical data.

The findings revealed the challenges faced when applying ERP with the Lean concept and the strategies that would help overcome the challenges. Most of the challenges could be overcome through training and awareness programmes and proper team management. The study also found that ERP could be applied with Lean to eliminate waste generation in the construction industry.

This paper contributes to the theory by providing an evaluation of the possibility of adopting ERP to eliminate Lean waste in the construction industry. The study will contribute to new knowledge related to strategies for proper use of ERP for Lean waste minimisation, which will be useful for future researchers in the area.

In the construction industry, it is well known that there is a relatively large volume of material being wasted due to a variety of reasons. The problem of material waste on construction sites is not an isolated issue and is of environmental concern. Therefore, waste minimization has become an important issue in the construction industry. The aim of this research was mainly to identify the pre‐cast contribution to the construction waste minimization in the Sri Lankan construction industry, through a comparison of material waste arising from pre‐cast, ready‐mixed and site‐mixed concrete.

Data were collected from 27 building construction projects and three concrete elements: slabs, beams, and columns, were considered to quantify construction waste. To compare the wastage due to pre‐cast involvement with other types, three categories of building projects were used, including projects using pre‐cast concrete elements, in situ concrete elements – site mix, and in‐ situ concrete elements – ready mix.

The study found that mean wastages of cement, sand and metal in PC elements amounted to 5.34 per cent, 13.86 per cent and 7.62 per cent respectively showing lower values compared with the material wastages in the other two technologies (in situ concrete elements – site mix, and in situ concrete elements – ready mix). Further, statistical t‐test and ANOVA were carried out to ascertain whether these results were significant. Results revealed that there is a significant waste reduction when pre‐cast concrete is used.

The paper provides useful information on pre‐cast contribution to the construction waste minimization in the Sri Lankan construction industry.