Search results
1 – 4 of 4Nimali Erandathi Rathnasiri, Nayanthara De Silva and Janaka Wijesundara
The maintainability of urban spaces has become critical with rapid urbanization to create an effective and safe environment for the increasing population. The absence of…
Abstract
Purpose
The maintainability of urban spaces has become critical with rapid urbanization to create an effective and safe environment for the increasing population. The absence of scientific studies exploring the factors that affect urban space maintainability (USM) has hindered the incorporation of maintainability aspects during the urban space planning and designing stages. This paper aims to establish critical factors for USM.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative content analysis is performed under an abductive approach to developing USM factors. A bibliometric search is conducted using databases including Scopus Elsevier, Emerald Insight, Science Direct, IEEE XPLORE and the American Society of Civil Engineers. The selected primary data set comprises journal papers on USM published after 2000. Seventy-three journal articles are selected through a comprehensive screening procedure and subjected to further analysis. The literature findings are processed via a software-assisted systematic coding and visualizing of the key data using NVivo 12 software. The coded USM factors are validated based on experts’ consensus statements by conducting an expert focus group discussion.
Findings
Twelve critical factors are established for USM; they include six design stage-related factors, one construction stage-related factor and five operational stage-related factors.
Research limitations/implications
Established USM factors give an insight into the main focus areas when incorporating maintainability into urban spaces.
Originality/value
The authors establish a set of maintainability factors for urban spaces based on the life cycle stages. USM factors such as vegetation management, interdepartmental coordination and work zone safety draw attention to context-specific aspects of USM.
Details
Keywords
A. Madini Lakna De Alwis, Nayanthara De Silva and Premaratne Samaranayake
This paper proposes strategies for adopting Industry 4.0 in achieving sustainable manufacturing, by overcoming barriers in the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper proposes strategies for adopting Industry 4.0 in achieving sustainable manufacturing, by overcoming barriers in the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A conceptual model of sustainable manufacturing and Industry 4.0 was proposed based on a comprehensive literature review and validated through experts' inputs. The model was illustrated using three case studies to assess the relationships between sustainable manufacturing and Industry 4.0 in the Sri Lankan manufacturing context. Furthermore, possible strategies were proposed to overcome current barriers identified from case studies.
Findings
The case studies showcase that there is a considerable gap in Industry 4.0-enabled sustainable manufacturing in the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector due to several barriers. Thus, experts' knowledge-based strategies to overcome those barriers are proposed.
Research limitations/implications
The conceptual model provides a holistic view of maturity levels of sustainable manufacturing measures directly connected with Industry 4.0 technologies. The study was limited to investigating the application of Industry 4.0 for sustainable manufacturing in leading apparel manufacturing organisations in Sri Lanka.
Practical implications
The conceptual model can be used as a framework to guide practitioners in implementing Industry 4.0-enabled sustainable manufacturing. The proposed strategies in addressing barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption towards sustainable manufacturing can be directly applied to achieving better sustainable manufacturing performance.
Originality/value
This study is an informative guide to encourage the Sri Lankan manufacturing industry to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies in achieving sustainable manufacturing, using the knowledge of relationships between Industry 4.0 and three dimensions of sustainable manufacturing, possible barriers and strategies.
Details
Keywords
Tharindu Dulshani Jayarathne, Nayanthara De Silva and W. K. U. R. M. K. P. K. Samarakoon
Energy consumption in existing office buildings has been growing in parallel with the rise in occupant energy demand. As a result, many building owners have given smart retrofits…
Abstract
Purpose
Energy consumption in existing office buildings has been growing in parallel with the rise in occupant energy demand. As a result, many building owners have given smart retrofits (SRs) a higher priority. However, the utilisation of suitable SRs from a range of SRs has become a challenging task. The purpose of this paper is to develop a decision-making model to select the most suitable SRs for conventional office buildings and form a set of benchmarks for assessing the performance of SRs.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative approach with six case studies was used. Content analysis was carried out using NVivo to explore the factors considered for the selection of SR techniques. A decision-making model for selecting SRs in Sri Lankan office buildings was proposed. SR performance benchmarks were developed by referring to established standards and studies done in tropical office buildings.
Findings
Out of 18 identified SRs from literature, fan cycling, ventilation control and LED luminaires have been recognised as commonly used SRs in Sri Lankan office buildings. Analysis showed that HVAC retrofits saved more energy, while lighting retrofits could be easily implemented in existing buildings. The proposed decision-making model can explore further improvements to enhance the performance of SRs.
Originality/value
The selection of SRs is a comprehensive decision-making process. Metrics were established to benchmark the performance of SRs. The proposed model offers a tool for building owners and facility managers to optimise facility operations.
Details
Keywords
Nathan Van Den Bossche, Anke Blommaert and Bruno Daniotti
Quality failures in the design and construction process can entail significant delays and costs. Databases of building defects have proven to be useful for drawing conclusions on…
Abstract
Purpose
Quality failures in the design and construction process can entail significant delays and costs. Databases of building defects have proven to be useful for drawing conclusions on underlying causes of building defects and for identifying potential improvement actions to reduce the occurrence of building defects.
Design/methodology/approach
The database comprising 27,074 cases from a Belgian insurance company was studied, and it was found that moisture problems account for 48% of all building defects, and stability problems 23%. To better analyse the geographical variability, the data were enriched with demographical, geographical and climatological factors of the municipality the concerned buildings were located in. This combined information was used to determine underlying external factors that impact the probability that specific types of building defects occur.
Findings
The analysis of the data shows that external factors do indeed have a statistically significant impact. The factor with the highest impact is the number of walls the building has in common with its neighbours. The most significant climatological factor is the wind speed.
Originality/value
A better understanding of the frequency of building defects and factors that contribute to the likelihood are important variables to consider in quality control and prevention.
Details