Waste elimination based on lean construction and building information modelling: a systematic literature review

Construction waste (CW) is an abstract, high-level concept and difficult to measure systematically. The conventional management methods have failed to translate the reality in the construction industry context. The integrated Lean Construction (LC) and Building Information Modelling (BIM) streamline several proactive and collaborative solutions to address CW at its source across the whole asset lifecycle. This paper adopts the systematic literature review method to (i) understand ‘waste’ and ‘waste elimination’ concepts through LC perspectives and (ii) to review factors of LC-BIM for waste elimination. Based on thematic analysis applied to 54 relevant documents in the Scopus and IGLC databases, some literature was approached. According to thematic analysis applied to the existing LC-BIM approaches, despite the potential of LC-BIM for CW elimination, the current literature lacks the concept of waste elimination in the number and content of publications. The paper highlights some generic recommendations for future theoretical and empirical developments.FCT -Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia(2021.04751

The Role of Contractors in Reducing Carbon during Construction – A Preliminary Study

Construction contractors have been touted to be a major player in reducing carbon emissions during the construction process due to their role in bringing building designs to life. Also, various carbon reduction strategies have been highlighted in assisting contractors in reducing the carbon emitted while carrying out construction activities. However, it is believed that contractors are quite reluctant to adopt these strategies for several reasons, such as a possible increase in cost and being contradictory to their existing construction procedures. This paper, therefore, aims to highlight the report of a preliminary study done through the adoption of a systematised review approach in synthesising literature to understand what the evidence is as regards how contractors contribute towards the reduction of carbon during building construction activities. The findings reveal that there is a paucity of research in this research area as only 12 papers were found relating to the focus of this study. The analysis of these papers revealed eight possible ways (e.g. adoption of lean management principles, adoption of eco-hauling concept, and utilisation of modern digital tools) in which contractors contribute to carbon reduction during building construction projects. The findings of this study will benefit contractors looking for a suite of measures to implement in reducing their building construction project carbon footprint while also serving as a piece of foundational knowledge in the research area of carbon reduction during building construction projects. Lastly, a future study area worth exploring is proposed

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through Net Zero Emissions: Innovation-Driven Strategies for Transitioning from Incremental to Radical Lean, Green and Digital Technologies

This work adopts a resource-based view for strategically managing firms’ tangible and intangible resources based on lean and green philosophies to explore the role of digital technologies in achieving NZE and the SDGs.This research outlines three contemporary issues. First, it assesses the theory-driven approaches and real-world datasets from conference of parties (COP) meetings. Second, adopting the VRIO (Valuable, Rare, Inimitable, Organized) framework, 25 identified digital technology-based values are obtained by digitalization-based integrated lean-green approaches that may enable manufacturing firms to pursue SDGs via net-zero emissions. Four scenarios of digital technology adoption and integration level of lean and green manufacturing pathways are proposed, differentiated by the degree of radical/ incremental interests in innovation and sustainable advantage types. Third, the study highlights that the achievement of NZE by SDGs may be possible only by adopting digital technologies and high-level integration of lean and green

The relationship between lean construction and sustainability

Mentalidade enxuta e a sustentabilidade aplicadas à construção possuem como objetivo, respectivamente, mitigar desperdícios produtivos e diminuir os impactos negativos do setor. Pesquisas recentes afirmam que a aplicação em conjunto dos dois conceitos pode gerar interações e sinergias. O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de identificar como a construção enxuta e a sustentabilidade se relacionam e descrever esse relacionamento por seus pontos sinérgicos, pelas interações negativas e por outros conhecimentos relevantes. Para isso, o método de revisão sistemática da literatura foi utilizado, e sua execução resultou na seleção de 59 artigos para análises bibliométricas e qualitativas. Os artigos foram agrupados e classificados em seis focos de estudo. Os resultados bibliométricos indicam que o tema ganhou importância nos últimos cinco anos, tendo os Estados Unidos e o Brasil como maiores contribuidores. Já a análise qualitativa indica que a relação entre as abordagens é sinérgica, principalmente no sentido da construção enxuta para a sustentabilidade, e que a relação pode se fortalecer pelo alinhamento de conceitos de valor e desperdício. Conclui-se que, apesar de já existirem casos de integração de práticas e ferramentas, ainda há necessidade de estudos para o aprofundamento no tema18191109Lean thinking and sustainability applied to construction are aimed, respectively, at mitigating waste and reducing the negative impacts of the sector. Recent studies claim that the joint application of the two concepts can generate interactions and synergies. This study aims to identify how lean construction and sustainability relate to each other, as well as to describe this relationship through its synergistic points, negative interactions and other relevant knowledge. For this purpose, the method of systematic literature review was adopted, resulting in the selection of 59 articles for bibliometric and qualitative analysis. The articles were grouped and classified into 6 study foci. The bibliometric results indicate that the theme has gained importance in the last five years, with the United States and Brazil as major contributors. The qualitative analysis indicates that the relationship between the approaches is synergic, mainly from lean construction to sustainability, and that the relationship can be strengthened by the alignment of the concepts of value and waste. The conclusion of the study is that, although there are already cases of integration of practices and tools, there is still need for studies to deepen the knowledge on the subjec

Embodied carbon mitigation and reduction in the built environment – What does the evidence say?

Of all industrial sectors, the built environment puts the most pressure on the natural environment, and in spite of significant efforts the International Energy Agency suggests that buildings-related emissions are on track to double by 2050. Whilst operational energy efficiency continues to receive significant attention by researchers, a less well-researched area is the assessment of embodied carbon in the built environment in order to understand where the greatest opportunities for its mitigation and reduction lie. This article approaches the body of academic knowledge on strategies to tackle embodied carbon (EC) and uses a systematic review of the available evidence to answer the following research question: how should we mitigate and reduce EC in the built environment? 102 journal articles have been reviewed systematically in the fields of embodied carbon mitigation and reduction, and life cycle assessment. In total, 17 mitigation strategies have been identified from within the existing literature which have been discussed through a meta-analysis on available data. Results reveal that no single mitigation strategy alone seems able to tackle the problem; rather, a pluralistic approach is necessary. The use of materials with lower EC, better design, an increased reuse of EC-intensive materials, and stronger policy drivers all emerged as key elements for a quicker transition to a low carbon built environment. The meta-analysis on 77 LCAs also shows an extremely incomplete and short-sighted approach to life cycle studies. Most studies only assess the manufacturing stages, often completely overlooking impacts occurring during the occupancy stage and at the end of life of the building. The LCA research community have the responsibility to address such shortcomings and work towards more complete and meaningful assessments

Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities

The current production and consumption models of building materials are causing severe environmental and social problems worldwide. In this sense, construction and demolition waste (C&DW) are part of the problem and can be part of the solution, particularly in developing countries where the construction industry is growing very rapidly. Although many efforts have been made by stakeholders to increase the use of C&DW in construction materials, articulated efforts are required at global, national, and local scales to develop truly sustainable construction sectors. Therefore, this e-book, which is based on the “Special Issue on Construction and Demolition Waste: Challenges and Opportunities”, is an effort to articulate knowledge on novel and innovative building materials using C&DW and management systems to develop circular economy models (CE) for the construction sector. In this e-book, it is concluded that even though the valorization of C&DW has been developed worldwide, more incentives need to be provided to really convert the local and national construction chains in sustainable sectors, which appropriate the circular economy for production and consumption systems that imrpove, at the least, efficiency in terms of materials, water and energy use

Integration of environmental sustainability and lean thinking applied at construction sites

Orientador: Flávio Augusto PicchiDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Civil, Arquitetura e UrbanismoResumo: O setor da construção é reconhecido há muitas décadas por sua importância econômica e social em qualquer parte do mundo. Nele a sustentabilidade ambiental e a mentalidade enxuta são dois dos principais norteadores. Suas aplicações em canteiros de obras são importantes para que se possa construir com menos impactos ambientais e com maior geração de valor para os clientes. Há alguns anos, pesquisadores indicam a existência de interfaces positivas entre as aplicações dos dois conceitos na construção. Em outros setores, como o da manufatura, a aplicação integrada dessas duas abordagens já é realizada e proporciona sinergias entre os objetivos da sustentabilidade ambiental e da mentalidade enxuta. Já no setor da construção, há pesquisas que indicam que a interação entre os conceitos e a aplicação em canteiro de obras também existe, mas ainda é superficial a sua discussão. Tendo em vista essa lacuna de pesquisa, define-se como objetivo deste trabalho propor diretrizes para a integração da aplicação da mentalidade enxuta e da sustentabilidade ambiental em canteiros de obras. Para alcançar este objetivo, o método utilizado foi o de estudo de casos múltiplos. Três empresas construtoras que aplicam práticas ambientais e ferramentas enxutas em seus canteiros foram selecionadas para o estudo. Definiu-se como fonte de evidência para coleta de dados: análise de documentação, entrevistas semiestruturadas e observação direta. Os resultados encontrados evidenciam que a relação entre a sustentabilidade ambiental e a mentalidade enxuta em canteiros é sinérgica nos níveis conceitual e aplicado. Também mostram que aspectos estratégicos, organizacionais e culturais relacionam-se diretamente com a difusão e sustentação da integração das abordagens em empresas construtoras. A partir das análises e dos resultados encontrados, o trabalho possui como principal contribuição a criação de um conjunto de diretrizes de integração que proporcionam, ao setor da construção e aos pesquisadores, um norte para a união da sustentabilidade ambiental e da mentalidade enxuta aplicada a canteiros de obrasAbstract: The construction industry is recognized because of its economic and social importance in any part of the world. In this sector, environmental sustainability and lean thinking are two of the main drivers. Its applications in construction sites are important so that projects can built with less environmental impacts and with greater generation of value for the clients. Since a few years ago, researchers indicate the existence of positive interfaces between the applications of the two concepts in construction. In other sectors, such as manufacturing, the integrated application of these two approaches is already in place and provides synergies between the goals of environmental sustainability and lean thinking. In the construction sector, there is research that indicates that the interaction between these concepts and their applications in construction sites also exists, however the discussion about the integration in construction sites is still superficial. In view of this research gap, the objective of this work is to propose guidelines for integrating lean thinking and environmental sustainability applied in construction sites. To reach this goal, the method used was the multiple case study. Three construction companies that apply environmental practices and lean tools in their sites were selected for the study. It was defined as sources of evidence for data collection: documentation analysis, semi-structured interviews and direct observation. The results show that the relationship between environmental sustainability and lean thinking in construction sites is synergistic at the conceptual and applied levels. They also show that strategic, organizational and cultural aspects are directly related to the diffusion and sustainability of the integration of the approaches in construction companies. Based on the results, the main contribution of the work is the creation of a set of integration guidelines that provide the construction sector and researchers with a common ground for the union of environmental sustainability and lean thinking in construction sitesMestradoConstruçãoMestre em Engenharia Civil01-P-01879-2016CAPE