IT Management of Building Materials’ Planning and Control Processes Using Web-Based Technologies

Mismanagement of building materials has constantly plagued the construction industry resulting in issues of cost overrun, delay, high levels of construction waste, wastefulness, project abandonment, climate change etc. The purpose of the research is to examine an IT management of building materials’ planning and control processes using web-based technologies. The study made use of a desktop review of literature and a case diagram to illustrate the various interactions involved in the use of an IT system. A framework of drivers and barriers that affect the use of web-based technologies in planning and control of building materials in order to be able to achieve IT management by Construction Managers and construction firm’s head office was developed. In conclusion, the study developed a framework of a web-based material planning and control system for construction project delivery that engenders openness, transparency and accountability in the management of building materials on construction sites

Development of an Alumni Feedback System for Curriculum Improvement in Building Technology Courses

In this fast-paced world, the needs of the world of work and the global market is changing at an unprecedented speed. Therefore, institutions of higher learning need to constantly adjust their programs to fit into these needs. The study aimed to develop an alumni feedback system for curriculum improvement in Building Technology courses. The study highlighted the benefits of an alumni feedback system compared to a manual questionnaire method or other methods of curriculum improvement. The web-based system was designed through use case and system block diagrams. Thereafter, the webbased system was programmed using HTML, CSS, MySQL and PHP. Screenshots of the web-based system was presented. The alumni feedback system comprises of background information of the alumni, perception test on the impact of the course content and a review of the course content for curriculum improvement. Since this is a preliminary study, future studies would be based on analyzing data obtained in the database in terms of the numerical and text data. This study can be adapted for other programmes for the purpose of curriculum improvement

Statistical exploration of dataset examining key indicators influencing housing and urban infrastructure investments in megacities

Lagos, by the UN standards, has attained the megacity status, with the attendant challenges of living up to that titanic position; regrettably it struggles with its present stock of housing and infrastructural facilities to match its new status. Based on a survey of construction professionals’ perception residing within the state, a questionnaire instrument was used to gather the dataset. The statistical exploration contains dataset on the state of housing and urban infrastructural deficit, key indicators spurring the investment by government to upturn the deficit and improvement mechanisms to tackle the infrastructural dearth. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to present the dataset. The dataset when analyzed can be useful for policy makers, local and international governments, world funding bodies, researchers and infrastructural investor

Construction Waste Prevention as a Sustainable tool in Building Mega Cities: A Theoretical Framework

In building of mega cities, the construction industry is contributing to alarming volumes of construction materials waste being generated causing an imbalance in the world’s ecosystem. The study developed a framework for construction waste prevention strategies as a sustainable tool in building mega cities. Using content analysis of various literatures reviewed,the study developed a framework for preventing waste generation in construction projects in mega cities. In the building of present and future mega cities, there is need to submit mandatory construction waste prevention strategies as part of the contract documentation to the client, client representatives and the town planning authorities in order to build liveable and sustainable cities

Development of a Web-Based Human Resource Sourcing System for Labour Only Contracts

Nowadays in some areas of Nigeria, it has been noticed that the search for a satisfactory team of labourers (skilled and unskilled) or even the right amount of people to undertake the job has become a laborious activity. Therefore, there is need to build a two-way partnership system linking construction firms with the required skilled labour and vice versa. The aim of this research is to develop a web-based human resource sourcing system for labour only contracts. The study made use of a questionnaire instrument and developed a web-based interface for skilled labour sourcing. The questionnaire was distributed to fifty (50) construction professionals who were selected through a convenience sampling technique. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS v.21. The design of the system was done using hypertext markup language (HTML) for authoring web pages. The study revealed that contractors’ sourcing techniques for skilled labour on construction projects were mostly by referral from colleagues and workers from past projects. The study identified the major barriers in sourcing for skilled labour on construction projects as the unavailability of trained skilled labour. The study revealed that years of experience, wages charged and behavior of the worker were major criteria considered while sourcing for skilled labour on construction projects. In conclusion, the study developed a web based human resource sourcing system for labour only contracts that incorporated the needs of the skilled labour and requirement of construction firms. It was recommended that construction professionals and contractors need to harness the benefits of web-based technologies. In addition, there is need to increase the information and communication technology (ICT) trainings of workers in the construction industry so has to have a successful integration of ICT and the construction industry

Assessing South African Construction Worker’s Knowledge of Modern Technologies for Effective Material Management

Material management is a matter of concern for construction stakeholders in South Africa.  ICT is the way forward for all sectors upon which the economy thrives both in the national and international level. Incorporating modern technologies will lead to effective material management. However, the level of awareness of modern technologies among South African construction stakeholders needs to be assessed. The study adopted a quantitative approach where questionnaires were administered to professionals in the South African construction industry. Descriptive statistics tools were used to analyse the gathered data. Findings showed that construction stakeholders in South Africa are aware of modern technologies for effective management. The tools according to the level of awareness are Microsoft programs, barcoding, RFID, construction materials planning systems and materials handling equipment selection advisor. Also, the level of importance of these tools according to Stakeholders in South African Construction industry are Microsoft programmes, Barcoding, RFID, materials handling equipment selection advisor, construction materials exchange and construction materials planning system. Therefore, it is evident that there is still unyielding to recent technological move in the construction industry, which may be preventing the progressive growth. It is imperative to indulge modern technologies to counter this problem which in turn help effective material management

Web-based material requisition system in the supply chain of construction businesses

In the construction project delivery process, the supply chain of construction businesses can only be efficient and effective based on the prompt availability of building materials. Whereas, the process of requisition for the materials on the construction site, if not handled appropriately, can adversely affect construction performance. Therefore, the study was aimed at developing a web-based material requisition system (W-BMRS) that will make the supply chain on construction sites seamless and more effective. A use case and an activity block diagram provided an understanding of the users and functionalities of the material requisition platform. In addition, using a different user interface and a database system including a programming language to connect them, the study developed a web-based material requisition system for construction firms using the model view controller (MVC) model. The MVC model comprised of using MySQL, HTML, and PHP. The W-BMRS was tested by sending materials requisition through the supply chain of a construction firm. The results were presented via screenshots of the web-based platform. In conclusion, any construction firm can register on the platform and make use of the web-based materials requisition system to maximize productivity and optimize the use of ICT in their materials’ supply chain process

THE ECONOMICS OF CLOUD-BASED COMPUTING TECHNOLOGIES IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECT DELIVERY

The construction industry is a very traditional sector, albeit one that is embracing new technology faster now than at any time in its past. The purpose of the research is to assess the economics of cloud-based computing technologies in construction project delivery. The study made use of a cross-sectional survey through a questionnaire instrument distributed to construction stakeholders. The surveyed sample size represent a 58% response rate. Statistical tools of Stacked Bars and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) were used to present the result. The study identified the cloud-based services mostly used by construction stakeholders. The study revealed that economic benefits such as knowledge sharing, remote access of back-office activities and collaboration among construction stakeholders are evident while utilizing cloud-based computing technologies. Although, there are many benefits to the use of this technology, the study identified fear of security and data privacy, poor/slow connection to the internet, lack of physical control and costly data subscription as major threats to the efficient and effective use of cloud-based computing technologies in the construction delivery process

QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DRIVERS OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN MEGACITIES

The exponential growth in the world population, coupled with the high ruralurban migration is leading to the graduation of ordinary cities to Megacities. With the status of mega-cities comes their special need in terms of housing and other urban development infrastructures. The study aimed to carry out a quantitative analysis of socio-economic drivers of housing and urban development projects in Megacities. The research design used a cross-sectional survey through a questionnaire instrument.Out of two hundred (200) questionnaires distributed to policy makers and construction professionals employed in government agencies, a total of one hundred and fifty seven (157) questionnaires were retrieved. Using Statistical tools of Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Categorical Regression the Housing and Urban Development project crucial for the sustenance of Megacities were grouped while the socio-economic drivers that engender investment towards housing and urban development projects were identified. It is important that population growth in megacities are properly controlled as to forestall pressure on available infrastructures. Politics and the supply of necessary housing and urban development projects should not mix, as they are separate entities. In project financing, government should intensify adequate taxation policies to effectively fund different classes of housing and urban development projects in megacities

CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS’ PERCEPTION OF A WEB-BASED RECRUITING SYSTEM FOR SKILLED LABOUR

Globally, the construction industry is experiencing shortage of skilled labour to handle most of its construction projects. There is the need to develop a two-way collaborative technology that adequately connects the available skilled labour to the construction projects where they are needed and vice versa in order to reduce the shortage. By harnessing the strength of web-based technologies, this study intended to evaluate construction professionals’ perception of a web-based recruiting system for skilled labour. The study developed a web-based recruiting system using CSS, HTML, Javascript and MyQSL. System block design and a use case diagram was used to model the web-based systems which are presented in screen shots in this study. A total of one hundred (100) structured questionnaires were distributed to construction professionals in the attitudinal survey on the developed web-based system. The data obtained was analysed and presented using SPSS v21. Statistical tools such as stacked bars, mean score, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Kruskall Wallis test were utilized. Based on the designed web-based platform, the study revealed that in recruiting skilled labour for construction projects, construction professional are mostly concerned with having the sufficient number of skilled labour which are readily available to the site location, properly screened and obtained through a low-cost recruiting process in order to improve their competitive advantage in the construction industry. The study identified lack of knowledge about using a web-based system, low IT training among skilled labour and inaccurate information supplied by worker as major drawbacks to using a web-based system for sourcing for skilled labour. The study revealed that there was a statistically significant difference in the drawbacks to the use of web-based recruiting system for sourcing for skilled labour among the construction professionals. The study recommended that there is need to increase ICT trainings among construction professionals and its ancillary stakeholders in order to utilize new innovative ICT tools in the construction industry. Innovative ICT tools can be used to complement traditional methods in use in the construction industry so as to enhance the delivery of construction projects