Paving the Road for Sustainable Construction in Developing Countries: A Study of the Jordanian Construction Industry

There is an increasing pressure on governments of developing economies to support sustainable construction procurement. In exploring this issue, this research asks three related questions: (1) how is sustainable procurement perceived in developing economies, (2) how can government regulation influence its application, and (3) what is the role of performance measurement in stimulating sustainable procurement practices? Answers are sought via an investigation exploring the underlying issues and challenges facing the construction industry of a developing country looking to address sustainable procurement. Using primary and secondary data sources, this research presents a case study of the Jordanian construction industry. Findings show that whilst sustainable procurement practices are promoted, it is still in its infancy - in part due to ineffective procurement frameworks and a lack of performance measurement. Current government regulations and policies are identified as an underlying cause, discouraging the development and adoption of sustainable procurement methods. As the Jordanian construction industry shares characteristics with other developing economies, it is expected that the findings of this paper will be of interest to professionals in those construction industries attempting to initiate sustainable procurement via performance measurement

KINEMATIC VARIATIONS BETWEEN SWIMMING STROKES WITH EYESIGHT DEPRIVATION

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not swimming eyesight deprivation (SED) affects swimming stroke kinematics, when compared to normal eyesight. Sixteen participants, 12 male and 4 female, swam under three conditions: normal swimming, SED seeing the target, and SED without seeing the target. Data were captured using two Sony digital video cameras, placed perpendicular to the sagittal plane of swimming strokes, and behind the starting point of the swimmers. Stroke length (SL), stroke rate (SR), stroke index (SI), mean time (MT), and mean velocity (MV) were measured. Although swimmers deviated from a straight line, no significance kinematic differences were found between the three swimming conditions

Issues of construction health and safety in developing countries: a case of Jordan

The construction industry is widely regarded as one of the most significant interms of its impact on health and safety (H&S). Recent findings suggestthat in developing countries H&S awareness and performance is low. In this paper,the current state of H&S on construction sites in Jordan was explored usinga two-part investigation. The first part introduces the area of research in aliterature based study of on-site safety. The second part is a case study onthe Jordanian construction industry and its current H&S practices. Primary datawas collected from field visits, expert interviews and semi-structuredquestionnaires. Supporting secondary data was collected from archival studiesand related research literature. The research findings highlight a lack of governmentcommitment exemplified by regulations, policies and legal constraints thatlimit the operational efficiency of those government departments responsiblefor H&S management, and hindering the development of good H&S practice.Research results also highlight the key constraints of good H&S practice fromthe perspective of construction contractors.The study concludes with discussion ofpotential solutions toimprove H&S performance on construction sites in Jordan

Job stress, job burnout and safety performance in the Palestinian construction industry

Purpose – The purposes of this paper are to identify the most significant job-related stressors that influence construction project professionals’ safety, identify the form of stresses and job burnout experienced by construction professionals and investigate the impact of stress and job burnout on safety performance from the perception of construction project professionals in the Gaza Strip construction industry. Construction is characterized as a stressful industry, which influences the safety performance of construction personnel, especially when the stress transfers into burnout. Design/methodology/approach – The views of a variety of construction professionals operating in Gaza Strip were sought using a questionnaire survey. Project managers, project coordinators and site engineers were targeted. Of the 45 questionnaires distributed, 33 were returned. Data were

Assessment of Operational Maintenance in Public Hospitals Buildings in the Gaza Strip

The issue of public hospitals buildings’ maintenance in Palestine is regarded as a challenging issue. The lack of attention to maintenance management in hospitals has led to deterioration of buildings and reduced the health care services. The aim of this paper is to assess the current practice of maintenance process and management in public hospitals buildings in the Gaza Strip. A questionnaire survey that distributed to 13 public hospitals, which are administered by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in the Gaza Strip, was used to collect the primary data for this study. The results of this study present an overview of the current situation of the maintenance process in public hospitals buildings in the Gaza Strip. The findings indicated that while the corrective maintenance is implemented in all the 13 public hospitals, preventive maintenance is employed along with corrective maintenance, only in three hospitals. In addition, the findings indicated variances in responding to maintenance requests, while 50% of the maintenance departments took few hours to respond to maintenance requests, the rest took a few days to respond, this can be explained due to lack of spare parts and qualified staff. The study showed also that there is a shortage in training the hospital facility’s users on how to report maintenance problems. The results of this study indicated that most hospitals in the Gaza Strip have no maintenance plan for medical equipment; they do not have quality control system for repair and preventive maintenance. It is recommended to employ experience maintenance staff in order to prepare adequate maintenance plan and detailed check list, which is required for preventive maintenance. The MoH should organize specialized training courses in maintenance management for their staff in order to improve their effectiveness and efficiency. Hospitals in Gaza should make sure that all spare parts available in their storages for immediate action when required

Studying the Benefits of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry in the Gaza Strip

The objective of this study is to identify and evaluate the potential benefits of using BIM in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry in Gaza Strip, Palestine. A questionnaire survey was utilized and distributed to 270 construction professionals. Data were analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The results revealed the forming of four components (ie, four factor structures) of BIM benefits; those are:(i) life cycle cost control and environmental issues,(ii) effective construction process,(iii) design and quality improvement and (iv) decision-making support. The results show that the most important individual BIM benefits among the main four components are: improving management and operation of buildings, controlling the whole life cycle cost, reducing change orders, increasing coordination between contract parties, improving communication, improving safety, improving quality and improving

A Design Framework for Researching Collaborative Learning Environments

Despite the increasing use of communication and social media technologies in higher education teaching environments, and an extensive literature describing the potential of using technology in teaching, there is limited empirical literature demonstrating that technology enhances learning. The widespread adoption of some Web 2.0 and other mature technologies in education creates an opportunity to extend current research by identifying relationships between these technologies and pedagogically informed interactions within a Community of Inquiry. In this research, we propose a conceptual framework linking educational pedagogy, technological support of learning interactions, and emergent teaching, social and cognitive presences, which are linked with learning outcomes. This framework grounds discussion of the future design and evaluation of a prototype Collaborative Learning Environment based on the proposed interactions. Additional future research based on this framework is discussed

The effect of polymer materials on the fracture characteristics of high performance concrete (HPC)

Compared with most construction materials, concrete is considered as a brittle material, and its brittleness increases with the compressive strength. For super-high-strength concrete, failure can be sudden, explosive and disastrous. Also the tensile strength is not proportionally increased. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on the brittleness of concrete in order to establish parameters for assessing the brittleness, find ways to improve the brittleness and tensile strength, and eventually design and manufacture concrete materials with high strength and low brittleness. In this study, strengthening and toughening effects of polymer materials on the high performance concrete (HPC) were investigated. The HPC was manufactured using ordinary Class 52.5 N Portland cement, silica fume and superplasticizer. The adopted polymers included the styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR) latex, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) with contents of 1.5%, 3% and 5% in weight of cement content. The measured material and fracture properties included compressive and tensile strengths, modulus of rupture, Young’s modulus, fracture energy, fracture toughness and brittleness. The test results at 28 days indicate that the addition of 1.5% and 3% SBR, PVDC, LLDPE and HDPE into the HPC could largely improve the compressive strength by up to 15.7%, while the addition of 5% SBR, LLDPE and HDPE did not show any enhancement except for 5% PVDC which increased the compressive strength by 10.9%. The tensile strength was considerably increased for all dosages of polymers, with the maximum increases of 72.7% and 83.2% for 3% SBR and 1.5% LLDPE, respectively. The fracture energy were also enhanced by adding 1.5% SBR and all dosages of LLDPE, with a maximum increase of 24.3%, while there were no indications of enhancement for other dosages of polymers. The modulus of rupture, fracture toughness and Young’s modulus were not improved for lower dosages of polymers but slightly decreased for higher dosages. The brittleness decreased monotonically with increasing amount of LLDPE, but it increased with increasing amounts of SBR, PVDC and HDPE

The effect of polymer materials on the fracture characteristics of high performance concrete (HPC)

Compared with most construction materials, concrete is considered as a brittle material, and its brittleness increases with the compressive strength. For super-high-strength concrete, failure can be sudden, explosive and disastrous. Also the tensile strength is not proportionally increased. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out research on the brittleness of concrete in order to establish parameters for assessing the brittleness, find ways to improve the brittleness and tensile strength, and eventually design and manufacture concrete materials with high strength and low brittleness. In this study, strengthening and toughening effects of polymer materials on the high performance concrete (HPC) were investigated. The HPC was manufactured using ordinary Class 52.5 N Portland cement, silica fume and superplasticizer. The adopted polymers included the styrene-butadiene-rubber (SBR) latex, polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and high density polyethylene (HDPE) with contents of 1.5%, 3% and 5% in weight of cement content. The measured material and fracture properties included compressive and tensile strengths, modulus of rupture, Young’s modulus, fracture energy, fracture toughness and brittleness. The test results at 28 days indicate that the addition of 1.5% and 3% SBR, PVDC, LLDPE and HDPE into the HPC could largely improve the compressive strength by up to 15.7%, while the addition of 5% SBR, LLDPE and HDPE did not show any enhancement except for 5% PVDC which increased the compressive strength by 10.9%. The tensile strength was considerably increased for all dosages of polymers, with the maximum increases of 72.7% and 83.2% for 3% SBR and 1.5% LLDPE, respectively. The fracture energy were also enhanced by adding 1.5% SBR and all dosages of LLDPE, with a maximum increase of 24.3%, while there were no indications of enhancement for other dosages of polymers. The modulus of rupture, fracture toughness and Young’s modulus were not improved for lower dosages of polymers but slightly decreased for higher dosages. The brittleness decreased monotonically with increasing amount of LLDPE, but it increased with increasing amounts of SBR, PVDC and HDPE

Challenges to Community Participation in Gaza Strip Municipalities

Community participation in municipalities' decisions and long planning processes ensures their full engagement in determining their own developmental needs. Therefore, identifying the challenges for community participation is considered as a crucial aspect for successful governance and service delivery in the local municipalities of governments. The aim of this paper is to identify and assess the challenges to community participation in Gaza Strip municipalities in Palestine. Ten groups of challenges, which comprise 44 factors for community participation in Gaza Strip municipalities were identified from the literature review and modified according to the pilot study. A structured questionnaire survey was employed in this study. Relative Importance Index (RII) was used to determine the ranks of the main groups of challenges and its corresponding factors, followed by a parametric test that is analysis of variance (One-Way ANOVA) to test five developed hypotheses. The findings of this paper revealed that shortage of skills was the most significant challenge group to community participation.. The second most significant challenge group was the financial challenges. The third significant group of challenges to community participation was lack of interest and support due to limited support from city council and lack of transparency. The findings revealed agreement among all participants in the most significant challenges for community participation, with one exceptional, where there was disagreement on the rating the main groups of the challenges in terms of the population categories