An interdisciplinary perspective of conflict and relationships in construction procurement and logistics

Due to the construction industry’s eagerness to lifting adversarial trends and realising the benefits of good relationships, the current research intends to investigate the construct of relationship quality in construction projects; especially in the event of a conflict. An interdisciplinary construct is derived using a three step methodology and wide range of theories from a comprehensive literature review. These theories range from relational marketing to relational contracting and construction project management. A conflict process model is used to outline the association of conflict and relationship quality in construction projects. Concepts such as psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, resource availability, aligned-commitment, teamwork, performance satisfaction and trust are attributed to relationship quality. An interdisciplinary construct with antecedents, core attributes and outcomes are achieved. Conflict is demonstrated as a potential antecedent of relationship quality. Finally, moderating factors such as actions and strategies, some of which could be used in conflict management are identified as moderators of relationship quality. By identifying and mapping all the possible components in relationship quality, its different constructs and potential interactions can be recognised. This is extremely important in future investigations of relationship quality in relation to construction project issues and traning project teams. The choices of components for the construct are extracted from existing literature; however other components may be of effect which are not included and explored in the future. The model can be used to achieve project integration goals and joint problem solving strategies

Investigation into the Factors Affecting Costs of Earthquake Damage Repair Work

New Zealand is a nation prone to earthquakes. It is widely documented that continuous seismic activity can lead to the devastation of buildings and infrastructure. After such events, the strategy adopted by building owners on their decision of repair or rebuild has been based on independent professional assessments undertaken by engineers and builders as well as estimated repair costs budgeted by costing experts. There are currently some basic models available that pre-estimate the repair costs for earthquake damaged structures. These include the following probability based models; PACT, SLAT and SP3. However, research has identified that there are other factors affecting the repair costs associated with earthquake damaged buildings which are not entirely covered by these models. Document analysis, semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey has been conducted to identify and verify the above mentioned factors affecting repair costs of earthquake damaged buildings. These factors have been analysed and integrated into a theoretical cost estimation model which is represented as a poster. This theoretical model will be further developed into an actual cost estimation model as part of a PhD research project

Study of a ventilated prototype structure

Creating a computer model that is able to simulate different ventilation scenarios within a structure is essential for improving the understanding of passive designs that are both sustainable and environmentally acceptable. The purpose of this investigation was to build a prototype model that could be heated from both the outside and inside to duplicate an occupied structure during the morning hours. Two Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) models were created for this study to firstly compare and then validate results obtained from experimental data. This computer-based component consisted of approximately 20% of the overall investigation. The modelling program called FLUENT (version 6.0.12) was chosen. The geometry was created using a computer program called GAMBIT (version 2.0.4). The simulated outcome was made possible only after the analysis of experimental results was implemented to establish part of the boundary conditions. The findings enabled a better scientific understanding of how a structure's thermal performance can be improved by mechanically forcing air (to simulate outside wind) inside to both lower and create an overall more uniform internal air temperature distribution

Earthquake Damage Repair Loss Estimation in New Zealand: What Other Variables Are Essential Based on Experts’ Opinions?

Major earthquakes can cause extensive damage to buildings and alter both the natural and built environments. Accurately estimating the financial impact from these events is complex, and the damage is not always visible to the naked eye. PACT, SLAT, and HAZUS are some of the computer-based tools designed to predict probable damage before an earthquake. However, there are no identifiable models built for post-earthquake use. This paper focuses on verifying the significance and usage of variables that specifically need to be considered for the post-earthquake cost estimation of earthquake damage repair work (CEEDRW). The research was conducted using a questionnaire survey involving 92 participants who have experience in cost estimating earthquake damage repair work in New Zealand. The Weighted Average, Relative Importance Index (RII), and Exploratory Factor Analysis were used to analyse the data. The research verified that eleven major variables that are significant to the CEEDRW and should be incorporated to cost estimation models. Verified variables can be used to develop a post-earthquake repair cost estimation tool and can be used to improve the pre-earthquake loss prediction tools