Stakeholder Analysis For Smart City Development Project: An Extensive Literature Review

The current trend in urban planning has been evolved for developing the cities smart. Smart city concept directs urban development in to a strategic path to achieve sustainability in urban development. The understanding made up on the concept of smart city within any region would be fruitful to review in this nature. Similarly, the various stakeholders who would influence and contribute on smart city development projects are profound to identify in order to make the project success. As previous researches denoted, a timely and effective consultation of relevant stakeholders is of paramount importance for the success of any project. In line of thinking, this research was aimed to conduct a stakeholder analysis through a comprehensive literature review. Thirty one (31) key literature projects were obtained from recognised research databases and were critically reviewed to identify the internal and external project stakeholders of smart city development projects. As the key findings, the concept of smart city was first recognised. Secondly, academia and research institutions, local and regional administrations, financial suppliers/investors, energy suppliers, ICT sector representatives, citizens, government, property developers, non-profit organisations, planners, policy makers, experts and scientists, political institutions and media were identified as key internal and external stakeholders of a smart city development project. The key research findings were presented through a conceptual framework. The developed framework could be utilised as a basis to analyse the different influences and contributions of stakeholders of smart city development projects in any context

Adopting the Zero Waste Concept for Eliminating C&D Waste in the Construction Industry

Construction industry is one of the key economic players in any region, where Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste generation occurs due to continuous construction and demolition activities. The C&D waste mainly comprises cement, timber, brick, concrete, aluminium, tile, steel, plastic, polythene, paper, and cardboard. Such wastes have led to several environmental, economic, and social issues over the past years. Therefore, C&D waste management is considered as a persuasive matter that needs to address, and hence, the “Zero Waste” concept has emerged as a solution to eliminate the C&D waste. Zero waste is the elimination of waste at the source and throughout the construction activity. Accordingly, implementation of the Zero waste concept in the construction industry helps to optimise the use of natural resources, reduce environmental issues and to promote sustainability. However, only limited studies are available on zero waste management in the construction industry, and hence the present study aims to investigate the adoption of zero waste concept to eliminate C&D waste in developing countries. The paper outcomes based on a comprehensive literature review and the significant findings of this research paper are the recognition of strategies, enablers, and barriers to adopting zero waste concept in the construction industry

Value of sustainable use of water in construction industry

Water is abundantly available and precisely vital. However, water is a finite resource and finding freshwater is a global issue for many countries at present and the same problem faced by many others in near future. The construction industry causes significant environmental stress and environment pollution in many ways. Water is one of the resources being polluted and wasted. However, its value and importance are not realized by the stakeholders in construction sector. Basically, construction work cannot be started without water. Yet, water is one of the lesser acknowledged surprisingly by the construction sector, compared to significant effort focused on reducing energy consumption. More importantly, water is also a longer- term consequence dimension for sustainable development. Although, water is an asset for the construction sector, unfortunately, the value of water in construction project is remaining mostly unknown. Therefore, it is worth to devise a framework to provide best practice guideline to promote sustainable use of water in construction. Since the research is at the initial stage, the paper explores the significant gaps identified through literature review and findings of preliminary survey conducted among the industry experts. Literature highlighted, water handling in construction is one of the significant areas required to be looked at and identifying the process and activities that consume more water,the extent of quantity required and also best practices for reducing water consumption during the construction is essential. Moreover, it was found that little attention had been given by previous researchers to identify the importance of water in the construction stage. As found from preliminary survey, lack of understanding of how water is used and how water is wasted are major challenges faced by the industry and suggested to have proper guidelines specific to water conservation for construction work

APPLICATION OF MODULAR COORDINATION CONCEPT IN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: A CASE OF MATERIAL MANAGEMENT PROCESS IN SRI LANKA

The construction industry plays a major role in country‘s economic growth. Providing efficient service and quality output are the major challenges that are often faced by the industry. Unnecessary cost and wastages always occur while handling construction projects. It was identified off- cuts from cutting materials and other design considerations are the main causes of waste generation. Modular Coordination (MC) is found to be an essential concept in minimum on-site modification and materials wastage. The objectives of this research were to investigate the existing practice of the use of MC, its benefits, implications and application in the material management process in terms of building industry. The objectives were comprehended by a comprehensive literature search, questionnaire survey and semi structured interviews among architects and contractors. Severity Index technique and Kendall's Concordance test methods were used to analyze the questionnaire. The results revealed that the application of MC is very poor in local construction industry and it is not up to the required standard. Glass and tiles are identified as the most suitable materials for applying MC. Though, there are different perceptions, the results suggested, MC facilitates sustainable benefits towards waste minimizations and increases efficiency of productivity in the construction industry. Further, it would be more successful through a good collaboration among each party including manufacturers/suppliers.   Key words: Construction, Materials management, Modular Co-ordination, Wastage For full paper: [email protected]

How construction sector responds to the economic recession identification of adverse effects and sustainable responsiveness

The construaion industry is a significant source if income generation to tbe economy contributing more tban 9% if the CDP in Sri LAnka. Tbus, the construction industry is concurred a direct positive correlation with the cycfical nature if tbe economy resulted in a stagnation during the economic recession. In general, practitioners adopt various strategies in response to a recession to realize firms' continued existence and development. However, the current responsiveness to mitigate adverse effects identzfied became reactive tubicb onlY considers the sbort-termism. Hence, tbe recession responsiveness must be aligned with the sustainabilzty for a long term proactive implication. Therefore, this research study aims to assess the adverse effects and the sustainable responsiveness dun'ng the recession. The research gap uias then approached through a questionnaire survry among construction practitioners to gather ordinal data on criticalness if adverse effects and appropnateness if recession responsiveness. Then, the research iuas concluded by extracting appropriateness if adopting sustainable responsiveness to mitigate adverse effects. The analysis derived cost control strategies have given more sustainable responsiveness supersedes the other strategies. Thus, it is recommended to be an/are if the recession rather beware

A Hybrid solar-wind energy generation approach for Sri Lanka

The escalation of global energy demand has enhanced the interest on renewable energy technologies worldwide. The reliance of a single energy source has become problematic, and hybrid renewable energy technology has been identified as a feasible solution. Producing energy to limitless increasing demand is a challenging issue faced by Sri Lanka nowadays. Although, there are some studies carried out for renewable energy systems, solar-wind based hybrid renewable systems is an understudied area in Sri Lankan context. Hence, this paper aims to explore the applicability of hybrid solar-wind renewable energy generation approach for Sri Lanka. The study follows a qualitative approach with semi structured interviews from eight industrial experts, and manual content analysis technique was used for data analysis. The paper discussed the current installation practices of solar and wind technologies, applicability of hybrid solar and wind renewable energy systems and national level contribution for hybrid systems. Finally, a validated model was proposed to implement hybrid renewable energy generation systems for Sri Lanka

Contribution of building management system towards sustainable built environment

The biggest challenge faced by the community is controlling and monitoring the performance of built environment facilities in a sustainable way. From this dimension, effective use of Building Management System (BMS) in the built environment is representing a significant strategy in relation to economic, environment and social perspectives. Higher energy efficiency, lower operating and maintenance costs, better indoor air quality, greater occupant comfort and productivity are the major achievements of a successful BMS. Therefore, at present it is so evident that, many organizations are enhtuastic to allocatea substantial investment, inorder to, install, commissioning, operation and maintenance of BMS. However, to obtain the optimum use of BMS is still challenging among the building users. Thus, the requirement of developing a framework for functionality of BMS is essential in order to gain maximum benefits through operating building automation and control systems. The aim of the paper is to investigate the contribution of BMS in achieving a sustainable built environment. The findings are achieved through conducting literature and documentary review available in the built environment andanalyzing green building rating systems to find out the input of BMS towards sustainable built envionemnt. Therfore, comparative study conducted between LEED, BREEAM and GreenSLrating systems. Based on the findings, theoretical framework was developed to facilitate contribution of BMS in sustainable development. Moreover, the paper is engaged in analysisngthe credit contribution of BMS in order to gain the green rating certification

Adopting the Zero Waste Concept for Eliminating C&D Waste in the Construction Industry

Construction industry is one of the key economic players in any region, where Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste generation occurs due to continuous construction and demolition activities. The C&D waste mainly comprises cement, timber, brick, concrete, aluminium, tile, steel, plastic, polythene, paper, and cardboard. Such wastes have led to several environmental, economic, and social issues over the past years. Therefore, C&D waste management is considered as a persuasive matter that needs to address, and hence, the “Zero Waste” concept has emerged as a solution to eliminate the C&D waste. Zero waste is the elimination of waste at the source and throughout the construction activity. Accordingly, implementation of the Zero waste concept in the construction industry helps to optimise the use of natural resources, reduce environmental issues and to promote sustainability. However, only limited studies are available on zero waste management in the construction industry, and hence the present study aims to investigate the adoption of zero waste concept to eliminate C&D waste in developing countries. The paper outcomes based on a comprehensive literature review and the significant findings of this research paper are the recognition of strategies, enablers, and barriers to adopting zero waste concept in the construction industry

3R.6R EXTENDEDWATER HIERARCHYMODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE USE OFWATER DURING CONSTRUCTION

There is a broad consensus in literature that effective utilisation of natural resources in any industry greatly influences sustainability of built environment. Hence, better management strategies of water began to emerge in all sectors; thus, different dimensions are in need to assess different industries. With this scenario, water sustainability on construction sites is one significant area, which demands the attention of construction stakeholders. Today many construction projects survive on potable water, and many strategies are available that can reduce the amount of water consumed by the construction industry. Water hierarchy is one strategy proposed for construction sites to reduce potable water consumption and encourage alternative water sources within the site. Literature and preliminary interviews further support identification of new 3R principles: Regulations, Responsibility, and Rewards that can influence on better water management on construction sites. Therefore, purpose of this paper is to examine the applicability and implementation of 3R principles in conjunction with six stages (6R) of water hierarchy to improve efficient water use on construction projects in Sri Lanka. The study adopted triangulation convergence mixed method approach, and data collection involved case studies and a structured survey. Qualitative data is presented as narratives and quotations while quantitative data is presented as descriptive statistics. The results revealed that all factors were considered as ‘applicable’ and the possibility of implementing them on construction sites. Reuse and recycle were identified as the least applicable, and are rarely practised on sites, if it is not initially identified as a mandatory process. Experience and commitment of individual staff and costs are identified as important drivers on implication of each 9R principle. New 3R principles were recognised as supportive policies to implement all six existing stages of water hierarchy. Finally, the paper discusses the extended water hierarchy model developed for construction industry