Application of Lean Construction Principles to Enhance the Construction Performance and Flow

Lean thinking has now become a radical philosophy that has permeated and expanded in to several sectors other than just manufacturing. The concept of Lean thinking evolves the optimization of work flow related functions and the possible outcomes with its contribution to sustainable construction. Correspondingly, application of lean theories and principles in to construction sector has the potential to improve the quality of work, aggravate the function related effectiveness, minimize the cost components/ waste and increase the overall profit in both strategic and operational levels. Apparently, it appears that the lean techniques have immensely contributed for many possible cost reductions compared with the traditional project management techniques. However, few barriers for the implementation of lean principles are also on the contrary. The research aims to investigate the effects of Lean Construction applications while identifying the prevailing barriers related to the same. The research has exploited qualitative methods to explore the aforementioned research question. This paper presents an exploratory study from extent literature, predominantly based on a case study of a project management organisation whereas the arguments were strengthened and underpinned by the formation of a conceptual framework to explore the contribution of implementing lean construction techniques in sustainable construction. The research findings would ultimately help different stakeholders on applying lean theories in to practice

Critical analysis for big data studies in construction: significant gaps in knowledge

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the gaps and potential future research avenues in the big data research specifically in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopts systematic literature review (SLR) approach to observe and understand trends and extant patterns/themes in the big data analytics (BDA) research area particularly in construction-specific literature. Findings A significant rise in construction big data research is identified with an increasing trend in number of yearly articles. The main themes discussed were big data as a concept, big data analytical methods/techniques, big data opportunities – challenges and big data application. The paper emphasises “the implication of big data in to overall sustainability” as a gap that needs to be addressed. These implications are categorised as social, economic and environmental aspects. Research limitations/implications The SLR is carried out for construction technology and management research for the time period of 2007–2017 in Scopus and emerald databases only. Practical implications The paper enables practitioners to explore the key themes discussed around big data research as well as the practical applicability of big data techniques. The advances in existing big data research inform practitioners the current social, economic and environmental implications of big data which would ultimately help them to incorporate into their strategies to pursue competitive advantage. Identification of knowledge gaps helps keep the academic research move forward for a continuously evolving body of knowledge. The suggested new research avenues will inform future researchers for potential trending and untouched areas for research. Social implications Identification of knowledge gaps helps keep the academic research move forward for continuous improvement while learning. The continuously evolving body of knowledge is an asset to the society in terms of revealing the truth about emerging technologies. Originality/value There is currently no comprehensive review that addresses social, economic and environmental implications of big data in construction literature. Through this paper, these gaps are identified and filled in an understandable way. This paper establishes these gaps as key issues to consider for the continuous future improvement of big data research in the context of the construction industry

Investigating the Skills and Knowledge Requirements for IOT implementation in Construction

In line with the exponential rate of advancement in information technologies within industries globally, the construction industry has stepped out of the conventional technologies to embrace smart technologies. Internet of Things (IoT) is one such technological advancement in construction although the improvement is taking place at a glacial pace. Internet of Things (IoT) allows stakeholders in construction to collect real-time data from a construction site and transform them into useful information for better insights. It enables construction industry to become smarter, safer and more efficient. Moreover, for a construction industry increasingly looking at boosting productivity, maximizing efficiencies and making the most whole-life value through added intelligence, it's not too difficult to see the demanding potential of IoT technologies to offer the latter expectations. However, lack of skills and knowledge to match this digital demand has been a prominent issue in construction. Although this skill gap is often dominated by the diminishing supply of manual labour, the lack of digital and non-digital skills is an equally pressing concern. Upskilling existing workforce is a simple yet effective way to combat this skills gap. This paper therefore investigates the Skills and Knowledge Requirements to implement IOT in Construction. An empirical investigation conducted in construction industry, United Kingdom enabled the envisaging of the skill-knowledge requirement not only present but also for future

The potential of digital technology to improve construction productivity

Despite increasing adoption of digital technology in construction, productivity reports have remained disappointing. To develop insights into the reasons of this contradiction, the present paper suggests drawing on organisational competitiveness literature considering that the factors-affecting-productivity are conveniently captured within that literature. Through a questionnaire survey, the paper analyses the views of managers in the UK construction industry regarding the effect of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Big Data Analytics (BDA) on organisational competitiveness. The results are then traced back to the factors-affecting-productivity for discussion. It is concluded that digitalisation enables performance improvements that can be tied to productivity gains, but this relies on the presence of certain skills and knowledge, which require training. It is also concluded that the lack of impact of digitalisation on some of the factors-affecting-productivity may be limiting the impact of digitalisation on the overall productivity, thus leading to a stagnating productivit

A Systematic Review for the Challenges Related to the Implementation of Building Information Modelling, Big Data Analytics and Internet of Things (BBI) in the Construction Sector

Under scrutiny for the past several years, the adoption of Building Information Modelling (BIM), Big Data Analytics (BDA) and Internet of Things (IoT) (together also known as BBI) is yet to grow significantly in the construction industry. The industry itself is realising the complexity and challenges which admittedly inhibit BBI implementation. The identification of these challenges is an imperative precondition for successful implementation of BBI. Even though there is a paucity of empirical data in this area, a notable body of research has reported such challenges which are the target consideration of this paper. However, no study has comprehensively reviewed, and synthesized existing research on the basis of treating BBI implementation as an integrated process and viewing these challenges as the cause for laggard manifestations, which underpins the originality and value of this study. To bridge this gap in literature, this paper primarily undertakes a critical systematic review of research around challenges related to BBI implementation. It emphasises a variety of important challenges inter-alia, skills and training needs, level of interoperability, infrastructure associated costs, data security, privacy, data ownership and supply chain concerns. This synthesis shows that BBI implementation is complex and challenging, and suggests that the industry as a whole need to take immediate actions. The need for more concerted research efforts to bridge the gaps are also identified. Finally, the paper proffers recommendations for managers and workers, which have social, technological, and economic capability and capacity dimensions

Adaptable buildings for sustainable built environment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the ability of “adaptable buildings” to respond to future potential built environment changes in sustainable way. Design/methodology/approach – A detailed literature review and a case study were undertaken to identify the life cycle changes of typical buildings over a period of more than 100 years. In total, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted among construction industry professionals to identify how adaptable buildings enhance sustainability within the built environment. Case study data were analysed through a Morphological Analysis, and the interview data were analysed through discourse analysis. Findings – Out of the many adaptable features, the results revealed “change of use” as the dominant trend within the buildings of the selected urban cluster. More than 60 per cent of buildings have changed their original use during their life cycle. Around 10 per cent of them have changed their use frequently (every six year) during the last 20 years thereby signalling an increase in the rate of change. The positive contribution of adaptable buildings in achieving sustainability in terms of economic, social and environmental considerations, were confirmed through the analysis of semi-structured interviews. Originality/value – This paper reports a longitudinal study spanning over 100 years, exploring the extent of building adaptation within a selected cluster of Liverpool city centre, UK. The study further confirms the need to incorporate adaptability as a key criterion when designing buildings. The increased rate at which “change of use” has occurred further reinforces the need. Lack of a track record of designing for reuse makes this an interesting challenge for the construction industry, hence likely to have significant implications for policy/strategy formulation

The potential of digital technology to improve construction productivity

Despite increasing adoption of digital technology in construction, productivity reports have remained disappointing. To develop insights into the reasons of this contradiction, the present paper suggests drawing on organisational competitiveness literature considering that the factors-affecting-productivity are conveniently captured within that literature. Through a questionnaire survey, the paper analyses the views of managers in the UK construction industry regarding the effect of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Big Data Analytics (BDA) on organisational competitiveness. The results are then traced back to the factors affecting-productivity for discussion. It is concluded that digitalisation enables performance improvements that can be tied to productivity gains, but this relies on the presence of certain skills and knowledge, which require training. It is also concluded that the lack of impact of digitalisation on some of the factors-affecting-productivity may be limiting the impact of digitalisation on the overall productivity, thus leading to a stagnating productivity. The original paper was first published by ARCOM as part of the Conference Proceeding

Research, data collection and ethical issues: lessons from hindsight

Research involves a systematic process of investigating a problem or phenomenon with a view of solving the problem or providing a new insight in the problem. The essence could be to describe, explain, predict, analyse, control or prescribe solutions to the problem. Whatever the goal of the research, there are expected processes to be followed for it to qualify as scientific research whose findings will be accepted. Typically of most PhD researches, a research student is expected to collect and analyse primary data in addition to the findings form the literature. The process of data collection, especially in social-sciences where the built environment arguably belongs, often involve interaction with people. In order to protect the fundamental right of the participants in research and ensure their anonymity, certain ethical guidelines and issues must be carefully considered before setting out for the data collection. The paper is aimed at creating awareness about these simple but delicate issues regarding ethical considerations during research. The authors drew on their personal experience, as PhD researchers, to create awareness about salient ethical issues regarding research data collection. The paper highlighted the process for a ‘scientific research’ and different types of data collection involving qualitative research. The paper discussed ethical issues related to data collection and concluded by signposting the likely ethical pitfalls and how to avoid while carrying out a researc

Sustainable implications of building reuse and adaptation

Built environment products and processes are now biased more towards profitable markets while giving sustainability the first priority in achieving the same. Consequently, value has become one of the main concerns while seeking various cost reduction methods through sustainable implications. Building reuse is one distinctive way that reflects the aforementioned sustainability in multiple ways. The existing building stock in the UK does not support sufficient flexibility that can be used for future adaption. Demolition of those buildings and construction of new builds does not seem to be an optimum solution, unless it helps increasing the building redundancy. Thus, an effective and achievable solution is required to address this problem. Apparently, design for adaption and application of adaptable features from the initial stage of every new build seem to be the most sustainable way that can be endorsed with sustainable, flexible buildings that last long and resist the future potential changes. The research has exploited qualitative methods to explore the aforementioned problem. The research itself is based on a case study of Liverpool City Centre. Ten Structured interviews were conducted to identify the sustainable implications of building reuse and adaptation while an Archival Analysis was undertaken to identify the patterns of building change of use and their ability to reuse. The findings illustrate that economic factors have immensely influenced towards building reuse and adaptation. The research findings would also help different stakeholders to make decisions on how reusable features could incorporate within the new building designs through sustainability