Involvement of construction management professionals in property-level flood adaptation

Flooding is a significant concern across the UK that has caused property damage, economic impact and health and safety concerns. The national climate change risk assessment for the UK projects the risk of flooding to increase in the future, and thus flood risk management is identified as an area that requires serious action. Whilst community level flood protection measures have been and are being put in places where there is an economic case for such intervention, the need for implementing property level flood adaptation (PLFA) is increasingly highlighted. This industry is worth £2.1 billion globally; with a forecasted UK growth at a rate of 7.1% by 2017-18. The aim of this research is to identify the ability of construction managers to provide PLFA advice to homeowners. Interviews were conducted with 10 professionals currently involved in flood adaptation product/service provision to gather their views on construction manager involvement within this niche area. Majority of participants interviewed accepted that construction managers could enter the PLFA industry. However, there has been a lack of evidence that suggest that construction managers have played a key role in this field. The paper suggests that there are several barriers that have resulted in the lack of involvement of construction managers in the PLFA industry. Previous research recognises lack of relevant skills and knowledge required to provide PLFA advice as a key barrier, this is supported by participants interviewed mentioning that the qualification, knowledge and training required were a barrier for construction managers to enter into the PLFA industry

Resilience and adaptation of small and medium-sized enterprises to flood risk

Purpose – The UK has experienced a number of flood events in recent years, and the intensity and frequency of such events are forecast to further increase in future due to changing climatic conditions. Accordingly, enhancing the resilience of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) – which form an important segment in a society – to flood risk, has emerged as an important issue. However, SMEs often tend to underestimate the risk of flooding which tends to have a low priority in their business agenda. The purpose of this paper is to undertake an investigation of adaptation to the risk of flooding considering community-level measures, individual-level property protection, and business continuity and resilience measures. Design/methodology/approach – A total of four short case studies were conducted among SMEs to identify their response to flood risk, and what measures have been undertaken to manage the risk of flooding. Findings – It was observed that SMEs have implemented different property-level protection measures and generic business continuity/risk management measures, based on their requirements, to achieve a desired level of protection. Practical implications – SMEs are likely to positively respond to property-level adaptation following a post-flood situation. It is important that information such as costs/benefits of such measures and different options available are made accessible to SMEs affected by a flood event. Social implications – Implementation of property-level adaptation measures will contribute towards the long term adaptation of the existing building stock to changing climatic conditions. Originality/value – The paper contributes towards policy making on flood risk adaptation and SME decision making, and informs policy makers and practitioners

Applicability of non-modular assessment in construction management and allied undergraduate programmes:perspective of the academics involved

Undergraduate programmes on construction management and other closely related built environment disciplines are currently taught and assessed on a modular basis. This is the case in the UK and in many other countries globally. However, it can be argued that professionally oriented programmes like these are better assessed on a non-modular basis, in order to produce graduates who can apply knowledge on different subject contents in cohesion to solve complex practical scenarios in their work environments. The examples of medical programmes where students are assessed on a non-modular basis can be cited as areas where this is already being done. A preliminary study was undertaken to explore the applicability of non-modular assessment within construction management undergraduate education. A selected sample of university academics was interviewed to gather their perspectives on applicability of non-modular assessment. General acceptance was observed among the academics involved that integrating non-modular assessment is applicable and will be beneficial. All academics stated that at least some form of non-modular assessment as being currently used in their programmes. Examples where cross-modular knowledge is assessed included comprehensive/multi-disciplinary project modules and creating larger modules to amalgamate a number of related subject areas. As opposed to a complete shift from modular to non-modular, an approach where non-modular assessment is integrated and its use further expanded within the current system is therefore suggested. This is due to the potential benefits associated with this form of assessment to professionally aligned built environment programme

Disaster risk reduction measures n Bangladesh

Disasters damage the entire economy of the country when they predominantly take place in developing countries. While no country in the world is entirely safe, lack of capacity to limit the impact of hazards has made developing countries being the most vulnerable nations to natural disasters. Bangladesh is being identified as a country that is vulnerable to climate change and subsequent natural disasters every year. Dense population and poverty has reduced the adaptability of Bangladesh in disastrous situations thus further increasing severity of impact from disasters. Owing to geographical settings, Bangladesh is currently ranked as one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries in the world. The frequent natural hazards such as cyclones, storm surges, floods, droughts, tornados,riverbank erosions, earthquakes, arsenic contamination of groundwater and landslides account for significant losses in human lives and physical assets while effects are further reflected in social settings, ecosystems and the economic well-being of the country. This paper evaluates the types of natural disasters Bangladesh is subjecting to, how they have affected the Bangladesh community and existing disaster risk reduction strategies. Paper also evaluates four main domains of disaster vulnerability reduction measures namely physical, engineering, structural and organisational. Existing disaster risk reduction strategies adopted in Bangladesh are linked with the aforementioned four domains of disaster vulnerability reduction measures. A comprehensive literature review is used as the research method. Literature synthesis suggests that Bangladesh is being using a combination of disaster risk reduction measures ranging from technical to social measures

SME resilience to extreme weather events:important initiatives for informing policy making in the area

Enhancing the resilience of local communities to weather extremes has gained significant interest over the years, amidst the increased intensity and frequency of such events. The fact that such weather extremes are forecast to further increase in number and severity in future has added extra weight to the importance of the issue. As a local community consists of a number of community groups such as households, businesses and policy makers, the actions of different community groups in combination will determine the resilience of the community as a whole. An important role has to be played by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs); which is an integral segment of a local community in the UK, in this regard. While it is recognised that they are vital to the economy of a country and determines the prosperity of communities, they are increasingly vulnerable to effects of extreme weather. This paper discusses some of the exploratory studies conducted in the UK on SMEs and their ability to cope with extreme weather events, specifically flooding. Although a reasonable level of awareness of the risk was observed among the SMEs, this has not always resulted in increased preparedness even if they are located in areas at risk of flooding. The attitude and the motivation to change differed widely between SMEs. The paper presents schemas by which the SMEs can identify their vulnerability better so that they can be populated among a community of SMEs, which can be taken forward to inform policy making in this area. Therefore the main contribution the paper makes to the body of knowledge in the area is a novel way to communicate to SMEs on improving resilience against extreme weather, which will inform some of the policy making initiatives in the UK