The 45th Australasian Universities Building Education Association Conference: Global Challenges in a Disrupted World: Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Approaches in the Built Environment, Book of Abstracts, 23 - 25 November 2022

This is the book of abstract of the 45th Australasian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA) conference, which will be hosted by Western Sydney University in November 2022. The conference is organised by the School of Engineering, Design, and Built Environment in collaboration with the Centre for Smart Modern Construction, Western Sydney University. This year’s conference theme is “Global Challenges in a Disrupted World: Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Approaches in the Built Environment”, and expects to publish over a hundred double-blind peer review papers under the proceedings

The 45th Australasian Universities Building Education Association Conference: Global Challenges in a Disrupted World: Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Approaches in the Built Environment, Conference Proceedings, 23 - 25 November 2022, Western Sydney University, Kingswood Campus, Sydney, Australia

This is the proceedings of the 45th Australasian Universities Building Education Association (AUBEA) conference which will be hosted by Western Sydney University in November 2022. The conference is organised by the School of Engineering, Design, and Built Environment in collaboration with the Centre for Smart Modern Construction, Western Sydney University. This year’s conference theme is “Global Challenges in a Disrupted World: Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Approaches in the Built Environment”, and expects to publish over a hundred double-blind peer review papers under the proceedings

Liquid Waste Management in the Construction Projects

The construction industry is increasingly concerned with improving its environmental performance and reducing the environmental impact. Construction projects utilise water and generate wastewater. A considerable volume of water is used for washing and cleaning processes at construction sites which is often unmetered. At the same time, liquid waste/wastewater generated from construction projects is harmful to the environment and human health, pollutes the groundwater and the ground soil and therefore, it is important to manage liquid waste appropriately. This project investigated the current practice of liquid waste management (LWM) and treatment including the legal requirements related to LWM in construction projects. The sources of liquid waste, different methods used for managing liquid waste in construction sites and barriers for implementing sustainable LWM practices have been identified through semi-structured interviews with industry experts. Systems that improve current practice have been studied as comparators. The average of water consumed for tool washing and water-saving per square meter have been estimated for different types of buildings and compared against the use of sustainable LWM systems in construction projects. Moreover, this study compares the total volume of water consumed for tool washing between water mains and sustainable LWM systems. This research summarises the practice of LWM in construction projects through the analysis of expert user views while providing an account of legislation relent. It also summarises the water use and water saving potential when sustainable LWM practices are adopted. It has the potential to add new and under-measured factors to the current LWM systems for the Green Rating of buildings and produce a more sustainable construction industry

Stakeholder collaboration mechanism in elderly community retrofit projects : case study in china

The aged population all over the world is predicted to increase over the next couple of years. Especially in China, the ageing population is expanding significantly every year. A ‘Home-care model’ is becoming the first choice for many elders in China due to the traditional style of community and economic considerations. However, existing communities generally lack support-ing facilities for their elders. This can result in hidden safety risks in these communities. Conse-quently, retrofit projects among these communities of elders have attracted attention and generated studies in both academia and industry. Such elderly community retrofit projects (ECRPs) involve multiple stakeholders, and therefore, the establishment of an effective synergy mechanism for all stakeholders would provide significant value for the successful implementation of ECRPs. Until now, no such mechanism has been developed and published. This research aims to develop a stake-holder collaboration mechanism (SCM) for ECRPs in China. As the method of data collection, interviews with relevant ECRP stakeholders were conducted. Stakeholders involved with ECRPs were classified into three main categories—namely, core stakeholders (ageing families, government or-ganisations, and ECRP companies), dormant stakeholders (other residents, other investors community committees), and marginal stakeholders (financial institutions, property service enterprises, and public welfare organisations). Finally, the SCM was developed utilising a power–interest ma-trix. Actions for stakeholders were recommended in order to promote ECRP in China

Preparing students for a disruptive construction future

Many industries have felt the impact of disruptive change on their profitability and established practices. Examples of disruption have been documented in industries as diverse as transportation, photography, newspapers, retailing, recorded music and computer graphics. The construction industry has mostly avoided large-scale disruption because, in spite of the globalisation evident in mega projects, most construction is locally-based and delivered within a specific national context and regulatory system. This may be about to change. The forces of digitisation, industrialisation and globalisation are combining to generate the potential for disruptive enterprises which will grab market share and shake up existing business models. As academics striving to prepare students to be employment-ready, we need to open their eyes to the potential of the new economy to support new business models that are quite different from traditional construction companies. Students will need to be entrepreneurial in seeking out opportunities and identifying market niches. In two new and developing units/subjects at an Australian university these issues are being raised. Students are challenged to identify markets and market strategies enabled by social enterprises, collaborative systems, the ‘Internet of Things’ and even ‘Brutal Innovation’. Using student feedback and reflective practice, the lessons from the first two offerings of the new units are identified and teased out. In general, students respond well to the challenge of strategic thinking which relates to their future careers. While predicting the future is always fraught with difficulty, not attempting to do so could leave us vulnerable to disruptive change

Influences on innovation in small Australian construction businesses

The purpose of this paper is to identify the major influences on innovation delivery in the context of small Australian construction businesses. An analysis was undertaken of peer-reviewed journal articles published between 1998 and 2008. Historical background to the current circumstances was included by reference to influential government reports and to literature on the economic theory underpinning the concept of innovation. The findings suggest that despite the recent trend to more cooperative business arrangements, the ingrained culture of aggressively competitive relations on a building project remains in place. This is particularly evident at the small and sub-contractor level. Such companies tend to operate with little spare capacity and can be restricted from participation in the benefits of the innovation strategies unless they receive outside assistance. The need for an attitudinal change is described and critical factors which restrict the involvement of small businesses in innovative practice are identified. The potential for industry bodies and government organizations to foster innovative capacity is identified as an area for future research. A focus on lifting technical innovation rates for the efficient delivery of projects is described and the case for a renewed research effort on the needs of small construction businesses is made. The need for the translation of innovation theory to an industry which tends to see itself as a special case and has traditionally avoided the adoption of economic theory from other sectors

Will off site manufacture destroy employment in the construction industry?

Recent years have seen a rapid rise in the percentage of offsite manufacturing of elements and components for building construction projects. The potential benefits of offsite construction are well known and have been demonstrated in a wide variety of project types. There has been some speculation that the result of this change might be a loss of onsite jobs and a net transfer of construction work to lower wage economies overseas. As is often the case, a realistic picture of the results of structural change is more nuanced. There may be winners and losers in this story. Several Australian construction enterprises are already embracing the possibility of new modes ofoperation which can carve out a viable slice of the project delivery market in the face of new global competitors. The aim of this paper is to report on two case studies of companies who are achieving growth while delivering quality outcomes in an increasingly disruptive industry context. It would seem that there is potential for future competitive locally based companies who can compete successfully in the global construction context

Case studies of traditional and innovative building approaches for aged care facilities

The construction industry has long been criticised as conservative and change-resistant. Despite this, recent years have seen an accelerating trend towards more sustainable processes, as well as, more efficient industrialised off-site construction. This paper explores case studies of innovations from one building company where two different approaches have been used to deliver an aged care residential development. Both projects happened at the same time, were of similar size and both were located in the Sydney metropolitan area. In one project, traditional brick and block construction systems were used, while the other introduced several technical innovations which included modular shoring of the excavations, prefabricated structural panels and preformed stairs. A scorecard system was developed to assess the social, economic and environmental impact of both projects. A measurable but modest performance improvement was observed in the project which took the innovative approach. Future study will broaden the scope of this kind of assessment to more cases and to different types of projects

Factors influencing technical innovation in construction SMEs : an Australian perspective

Purpose - The intent of this research is to determine whether any common lessons can be drawn from the experience of individuals who have gone against the trend and delivered successful technical innovations in construction small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Design/methodology/approach - A value tree of contributing factors to technical innovation was developed from the literature and tested by surveying established technical innovators using analytic hierarchy process methodology. This approach aimed at capturing the experience of company decision makers who manage to deliver successful change with limited resources. Findings - The results reveal the importance of supportive clients and performance-based building standards for innovative practice in construction. Significant differences were observed between small and medium-sized companies and between product and process innovators. Research limitations/implications - In order to avoid a skewed sample, considerable effort was made to ensure that all survey participants had significant peer recognition as innovators. A high response rate (75 percent) from the target group also contributed to the reliability of the sample. Social implications - Industry employment rates and profitability are both positively correlated with high rates of innovation in many industries. Innovative solutions to environmental and social problems have potential benefits for the future direction of the construction industry, which is perceived as lagging somewhat in these areas. Originality/value - The paper provides suggestions for managers of construction firms who wish to improve innovation performance rates by studying the insights of successful innovators in their field

Some significant issues concerning the articulation of construction programs between TAFE and university : a discussion of the experience at a NSW university

A clearly defined articulation process between Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and university study is an important component in fostering the process of lifelong learning for many individuals. It can also provide university access and opportunity for disadvantaged groups in society. Recognition of prior learning avoids unnecessary duplication of curriculum areas and it encourages the student to progress more readily in further education without the frustration of revisiting areas of knowledge that they have previously covered. Of course, educational institutions need to have confidence that the standards and outcomes valued in their own programs are being upheld by articulating educational providers. For this brief study graduate Grade Point Averages (GPAs) of students who entered university through a TAFE pathway are examined in the light of the amount of advanced standing granted. Apparent correlations between performance at TAFE and university are examined. The findings indicate that there is a positive relationship between prior learning and performance but that the correlation is not strong. Other factors such as work experience while studying and student motivation may also have a critical role in determining the level of student achievement