Understanding construction stakeholders' experience and attitudes toward use of the structurally insulated panels (SIPs) in New Zealand

New Zealand faces a housing shortage with construction struggling to meet demand. Structurally insulated panels (SIPs) have been demonstrated internationally as a method of construction which could reduce construction time frames, improve the standard insulation in housing, as well as reduce the amount of waste generated on construction sites. However, anecdotal evidence shows that the SIPs’ adoption is lacking, which is, perhaps, attributed to its industry-wide acceptance level. Thus, in this study, the construction stakeholders, such as architects/designers, builders, territorial authorities and homeowners were targeted to shed light on current status of SIPs use, benefits offered and any barriers inhibiting its industry-wide implementation. This was done through a survey, which was designed to understand the construction stakeholders’ experience levels regarding SIPs use in New Zealand as well as their opinions about any problems associated with the SIPs adoption. Although the stakeholders were happy with the thermal performance offered by SIPs, the results indicate that lack of familiarity and understanding are one of the main barriers to the widespread use of SIPs in New Zealand. Moreover, proper training and clear design information are reported to be crucial to make the building and consenting processes efficient, which will ultimately improve the cost-effectiveness. Despite the barriers (to SIPs adoption) documented by stakeholders, the common belief is that SIPs offer wide-range of benefits to improve performance of the built environment; hence, the stakeholders expressed their willingness to design/build/recommend SIP homes. It is hoped that the findings of this study will guide the industry practitioners in investing their efforts in wider adoption of SIPs in New Zealand

Evaluating the sensory and health impacts of exposure to sewer overflows on urban population

202310 bcvcVersion of RecordOthersHong Kong Environment Conservation FundPublishe

Examining the OHS of green building construction projects: a hybrid fuzzy-based approach

Green buildings (GBs) have been adopted mainly to minimize the negative effects of the design, construction, and building operations on the environment. However, the GB-related activities have been found to be jeopardizing the occupational health and safety (OHS) of related projects, thereby debilitating the safety and health of respective crew members. Despite such vital issues, no study has been conducted yet to investigate the safety issues associated with GB construction projects in developing countries, where the inclination towards the adoption of GB is on the rise. Using this as a point of departure, the present study assesses the safety risks caused by GB projects with the use of a fuzzy-based RAM, through the lenses of the experts in Kazakhstan. The proposed RAM integrates Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) and Fuzzy Best Worst Method (FBWM). The FDM results clearly indicated that sustainable buildings continue to endanger the safety and health of respective workers, while fall from height and overexertion are found to be the leading causes of GB-associated risks using the FBWM. Despite the research limitations, this study prudently assessed the OHS-related risks to the LEED-based (the most widely used certification in the country) projects, and offered a fertile ground for future research to be conducted in developing economy settings. The findings indicated that the construction key players need to pay more attention to the riskiest GB-related hazards by investing their efforts in making the built environment truly sustainable in a not-too-distant future, which can improve the well-being of workers involved