Purpose – The cordiality of the relationship between home owners and house developers is signific... more Purpose – The cordiality of the relationship between home owners and house developers is significant in the house building sector. This plays a key role in meeting needs, expectations and overall satisfaction. Home owners’ satisfactions are very often dependent on their encounters and experiences with the building organisations they deal with. The purpose of this paper is to explore home owners’ satisfaction to the quality of their new homes by investigating the relationships between them and their house developers when they take possession of their properties. Design/methodology/approach – Two distinct lines of investigation were conducted, with the first utilising mail questionnaires administered to new home owners. The second involved interviews with house building developers. Both investigations cover five main regions in New Zealand. However, this study reports the mail questionnaire survey. The data analysis is based on 216 new home owners, and the results presented using descriptive and correlation analysis. Findings – This research found that the higher the home owner’s satisfaction with the services provided by the developers, the better the relationship that could exist between them. In addition, the longer it takes for developers to rectify defects that are reported by home owners, the lesser the cordiality of their relationship with their developers. It is also evident from this study that home owners’ relationships with their house developers could be sensitive to the extent of defects in their homes. While it is apparent from this research that new home owners satisfaction level is high, some improvement opportunities exist, which the study highlights for continuous performance improvement. This will enable the residential construction sector to establish more aggressive and pro-active measures of monitoring to the satisfaction of home owners. Practical implications – This research provides insight into significant factors that could influence the relationship between home owners and their house developers. The study provides information on changes required in the quality culture that could enable house developers do it once and do it right. Originality/value – The originality of this research lies in the provision of a wealth of information on cordiality as a key determinant of home owners and house developers’ relationships. This will enable house developers to set realistic performance standards and focus efforts where they are most needed so that home owners derive satisfaction from the quality of service offered by them.
Smart and sustainable built environment, Sep 5, 2016
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on ap... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on approaches to enhancing built environment sustainability in Africa. There is a mismatch between global societal resources and the increasing demand for natural resources. The consequences of this mismatch are prevalent in many African countries, causing the need to implement of built environment sustainability as a matter of cause.Design/methodology/approachLittle research has been undertaken to date with a focus on the environmental sustainability of Africa. With this in mind the review was undertaken through a series of incremental steps. It began with an initial review, before developing through exploratory and development phases. The process culminated with the refined literature review presented.FindingsThe paper finds that a different approach is required to achieve built sustainable development for developed and developing countries, with a clear difference in terms of its application observed between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Current energy and water crisis facing Africa is brought to the fore and an evaluation is provided of the systems being used to ameliorate its effects. The study explores a range of technological solutions that are appropriate for consideration in the African context. It also examines the barriers that need to be overcome to facilitate the widespread use of the suggested solutions in Africa.Originality/valueThis study examines built environment sustainability through the Africa lens. It highlights its importance and the contextual factors inhibiting the widespread uptake of built environment sustainability solutions. The study offers a number of recommendations for the future to encourage long-term built environment sustainability in Africa and more specifically the Sub-Saharan region.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Construction materials occupy a significant part of the construction’s value contributing nearly ... more Construction materials occupy a significant part of the construction’s value contributing nearly 50%. Thus when selecting construction materials, it is very important that painstaking decisions should be made. Past literature and anecdotal evidences show that the main issue with building materials purchasing comes with supplier selection, and depend on careful examination of supplier economics among other criteria. Supplier selection is the purchasing function that forms the foundation for the success or failure of projects. Therefore supplier selection criteria should be well defined. Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision making problem which includes both qualitative and quantitative considerations. A trade-off between tangible and intangible criteria is important in selecting the best supplier. This paper presents a review of supplier selection processes and decision making methods reported in academic and other literature related to the construction industry. The study is a part of an on-going doctoral research study on construction material purchasing decisions aimed at determining how small to medium scale (SME) construction contractors could secure ‘best prices’ for their key material inputs in New Zealand construction industry. This is a first step towards a comprehensive empirical study of securing best construction material prices.
The evolution of construction industry towards sustainability highlighted the absolute necessity ... more The evolution of construction industry towards sustainability highlighted the absolute necessity to inspect sustainable performances throughout the post-construction building lifecycle. Correspondingly, application of relevant building management systems (BMS) to achieve this goal is mandatory (Ippolito, Riva Sanseverino, & Zizzo, 2014). In addition, conventional post-construction building inspection methods are outdated and less effective. Therefore; this research aims to propose specific utilization of BIM during building maintenance for the consequential post-construction energy efficiency. Contemporarily, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is considered as a leading technology capable of being utilized in Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) practices highlighting its critical role in enhancing the
Maintaining an efficient and effective material purchasing system as well as purchasing materials... more Maintaining an efficient and effective material purchasing system as well as purchasing materials at the right price, quality and time are essential for contractors to remain competitive in today’s environment. Construction contractors purchase materials through many sources such as builders’ merchants (BMs), direct purchases and consumer clubs. Less well known is the fact that BMs offer multiple tiers of discounts to the trade rather than to the public and some contractors have to pay more than others. In addition, suppliers normally sell non stocked items with added mark-ups to the base prices, consequently final construction often costs more than it should. Nevertheless, material purchasing dynamics in the construction industry have rarely been studied in a systematic manner. As such, this exploratory study is expected to understand how small-to-medium-scale contractors could secure “best” prices for materials. The research will be undertaken in conjunction with contractor’s clients and their professional advisors, BMs and other suppliers. It is expected that information will be gathered through questionnaire surveys throughout New Zealand. An extensive literature survey will precede such surveys. Finally, the impact of various behaviours (contractors’ buying behaviour, suppliers’ supply behaviour and clients’ procurement behaviour) will be evaluated in order to understand the impact on pricing, using mathematical models. The major benefit of this study will come from understanding the complexities involved in procurement decisions, thus making it easier for construction firms to adopt suitable strategies to secure best prices for construction materials.
... Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi 1 , John Tookey 1 , James Olabode Rotimi 1 and Nigel Craig 2 1 School o... more ... Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi 1 , John Tookey 1 , James Olabode Rotimi 1 and Nigel Craig 2 1 School of Engineering, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand 2 School of the Built and Natural Environment Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow ...
In the current competitive business environment the relationship between buyers and suppliers is ... more In the current competitive business environment the relationship between buyers and suppliers is no longer antagonistic. Emphasis has shifted to the forging of partnerships that benefits all parties in any business setting. The emergence of supply chain concepts have brought about the realization of long-term cooperation based on mutual trusts. Frequently high priority is given towards suppliers that are able to deliver, and are committed to buyer’s business objectives. However, proper supplier selection is pertinent to meeting these business objectives as it dictates operational and financial positions. The current study discusses a construct that could facilitate supplier selection in a typical government linked company. It presents the key items that could be considered in a supplier selection metric using a comprehensive approach. The study is an aspect of a doctoral research programme that aims to develop a supplier selection model for an electricity supply organization. The paper concludes that having a good set of supplier selection metric is of critical importance to business success in any supply chain.
Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) eBooks, 2001
Movement for Innovation (M4I) is partly aimed at delivering targets set by the Egan (1998) report... more Movement for Innovation (M4I) is partly aimed at delivering targets set by the Egan (1998) report. An initiative under this programme is the 'Respect for People' (RFP) working group. This body published its first formal report entitled: A Commitment to People: 'Our Biggest Asset' (2000), and challenged construction to respect its workforce. Failure to do so will result in firms being unable to recruit and retain the best talent in the workforce-currently a 'hot topic' in attracting school-leavers into the construction trades. Construction is thought to have harsh conditions of safety and welfare, with poor prospects-ideas that actively discourage many school-leavers. To combat this 'image' problem, the RFP Working Group are piloting a toolkit which can be used to measure and monitor safety and welfare in order to benchmark their performance against industry best practice. This paper uses an adapted version of this toolkit. Building apprentices in Scottish Further Education Colleges were asked their opinions on 'site life' and to complete a questionnaire. The results provide an insight into current thinking and expectations of the 'future' of trade apprentices today. The findings are significant to groups needing input from construction's youth (Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and M4I). Additionally this paper is of value to academics interested in human aspects and trends in UK construction.
Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) eBooks, 2000
Research undertaken at the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in the USA has indicated the nee... more Research undertaken at the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in the USA has indicated the need for project managers to focus their attention on six 'Critical Communication Variables' as a means of ensuring the fulfilment of time cost and quality targets. These variables refer to the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of information presented to participants, as well as the level of understanding, barriers to and procedures for project based communication. The findings and tools generated by the CII study have been used as part of case study based research examining construction projects in the Central Belt region of Scotland. In addition to the CII data collection tools employed, the Scottish study included semi-structured interviews as a means of contextualising the communication and decision-making taking place. This paper presents the results of this benchmarking exercise, and highlights significant issues that project team members need to improve upon in order to achieve the timeliness quality and cost required in today's construction industry.
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2001
Today there are a number of different types of procurement routes available for clients to choose... more Today there are a number of different types of procurement routes available for clients to choose from. Each different type of procurement (traditional, design and build, management, etc.) has its own proponents and inherent strengths and weaknesses. Selection of optimal procurement systems is difficult, because even experienced clients cannot know all the potential benefits or risks for each system. Procurement is, therefore, a succession of ‘calculated risks’. Industry and academia have focussed research on reducing procurement risk through better procurement‐system selection methods. Current research considers procurement as a set of rationalistic decisions within a closed environment, aiming to produce generic, prescriptive rules for clients and advisers to use to select the ‘best’ procurement route for their project. This paper seeks to identify whether prescriptive procurement guidance was adhered to on a set of case study projects. It was found that clients usually selected appropriate procurement systems, and where an inappropriate system was selected, alterations were made in contract form to incorporate aspects of the ‘best’ procurement route.
Advances in media, entertainment and the arts (AMEA) book series, 2016
Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environ... more Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environments. These are residential units substantially integrated with a communicating network of sensors and intelligent systems based on the application of new design initiatives and creative technologies. This study provides a holistic overview on the essence of smart homes besides demonstrating their current status, benefits and future directions. The study reveals that smart homes embrace significant potentials towards achieving comfort, security, independent lifestyle and enhanced quality of life. Findings urge the necessity to focus on further exploration of the social and environmental benefits derived from the application of creative technologies in smart homes. The study concludes that smart homes play a fundamental role in shaping the future cities. Finally, the study identifies a research gap indicating that there has been less consideration towards linking the fundamental potentials of smart homes to the overall performance and key indicators of smart cities.
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Mar 1, 2005
The construction industry in the UK has been subject to frequent reports over recent years, all f... more The construction industry in the UK has been subject to frequent reports over recent years, all focusing on perceived inefficiencies within the industry and how processes can be improved to deliver construction projects on time, and within cost and quality targets. Most notable of these reports have been Latham (1994) and Egan (1998), which contend that construction should come closer to manufacturing in design, development and supply chain practices to achieve ambitious improvement targets. The most frequently mentioned industries for such 'benchmarking' are the aerospace and automotive industries. Concurrent Engineering (CE) appears to offer significant potential to the construction industry as a means to achieve these targets. This paper identifies key aspects of CE practice in aerospace manufacturers and, in the spirit of the Egan report, possibilities for their adoption in UK construction projects.
Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Aug 1, 2017
Rapid advancement of technology continues to leverage change and innovation in the construction i... more Rapid advancement of technology continues to leverage change and innovation in the construction industry. Continued digitization of the industry offers the opportunity to totally reinvent contemporary construction design and delivery practice for future development. Building Information Modelling (BIM) within the context of Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) has been developing since the early 2000s and is considered to be a key technology. Despite major technical advancements in BIM, it has not been fully adopted and its definitive benefits have not been fully capitalized upon by industry stakeholders. The lack of widespread uptake of BIM appears to be linked to the risks and challenges that are potentially impeding its effectiveness. This paper aims to discuss the reality of BIM, its widespread benefits and current level of uptake. The risks and challenges associated with the adoption of BIM, as well as recommendations regarding how future BIM adoption could be developed are also highlighted.
The characteristics, strategies, capabilities, and resources of an organisation contribute to its... more The characteristics, strategies, capabilities, and resources of an organisation contribute to its competitive advantage and superior performance. A model to explain performance differences in the New Zealand context will be developed by examining the relationships between construction organisational performance and these constructs. The information was obtained using a questionnaire survey. A total of 101 organisations participated in the research. For the instrument used to elicit data, the literature was used to identify indicators associated with characteristics of organisational strategies for competition, resources and capabilities, and performance of the organisation. Analyses of descriptive, parametric, and linear regression were conducted to examine the effects of these constructs on organisational performance. The results suggest that organisational characteristics are significantly associated with internal business processes, learning, and the growth perspectives of an org...
New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium en... more New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 32.5% of approximately 67,000 operating businesses are ‘small’ (up to 19 employees), while 65% are sole traders. The construction supply chain (CSC) is extensive, prone to inefficiencies at segmental boundaries accentuated by project-centric delivery. Conversely, it presents significant opportunity for consolidation and improved efficiency. Vertical integration and CSC management from the supplier-end rather than the project-end enable component elements to be individually independent in terms of ownership, while integrating their management above the tactical CSC level. This leads to improved operational philosophy and employment. Quantifying impacts, however, is a challenge due to lack of tangibility. This can be effectively overcome using quantifiable parameters associated with the CSC’s transport component. The paper investigates transport operations in a narrow NZ...
The construction industry’s inherent fragmentation fuels Construction Supply Chain (CSC) complexi... more The construction industry’s inherent fragmentation fuels Construction Supply Chain (CSC) complexity. Logistics form an essential part of the CSC in terms of costs and project management. In turn, transportation accounts for more than half the logistics costs due to construction materials being low-cost/high-volume, and most other logistics processes being business processes and not physical ones. Construction transport is almost entirely road bound, one of the least sustainable modes with externalities far out of proportion to its numbers. Ergo, its optimisation presents substantial greening (de-carbonisation) opportunity, with potentially far-reaching sustainability impacts. The ASI (Avoid-Shift-Improve) concept considers activity, modal structure, and energy intensity/efficiency as transport carbon components, providing a fundamental optimisation framework. 93% of New Zealand’s freight (a third of it construction related) is road bound, with 99% fossil-fuel (diesel) dependence. Go...
Intelligence has three parts cognitive, emotional and practical. A building needs to reflect this... more Intelligence has three parts cognitive, emotional and practical. A building needs to reflect this. So an intelligent building will responsive to people in terms of not only being functional but to the human senses besides serving a community in the location. It will be resource effective in terms of energy , water and waste with low pollution. It will be smart in terms of technology selected to enable the systems to respond effectively but also make them easier for people to use. Today there is a focus on health and wellbeing and so intelligent buildings must produce a healing environment. Buildings need to be functional and practical but also expressive. Equally important is the infrastructure that services buildings and the people moving between them.
The construction industry in New Zealand is responsible for around 40% natural resources, 30% ene... more The construction industry in New Zealand is responsible for around 40% natural resources, 30% energy consumption, and 30% greenhouse gases. The increased costs in natural resources, and energy, together with environmental concerns have pushed the demand for green buildings. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process has emerged as an enabler for green buildings. Successful IPD combines the partnering concept and lean thinking, it addresses the participant’s expectations, cuts costs, eliminates waste, reduces variability and generates value for all the participants. Yet many public sectors owners, do not have the authority to adopt features of IPD. However, owners can benefit from the IPD philosophy and features to take advantage of some key benefits. The purpose of paper is to examine the IPD tools and techniques appropriate for public sector organizations in New Zealand and to examine the barriers that public sectors organizations face in New Zealand while adopting those IPD features. A pilot study was conducted to examine these issues, semi structured interview were carried out with four public sector construction industry specialists. The interviews revealed that there is a gap between current and best practice in the New Zealand construction industry that is impacting on the adoption of IPD or IPD approaches. To improve the delivery of public sector projects a checklist of specific IPD tools and techniques appropriate for NZ public sector projects has been developed
Purpose – The cordiality of the relationship between home owners and house developers is signific... more Purpose – The cordiality of the relationship between home owners and house developers is significant in the house building sector. This plays a key role in meeting needs, expectations and overall satisfaction. Home owners’ satisfactions are very often dependent on their encounters and experiences with the building organisations they deal with. The purpose of this paper is to explore home owners’ satisfaction to the quality of their new homes by investigating the relationships between them and their house developers when they take possession of their properties. Design/methodology/approach – Two distinct lines of investigation were conducted, with the first utilising mail questionnaires administered to new home owners. The second involved interviews with house building developers. Both investigations cover five main regions in New Zealand. However, this study reports the mail questionnaire survey. The data analysis is based on 216 new home owners, and the results presented using descriptive and correlation analysis. Findings – This research found that the higher the home owner’s satisfaction with the services provided by the developers, the better the relationship that could exist between them. In addition, the longer it takes for developers to rectify defects that are reported by home owners, the lesser the cordiality of their relationship with their developers. It is also evident from this study that home owners’ relationships with their house developers could be sensitive to the extent of defects in their homes. While it is apparent from this research that new home owners satisfaction level is high, some improvement opportunities exist, which the study highlights for continuous performance improvement. This will enable the residential construction sector to establish more aggressive and pro-active measures of monitoring to the satisfaction of home owners. Practical implications – This research provides insight into significant factors that could influence the relationship between home owners and their house developers. The study provides information on changes required in the quality culture that could enable house developers do it once and do it right. Originality/value – The originality of this research lies in the provision of a wealth of information on cordiality as a key determinant of home owners and house developers’ relationships. This will enable house developers to set realistic performance standards and focus efforts where they are most needed so that home owners derive satisfaction from the quality of service offered by them.
Smart and sustainable built environment, Sep 5, 2016
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on ap... more PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review extant literature and to provide perspectives on approaches to enhancing built environment sustainability in Africa. There is a mismatch between global societal resources and the increasing demand for natural resources. The consequences of this mismatch are prevalent in many African countries, causing the need to implement of built environment sustainability as a matter of cause.Design/methodology/approachLittle research has been undertaken to date with a focus on the environmental sustainability of Africa. With this in mind the review was undertaken through a series of incremental steps. It began with an initial review, before developing through exploratory and development phases. The process culminated with the refined literature review presented.FindingsThe paper finds that a different approach is required to achieve built sustainable development for developed and developing countries, with a clear difference in terms of its application observed between the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Current energy and water crisis facing Africa is brought to the fore and an evaluation is provided of the systems being used to ameliorate its effects. The study explores a range of technological solutions that are appropriate for consideration in the African context. It also examines the barriers that need to be overcome to facilitate the widespread use of the suggested solutions in Africa.Originality/valueThis study examines built environment sustainability through the Africa lens. It highlights its importance and the contextual factors inhibiting the widespread uptake of built environment sustainability solutions. The study offers a number of recommendations for the future to encourage long-term built environment sustainability in Africa and more specifically the Sub-Saharan region.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Construction materials occupy a significant part of the construction’s value contributing nearly ... more Construction materials occupy a significant part of the construction’s value contributing nearly 50%. Thus when selecting construction materials, it is very important that painstaking decisions should be made. Past literature and anecdotal evidences show that the main issue with building materials purchasing comes with supplier selection, and depend on careful examination of supplier economics among other criteria. Supplier selection is the purchasing function that forms the foundation for the success or failure of projects. Therefore supplier selection criteria should be well defined. Supplier selection is a multi-criteria decision making problem which includes both qualitative and quantitative considerations. A trade-off between tangible and intangible criteria is important in selecting the best supplier. This paper presents a review of supplier selection processes and decision making methods reported in academic and other literature related to the construction industry. The study is a part of an on-going doctoral research study on construction material purchasing decisions aimed at determining how small to medium scale (SME) construction contractors could secure ‘best prices’ for their key material inputs in New Zealand construction industry. This is a first step towards a comprehensive empirical study of securing best construction material prices.
The evolution of construction industry towards sustainability highlighted the absolute necessity ... more The evolution of construction industry towards sustainability highlighted the absolute necessity to inspect sustainable performances throughout the post-construction building lifecycle. Correspondingly, application of relevant building management systems (BMS) to achieve this goal is mandatory (Ippolito, Riva Sanseverino, & Zizzo, 2014). In addition, conventional post-construction building inspection methods are outdated and less effective. Therefore; this research aims to propose specific utilization of BIM during building maintenance for the consequential post-construction energy efficiency. Contemporarily, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is considered as a leading technology capable of being utilized in Architecture, Engineering, Construction (AEC) practices highlighting its critical role in enhancing the
Maintaining an efficient and effective material purchasing system as well as purchasing materials... more Maintaining an efficient and effective material purchasing system as well as purchasing materials at the right price, quality and time are essential for contractors to remain competitive in today’s environment. Construction contractors purchase materials through many sources such as builders’ merchants (BMs), direct purchases and consumer clubs. Less well known is the fact that BMs offer multiple tiers of discounts to the trade rather than to the public and some contractors have to pay more than others. In addition, suppliers normally sell non stocked items with added mark-ups to the base prices, consequently final construction often costs more than it should. Nevertheless, material purchasing dynamics in the construction industry have rarely been studied in a systematic manner. As such, this exploratory study is expected to understand how small-to-medium-scale contractors could secure “best” prices for materials. The research will be undertaken in conjunction with contractor’s clients and their professional advisors, BMs and other suppliers. It is expected that information will be gathered through questionnaire surveys throughout New Zealand. An extensive literature survey will precede such surveys. Finally, the impact of various behaviours (contractors’ buying behaviour, suppliers’ supply behaviour and clients’ procurement behaviour) will be evaluated in order to understand the impact on pricing, using mathematical models. The major benefit of this study will come from understanding the complexities involved in procurement decisions, thus making it easier for construction firms to adopt suitable strategies to secure best prices for construction materials.
... Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi 1 , John Tookey 1 , James Olabode Rotimi 1 and Nigel Craig 2 1 School o... more ... Funmilayo Ebun Rotimi 1 , John Tookey 1 , James Olabode Rotimi 1 and Nigel Craig 2 1 School of Engineering, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand 2 School of the Built and Natural Environment Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow ...
In the current competitive business environment the relationship between buyers and suppliers is ... more In the current competitive business environment the relationship between buyers and suppliers is no longer antagonistic. Emphasis has shifted to the forging of partnerships that benefits all parties in any business setting. The emergence of supply chain concepts have brought about the realization of long-term cooperation based on mutual trusts. Frequently high priority is given towards suppliers that are able to deliver, and are committed to buyer’s business objectives. However, proper supplier selection is pertinent to meeting these business objectives as it dictates operational and financial positions. The current study discusses a construct that could facilitate supplier selection in a typical government linked company. It presents the key items that could be considered in a supplier selection metric using a comprehensive approach. The study is an aspect of a doctoral research programme that aims to develop a supplier selection model for an electricity supply organization. The paper concludes that having a good set of supplier selection metric is of critical importance to business success in any supply chain.
Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) eBooks, 2001
Movement for Innovation (M4I) is partly aimed at delivering targets set by the Egan (1998) report... more Movement for Innovation (M4I) is partly aimed at delivering targets set by the Egan (1998) report. An initiative under this programme is the 'Respect for People' (RFP) working group. This body published its first formal report entitled: A Commitment to People: 'Our Biggest Asset' (2000), and challenged construction to respect its workforce. Failure to do so will result in firms being unable to recruit and retain the best talent in the workforce-currently a 'hot topic' in attracting school-leavers into the construction trades. Construction is thought to have harsh conditions of safety and welfare, with poor prospects-ideas that actively discourage many school-leavers. To combat this 'image' problem, the RFP Working Group are piloting a toolkit which can be used to measure and monitor safety and welfare in order to benchmark their performance against industry best practice. This paper uses an adapted version of this toolkit. Building apprentices in Scottish Further Education Colleges were asked their opinions on 'site life' and to complete a questionnaire. The results provide an insight into current thinking and expectations of the 'future' of trade apprentices today. The findings are significant to groups needing input from construction's youth (Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and M4I). Additionally this paper is of value to academics interested in human aspects and trends in UK construction.
Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM) eBooks, 2000
Research undertaken at the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in the USA has indicated the nee... more Research undertaken at the Construction Industry Institute (CII) in the USA has indicated the need for project managers to focus their attention on six 'Critical Communication Variables' as a means of ensuring the fulfilment of time cost and quality targets. These variables refer to the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of information presented to participants, as well as the level of understanding, barriers to and procedures for project based communication. The findings and tools generated by the CII study have been used as part of case study based research examining construction projects in the Central Belt region of Scotland. In addition to the CII data collection tools employed, the Scottish study included semi-structured interviews as a means of contextualising the communication and decision-making taking place. This paper presents the results of this benchmarking exercise, and highlights significant issues that project team members need to improve upon in order to achieve the timeliness quality and cost required in today's construction industry.
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2001
Today there are a number of different types of procurement routes available for clients to choose... more Today there are a number of different types of procurement routes available for clients to choose from. Each different type of procurement (traditional, design and build, management, etc.) has its own proponents and inherent strengths and weaknesses. Selection of optimal procurement systems is difficult, because even experienced clients cannot know all the potential benefits or risks for each system. Procurement is, therefore, a succession of ‘calculated risks’. Industry and academia have focussed research on reducing procurement risk through better procurement‐system selection methods. Current research considers procurement as a set of rationalistic decisions within a closed environment, aiming to produce generic, prescriptive rules for clients and advisers to use to select the ‘best’ procurement route for their project. This paper seeks to identify whether prescriptive procurement guidance was adhered to on a set of case study projects. It was found that clients usually selected appropriate procurement systems, and where an inappropriate system was selected, alterations were made in contract form to incorporate aspects of the ‘best’ procurement route.
Advances in media, entertainment and the arts (AMEA) book series, 2016
Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environ... more Smart homes have been predominantly pointed as one of the key constituents of intelligent environments. These are residential units substantially integrated with a communicating network of sensors and intelligent systems based on the application of new design initiatives and creative technologies. This study provides a holistic overview on the essence of smart homes besides demonstrating their current status, benefits and future directions. The study reveals that smart homes embrace significant potentials towards achieving comfort, security, independent lifestyle and enhanced quality of life. Findings urge the necessity to focus on further exploration of the social and environmental benefits derived from the application of creative technologies in smart homes. The study concludes that smart homes play a fundamental role in shaping the future cities. Finally, the study identifies a research gap indicating that there has been less consideration towards linking the fundamental potentials of smart homes to the overall performance and key indicators of smart cities.
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Mar 1, 2005
The construction industry in the UK has been subject to frequent reports over recent years, all f... more The construction industry in the UK has been subject to frequent reports over recent years, all focusing on perceived inefficiencies within the industry and how processes can be improved to deliver construction projects on time, and within cost and quality targets. Most notable of these reports have been Latham (1994) and Egan (1998), which contend that construction should come closer to manufacturing in design, development and supply chain practices to achieve ambitious improvement targets. The most frequently mentioned industries for such 'benchmarking' are the aerospace and automotive industries. Concurrent Engineering (CE) appears to offer significant potential to the construction industry as a means to achieve these targets. This paper identifies key aspects of CE practice in aerospace manufacturers and, in the spirit of the Egan report, possibilities for their adoption in UK construction projects.
Renewable & Sustainable Energy Reviews, Aug 1, 2017
Rapid advancement of technology continues to leverage change and innovation in the construction i... more Rapid advancement of technology continues to leverage change and innovation in the construction industry. Continued digitization of the industry offers the opportunity to totally reinvent contemporary construction design and delivery practice for future development. Building Information Modelling (BIM) within the context of Architecture, Engineering & Construction (AEC) has been developing since the early 2000s and is considered to be a key technology. Despite major technical advancements in BIM, it has not been fully adopted and its definitive benefits have not been fully capitalized upon by industry stakeholders. The lack of widespread uptake of BIM appears to be linked to the risks and challenges that are potentially impeding its effectiveness. This paper aims to discuss the reality of BIM, its widespread benefits and current level of uptake. The risks and challenges associated with the adoption of BIM, as well as recommendations regarding how future BIM adoption could be developed are also highlighted.
The characteristics, strategies, capabilities, and resources of an organisation contribute to its... more The characteristics, strategies, capabilities, and resources of an organisation contribute to its competitive advantage and superior performance. A model to explain performance differences in the New Zealand context will be developed by examining the relationships between construction organisational performance and these constructs. The information was obtained using a questionnaire survey. A total of 101 organisations participated in the research. For the instrument used to elicit data, the literature was used to identify indicators associated with characteristics of organisational strategies for competition, resources and capabilities, and performance of the organisation. Analyses of descriptive, parametric, and linear regression were conducted to examine the effects of these constructs on organisational performance. The results suggest that organisational characteristics are significantly associated with internal business processes, learning, and the growth perspectives of an org...
New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium en... more New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 32.5% of approximately 67,000 operating businesses are ‘small’ (up to 19 employees), while 65% are sole traders. The construction supply chain (CSC) is extensive, prone to inefficiencies at segmental boundaries accentuated by project-centric delivery. Conversely, it presents significant opportunity for consolidation and improved efficiency. Vertical integration and CSC management from the supplier-end rather than the project-end enable component elements to be individually independent in terms of ownership, while integrating their management above the tactical CSC level. This leads to improved operational philosophy and employment. Quantifying impacts, however, is a challenge due to lack of tangibility. This can be effectively overcome using quantifiable parameters associated with the CSC’s transport component. The paper investigates transport operations in a narrow NZ...
The construction industry’s inherent fragmentation fuels Construction Supply Chain (CSC) complexi... more The construction industry’s inherent fragmentation fuels Construction Supply Chain (CSC) complexity. Logistics form an essential part of the CSC in terms of costs and project management. In turn, transportation accounts for more than half the logistics costs due to construction materials being low-cost/high-volume, and most other logistics processes being business processes and not physical ones. Construction transport is almost entirely road bound, one of the least sustainable modes with externalities far out of proportion to its numbers. Ergo, its optimisation presents substantial greening (de-carbonisation) opportunity, with potentially far-reaching sustainability impacts. The ASI (Avoid-Shift-Improve) concept considers activity, modal structure, and energy intensity/efficiency as transport carbon components, providing a fundamental optimisation framework. 93% of New Zealand’s freight (a third of it construction related) is road bound, with 99% fossil-fuel (diesel) dependence. Go...
Intelligence has three parts cognitive, emotional and practical. A building needs to reflect this... more Intelligence has three parts cognitive, emotional and practical. A building needs to reflect this. So an intelligent building will responsive to people in terms of not only being functional but to the human senses besides serving a community in the location. It will be resource effective in terms of energy , water and waste with low pollution. It will be smart in terms of technology selected to enable the systems to respond effectively but also make them easier for people to use. Today there is a focus on health and wellbeing and so intelligent buildings must produce a healing environment. Buildings need to be functional and practical but also expressive. Equally important is the infrastructure that services buildings and the people moving between them.
The construction industry in New Zealand is responsible for around 40% natural resources, 30% ene... more The construction industry in New Zealand is responsible for around 40% natural resources, 30% energy consumption, and 30% greenhouse gases. The increased costs in natural resources, and energy, together with environmental concerns have pushed the demand for green buildings. Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) process has emerged as an enabler for green buildings. Successful IPD combines the partnering concept and lean thinking, it addresses the participant’s expectations, cuts costs, eliminates waste, reduces variability and generates value for all the participants. Yet many public sectors owners, do not have the authority to adopt features of IPD. However, owners can benefit from the IPD philosophy and features to take advantage of some key benefits. The purpose of paper is to examine the IPD tools and techniques appropriate for public sector organizations in New Zealand and to examine the barriers that public sectors organizations face in New Zealand while adopting those IPD features. A pilot study was conducted to examine these issues, semi structured interview were carried out with four public sector construction industry specialists. The interviews revealed that there is a gap between current and best practice in the New Zealand construction industry that is impacting on the adoption of IPD or IPD approaches. To improve the delivery of public sector projects a checklist of specific IPD tools and techniques appropriate for NZ public sector projects has been developed
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Papers by John Tookey