Purpose Construction industry hesitates to associate Green concepts on building projects mainly due to its high initial investment cost. Even if it is economical in the long run, often the benefits are suppressed with the costs generated through non-value-adding activities in the construction process. Lean construction principles have proved to eliminate such waste while enhancing the construction process. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explore the applicability of the integration of Lean and Green concepts in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach The fundamental principles of both Lean and Green construction were evaluated through an extensive literature survey. A qualitative approach was adopted, and thus, based on the literature findings, expert interviews were conducted with professionals having experience in both Green and Lean concepts. Furthermore, the findings were validated through experts to analyse the adaptability of the integration. Content analysis technique was utilised with NVivo software programme to analyse the findings. Findings The integration of the Green concept was found to alter the traditional application of Lean concept, considering the social and environmental aspects without limiting to economic considerations. The study revealed that the perception of the Sri Lankan stakeholders towards the application of integrated Lean-Green concept is focussed on a positive direction. As a result, the identified enablers to implementing the integrated concept supersede the barriers by confirming the appropriateness of the application in the local construction industry. Originality/value A framework was developed through the findings to guide the implementation of integrated Lean-Green application in Sri Lankan context.
With the expansion of economic activities, sustainable development in construction industry got more attention worldwide. Hence, industry practitioners are more concerned on achieving sustainable construction goals to make more effective and efficient services. The Smart Building concept can be implemented with advanced building technologies to achieve clients' requirements with in the economic, environmental and social parameters while enhancing building performances efficiently. To explore the applicability of Smart Building concept to enhance sustainable building practices in Sri Lanka, the qualitative research approach was used in this research. The opinions of the smart and sustainable construction experts were obtained through semi-structured interviews. Smart Building concept is novel to the Sri Lankan construction industry and the implementation is still in the initial stage. However, the perception of the construction industry on the Smart Building concept is focused on a strong and positive direction. The recognised sustainable benefits of Smart Building concept implementation can be used as a promoting tool to make interest on Smart Buildings. Most of these benefits are long term and most of the clients do not recognise the value of Smart Buildings in terms of sustainability. Therefore, improving the knowledge and awareness of the developers is vital during the implementation process within the local context. Lack of financial resources, complex technology requirement, reluctant to commence new technologies and lack of knowledge of developers and owners are the main barriers that are existing within the local context. Mitigating these barriers will expedite the implementation process of Smart Building concept and will upgrade the performance of the local construction industry dramatically.
Disputes free subcontract is a key to success of modern construction industry which largely depends on subcontracting. Since this effort has to be made on the expense of time and cost, which can be used otherwise to add more value to the project, it is vital to decide an effective mechanism to mitigate subcontract disputes. Considering the need for addressing this fact, this paper aims to investigate causes of subcontract disputes and effective prevention measures. Mixed approach was followed in order to achieve the aim of the study. Thus, a preliminary survey was conducted to validate literature findings and a questionnaire survey was carried out with contractor and subcontractor representatives to identify causes of subcontract disputes and prevention measures. The findings of the preliminary survey were analysed using content analysis technique and data captured through questionnaire survey was evaluated using relative important index and weighted mean. Incompleteness of the contract was identified as the primary reason of disputes in subcontracts. Further, financial issues, risks and uncertainties, collaborative conflicts, opportunistic behaviours of contracting parties and wrong practices also have a significant impact on occurrence of disputes. Proper contract management and proper site management which includes scheduling and effective project management practices were identified as the most effective prevention measures. The contract administrators should identify the things they should necessarily address in the contract and project managers in dispute prevention regards should consider time and cost constraints to prioritize effective prevention measures.
C&D waste management is an area where attention needs to be paid for as the construction industry is considered to be one of the key solid waste generators. Mainly, C&D waste get generated through the new construction, renovation of buildings, and through the demolition of buildings and structures. Hence, it is necessary to manage the C&D waste. In order to manage the C&D waste, it is necessary to identify the types and origins of waste. Thus, the aim of the paper is to identify the types of C&D waste and their origins of generation. This paper critically reviews secondary data and findings of eight case studies under the qualitative approach. Through the case study findings, it was evident that plywood, concrete, cement, steel offcuts, blocks bricks, sand, soil, wood, polythene and food waste as the main types of C&D waste in Sri Lankan construction sites. Further, design changes, transport, human mistakes, quality of works, client changes and mismatches in required materials are identified as the key origins for C&D waste generation in Sri Lankan construction sites. Therefore, to achieve the aim of the paper, types of C&D waste materials and origins of C&D waste generation were identified.
The construction industry plays an important role in improving quality of the environment. However, it was also found out that the construction activities create negative impacts on the environment. Reducing the negative environmental impact of the construction industry is one of the major challenges in the 21 st century. However, regardless of the significance of this problem, limited efforts to deal with the negative effects have been largely fragmented and disjointed. Green Supply Chain Management is considered as one of the main efforts, which aim to integrate environmental parameters within the supply chain management. It reduces carbon emissions and improves environmental performances of organizations. The trend towards developing Green Supply Chain is now increasing among various industries. In the recent past, enterprises have started Green Supply Chain Management for the purpose of securing competitive advantages over other initiative due to the increase of international conventions related to the recent climate change, the global environmental protection regulations, the stakeholders and investors' need for environmental suitability and the consumer's choice for environmentally friendly products. Therefore, this paper aims to critically review the secondary data on Supply Chain Management, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and Green Supply Chain Management in the construction industry. Finally, the paper presents a conceptual framework integrating concepts for Green Supply Chain Management practices to the construction sector.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.