Building Research and Information

this paper, modelling of the selection criteria was based on multi-attribute utility theory while the uncertainty portion was treated in a manner similar to that used by programme evaluation and review technique (PERT) via de#ning pessimistic, most likely and optimistic values of objectives for the proposed alternative projects.

This paper reviews the current work on energy efficiency in Hong Kong and discuss the prescriptive and performance-based approaches as well as looking at the obstacles and barriers in delivering energy efficiency to the marketplace. It is recognized that more research and development work needs to be done in the territory before comprehensive building energy codes can be introduced.

Since 1992, eight annual opinion surveys of international construction activity have been conducted. The annual survey questionnaires are sent to key individuals concerned with construction activty in their own countries and internationally. The principal interest of the ECERU opinion survey is the predicted future development of construction activity worldwide. The survey is concerned with construction and economic development in general, and with specific questions relating to the global construction market over the next 25 years, 5 years and 12 months. This paper analyses and assess some of the survey results, identifying future construction market trends at the regional, national and metropolitan level. The principal findings suggest that, at the regional level, the survey respondents generally share the survey's optimism about Asia and pessimism about Western Europe and Africa. However they disagree with the survey's pessimism about North America, East and Central Europe and South America. At the national and metropolitan level China and cities within China are considered noteworthy. The paper concludes that the Asian construction markets is still at the focus of attentuoin worldwide despite the problems following the Asian financial crisis.

Sustainable property (real estate) funds (S-REFs) have started to enter international finance markets. An investigation in the German-speaking parts of Switzerland examined two key questions: (1) the sustainability criteria that institutional real estate investors and real estate fund (REF) suppliers regard as important for the market success of S-REFs; and (2) how they assess the market acceptance of such funds. Focus groups were conducted to define sustainability components for S-REFs from a market success perspective. A questionnaire study was then undertaken to assess the two key questions. Factor analysis identified four independent sustainability factors: (1) building materials and energy; (2) expenses, return, and flexibility; (3) green space design; and (4) landscape and natural ecology. In the factor analysis, the set of criteria relating to sustainable social infrastructure did not form an independent factor. In total, 76% of the responding institutional investors decided on an S-REF investment, and 38% reported accepting return shortfalls against the REF benchmark. The market acceptance of S-REFs by institutional investors depends on cognitive drivers, institutional context, age, and family status of investors. These results can inform the design of S-REFs, marketing strategies, and sustainability ratings.

Natural disasters are on the increase, not so much because natural hazards are growing in number, but because poor people are becoming more vulnerable. Vulnerability is as important a cause of disasters as the physical events that trigger them. Poor people's vulnerability is often increased when development goes wrong. Thus, development is a contributing factor in the occurrence and scale of disasters. At the same time, disasters, when they happen, cause serious setbacks to development. To get out of the vicious circle, more attention will have to be paid to mitigation and tackling the causes of vulnerability. Formal approaches to mitigation, initiated mainly by the public sector, have often been inefficient and at times have left people more vulnerable. A successful alternative approach, community-based disaster mitigation, can reduce vulnerability by engaging popular approaches, local knowledge and social capital, whilst addressing their weaknesses. Some examples of community-based mitigation are derived as lessons: learn from the past, build relations with communities, encourage participation, involve local builders and artisans, build local capacity, document and share lessons, and influence formal education.

The scope of Africa"s developmental problems and a dramatically different worldview from that of the West requires a different approach to sustainability in Africa. The context of poverty and rapid urbanization suggests that sustainable urban development should be the focus of sustainable construction in Africa. However, it is argued this should be undertaken in a way that is relevant to the African cultural context, possibly through the inclusion of the values and worldview of traditional Africa in the definition and principles of sustainability. Using the understanding of interconnectedness as expressed by the cultural concept of Ubuntu, some principles are suggested for an African concept of sustainability that can inform the Western sustainability model and make it relevant to Africa. La nature des problèmes de développement en Afrique ainsi que le point de vue mondial radicalement divergent de celui de l"occident exigent une attitude différente en ce qui concerne le principe de durabilité en Afrique. La pauvreté et l"urbanisation rapide laissent à penser que le développement urbain durable devrait être au centre des principes de construction durable en Afrique. On prétend toutefois que cette évolution devrait se faire d"une manière telle qu"elle corresponde au contexte culturel africain, en incluant éventuellement les valeurs et le point de vue mondial de l"Afrique traditionnelle quant à la définition et aux principes de durabilité. Sur la base du principe d"interconnexité tel qu"il a été exprimé selon le concept culturel d"Ubuntu, cette communication suggère un certain nombre de principes pour un concept africain de la durabilité qui puisse contribuer au modèle occidental de durabilité et l"adapter à l"Afrique.

As housing and commercial property markets shift from predominantly supply-push to demand-pull in some parts of Western Europe, consumers will place greater value on information regarding a building's degree of quality and performance. However, information asymmetries in present markets indicate the supply side fails to meet the building information needs of the demand side about the quality, performance and service provided by a facility. Therefore, when property is traded, the demand side's willingness to pay for value decreases and the initial price becomes the decisive factor. The question is raised whether the quality or the performance approach might stimulate the market to provide sufficient building information to counter asymmetric information. It is argued that both concepts are moving towards one another, that they are complementary and that they can form the basis of an interchanging communication medium. A comprehensive building information system is proposed that serves as a knowledge basis from which certain building information can be extracted depending on the type of enquiry. An array of indicators and criteria is categorized to allocate/match information on buildings to the parties involved. It is argued that creating an effective information exchange between market participants leads to a ‘win–win' situation for the demand and supply sides in particular and for the whole construction and property industry in general. The details of this paper are related to housing property markets.

In any strategic alliance, there are cooperation and competition aspects between the parties involved. The propensity to pursue vigorously either of them depends on the confidence each party has that the partner(s) will not act opportunistically. A study in Botswana was undertaken to determine the role of trust on the propensity to pursue the competition aspect of the alliance. Using structured interviews on five construction alliances, it was found that the firms tended to pursue the competition aspect when trust between the partners was low, but strengthened the cooperation aspect when trust was high. It was concluded that if construction alliances are to achieve their principal aims, then the partners need to nurture a high level of trust between themselves. A framework for doing this is proposed and tested on a case study.

Research needs to be applied in practice, yet in the building sector this is difficult to attain, if only because of cultural and functional differences between researchers and practitioners. A survey of Building Centres shows that they operate primarily in the information field and that they possess good contacts with professionals and members of the public. Networking with them could improve researchers' access to information users. L'application de la recherche en assure la pertinence; cependant, cette application est difficile dans le secteur de la construction, ne serait-ce qu'a cause des differences culturelles et fonctionnelles entre les chercheurs et les praticiens. Une etude des Centres du batiment indique que leur champ principal d'activite porte sur l'information, et qu'ils possedent des liens etroits avec les professionnels et avec le public. Constituer des reseaux avec les Centres du batiment devrait contribuer a ameliorer la communication entre les chercheurs et les utilisateurs de l'information.

The journey from the concept of a building to the actual built form is mediated with the use of various artefacts, such as drawings, product samples and models. These artefacts are produced for different purposes and for people with different levels of understanding of the design and construction processes. This paper studies design practice as it occurs naturally in a real-world situation by observing the conversations that surround the use of artefacts at the early stages of a building's design. Drawing on ethnographic data, insights are given into how the use of artefacts can reveal a participant's understanding of the scheme. The appropriateness of the method of conversation analysis to reveal the users' understanding of a scheme is explored by observing spoken micro-interactional behaviours. It is shown that the users' understanding of the design was developed in the conversations around the use of artefacts, as well as the knowledge that is embedded in the artefacts themselves. The users' confidence in the appearance of the building was considered to be gained in conversation, rather than the ability of the artefacts to represent a future reality.

Conceptual cost estimates are critical inputs for owners' decision-making in the early planning stages of construction projects. However, a recurrent problem associated with conceptual estimating is how to assess the quality of the estimates, i.e. the expected accuracy and reliability of cost figures given the uncertainty and risk that every project will face during its development. One of the approaches used to assess the quality of an estimate is the application of expertise and experience. This paper examines the problem of the quality of conceptual estimating, proposes a model of this problem based on existing knowledge and shows how the model was used to develop an assessment system. Through the use of expert knowledge, it is possible to get an appropriate initial assessment of the expected accuracy and reliability of an estimate which should be later complemented with historical and empirical information.Les estimations des coûts sont des informations importantes pour les propriétaires amenés à prendre des décisions dès le début de la planification des projets de construction. Or, un problème récurrent lié à l'estimation conceptuelle est celui d'évaluer la qualité des estimations, c'est-à-dire la précision et la fiabilité escomptées des chiffres, compte tenu de l'incertitude et des risques que tout projet rencontre pendant son développement. L'une des méthodes utilisées pour évaluer la qualité d'une estimation est de s'appuyer sur les compétences et l'expérience. Dans cet article, l'auteur examine le problème de la qualité de l'estimation conceptuelle, propose un modèle de ce problème reposant sur les connaissances existantes et montre comment il a été utilisé pour élaborer un système d'évaluation. En ayant recours aux connaissances d'experts, il est possible d'obtenir une première évaluation appropriée de la précision et de la fiabilité escomptées d'une estimation; elle devra être complétée ultérieurement par des informations historiques et empiriques.

The shift from 'green building' to 'sustainable building' entails a number of great challenges and opportunities for the developers and users of planning and building assessment tools. The current assumption is that a new generation of building assessment tools is required to meet the current and forthcoming requirements associated with the description and assessment of each building's contribution to sustainable development. Existing design and assessment tools do not address the many economic, social and performance facets over the life span of a building, and do not provide building assessment results for all dimensions of sustainable development. Different assessment tasks within the design process are analysed, and approaches for the further development of building assessment tools are considered. The integration into a 'job-sharing approach' with other instruments and measures of the design, construction and management phase are proposed. A proposal for a comprehensive system for the description and assessment of 'integrated building performance' is offered. Recommendations are given for its implementation within the next generation of building assessment tools.

The purpose of this short overview paper is to set out the basic meaning of the concept of sustainable development and the challenges it poses for society. The paper also explores the complexities that surround attempts to operationalize sustainability principles. What decision-makers at various levels in society require is a decision support system that includes methods and techniques capable of measuring sustainable development progress (or the lack of it). However, because sustainability itself is a multifaceted concept and process, a range of often divergent perspectives (worldviews) may all be judged relevant to the translation of the ideas into practice. The as yet unanswered question is how can decision-makers be offered a comprehensive yet consistent and coherent package of decision-making aids in order to facilitate the sustainability transition.

The genetic algorithm is a technique based on evolutionary optimization. A methodology for optimizing labour and equipment assignment using the genetic algorithm is presented. A number of modifications are introduced to the three operators of the genetic algorithm, namely, reproduction, crossover and mutation. Results from the genetic algorithm are compared to the nonlinear optimization technique in solving the labour and equipment assignment problem. A comparison of the two techniques indicates that the genetic algorithm has the capacity to ensure a global optimal solution. However, its computational operations take longer than the nonlinear optimization technique in obtaining near-optimal or optimal solutions. L"algorithme genetique est une technique qui repose sur l"optimisation evolutive. Le present article propose une methodologie qui utilise cet algorithme pour optimiser les affectations de main d"u uvre et d"equipements. Un certain nombre de modifications est apporte aux trois operateurs de l"algorithme, a savoir, la reproduction, la permutation et la mutation. On compare ensuite les resultats de l"algorithme genetique a la technique d"optimisation non-lineaire utilisee pour resoudre les problemes d"affectation de main d"u uvre et d"equipement. La comparaison des deux techniques fait apparaitre que l"algorithme genetique peut deboucher sur une solution optimale globale. Il convient cependant de noter que pour parvenir a des solutions quasi optimales ou optimales, les calculs sont plus longs qu"avec la technique d"optimisation non lineaire.

The use of the multi-attribute model for priority setting in planned maintenance of large building stocks is introduced. Practical issues related to the proper use of the model, such as selection criteria for maintenance prioritization and allocation of weightings Successful validation of the model in both the UK and Hong Kong is demonstrated. Cet article traite de l'utilisation d'un modele a attributs multiples applique a l'etablissement de priorites dans le cadre de plans de maintenance de parcs immobiliers de grande taille. L'auteur examine des questions pratiques liees au bon usage de ce modele, comme les criteres de selection qui servent a etablir les priorites des taches de maintenance et l'affectation de coefficients de ponderation a ces criteres. Enfin, il rappelle le succes de la validation de ce modele au Royaume-Uni et a Hong Kong.

A key criterion for the environmental assessment of any building is its thermal performance. The simulation of an office module in a three-storey university building in South Eastern Australia is described. The module, located at the north-west corner of the top floor of the building, was chosen because it was likely to have the highest cooling load - a primary concern of energy-conscious designers of commercial buildings for most parts of the country. The simulation process identified the major influences on thermal performance against a base case. This enabled changes in materials and construction, as well as basic design concepts, to be evaluated. Features incorporated into the base case such as a metal roof and glazed walkway had an adverse influence on energy consumption, and were consequently rejected in preference for an improved design that included a hypocaust slab system on the roof of the office module. The final design was predicted to reduce the annual energy consumption for heating and cooling by 72 and 76%, respectively, which suggests the added value to the design process from advanced modelling and simulation.

The recent Building Research & Information special issue titled 'Comfort in a Lower Carbon Society' has taken up, with subtlety and diversity, prospects for reducing the energy consumed in creating thermal comfort. As this excellent collection of papers shows, comfort quickly becomes 'about nearly everything', so the interdisciplinary discussions such as provided by the special issue are critical to understanding how comfort expectations and comfort provision might change. The following commentary draws out two lines of enquiry from this collection, both relating to everyday experiences of comfort and its acquisition. The first line explores evidence that people are not as thermally comfortable in their places of work as design values specify and as theory assumes. This leads to renewed questions about theory versus design, adaptation, relationships of thermal to other kinds of comfort, and expectations of workers as well as by them. More speculatively, it reflects briefly on how comfort works outside the workplace, in the car and finally at home. The second line explores the theme of expectations about proper conduct, energy-wise and otherwise, in an era of intensified climate change communications and conservation campaigns.

Changes to the Swedish research landscape since 2001 are described including the re-organization of research councils, research programmes, the management and allocation of public funding research in Sweden, and the effects on built environment research. The reasons for these changes include the desire for increased integration with European Union research programmes, an increasing emphasis on inter- and multidisciplinary research, and the desire for research to contribute to economic well-being. Despite Sweden's high level of government investment in research, shifting priorities and an increasing number of applicants have resulted in reduced allocations for built environment research. This presents the challenging tasks to define and maintain core research capabilities within the built environment sector as well as to ensure adequate industry engagement with both the creation of the research agenda and the use of research outputs.

How can a historical building be introduced and conceptualized into a design process? A case study is presented of a listed 17th-century building, the Old Aula of the Old University of Vienna, Austria, recently renovated for use as an institution of science communication. An analytical approach was used to understand the conceptions and images by which the old building was introduced into the tender of the competition and into the renovation design. Research focused on the visual materials (surveys, photographs, annotated archaeological drawings and historical narratives) produced by various actors and through interviews. These artefacts pose a problem of translation into the design process, which is aggravated by professional demarcations and a lack of organization among the various actors of the renovation. Practical suggestions are made for the use of particular means of representation and their coordination, as well as regarding the specialists who could best elaborate a tender.

This case study of VTT Building Technology comprehensively describes the reasoning, decisions and effects in the process of change caused by the transformation to improve the applicability of research results and to increase commercial income. The change in culture, management, organizational structure, organizational strategies and research, development and dissemination activities were designed to increase customer orientation, performance quality and effectiveness in all activities. The culture change from a scientific research community to a customer-oriented and flexible commercial organization is detailed. In addition to the deep vertical levels of knowledge gained from research, a horizontal capability is developed and promoted to provide applicable knowledge (know-how) in forms suitable to the Institute's customers. Clear targets for achieving the Institute's mission and financial performance have been established to gauge progress and provide incentive for rewards.

The scientific literature is replete with examples that indicate that poor indoor conditions at workplaces reduce work performance and increase short-term sick leave. To address good indoor environment quality (IEQ), strategic and practical design decisions are needed in the early phase of the building process to ensure successful implementation. However, current procurement practices are hampered by fragmentation, long subcontract chains and vague performance requirements. A preliminary study is undertaken that focuses on developing a method of contracting that enables the attainment and verification of the desired IEQ. Using a review of international research and practices, existing commissioning methods and contract procedures are identified for their attention to IEQ. A contract procedure is proposed that fosters agreement on indoor environment between building owners and tenants, and which directs a building project to give users the guarantee of indoor condition. To make a pre-lease contract agreement that includes IEQ, the factors having an influence on the IEQ chain must be included in all building contracts such as those of design, purchase, and operation and maintenance. Thus, the requirements of IEQ require their incorporation into every phase of the building project. The main elements in these contracts, in addition to the requirements of IEQ, are those verifying quality, bonuses and sanctions.

Case studies in the design and construction of three buildings (a prototype house, training centre and student lodge) illustrate the development and viability of innovative roundwood technology. The use of roundwood technology is an environmental response to the efficient use of small-diameter timber from forests. This provides a new, local resource for construction and reduces waste from forests, which is normally thinned out and burned. The technological development of roundwood is discussed in terms of building design, jointing, flexure, timber treatment and the construction process. This paper presents an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to the architectural design, structural design and construction process of a new technology. Des etudes de cas, dans la conception et la construction de trois batiments (maison prototype, centre de formation et bloc de logements pour etudiants), illustrent la mise au point et la viabilite de la technologie innovatrice d'emploi du bois en rondins. Le recours a cette technologie constitute une reponse ecologique a la demande d'utilisation efficace du bois de petit diametre des forets. Celle-ci offre une nouvelle ressource locale pour la construction, et reduit les rebuts d'eclaircissage des forets, normalement debites comme bois a bruler. Le developpement technologique de l'emploi du bois en rondins est examine en termes de configuration de construction, assemblage, flechissement, traitement du bois et procedes de construction. Cet expose presente une approche multidisciplinaire integree de la conception architecturale, de la configuration des ossatures et des procedes de construction d'une nouvelle technologie.

Feedback on building maintenance problems and failures provides insight into how problems arise and how to prevent their recurrence in future projects. Findings are reported from a research project on the maintainability of high-rise residential buildings in Singapore focusing on wet areas. Problem areas evaluated include water leakage from ceilings, staining/discolouration, paint defects, the cracking/spalling of concrete, the cracking/debonding of tiles, fungi/algae growth, pipe leakage and corrosion. Key factors for the eradication of these problems are identified as workmanship, design detailing, maintenance and material incompatibility under tropical conditions.Le retour d'informations sur les problèmes de maintenance des bâtiments et les échecs dans ce domaine expliquent comment les difficultés surviennent et comment empêcher qu'elles se répètent à l'avenir. Les conclusions sont tirées d'un projet de recherche sur la maintenance des bâtiments résidentiels de grande hauteur à Singapour et mettent l'accent sur les zones humides. Ces problèmes concernent les fuites d'eau des plafonds, les tâches et les décolorations, les défauts de peinture, les fissures et l'écaillage du béton, les fissures et le décollage de tuiles, le développement de champignons et d'algues, les fuites et la corrosion des tuyaux. Les principaux facteurs qui entrent en jeu pour résoudre ces problèmes sont la qualité de la maind'uvre, les détails de la conception, ainsi que les incompatibilités entre la maintenance et les matériaux dans des conditions tropicales.

The authors explore strategic issues in briefing, design and operation of buildings and their services. Feedback from post-occupancy surveys suggests a need for better integration, less complication, and robust rather than optimum performance, with a concentration on ends rather than means. Emphasis must be given to usability, manageability and minimizing downside risks. Les auteurs examinent des questions strategiques liees a l'information, la conception et l'exploitation de batiments et de leurs services. Les informations extraites d'enquetes menees aupres d'anciens occupants font ressortir la necessite d'une meilleure integration, d'une simplification et de caracteristiques d'exploitation solides plutot qu'optimales, avec une concentration sur la fin plutot que sur les moyens. L'accent doit etre mis sur les facilites d'utilisation et de gestion et sur une minimisation des risques.

Are buildings designed for lower environmental impacts better from the occupants' point of view? Based on methodology developed in the UK by Building Use Studies and used for the Probe series of post- occupancy studies, the paper explores sources of occupant dissatisfaction, and whether or not green buildings are perceived as better by their users. Occupant surveys from 177 UK buildings are used for statistical comparisons between conventional and green buildings. Findings point to improvements in some areas, such as image and how needs are met, but green buildings are in danger of repeating past mistakes, especially if they are too difficult to manage. Users tend to tolerate deficiencies rather more than they do with more conventional buildings. There are also methodological problems. Findings based on more general, ` summary' questions tend give a more optimistic picture for green buildings than those which dig deeper. It is thus vital to back up statistical descriptions with detailed accounts of context so that rounded conclusions are obtained.

The outcomes from a survey of developer and related organizations active in a local industrial property market in mid-1998 are reported in respect of the use and reuse of industrial buildings. The discussion focuses on both refurbishment and reuse and new build sectors, and draws out some evidence on sustainability issues. Despite a relatively limited understanding of sustainability as a concept, developers are found to have a positive attitude to reuse when conditions allow it. Indeed, those more actively involved in reuse have sometimes engaged in a variety of practical, sustainable solutions to refurbishment needs. Most are open to influence on questions of good practice and sustainability. This all suggests that legislation designed to turn the development and construction industry towards brownfield opportunities and the sustainable reuse of existing infrastructure is likely to induce a favourable response.

Two demonstration programmes by the Canadian government, C-2000 and Commercial Buildings Incentive Programme (CBIP), are described with their effects of on the design and delivery process to improve the energy performance of commercial buildings. Both programmes operated on the assumption that design for high performance requires extra design time and also incur extra costs for contracted specialists and energy simulations. This was achieved through the provision of funding additional design time and providing support to the client and design team. A survey of completed projects within these programmes was undertaken to validate this assumption. Significant cost savings for clients were demonstrated at a modest and acceptable increment in design costs. The provision of modest governmental funding for the design stage has been a successful policy, with positive feedback from clients and operating cost savings offset by modest increases in capital cost or design time.

This paper provides an overview of the Norwegian climate policy and of the practical implications of preparing Norway for climate change, with special emphasis on the challenges confronting the built environment. Although the Norwegian government has been relatively proactive in instituting measures aimed at halting global climate change, less attention has been paid to the challenge of adapting to climate change. The global climate system is likely to undergo changes, regardless of the implementation of abatement policies under the Kyoto Protocol or other regimes. The full range of impacts resulting from these changes is still uncertain; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that adaptation to climate change is necessary and inevitable within several sectors. The potential impacts of climate change in the built environment are now being addressed. Both the functionality of the existing built environment and the design of future buildings are likely to be altered by climate change impacts, and the expected implications of these new conditions are now investigated. However, measures aimed at adjustments within individual sectors, such as altering the criteria and codes of practice for the design and construction of buildings, constitute only a partial adaptation to climate change. In order to adapt effectively, larger societal and intersectoral adjustments are necessary.

During the transformational period from a planned economic system to a market-oriented one, China's construction business system is in an intermediate stage of development. The developing business system has played an increasingly important part in regulating the relations between various actors in the building sector, but the disordered situation in the construction market has fully revealed the shortcomings of the system. Using international experience and practice for reference, China is making efforts to promote the construction business system with Chinese characteristics. The institutional change involves reforms in legislation, property rights, price mechanism and the investment system. The crucial issue lies in deregulation, but this is difficult to realize for a government-led reform. Only if government's control and intervention are decreased enough can the construction market and related professional bodies play their proper roles so that the development platform of China's construction industry can be gradually perfected.

CERF (Civil Engineering Research Foundation) co-sponsored the CERF/CIB Symposium that initiated the week-long 1998 CIB World Building Congress. This joint symposium was a logical growth from one of CERF"s first sustainable development efforts in 1996 Engineering and Construction for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century which led to the creation of a dynamic, collaborative Global Research Agenda. The intent of organizing the CERF/CIB Symposium was to ensure the CIB"s efforts to develop an Agenda 21 for Sustainable Construction would build upon work previously done while minimizing duplication of effort. The main challenges and opportunities for the construction industry, the research community and government are briefly highlighted. La CERF (Civil Engineering Research Foundation) a coparraine le symposium CERF/CIB qui a prepare le congres CIB World Building qui s"est deroule pendant une semaine en 1998. Ce symposium commun etait une retombee logique de l"un des premiers efforts du CERF dans le domaine du developpement durable en 1996 et intitule "Technologie et construction pour le developpement durable au 21eme siecle". Ce travail a debouche sur la creation d"une Action globale de recherche dynamique menee en collaboration. En organisant ce symposium, on garantissait que les efforts deployes par le CIB pour preparer une Action 21 dans le secteur de la construction durable s"appuieraient sur des travaux deja executes tout en reduisant au minimum les doublons. Cet article met brievement en lumiere les principaux defis et les principales chances pour l"industrie de la construction, la communaute de la recherche et les gouvernements.

A case study is presented that documents the most common configuration of the supply chain for pipe supports used in power plants in the USA. This supply chain, like many others in construction, has numerous inefficiencies, many of which occur at the interfaces between processes, disciplines or organizations. Recognizing and understanding such inefficiencies, their causes and potential remedies provides a basis for process re-engineering. The study describes how today's industry practices are changing to yield shorter supply chain lead times. To model the mechanisms that drive those changes, data are presented from industry practice in the form of value stream maps that span organizational disciplines and company boundaries. Metrics commonly used in lean construction are introduced to gauge system performance. A current state map documents how work flows throughout the design, procurement and fabrication phases of pipe supports. Analysis of this current state map highlights value-added and non-value-added times and lead times. A future state map then illustrates process improvements that can be obtained by applying various supply chain management tactics. The methodology applied in this case study could be applied to other construction supply chains equally well.

Portable datafile technologies such as high density bar coding and electronic tagging now permit very high information storage capacities. Aside from anecdotal evidence, there are few examples of these technologies being used within construction. This paper explores the potential advantages of using portable datafiles for storing and transmitting information relating to construction materials and components. A structured methodology is presented to aid the definition of (1) information which could be encoded within labels or tags; and (2) the stages within the supply chain where such a device would most fruitfully be employed. A case study is presented which demonstrates both the operational and financial feasibility of using portable datafiles within the scenario of a live project. Recommendations are made for the development of a construction industry standard for portable datafiles as part of a framework to promote more widespread deployment of the technologies. Les fichiers de données portables comme les codes à barres et l'etiquetage électronique sont des technologies qui autorisent de très hautes capacités de stockage de l'information. A part l'evidence anecdotique, on compte peu d'exemples de l'utilisation de ces technologies dans le secteur de la construction. Dans cet article l'auteur explore les avantages potentiels de l'utilisation des fichiers de données portables pour le stockage et la transmission des informations se rapportant aux matériaux et équipements de construction. Il expose une méthodologie structurée destinée à faciliter la définition de l'information qui peut être codée dans des étiquettes ainsi que des étapes dans la chaîne d'approvisionnement o[ugrave] de tels systèmes seraient particulièrement utiles. Une étude de cas est présentée démontrant la faisabilité opérationnelle et financiére de l'utilisation de fichiers de données portables dans le cadre d'un projet concret. L'auteur fait des recommandations en vue de l'élaboration d'une norme industrielle portant sur l'utilisation de fichiers portables dans le secteur de la construction, l'objectif étant de promouvoir davantage encore le déploiement de ces technologies.

China's transition from a central planned economy to a market economy has meant rapid change in the reform and development of the urban housing system. The Chinese Government is developing policies to increase the amount of residential housing construction and the capital support for housing consumption. The housing industry is being used as a driver for economic growth and improved quality of life. In 1998 the multi-level housing system for different economic groups was introduced. The subsequent market opportunities created by this move are explored. The scale of urban housing construction will increase significantly; the national economic growth rate based upon the housing industry is significant; the multi-level housing system is necessary for urban housing reform; the demand for urban housing will increase; the provision of housing will change to accommodate technological change and market reforms.

With rapid economic reforms, China is facing the challenge of providing the quantity and quality of educated employees and qualified professionals required by the construction industry. Current high demand and the series of policy, funding, organizational and practical changes now taking place in construction higher education are described. The opportunities and challenges in China's construction higher education for further reform, management, organizational restructuring, funding and investment, course and curricula development, professional assessment and professional registration are assessed.Alors que les réformes économiques y vont bon train, la Chine doit répondre, en quantité et en qualité, à la demande de l'industrie de la construction qui a besoin d'une main d'oeuvre de bon niveau et de professionnels qualifiés. Cet article décrit la forte demande actuelle ainsi que les mesures prises en matière de politique d'enseignement spécialisé dans ce domaine, de financement, d'organisation et de changements pratiques. Il évalue également les chances pour la Chine de réformer son enseignement professionnel, les défis à relever dans ce domaine, les questions de gestion, de réorganisation, de financement, d'investissement, d'élaboration des programmes d'enseignement, d'évaluation et de reconnaissance professionnelles.

Using the example of Japan's factory-based housing industry where firms supply customized homes which are pre-assembled from standardized components or modular systems, it is argued that 'mass customization' can be supported by several generic supply-chain models. The paper discusses these models and provides a case study of a Japanese housing supplier. Conclusions are then drawn on the implications of these lessons for the UK's speculative housebuilding industry. Reprenant l'exemple de l'industrie japonaise du logement préfabriqué qui fournit des logements personnalisés "pré-"assemblés à partir de composants normalisés ou de systèmes modulaires, l'auteur prétend que la personnalisation en se rie des produits est possible grâce à plusieurs modèles génériques de chaînes d'approvisionnement. Cet article décrit ces modèles et présente une étude de cas d'un fournisseur japonais de logements. L'auteur tire des conclusions quant aux implications de cette expérience pour le secteur spéculatif de la construction de logements au Royaume-Uni.

The European Union has made the development of a vibrant knowledge-based economy a key policy objective. and increasingly national and local governments worldwide are seeking to harness information and communication technologies to provide government services more effectively and for the benefit of their citizenry. The paper reports on the first phase of the ongoing European Union IntelCities integrated project that seeks to integrate electronic governance of cities and urban planning. The background to the project in terms of the e-Europe Action Plan is explored and the outcome of surveys of user needs and requirements carried out in the cities of Marseilles (France), Siena and Rome (Italy), Helsinki (Finland), Leicester and Manchester (UK), and Dresden and Bertin (Germany) are explained. The outcomes identify a range of implications for digital or electronic planning in terms of increasing the efficiency in e-urban planning and the need to develop digital methodologies for widening public participation. Thus. the importance of e-skills development in new forms of e-planning for planners, developers and citizens is highlighted and shown to be important for achieving a wider e-enabled sustainable knowledge society.

The vulnerability of the built environment will be influenced by global-scale climate change. However, there are large uncertainties associated with the future performance of buildings due to changes in regional- and local-scale climatic impact. The use of modern risk-management theories is discussed for developing cross-disciplinary strategies to meet the challenges of future climate change. It is shown that there are benefits to be gained from the introduction of risk-management strategies within a greater extent of the construction industry. Cross-disciplinary risk-based management strategies (ensuring cooperation along vertical decision-making lines), together with design guidelines that account for both historical local climatic conditions and scenarios for future changes, can be an important step towards a more active and dynamic way of ensuring a high-quality construction process and a sustainable built environment. Reducing the potential for defects or damage through the development of technical and organizational preventive measures (a risk-based management strategy) while at the same time applying the precautionary principle and discursive strategies in the design, construction and geographical localization of buildings, is likely to increase the robustness of the built environment in the light of the unknown risks of future climate change.

In many countries, the construction sector has adopted principles of quality management and introduced less adversarial, more durable market relations during the 1990s. The Swedish construction sector is investigated with emphasis on the implications of the local culture. Construction in a cold country on the periphery of Europe is affected by the merger of traditions of craftsmanship and military engineering. Centralized state control and weak professional identities have been influential. However, social and cultural traits reflected in a national management style (based on low power distance, loose control and low uncertainty avoidance) can be traced in the development of specific quality and collaboration practices in Swedish construction. Egalitarian distrust of both elitism and strong professions, expressed as a tendency for two parties to settle disputes without referring to neutral third parties, has also been identified. Some implications for adapting Sweden's construction culture of quality management and dispute resolution to a larger international framework are proposed. Dans de nombreux pays, le secteur de la construction a adopté dans les années 1990 des principes de gestion de la qualité et engagé des relations commerciales plus durables et moins agressives. Cet article s'intéresse à la situation en Suède et principalement aux implications de la culture locale. La construction dans un pays froid, à la périphérie de l'Europe, subit les influences combinées des traditions artisanales et du génie militaire. Le contrôle de l'état centralisé et la faiblesse des identités professionnelles ont également joué un rôle. Toutefois, les traits sociaux et culturels qui apparaissent dans un style de gestion national (faibles distances de pouvoir, contrôle relâché et peu d'efforts pour éviter les incertitudes) se retrouvent dans le développement de pratiques spécifiques en matière de qualité et de collaboration. En Suède, le secteur de la construction est également marqué par la défiance des élites et des professions puissantes, qui s'exprime par une tendance pour deux parties à régler leurs différends sans s'en remettre à la neutralité d'une tierce partie. L'auteur propose quelques solutions qui permettraient d'adapter la culture de la gestion de la qualité et la résolution des différends, propres au secteur suédois de la construction, à un cadre international plus vaste.

This paper assesses the applicability of some architectural design elements to provide comfort ventilation in humid tropical regions: size and location of windows, building eaves and roof shapes for a single unit house. Most window and roof configurations are sufficent to produce only a slightly more comfortable level although they can certainly increase the indoor air velocity. The improvement of indoor air velocity can minimize the physiological effect of the high humidity. Among the tested models, the room with a high gable roof combining with eaves improves significantly the indoor air velocity. Cet expose evalue l'applicabilite de certains elements de configuration visant a assurer une ventilation de confort daus les regions tropicales humides: dimensions et emplacement des fenetres, formes d'avant-toit et de toiture pour une maison individuelle. La plupart des configurations de fenetre et de toiture suffisent seulement a fournir un minime supplement de confort, bien qu'elles puissent effectivement ameliorer la circulation interieure de l'air. Une amelioration de circulation interieure de l'air peut attenuer les effets physiologiques d'une forte humidite. Parmi les modeles essayes, le local comportant une toiture a pignon eleve associee a des avant-toits offre une nette amelioration de circulation interieure de l'air.

The similarities and differences are explored in both the aims and the methods between post-occupancy evaluations and field studies of thermal comfort in buildings. The interpretations of the field study results are explored, especially the ways the results differ from laboratory experiments. Particular attention is drawn to the dynamic nature of the interaction between buildings and their occupants. Answers to questions of the type used in post-occupancy evaluations are compared with results from field studies of thermal comfort, and the implications of these findings for the evaluation of buildings and the conduct of post-occupancy evaluation are explored. Field studies of thermal comfort have shown that the way in which occupants evaluate the indoor thermal environment is context-dependent and varies with time. In using occupants as part of the means of measuring buildings, post-occupancy evaluations should be understood as reflecting the changing nature of the relationship between people, the climate and buildings. Surveys are therefore measuring a moving target, and close comparisons based on such surveys need to take this in to account.

Vast quantities of energy are consumed in heating and cooling to provide what are now regarded as acceptable standards of thermal comfort. In the UK as in a number of other countries, there is a real danger that responses in anticipation of global warming and climate change - including growing reliance on air-conditioning - will increase energy demand and CO2 emissions even further. This is an appropriate moment to reflect on the history and future of comfort, both as an idea and as a material reality. Based on interviews and discussions with UK policy makers and building practitioners involved in specifying and constructing what will become the indoor environments of the future, four possible scenarios are identified each with different implications for energy and resource consumption. By actively promoting debate about the indoor environment and associated ways of life, it may yet be possible to avoid becoming locked into social and technical trajectories that are ultimately unsustainable. The aim of this paper is to inspire and initiate just such a discussion through demonstrating that comfort is a highly negotiable socio-cultural construct.

The construction process in Germany is traditionally dominated by the client and its agent - the architect. This results in severe problems for the construction companies which do not enter into the process until all the important decisions have been made. In particular, the rate of utilization of their facilities is more or less fully dependent on other actors rather than themselves. Recently, the larger construction companies with nationwide and international activities have initiated changes to take over the construction process and assume the leading position within the project coalition. This has been achieved by integrating parts of the construction project that have been under the command of other actors. At the beginning of the process, this concerns part of the work traditionally performed by the architect on behalf of the client, at the other end it concerns the function of the client itself. So it is the producer who - inside a deep crisis which affects the whole of the industry over the last few years - takes command inside the construction process. This will result in restructuring the entire industry and will cause severe problems for other actors, in particular the small and medium construction companies degraded to subcontractors only.

This note reports the background research sponsored by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) for the development of a strategy for re-engineering construction. Three different data collection methods were used: a survey of CIB coordinators, a web-survey and three regional workshops. The principal conclusion is that the concept of Re-engineering Construction restrictive, and the concept of re-valuing construction was posed as a broader alternative that better captures the challenges facing the international construction industry. Other important findings are the widespread perception that the challenges facing the construction industry are shared by many countries and that considerable scope exists for international exchange and collaboration in this area. Relatively low emphasis has been given to technology issues such as prefabrication and information technology in meeting these challenges.

The term 'learning organization' has entered the vocabulary of many managers and is providing an alternative basis for evaluating the performance of construction companies. However, there is a long way to go before organizational learning is fully implemented to gain competitive advantage, attain a state of readiness for change and build a capacity to respond and identify future business possibilities. This paper outlines the importance and the principles that underlie organizational learning, and presents a framework for measuring organizational learning as one of the strategies for improving construction business processes. The framework identifies ten dimensions for learning and eight factors that promote organizational generative learning. It provides a methodology for assessing whether organizational learning practices and the factors that induce organizational generative learning are in place and current best practice that characterizes learning organizations. The paper also outlines how a construction contractor can self/third-party audit its organizational learning, which could then act as a catalyst for implementing an organizational learning culture.

A new data-mining model for government construction procurement was developed to consider data preparation, domain knowledge and a conceptual model to reflect the needs of the knowledge economy. Prototype experiments and analysis were performed to test the data mining using information from a typical Taiwanese local construction procurement unit. The application of the data-mining algorithm to this construction procurement management model improves government procurement effectiveness and efficiency. By complying with this governmental procurement information system and revealing the information required by the World Trade Organization and the Government Procurement Agreement, the model has the potential to improve government procurement and industry effectiveness and efficiency. It also provides a platform for government access to the international community.Un nouveau modèle d'exploration de données pour les marchés publics du secteur de la construction a été développé, qui tient compte de la préparation des données, des connaissances du domaine et d'un modèle conceptuel pour traduire les besoins de l'économie du savoir. Des expériences et des analyses portant sur des prototypes ont été exécutées pour tester l'exploration de données en utilisant des informations fournies par une unité d'approvisionnement locale du secteur de la construction à Taiwan. L'application de l'algorithme d'exploration de données à ce modèle de gestion des approvisionnements du secteur de la construction améliore l'efficacité des marchés publics. En se conformant à ce système d'information sur les marchés publics et en dégageant les informations demandées par l'Organisation Mondiale du Commerce et conformément aux termes de l'Accord sur les approvisionnements publics, ce modèle permet d'améliorer l'efficacité des approvisionnements des marchés publics et l'industrie. Il constitue également une plate-forme à partir de laquelle le gouvernement a accès à la communauté internationale.

For at least the last 80 years, construction firms have been exhorted to improve their processes by modelling themselves on 'manufacturing', and the current concern for re-engineering construction is the latest manifestation of this tradition. Yet, it is rarely clearly specified which model of manufacturing should be adopted. The aim of this paper is to clarify the issues by placing the wide range of initiatives encompassed within the CIB's definition of re-engineering construction in an historical and comparative context. It reviews the history of the development of the dominant model of manufacturing - largely based on the auto industry - culminating in lean production. It then identifies an equally well-established 'alternative' model of manufacturing associated with the production of complex systems. It is suggested that attempts to re-engineer the construction process have tended to focus on the dominant model - borrowing concepts from mass production during the 1950s and 1960s, and lean production during the 1990s. The mass production model was never very relevant for construction and it is suggested that the lean production model is unlikely to be of broad relevance to the construction industry beyond housing. More appropriate are models of manufacturing derived from the complex systems industries, particularly concepts associated with project management, and the role of systems integrators.

Building companies in the Netherlands used a clandestine sharing of the markets. These illegal actions have resulted in increased construction prices in the tender phase as well as false invoicing and fiscal statements. The irregular practices were precipitated by the structure of the building industry, inadequate governance policies and enforcement. Recommendations are made for government policy to promote better institutional frameworks within public-sector client organizations and for creative competition based on wider selection criteria.Aux Pays-Bas, des entreprises de construction se sont partagées clandestinement les marchés. Ces opérations illégales ont provoqué une hausse des prix de la construction lors des soumissionnements et ont été à l'origine de fausses factures et de fausses déclarations fiscales. Ces pratiques irrégulières ont été favorisées par la structure de l'industrie du bâtiment et par des méthodes inadéquates de gestion et d'application de la législation. Dans cet article, l'auteur recommande que le gouvernement favorise l'amélioration du cadre institutionnel des organisations clientes du secteur public et que la créativité compétitive repose sur un élargissement des critères de sélection.

Operation costs over the life-cycle of a building are a multiple of the initial construction costs. Decisions in the programming stage (briefing) and design process influence life-cycle costs in terms of space, the quantity of structural elements, technical/mechanical service equipment and the choice of materials. The way that the economic and ecological goals are set will influence the efficiency and effectiveness through an appropriate design. To realize the requirements of sustainable building in daily administrative practice, characteristic values for specific building tasks are needed which are determined through the analysis of completed buildings. The resulting target values enable architects and engineers to get a clear and consistent definition of project goals at the programming stage. An interdisciplinary team is needed to manage and guarantee these target values during the whole design process and at the beginning of the utilization phase.

Australia's housing sector currently has no consistent or clearly defined role in the nation's carbon-abatement schemes, despite the housing sector being a major national emitter of greenhouse gases. This effectively removes a significant incentive for innovation in green building, distributed and renewable energy generation, and energy-efficiency initiatives, locking in poor performance of dwellings and wasteful behaviour by households. Pathways to a low-carbon housing future are identified via a new class of hybrid building (energy-efficient envelope, energy-efficient plug-in appliances and local energy generation linked to a national grid). Modelling is used to demonstrate the routes that a spectrum of detached housing, ranging from 'carbon clunkers' to new 'project' homes, can take to achieve zero-carbon status. Hybrid buildings can achieve zero-carbon status through combined lower energy consumption and local energy generation, achieving reductions in emissions of 11 tonnes of CO2-e per dwelling per year, compared with new 5 Star energy-rated 'project' homes (the current building standard) which generate on average 9.5 tonnes of CO2-e emissions/year. Key transitions for Australia are identified in hot water heating, space heating and cooling, built-in appliances and plug-in appliances that can significantly reduce domestic carbon footprints. A portfolio of technical and policy options is explored for decarbonizing the housing sector.

Although there is increasing interest in building performance, the people who procure, design and construct buildings seldom engage closely with the performance of the buildings they have created. This paper outlines the results of 14 case studies where designers and their clients used one or more techniques chosen from a portfolio of ten to evaluate their buildings or processes at any stage in the life cycle of a project. It is revealed that considerable value could be obtained for relatively low effort, helping to improve both the performance of the building concerned and the skills and insights of the participants; and that there was value in using established techniques that were robust, cost-effective and had benchmarks available where appropriate. It proved easier to undertake a survey than to get people together to discuss their experience. However, after the procurement process had started, it proved difficult to incorporate feedback, because everyone was already committed to a particular mode of operation.