A computerized model for measuring and benchmarking the partnering performance of construction projects

Research into partnering performance measures for building and construction projects becomes crucial because a growing trend of client organizations has been observed to adopt partnering approach to procure their projects worldwide over the past decade. Although there are some related research studies and papers documented on this research area, few, if any, comprehensive and systematic research studies focus on developing a comprehensive, objective, reliable and practical performance evaluation model for partnering projects in construction. A Partnering Performance Index (PPI), which is composed of seven weighted Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), has been developed to measure, monitor, improve, and benchmark the partnering performance of construction projects in Hong Kong. A set of Quantitative Indicators (QIs) and well-defined ranges of Quantitative Requirements (QRs) for each QI have been further established using the Delphi survey technique and Fuzzy Set Theory. Evaluation of partnering success can now be based on quantitative evidences, thus tackling the subjectivity of performance evaluation. By making use of the Internet and database technology, PPI can be monitored on-line, thus saving much time, cost and efforts on data collection and retrieval than if they are done manually. As such, an Internet-based computerized partnering monitoring and benchmarking tool, namely the Computerized Partnering Performance Index System (CPPIS) has been developed. The Internet-based CPPIS enables project participants to input data at any time and location and the project administrators could perform data analysis via the Internet. The CPPIS also enables project managers to measure, monitor, improve and benchmark their partnering performances against those already stored in the database. Graphical presentations of data and various performance measures are also built in to assist various end-users to identify problematic areas and critical success factors for achieving partnering excellence.     

An empirical study of the benefits of construction partnering in Hong Kong

Many construction companies have adopted partnering in their construction projects over the past 10–15 years due to favourable project outcomes achieved. Its use in construction projects has been increasing rapidly as its benefits become more apparent and pervasive. This paper reviews the partnering literature within the construction field and tries to portray the comprehensive picture of benefits for the partnering practice. Through partnering and the active involvement of all key project parties, the project is more likely to be completed within budget, on time, and with the least number of conflicts, claims and work defects. Also, this paper reports upon the findings of a questionnaire survey of partnering benefits in Hong Kong. Seventy‐eight project participants completed a questionnaire to indicate the relative importance of partnering benefits. The perceived benefits were measured and ranked from the perspectives of the client, contractor and consultant for cross‐comparison. The results revealed that ‘Improved relationship amongst project participants’, ‘Improved communication amongst project participants’ and ‘More responsive to the short‐term emergency, changing project or business needs’ were the most significant benefits derived from the use of partnering. More partnering arrangements should be actively introduced into the construction procurement process so that every party can enjoy the full benefits of partnering.     

Critical factors for environmental performance assessment (EPA) in the Hong Kong construction industry

With the rise in the public concern on environmental protection, more construction firms start to apply environmental management for their construction activities. As a result, environmental management systems (EMS) have been implemented in construction. However, to improve the construction environment in Hong Kong, environmental performance assessment (EPA) has been designed for reviewing, monitoring, checking and evaluating environmental performance. A list of evaluation factors for EPA are identified and grouped into seven major factors: management and training; air and noise; auditing; waste and water; cost saving on resources; energy; and regulation. The results from a survey highlight that the most important evaluation factor is management and training and the least significant result is regulation. A voluntary approach has been promoted instead of the traditional mandatory system. Furthermore, three case studies are used to test the reliability with seven groups of evaluation factors in measuring the environmental performance for construction. The results from the case study analysis proved the effectiveness of the developed environmental performance assessment. Therefore, the developed environmental performance assessment can benefit the construction industry and help to achieve continuous improvement on environmental performance.     

A study of the factors affecting construction durations in Hong Kong

This is the second phase of an investigation into the significant factors influencing construction duration of projects in Hong Kong. The results of the first phase led to the conclusion that larger samples were justified to investigate further the discerned relationships. Expanded samples were obtained in this second phase by adding some reported data from Hong Kong projects to the original surveyed sample. The second phase of this study also further investigates the relationships between different project characteristic variables such as the construction duration, construction cost, total gross floor area and the number of storeys in the case of buildings. Moreover, a case study on plant utilization level and site labour productivity was carried out on a building site to explore the ‘micro-factors’ that affect construction durations. The findings are of importance to all construction industry participants as the derived models help to estimate the construction duration of a project on the basis of significant macro project parameters. Additionally, the results of the case study indicate the contribution of significantly variable site productivity levels to overall construction duration and suggest an agenda for future investigations. A third phase of this study is planned incorporating more detailed data collection and analysis of significant factors, as well as international comparisons where possible.     

Investigating the intentional quality risks in public foundation projects: A Hong Kong study

Since foundation projects are one of the most complicated construction activities, many unforeseeable and invisible conditions and uncertainties will be investigated during the construction processes. The importance of examining risk management in foundation projects had pressing harder as short-piling experiences gained from the Hong Kong construction. Various types of quality risk should not be avoided throughout the construction development, including site condition, managerial and contractual factors. This paper identifies the typical factors affecting the three main categories defined in risk management in conducting foundation projects from various construction professionals. Intentional quality risk found to be difficult in handling the real responsibilities. This study will also present alternative solutions for controlling these quality risks and the effectiveness of these solutions has been tested. The findings from the study provide useful references to the construction industries.     

A performance evaluation framework of development projects: An empirical study of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) construction projects in Kenya

The present work attempts to develop a multidimensional performance evaluation framework of development projects by considering all relevant measures of performance. In order to demonstrate the applicability of this performance evaluation framework, it has considered the case of Constituency Development Fund (CDF) projects constructed between 2003 and 2011 in Kenya and collected the viewpoints of 175 respondents comprising clients, consultants and contractors involved in the implementation of CDF projects with regard to their perception on 35 performance related variables. A five-point Likert scale was used as a response format for different variables with the assigned values ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to the collected data which gave rise to an instrument consisting of 27 items representing six factors. The findings further reveal that the items constituting these six factors essentially represent six key performance indicators (KPIs) namely time, cost, quality, safety, site disputes and environmental impact. The relative influence of each KPI towards overall performance of construction projects shows that time is the most important measure followed by cost while safety comes last in order of importance in the performance evaluation of CDF construction projects. The findings of this study have significant bearing on other similar kind of development projects undertaken in developing countries.     

Monitoring financial health of contractors at the aftermath of the Asian economic turmoil: a case study in Hong Kong

The whole construction industry (contractors, consultants and suppliers) is suffering from business shrinking under the prevailing deflationary economy in Hong Kong. Local contractors are facing tremendous financial problems. The financial situation of a typical local contractor has been analysed for the years since 1997 – the Asian Economic Crisis. By using the financial ratios together with one of Altman's distress models, it is possible to monitor and assess the financial health of contractors. Based on the results of the case study, the financial health of the contractor under study is found satisfactory. In addition to this quantitative analysis, it is advisable for local contractors to conduct a strategic review for their construction industry and their business environment so as to improve their financial performance in both the near future and longer term.     

Beyond the ‘iron triangle’: Stakeholder perception of key performance indicators (KPIs) for large-scale public sector development projects

Performance measurement criteria vary from project to project. Despite much work on the subject, there is no commonly agreed framework of performance measurement on mega projects. To bridge this gap, this research targets to investigate the perception of the key performance indicators (KPIs) in the context of a large construction project in Thailand. The study explores the significance of key performance indicators in perspective of various construction stakeholders (client, consultants, and contractors). Findings indicate that the traditional measures of the iron triangle (on-time, under-budget and according to specifications) are no more applicable to measuring performance on large public sector development projects. Other performance indicators such as safety, efficient use of resources, effectiveness, satisfaction of stakeholders, and reduced conflicts and disputes are increasingly becoming important. This implies that the Thai construction industry is slowly departing from the traditional quantitative performance measurement to a rather mix of both quantitative and qualitative performance measurement on large-scale public sector development projects.     

Development of a conceptual team integration performance index for alliance projects

Project alliancing, also known as collaborative contracting, is designed to foster integration practice between multidisciplinary teams involved in delivering construction projects. If continuous improvement in project alliances is to be achieved through the use of integrated teams, a means of assessing how well teams integrate and how that integration changes over time needs to be introduced. As part of a wider study to develop an assessment tool for team integration in road construction alliance projects, key indicators (KIs) are identified for measuring team integration practice. It is necessary to identify not only the relevant KIs, but also which indicators are dominant, thereby focusing the attention of owners and non-owner participants (NOPs) on those that will have the greatest impact on alliance team integration. Seventeen experienced road construction alliance practitioners participated in four rounds of a Delphi questionnaire to identify the KIs. The resulting seven team integration practice KIs were: team leadership; trust and respect; a single team focus on project objectives and key result areas (KRAs); collective understanding; commitment from project alliance board; creation of single and co-located alliance team; and free flow communication. A conceptual alliance team integration performance index (ATIPI) was then developed based on the identified KIs and their relative significance. The ATIPI takes the form of a linear additive weighting model, consisting of a measure for each of the identified KIs and a corresponding weighting coefficient, identified as part of this research. A linear additive weighting model is considered appropriate based on the lack of correlation between the KIs, thus suggesting that they can be considered as independent variables in the ATIPI. The measures for each KI will be determined as part of future research and will result in a fully working model for the ATIPI.     

Pain and suffering costs of persons in construction accidents: Hong Kong experience

Direct financial costs of accidents are the tip of the iceberg when compared to the indirect costs. Notwithstanding the difficulties involved, it is very important to estimate the indirect costs borne by society, and the non‐material losses due to pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life undergone by the victim. This study investigates the pain and suffering costs (non‐material losses) of the victims of construction accidents in Hong Kong based on relevant High Court personal injury case judgements in the years 1999–2003. The 54 non‐fatal accident cases and 14 fatal accident cases analysed indicate that the average percentage of compensation awarded for non‐material damages (pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life) to that for material damages (loss of earnings, medical and travelling expenses, etc.) during those years is about 30%. This result enables estimating the pain and suffering costs of the society for a particular year if the total material losses of all construction accidents in that year are known. Based on previous research in which the material losses in Hong Kong were evaluated for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001, the corresponding pain and suffering costs could be estimated as 219 million, 150 million and 107 million Hong Kong dollars, respectively (US$1.00?=?HK$7.80).     

Willingness to pay for sustainable drainage systems in a highly urbanised city: a contingent valuation study in Hong Kong

Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) reduce surface runoff and pollution from developed areas using various techniques such as green roofs and porous pavements. These systems are becoming popular worldwide, except in highly urbanised cities. This study used contingent valuation to investigate city dwellers’ perceptions of SuDS and their willingness to pay (WTP). Face‐to‐face interviews were conducted with 600 respondents in Hong Kong. In general, the participants’ understanding of stormwater management was not strong, although they supported SuDS. The mean and the median WTP were 8.8 and 15.0%, respectively, of the current government spending on stormwater management for public places, and 1.8 and 2.5%, respectively, of the property price for private properties. These WTP were lower than those reported in the previous overseas studies. Respondents who were relatively younger, better educated, had higher income, and came from a previously flooded district had higher WTP. These results facilitated strategic SuDS implementation in highly urbanised cities.     

The Development of a Sludge Disposal Strategy for the Hong Kong Territories

Sludge arisings in the Hong Kong Territories are predicted to increase from the current level of 44 300 tDS/annum to 314000 tDS/annum. This has led to a need to examine the treatment and disposal facilities required for the future. Disposal facilities were found to be restricted, with virtually no suitable land for a liquid disposal route and a sea route limited to the present quantities. Only landfill remained as the major disposal outlet, but this is also limited by the moisture absorbence capacity of the emplaced material and limiting metal concentrations.
In order to match the sludge production to the disposal outlet capacity, a series of process options was considered. Transportation studies using pumping, road and sea networks were undertaken and the environmental impact assessment of introducing thermal technologies was reviewed. Finally the various options were evaluated using a modified version of the Water Research Centre's WISDOM model.     

高密度城市形态与城市交通--以香港城市发展为例

随着中国城市化进程的加快，高密度城市中的交通已经成为亟需研究的重要课题。作为一个典型的高密度城市，香港以其高效率的城市交通系统，为全球许多有着相似情况的城市提供了成功的经验。详细考察了香港城市形态与城市交通的发展历程，指出城市形态与城市交通之间和谐适应的关系，是形成城市活力的必要条件。     

Designing an identity: The synthesis of a post-traditional landscape vocabulary in Hong Kong

Hong Kong portrays itself as a post-traditional city through its designed landscapes. Its contemporary plazas and parks involve design references drawn from sources in Europe and China. The result is uniquely contemporary and self-referential, with no tradition apart from an evolving local post-traditional landscape aesthetic. Two cases are examined, Millennium Plaza, a western-influenced urban plaza, and Kowloon Walled City Park, based on the Jiangnan Chinese garden style. The analysis indicates how the use of Chinese and European design elements has become a means of reinforcing a post-traditional, synthesized identity for Hong Kong.     

香港商品混凝土搅拌厂生产效率的分析和评估

本文应用数据包围分析 (DataEnvelopmentAnalysis ,DEA)方法对香港一家大型商品混凝土公司属下的搅拌厂自 1990至 1998年的生产运作情况进行效率分析和评估。结果表明 ,该公司的生产效率年平均增长率为 0 83% ;一般说来 ,长期性搅拌厂的生产效率高于临时性搅拌厂 ;地区比较居中 ,地处港岛搅拌厂的平均生产效率高于九龙和新界两地的。     

Response surface models for CFD predictions of air diffusion performance index in a displacement ventilated office

Based on the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the development of first- and second-order models for predicting the Air Diffusion Performance Index (ADPI) in a displacement-ventilated office is presented. By adopting the technique of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the new ADPI models developed are used to investigate the effect of simultaneous variation of three design variables in a displacement ventilation case, i.e. location of the displacement diffuser (L_dd), supply temperature (T) and exhaust position (L_ex) on the comfort parameter ADPI. The RSM analyses are carried out with the aid of a statistical software package MINITAB. In the current study, the separate effect of individual design variable as well as the second-order interactions between these variables, are investigated. Based on the variance analyses of both the first- and second-order RSM models, the most influential design variable is the supply temperature. In addition, it is found that the interactions of supply temperature with other design variables are insignificant, as deduced from the second-order RSM model. The optimised ADPI value is subsequently obtained from the model equations.     

Greenhouse gas emissions in building construction: A case study of One Peking in Hong Kong

The construction of buildings has a very important impact on the environment, and the process of manufacturing and transporting of building materials, and installing and constructing of buildings consumes great energy and emits large quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG). The present paper defines four sources of GHG emissions in building construction, which are: manufacture and transportation of building materials; energy consumption of construction equipment; energy consumption for processing resources; and disposal of construction waste, and then establishes the calculation method of GHG emissions. This paper presents a case study of GHG emissions in building construction in Hong Kong. The results show that 82–87% of the total GHG emissions are from the embodied GHG emissions of building materials, 6–8% are from the transportation of building materials, and 6–9% are due to the energy consumption of construction equipment. The results also indicate that embodied GHG emissions of concrete and reinforced steel account for 94–95% of those of all building materials, and thus the use of recycled building materials, especially reinforced steel, would decrease the GHG emissions by a considerable amount.     

Key performance indicators (KPIs) and priority setting in using the multi-attribute approach for assessing sustainable intelligent buildings

The main objectives of this paper are to: firstly, identify key issues related to sustainable intelligent buildings (environmental, social, economic and technological factors); develop a conceptual model for the selection of the appropriate KPIs; secondly, test critically stakeholder's perceptions and values of selected KPIs intelligent buildings; and thirdly develop a new model for measuring the level of sustainability for sustainable intelligent buildings. This paper uses a consensus-based model (Sustainable Built Environment Tool- SuBETool), which is analysed using the analytical hierarchical process (AHP) for multi-criteria decision-making. The use of the multi-attribute model for priority setting in the sustainability assessment of intelligent buildings is introduced. The paper commences by reviewing the literature on sustainable intelligent buildings research and presents a pilot-study investigating the problems of complexity and subjectivity. This study is based upon a survey perceptions held by selected stakeholders and the value they attribute to selected KPIs. It is argued that the benefit of the new proposed model (SuBETool) is a ‘tool’ for ‘comparative’ rather than an absolute measurement. It has the potential to provide useful lessons from current sustainability assessment methods for strategic future of sustainable intelligent buildings in order to improve a building's performance and to deliver objective outcomes. Findings of this survey enrich the field of intelligent buildings in two ways. Firstly, it gives a detailed insight into the selection of sustainable building indicators, as well as their degree of importance. Secondly, it tesst critically stakeholder's perceptions and values of selected KPIs intelligent buildings. It is concluded that the priority levels for selected criteria is largely dependent on the integrated design team, which includes the client, architects, engineers and facilities managers.     

Framing processes in planning disputes: analysing dynamics of contention in a housing project in Hong Kong

Opposition to planned housing projects can lead to considerable delays. Hong Kong is characterized by an executive-dominant planning system, whereby the government possesses strong planning powers, while elected district councillors play an advisory role only. Curiously, planning delays are fairly common. The above paradox is analysed in this paper through examining a major dispute over public housing development in Hong Kong. This dispute involved lengthy processes of bargaining, which were vulnerable to legitimacy challenges. Councillors acted strategically by tapping into prevailing social values to frame the legitimacy of bargaining processes. Despite discontent with these informal bargaining processes, the dispute has not evolved into more radical challenges to existing governance arrangements. The paper concludes by considering how hegemonic discourses of planning efficiency may have constrained the emergence of radical contention, which adds to broader debates about the conditions which shape the trajectories and transformative prospects of contentious urban developments.