Chapter 1: Introduction - Analyzing Market Trends and Company Performance
Research problem
Attaining a cost-effectual construction venture needs the assessment as well as contrast of the entire of the expenses as well as advantages which will happen over its expected financial life. In terms of sustainability, construction design is considered to be cost-effectual along with maintaining the well-being of the overall environment. Sustainable construction is not a new concept as well as most of the construction companies are focusing on this to deal with the environmental issues (Jrade, 2013). The term sustainable construction usually denotes deploying the renewable as well as recycles products at the time of constructing new building in addition to focus on decreasing the use of energy as well as squander. The main research problem of this report is focussed on Sustainability in construction where everything is concerned on decreasing the sector’s effect on the triple bottom line scenario that is community, ecology as well as financial system using integrated building information modelling. The research problem will particularly focus on one definite segment which is environmental sustainability solutions in which construction projects will use renewable as well as recyclable resources; reduce energy consumption as well as waste; create a healthy, environmentally-friendly environment in addition to protect the natural environment. Overall, the study will revolve around the sustainability in the construction industry in addition to how Integrating building information modelling is using in it (Jalaei, 2015).
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Importance of the problem for specific stakeholder groups
Usually, the primary stakeholders entailed in any sort of building project are its designing team, customers, suppliers along with the project managers. These days it has been seen in many cases that in order to maintain the sustainability in the building project the project managers are focusing more on deploying Building Information Technology within their work. Of late the building business has to turn out to be keener on planning as well as making eco-friendly apartments (for example feasible structures) that might provide both maximum execution in addition to money-related reserve funds. In that case this identified problem is significant for all the mentioned stakeholder group who are involved in construction projects.
Designing Team: It is important for the designing team because it helps in making as well as administering the information at the time of making a plan, development, as well as activities process. BIM coordinates multi-disciplinary information to make definite computerized portrayals that are overseen in an open cloud stage for ongoing joint effort.
Customers: It is also important for the customer because with the help of BIT customer get smart homes through which they can work on environment pollution and other issues related to the ecology (Maier, 2020).
Suppliers: It is also important for the suppliers because they get to know various materials which can be used to create a sustainable building and based on that they provide the raw materials.
Project managers: For project managers, BIM assists in coordinating the various parts of development with projecting through viable correspondence. It can approve the plan for constructability by building a visual picture. What's more, it can help, gauge precise task expenses and times (Ferdosi, 2022).
Background of the research problem
Planning eco-friendly structures that give both elite executions along with cost reserve funds is of expanding interest in the advancement of manageable urban communities. In the present day, people are checking not only just buildings affirmations yet manageable practices that think ahead of the appraisals to fulfil the communal obligations. The building construction sector overall will profit from an incorporated instrument that will assist with enhancing the determination cycle of materials, types of gear, and frameworks at each phase of a proposed building's life (Moakher, 2012). A lot of research demonstrates the need for sustainable structures that naturally affect society is gradually expanding. Consequently, the development industry requirements to embrace new methodologies/procedures, for example, the manageability approach, for planning structures to lessen the strain on the climate. Consolidating manageability standards at the reasonable stage are accomplished by utilizing manageable plan in which originators require to distinguish related materials furthermore, parts that possibly acquire credits in light of the chose green structure affirmation framework. So, from the overall discussion, it can be said that BIM cultivates a more straightforward technique at the planning stage, utilizing progressed investigation to foresee a structure's functional exhibition even before it is constructed.
This segment of the report will be focussed on creating a valid research question related to the selected topic. The one research question that can be framed based on the topic selected is:
“How Building Information Modelling is integrated in construction industry to maintain sustainability?”
The above questions have been created keeping in mind the main agenda of the study that is both sustainability and construction industry. The above framed research question will help us in identifying how technology is used in construction to maintain sustainability.
Summary of the sections
The overall study has been divided into three main segments and the main agenda of those segments are discussed in detail below:
The first part of the study is the introductory part in which a brief about the research problem will be discussed and how the research problem is significant to the definite stakeholder group will also be discussed in detail. Based on the identified research problem one research question will be created that will be used in the next part of the study.
The second chapter of this report will be focussed on conducting a literature review in which a detailed study on the created research question and how various are explaining the topic will be discussed in detail. LR chapter will also provide an introductory survey of each set (writing) and sign focuses which are applicable to your picked research question and are fascinating to investigate further.
The last chapter of this report will be focussed on research design in which a proper investigation will be done on the research question based on which the pertinent sampling, data collection and data analysis method will be discussed in detail.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Sustainability in Construction Industry
As per the opinion of Govindan, Shankar, and Kannan, 2016 Sustainable construction project management entails not just constructing eco-friendly structures, but also combining green buildings and substances to minimize waste and negative environmental impact. From the layout to the final order fulfilment, sustainable architecture is a whole procedure that necessitates attention. The primary objective of environmentally responsible building works is to arrange, oversee, and control the project so that it is updated and ready to address preservation troubles due to social, institutional, and ecologic requirements. Sustainability implies developing projects that serve people and the environment in building projects. Sustainable building strives to prevent sending waste to landfills by procuring sustainable and recyclable resources and reusing materials whenever conceivable. Ajayi, and et.al., 2015 state that the method of ensuring that a structure has the least number of ecological consequences throughout its life span is known as viable construction and building design. This requires considering the project's life during the design phase to focus on areas where sustainable practices could be implemented, such as picking a site that poses an environmental hazard or making plans for construction that utilizes albeit from such an existing building. Sustainable construction must use materials and techniques that eliminate pollution and preserve the environment during construction. Both the development and construction steps should take into account ways to make capacity planning and restoration more financially viable, such as the utilization of renewable power sources, the creation of weather patterns environments that need very little electricity to preserve, as well as the choice of components with a longer life span. Buildings designed sustainably have many advantages. As per the opinion of Valdes-Vasquez, and Klotz, 2013 Carbon dioxide emissions from the construction industry are one of the world's biggest sources of environmental pollution. Following the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), the United States generated approximately 569 million tonnes of construction and demolition debris in 2017. Almost every stage of building work can harm the environment. Natural resources obtained at the project's beginning could cause increased carbon dioxide emissions throughout production and shipping and contaminate water sources. Carbon dioxide emissions and fossil fuel consumption are high in the construction process because of heavy machinery. Building near wildlife habitats can also cause irreparable environmental damage, so it is important to consider the location of a structure carefully. Waste generated at the end of a project poses some of the greatest environmental impacts (Hwang, and Tan, 2012). The EPA warns that inadequate disposal of toxic waste materials can seriously harm the environment and the safety of those living in the area. Construction equipment that is not inevitably dangerous can also cause issues because components that cannot be repurposed, recaptured, or reprocessed are disposed of in landfills. Implementing green construction techniques does not occur overnight. The more significant limitation or enabler will be the customers' perceptions and available resources. The planners chosen for the task will direct the tasks of all successive trading activities on the venture. The aims of achieving sustainability are to start reducing a firm's environmental impact. Among the autonomous construction techniques is using recyclable and environmentally friendly components. They are lowering the energy content in construction supplies.
Maintaining sustainability in construction through technology
According to Hanus, and Harris, 2013, the construction and demolition industries are some of the most ineffective and energy-intensive on the planet. According to the United Nations Environmental Programme's document on the partnership deal for construction activities, carbon pollution from constructing buildings peaked at about 10 billion tonnes in 2019, accounting for 28% of co2 Emissions from all power industry sectors. Constructing technologies are used by a wide range of companies and customers. The key stakeholders for those commonly used in design and development to help functional prototypes perfectly match but also adjust to their surroundings mostly are creators, policymakers, developers, and occasionally building contractors. A few real app auxiliary techniques, such as 3D simulated world and virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR), are job and self - sufficient in the building sequence, and providers can differ in size and essence. BIM, for example, is a new tech that relies on software products to incorporate or start operating, deciding to leave possibilities for gathering data and other sources for communication. Tang, Shen, and Cheng, 2010 stated that the convergence of such a type of innovation with big info or cloud services is likely to change the building's sustainable construction. Some other technique based on systems that require computer security is a decentralized cryptocurrency, which can be used to capture modifications to a BIM 3d image because dispersed and distributed consumers such as architects, creatives, and supervisors can obtain people. This technology allows a forum for the exchange of project models between architects and designers, building contractors, governments, housing developers, management company firms, and buyers or renters. They seem to be generally nice to small and medium-sized organizations because they can attract seed funding and start generating revenue for the company. Just about every industry is influenced by the desire to function more sustainably (Weaver, and et.al., 2017). Clients have shown that they would like business owners to be more environmentally responsible, which indicates that green business owners will draw in more customers. Companies have discovered that green energy can lower operational costs in many situations.
The worldwide invention has resulted in the development of building supplies that are safe and secure and last longer. Temperature oils, for instance –, are utilized to decrease a tower's heating and cooling requirements, whereas clever glass windows can adjust their clarity, dramatically improving a tower's thermal and cooling potential (Ottman, 2017).
Designers can predict far more possibilities to establish a safer, cleverer, and much more durable worldview for the real estate sector for both innovation and the contractor evolve. Everyone must accept humankind's capacity to make more environmentally friendly buildings from building project industry executives to commercial property owners. Creating these stocks will authorize homeowners to big-picture rather than buildings, and earn better returns, while also being a more held-to-account caretaker of the planet.
Conceptualize building projects incorporating building information modelling and sustainability
According to Garetti, and Taisch, 2012 primary objective of environmentally friendly design is to create habitable, pleasant, and safe houses with urban sustainability. These building elements' sustainability reduces the exhaustion of necessary resources while also trying to prevent environmental pollution caused by facilities and equipment all through their project lifecycle.
The most significant difficulty confronting the AEC industry is meeting the demand for new and redeveloped facilities that are accessible, safe, and wholesome whereas minimizing their consequences for society, the financial system, and the atmosphere. The entire building took orders to embrace the 5 fundamental principles of environmentally friendly architecture: (1) enhance energy performance by decreasing the reliance on oil and coal power generation; and (2) optimize site design, including roadways, parking, guardrails, and rim lighting. (2) store water by reusing or recycling this for on-site use; (3) utilize materials with low life-cycle environmental effects on global warming, depletion of natural resources, and industrial pollution; (4) improve erecting interior environment quality (IEQ), which also implies optimizing daylight sources and having adequate air circulation and moisture control; (5) optimize sound quality; and (6) avoid using parts with good volatile compounds chemical (VOC) emission levels. As per Saberi, and et.al., 2019 Besides that, considering operating and care issues during the design phase of a construction project will aid in increasing resident productive capacity, lowering energy bills, and trying to improve the work atmosphere.
According to studies by Porwal, and Hewage, 2013 the desire for environmentally friendly dwellings with low environmental footprint has recently increased. Particularly, the construction sector must now embrace new methods for designing buildings to relieve extreme environmental pressure. The green roof strategy is an exemplar of a particular technique. Architects can use sustainability initiatives to incorporate sustainable principles at the conceptual stage by identifying related elements and materials according to the chosen green building accreditation system (Irizarry, Karan, and Jalaei, 2013). Building Simulation Modeling (BIM), for example, is a game-changing method that enables software developers to create visual representations of digitized buildings. This enables shareholders to envision the construction before it is constructed. A building data model can be used to study and monitor sustainable manufacturing design ideas. Because BIM enables inter-data to be overlaid through a single model, it opens up the possibility of adopting sustainability metrics all throughout the design process. Westley, and et.al., 2011 established three major areas of green development that are directly related to BIM. These areas include a choice of materials and to use, facility decision-making and management, and system design. BIM can help with aspects of environmentally friendly design such as buildings (which could also lower construction costs), building a huge army (to critically appraise the form of the building and optimize the built environment), morning lamp assessment, groundwater recharge (decrease water needs in such a building), green design (reducing energy demands and evaluating how clean energy possibilities can contribute to low electricity prices), and renewable materials (to eliminate waste as well as carbon footprints). In general, using BIM tools to construct green construction requires this same choice of building materials and devices that can be conveniently analysed regarding their environmental impacts (EIs). Elimelech, and Phillip, 2011 defined it as the sum of a device's inputs and consequences over its product lifecycle. Despite the numerous possible future EIs, the EPA of the United States has identified the "top ten" effects as follows: (1) global climate change possibilities, (2) ozone hole possibility, (3) peroxynitrite prospects, (4) salinity prospects, (5) algal blooms, (6) wellbeing toxic effects (cancer), (7) wellness toxicological (non-cancer), (8) wellbeing genotoxic (air contaminants), (9) enviro prospects, and (10) carbon fuels use.
As a result, a test method must be used to evaluate the environmental consequences of the criterion. The most frequently used approach is complete cycle analysis (LCA), which is a way to assess environmental issues. As a result, architects must consider the entire life period of the structure or its supporting details (Mahlia, and et.al., 2014). It will endorse sustainability initiatives by recognizing developments developing the conceptual framework for improved health and environmental effectiveness and using appropriate evaluation methods.
BIM is an organizing principle that contributed to the life cycle of a facility by making it easier to create and maintain datasets. BIM software has a restricted influence on the environmentally friendly building phase today, but it could be improved by shifting the future game of green architecture and incorporating great tools. New technological instruments are required to assist close the gap in architectural design and also its environmental consequences. A procedure combining BIM technology and LCA devices is necessary because it can improve LCA processes while also enabling thorough planning of built premises' ecological footprint. Researchers have looked at the benefits of integrating BIM with LCA and were able to identify the shortages that prevent said integration from taking place. Ahvenniemi, and et.al., 2017 found that LCA systems are inaccessible and complicated. Volk, Stengel, and Schultmann, 2014 claimed that it is inefficient to input data in LCA applications due to the lack of interoperability between different tools and the uncommon type of data format. Loorbach, Frantzeskaki, and Avelino, 2017 identified the following solutions to integrate BIM tools with LCA systems: (1) have used file swap to connect distinct software, (2) going to add features to existing Software packages, and (3) using geometrical templates like Geometric Description Language (GDL). Azhar, 2011indicated in a new analysis that BIM tools are beneficial in addition to the configuration but also to communication among both constructing stockholders. Even so, for these proposals to turn into a reality, the issue of interconnectivity should be remedied. This article utilizes a rich text swap method to communicate among BIM and LCA tools. Construction companies can use BIM to communicate better, collaborate, and partner on developments. As "innovators," they could indeed certainly force the adoption of a unified data environment and BIM Collaborative effort Genre to boost construction projects' productivity improvements (Zhang, and et.al., 2013).
Chapter 3: Research Design
Research Objective
Based on the above done literature review the below mentioned are some of the important set of research objectives related to study based on which one particular objective will be selected to do the research methodology part.
To study the concept of Sustainability in Construction Industry
To study the Role of technology in construction industry to maintain sustainability
To study the Integrating building information modelling with sustainability to design building projects at the conceptual stage
Research approach
This segment of the study will focus on identifying the type of research approach or methodology is best suited for the selected topic. In general research approach can be defined as the type of planning as well as the technique for conducting a study (Mohajan, 2021). Based on the question selected for this study the best suited research approach will be quantitative study this is due to the reason that “how” context can be best answered and evaluated by using particular statistical tool from which the exact answer of the respondent will be obtained. Quantitative exploration is an examination technique that spotlights measuring the assortment and investigation of information using numeric. It is framed from a rational methodology where accentuation is put on the testing of the hypothesis, formed by empiricist and positivist ways of thinking. With the help of the quantitative study, it will be easy to determine attitude, conducts, viewpoints as well as additional variables to assist or reject a premise. This is usually done by accumulating number-based facts and figures that is in reality calculable to find out the statistical importance of the study (Apuke, 2017). The fundamental steps followed in this methodology will include:
Making observation concerning data things
Formulating hypothesis
Predicting the result
Collecting and processing the data
Sampling method
In terms of statistics, sampling is identified to be as the method of selecting of a sub-set of people from inside a statistical group to measure the traits of the entire population. As it has been already mentioned in the above segment that this study will include a quantitative ult research methodology thus it will be very important to adopt a sampling method in order to get the actual result (Taherdoost, 2016). Though there are usually two types of sampling method but particularly for this topic probability sampling will be the best suited one. This is due to the reason that it in general entails arbitrary choice, permitting to create solid factual deductions about the entire gathering. Probability sampling implies that each individual from the populace gets an opportunity of being chosen and for this reason, a renowned construction from the UK will be selected to interview the target population from there. It is fundamentally utilized in quantitative exploration. Probability sampling will be done using simple random sampling in which each team member from the selected construction company will be given surveys and questionnaires on the selected topic and for that a set of 50 to 60 questions will be created to get the answer. In order to get maximum number of answer a total 100 target population will be selected using random sampling. Based on the answer the next part of the study will be conducted that is data collection and data analysis process.
Data Collection
After sampling method, the next comes the data collection method. The data collection is identified to be a methodical move towards to precisely accumulate facts from different sources to offer vision as well as response like examine a hypothesis or assessing a result. As it has been mentioned in the above part of the study that for this research simple random sampling will be used where focus will be given on particular group as a result surveys and questionnaires will be best suited option for getting answer for those 50 to 60 questions. Also surveys and questionnaire are identified to be as one of the best data collection methods particularly for quantitative research study as a result it will be beneficial for this study too (Taherdoost, 2016).
Data analysis
For this research the best suited data analysis process will be using method. Inferential statistics is an approach to creating deductions about populaces in light of tests. Given data about a subset of models, how would we reach inferences about the full set? Deductions in light of standards of proof use test measurements. Inferential Measurements are utilized to foresee the consequences of an overall public dataset from the quick dataset accessible. There are three fundamental sorts of Inferential Measurements: speculation testing, certainty spans, and relapse investigation. In addition to this the SPSS tool can also be used to test the reliability of the result obtained from regression analysis.
Ethical Consideration
The ethical consideration for this study is listed in detail below:
Voluntary Contribution: The voluntary members are free to make themselves out of the research at any point of time.
Privacy: Data should not be disclosed in front of any third person and need to keep it in a separate folder for future use.
Informed agreement: Members know the reason, advantages, dangers, and financing behind the concentrate before they concur or decline to join
Outcomes communication: It will be important to guarantee that the work is liberated from counterfeiting or researching unfortunate behaviour, and it will be also important o precisely address the outcomes.
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