WCS - 2021

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://192.248.9.226/handle/123/16511

Proceedings of the 9th World Construction Symposium 2021 on Reshaping construction: Strategic, Structural and Cultural Transformations towards the 'Next Normal'

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Browsing WCS - 2021 by Author "Chandanie, H"

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    Analysis of feasibility of blockchain technology for international trade related to Sri Lankan construction industry
    (2021-07) Weerakoon, HD; Chandanie, H
    Sri Lankan (SL) construction industry has been trading with overseas suppliers to fulfil the need for material and technology. This process faces many issues due to the poor digitalisation of the industry. The financial flow of international trade is dominated by financial institutions (i.e., banks) and the industry faces many issues e.g., delays, additional charges, complexity, lack of information sharing, and requiring legal assistance. Blockchain Technology (BCT) has emerged as a revolutionary digital technology in the past decade. Key features of BCT i.e., immutability, decentralisation, distributed ledgers, enhanced security, consensus, and speed have been identified to provide solutions for issues in the various industries including the supply chain. Hence this paper aims to investigate the feasibility of using BCT to solve existing issues in financial flow with special reference to the barriers to adopt it in the international trade of the Sri Lankan construction industry. As the data collection method, an expert opinion forum was carried out by involving both international trade experts and blockchain specialists in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Key findings present that BCT can solve issues such as transparency issues and poor information sharing between parties, excessive documentation and complexities, payment delays, and financial costs in the international trade of the SL construction industry. Further, findings revealed that the government’s approval, legal requirements, lack of knowledge and technology, and reluctance to change the industry can act as barriers to adopt BCT in Sri Lank
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    Assuring sustainable construction at project feasibility stage in Sri Lanka
    (2021-07) Senanayake, GPDP; Chandanie, H
    Construction activity is commonly considered to have adverse impacts on the environment, which is the basis of sustainable development for human being. Further, sustainability should be addressed mostly in developing countries, such as Sri Lanka, where a considerable amount of construction works is currently in progress and remain to emerge in the future. It is considered that the proper development and operation of a construction project can make significant contribution to the mission of sustainable development. However, the existing difficulty is the lack of the guidance for implementing sustainable development principles in construction industry. Therefore, this research intends to bring the necessity of mandated project feasibility studies as a guideline for sustainable development in the Sri Lankan Context. The research aim was approached through a qualitative survey strategy. To solicit the perceptions of experts on the identified sustainability performance criteria, a semi-structured interview survey was conducted. Ten experts were selected through purposive sampling strategy, who had experience in sustainable construction and project feasibility evaluation criteria. The manual content analysis method was used to analyse the collected data. Findings of the research revealed that though numerous sustainability assessment tools are being practised, there is a failure in sustainable construction in the current context. Thus, the minimum sustainability requirements were identified under the three pillars of sustainability, aiming to develop the project feasibility study as a guideline and to ensure sustainability performance from the project inception stage. These findings are helpful for industry practitioners especially the project owners to initiate a sustainable construction with concerted actions of all project stakeholders to safeguarding the future.
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    Barriers in practicing life cycle costing techniques experienced by Sri Lankan quantity surveyors
    (2021-07) Sandaruwan, IPT; Chandanie, H; Janardana, JAB
    Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is a tool, which can evaluate all the building-related costs over a specified period of time, as mentioned in the agreed scope. Though there are number of benefits, LCC practices of consultants in the building industry are claimed to be weak. Hence, the aim of this research is to investigate barriers in practicing LCC techniques experienced by Sri Lankan quantity surveyors. Accordingly, a mixed approached was followed in data collection through a questionnaires survey and a series of expert interviews. However, in Sri Lanka, building construction consultants are not practicing the LCC concept to a greater extent. This research identified, lack of awareness on the LCC tool by employers and practitioners, lack of knowledge on LCC and lack of previous data as the major barriers for practicing LCC techniques in local context. It was suggested that enhancing the practice of LCC through conducting various awareness programme on LCC concept, build up and maintain the proper database and introducing user friendly tools, applications, calculations methods, guidelines and regulations, will lead to avoid above mentioned barriers, which will ultimately enhance the proper practice of LCC concept in the Sri Lankan quantity surveyors.
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    Energy retrofits for improving energy efficiency in buildings: a review of HVAC and lighting systems
    (2021-07) Amjath, MR; Chandanie, H; Amarasinghe, SDIA
    It has been observed that inefficient buildings consume three to five times more energy than efficient buildings. Subsequently, improving the Energy Efficiency (EE) of existing buildings, which account for a significant portion of the energy consumption of the building sector, has become a top priority. Also, Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and lighting systems typically account for three-quarters of a building's energy consumption. Hence, focus on the energy efficiency improvements associated with these subsystems is entailed to optimise the energy use of buildings in comparison to other energy consumers. Energy Retrofit (ER) is defined as the main approach in improving the energy efficiency of buildings to achieve energy reduction goals. Nevertheless, there is a general lack of awareness regarding ER. Thus, the purpose of this article is to bridge this research gap by critically reviewing the applicable literature on ER. The paper first analysed the role of retrofits in buildings concerning optimising energy performance. The paper also discusses the implementation process of ER, which includes five steps viz. pre-retrofit survey, energy auditing, and performance assessment, identification of suitable and feasible retrofit options, site implementation and commissioning, and validation and verification. Further, different types of ER applicable to HVAC and lighting systems are discussed. In their endeavor to enhance the EE of existing buildings, practitioners could apply the findings of this study, as a basis to understand the available ER types and as a measure to gauge the efficiency of existing buildings, which will facilitate effective decision-making.