Browsing by Author "Anuradha, IGN"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Adaptation of blockchain and smart contracts to the construction industry of developing countries
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2023-07-21) Anuradha, IGN; Ambagala, KK; Nanayakkara, S; Perera, S
The construction industry is often criticised due to its inherited challenges. Lack of trust and transparency, inadequate collaboration and complex structure have plagued the construction sector. Blockchain is a technology that has the potential to address these issues by automating procedures and enhancing traceability and transparency with its salient features. Whereas adaptation of blockchain within the construction industry is still at its inception. The situation is bleak in developing countries and there are numerous barriers and limitations that impact the implementation process. Therefore, this paper aimed to distinguish the barriers that affect the adaptation of blockchain and smart contracts for the construction industry of developing countries. The study used a mixed research approach. The barriers were ranked based on the data collected through a questionnaire survey and strategies to overcome them were identified through expert interviews. Findings derived from the analysis indicate that having a limited number of construction related software applications (powered by blockchain), the reluctance of the companies to bear additional costs to adapt blockchain and sluggish adaptation to new technologies as the significant barriers. As per the identified strategies, conducting an industry-wide digitalisation analysis, developing an industry-wide digitalisation strategy and recruiting skillful staff can be pointed out as the weighty strategies. The outcomes of this research were gained through the data collected from Sri Lanka, which is a limitation of this study. Eventually, a framework was developed as a guideline to implement blockchain and smart contracts for the construction industry of developing countries.
item: Conference-Full-text
Embodied carbon and cost analysis to identify the most appropriate wall materials for buildings: whole life cycle approach
(IEEE, 2018-05) Anuradha, IGN; Perera, BAKS; Mallawarachchi, H; Chathuranga, D
Construction industry is one of the main exploiters of natural resources. During building construction, a large amount of Embodied Carbon is released to the atmosphere. Thus, this research was aimed to determine the significance of whole life Embodied Carbon (EC) in the selection of wall materials for use in building construction. To achieve this aim, mixed research approach was used. A comprehensive literature review and ten expert interviews were conducted first as a part to find out the significance of EC to the construction industry. Subsequently, a questionnaire survey and a base model building consisting of work studies, a desk study and a documentary review were used to collect the required data. The data collected were analyzed to find out the most suitable material out of the three types of wall materials selected. The results of the analysis indicate that eco interlocking brick is the most suitable wall material (compared to cement block and conventional brick) in terms of EC and initial and maintenance cost. The study also provides a firm base for future researchers engaged in the studies to find out the EC content of building materials.
item: Conference-Full-text
An IoT-based electrical and electronic appliance management system for Sri Lankan residential buildings
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2023-07-21) Sandaru, SAD; Liyanage, DLCP; Anuradha, IGN; Kumarathunga, JU; Kalugala, C
Sri Lankan household energy consumption was accounted for around 34% of national energy consumption in 2017, and residential applications were accounted for 36% of national energy waste in 2018. Therefore, reducing the energy wastage in the household environment is essential. Researchers from all around the world are working to develop IoT-based solutions to reduce energy wastage, but there are certain challenges in adapting them to the local context as those techniques were developed for foreign domestic usage. As a result, it is crucial to come up with IoT-based solutions which are appropriate for the local environment to assist the reduction. Therefore, this article examines the importance and feasibility of adopting IoT-based electrical and electronic device control systems for household use in Sri Lankan environments. Further, a mobile application was developed to monitor and control the system, which was installed for a residential building after an analysis of the domestic requirements. This system may simply fix into an existing building, making it a cost-effective application for reducing energy wastage in developing countries.
item: Conference-Full-text
Value engineering as a pragmatic value enhancing tool for public sector construction projects
(IEEE, 2022-07) Anuradha, IGN; Ambagala, APKK; Dharmarathne, PD; Liyanage, SU; Halwatura, RU; Devapriya, KAK; Rathnayake, M; Adhikariwatte, V; Hemachandra, K
Value Engineering is a globally accepted methodical approach that enables the best balance between the quality, performance and reliability of a project while improving the “value” of goods, products and services. The concept of Value Engineering is applied within the construction industry of many countries to improve the output comparing to conventional practice. Most importantly, adopting conventional practice reasons for less value for the resources use for the construction projects. This is quiet high in public sector projects. Therefore, applying Value Engineering for public sector projects, will give better value for the resources use. Nevertheless, the applications of Value Engineering in public sector construction projects of Sri Lanka are rare. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the challenges that affect the implementation of Value Engineering for the public sector construction projects in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve the above aim, two objectives were implemented as (1) identify the significance of Value Engineering and the challenges affecting to the implementation of Value Engineering for the public sector construction projects in Sri Lanka, and (2) to develop a suitable framework to overcome the challenges affecting the implementation of Value Engineering in public sector construction projects. 23 challenges were identified through a comprehensive literature review and a questionnaire survey was conducted to identify the impact of those challenges and to find out suitable strategies to overcome them. There the data were collected from 71 construction industry professionals with Value Engineering knowledge. Then, the RII technique was adopted to rank the challenges based on the collected data. Eventually, based on the challenges and the proposed strategies a framework was developed for better adaptation of Value Engineering for the public sector construction projects in Sri Lanka.