Browsing by Author "Illeperuma, IE"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Drivers and barriers to implement green building practices in higher education institutes in Sri Lanka
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2022-06-24) Illeperuma, IE; Abeynayake, MDTE; Sandanayake, YG; Waidyasekara, KGAS; Gunatilake, S
Higher education institutes have a vast variety of humans, processes, and activities with significant waste generation, transportation, water and material consumption, and energy and electricity consumption. They have the potential to disseminate and lead future generations in the transition towards sustainability. Green buildings are designed, constructed, and operated by efficiently utilizing resources to provide a healthy and comfortable built environment while minimizing the life cycle cost. Higher education institutes across the world are several steps ahead of Sri Lanka in implementing green building practices. Thus, this research aimed to find approaches to increase the implementation of green building practices in higher education institutes in Sri Lanka. The research aim was approached through a qualitative case study. Accordingly, three cases were studied by collecting data through nine semi-structured interviews. Collected data were coded by using the NVivo 11 software and analysed using the cross-case analysis. Findings revealed that benefits associated with green buildings, leadership, specialization of the institute, institutional policy, and imposed regulations drive Sri Lankan higher education institutes to implement the green building practices. Lack of awareness, professional knowledge, skilled labour, and funds, political regime changes, poor planning, and stakeholder management were identified as barriers. The research outcomes guide the policymakers and management of the Sri Lankan higher education institutes to effectively implement green building practices. Further, the research outcomes will help to make strategies to reinforce the drivers and mitigate the barriers.
item: Conference-Full-text
Issues caused by employment of migrant workers in the Sri Lankan construction industry
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2023-07-21) Nawarathna, WGHK; Abeynayake, MDTE; Illeperuma, IE
Construction is one of the industries with a very high growth rate in Sri Lanka. With this growth, recent decades have seen a considerable rise in the number of migrant workers because of globalisation, wars, conflicts, poverty, and economic developments. While this wave offers the construction industry, organisations, and migrants many benefits, it also has drawbacks. Due to several reasons, migration has an impact on the Sri Lankan construction industry. However, this migration has several negative consequences and difficulties for the industry. Therefore, it is vital to recognise them and offer solutions. This paper discussed issues caused by the employment of migrant workers in the Sri Lankan construction industry, and research aimed to develop strategies to mitigate the issues caused by migrant workers in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry. The study used a mixed-methods approach, collecting data through questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. Through a questionnaire survey, the research findings identified the top 13 issues brought on by the employment of migrant workers in Sri Lanka. "Communication issues," "Language barriers," "Competition for jobs," "Outflow of currency," and "Spread of Diseases" are the top five most important issues. Through expert interviews, the definitive significant management methods for those identified significant concerns were developed. The suggested solutions are divided into two categories: Strategies that construction organisations can use to overcome the issues and Strategies that the Sri Lankan government can use to overcome the issues Implementing training sessions, forming support groups, improving visual communication, modifying Sri Lankan government rules and regulations, and promoting an open Health and safety culture are the key strategies suggested in this study.
item: Conference-Full-text
Role of micro-housing in fulfilling middle-income housing demand in urban areas: Sri Lankan perspective
(Department of Building Economics, 2024) Mannapperuma, MMN; Disaratna, PAPVDS; Illeperuma, IE; Sandanayake, y; Waidyasekara, KGAS; Ranadewa, KATO; Chandanie, H
Urbanisation and population growth challenge the housing market in urban areas globally. The unavailability of sufficient lands, limited housing spaces, high demand and high housing prices caused housing unaffordability. Consequently, micro-living has been successfully implemented in high-density urban areas worldwide to address housing unaffordability. In Sri Lanka, middle-income households in Colombo are the most vulnerable to housing unaffordability. Accordingly, this research aimed to investigate the suitability of micro-housing to address the issues in middle-income households in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The aim was accomplished through a qualitative approach by collecting data through expert interviews and analysing through content analysis with manual coding. Findings revealed the unavailability of land and high land prices as the major challenges faced by the middle-income housing market in Colombo. Importantly, the findings acknowledged Micro Houses (MHs) and Micro Apartments (MAs) as affordable housing options that effectively address the issues. The demand and the social acceptance of MHs and MAs in Colombo are led by two middle-income groups i.e. (i) youngsters, and (ii) elderly retirees. Herein, ease of maintenance and willingness to modernise were the main positive perceptions. In contrast, limited space and usage of foldable furniture cause negative perceptions. Construction and operation costs of MHs and MAs can be lowered by maximising natural lighting and ventilation and minimising material wastage. However, operational costs will not be changed considerably. Nonetheless, prevailing building codes and regulations barrier the implementation of micro-living in Colombo.
item: Conference-Full-text
Role of prefabricated prefinished volumetric construction in enhancing construction productivity: Sri Lankan perspective
(Department of Building Economics, 2024) Madushan, F; Abeynayake, MDTE; Illeperuma, IE; Sandanayake, YG; Waidyasekara, KGAS; Ranadewa, KATO; Chandanie, H
Low productivity is an inherent characteristic of the construction industry. Prefabricated Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) is widely acknowledged for its high level of productivity. Thus, this study focuses on increasing the Construction Productivity (CP) in Sri Lanka through the implementation of PPVC. Herein, the research objectives are to explore the role of PPVC in increasing the CP and investigate the barriers to implementing PPVC in Sri Lanka. The research aim was accomplished by collecting data through expert interviews and analysing it through manual content analysis. Findings revealed that in Sri Lanka, the average CP rate can be doubled by implementing PPVC. Overall, PPVC increases the CP by reducing labour, accelerating project duration, making project management much more effective and minimising wastage. Nonetheless, the use of PPVC is relatively limited in Sri Lanka. The high initial cost is the main barrier to the adoption. Findings identified the necessity of specialised machinery, production plants, and skilled labour as the main cost drivers. Complications and high costs in transporting PPVC modules are critical barriers to the implementation of PPVC in Sri Lanka. Additionally, less demand, lack of technical expertise and less enthusiasm for research and development act as barriers. Most of the contractors do not have the technical capability needed for PPVC. Moreover, less governmental support and material shortages hinder the adoption of PPVC. Having an in-depth understanding of the barriers forms the foundation to tailor strategies and overcome the challenges. Accordingly, this research sheds light on the realm of concurring PPVC in Sri Lanka.
item: Conference-Full-text
Smart contract applications for mitigating disputes in the construction industry
(Department of Building Economics, 2024) Bandara, RMOH; Abeynayake, MDTE; Illeperuma, IE; Eranga, BAI; Sandanayake, YG; Waidyasekara, KGAS; Ranadewa, KATO; Chandanie, H
Disputes frequently arise in construction projects due to the complexity of the processes and challenging environment, resulting in cost overruns, delays, wastage, and low productivity. Thus, the Construction Industry (CI) is enthusiastic about innovative dispute mitigation measures by incorporating digital technologies. Consequently, Smart Contracts (SCs) have emerged as a pioneering approach to digitise construction contracts and thereby mitigate construction disputes. Accordingly, this research aims to investigate the applications of SCs to mitigate disputes in the Sri Lankan CI. The research aim was approached through an explanatory mixed method. Initially, a questionnaire survey was carried out to collect quantitative data which was followed by qualitative expert interviews. Quantitative data were statistically analysed through Mean Weighted Average (MWA) and Relative Importance Index (RII) whereas qualitative data were analysed through content analysis. The study identified the root causes of construction disputes in the Sri Lankan context as poorly written contracts, poor preparation and approval of drawings, lack of communication and coordination, poor supervision and site management, and contain of contradictory and inaccurate information in the contract documents. The findings highlighted that SCs can significantly reduce construction disputes by replacing ambiguous processes with clear, automated processes. By linking payments to milestones, storing project data transparently, and potentially triggering actions based on safety or quality data, SCs streamline communication, ensure everyone plays by the agreed-upon rules, and thereby minimise disputes. Future researchers are suggested to explore the practical challenges and strategies for implementing SCs in the Sri Lankan CI.