Browsing by Author "Kalugala, C"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Impact of economic crisis on employees of contractors’ organisations in the Sri Lankan construction industry
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2023-07-21) De Silva, SS; Wijekoon, WMCLK; Kalugala, C
The construction industry contributes more than 6% of the GDP of the Sri Lankan economy, employing workers at different levels of the value chain. The economic crisis in the country from 2019-2022 has had a significant impact on contractors’ organisations in the Sri Lankan construction industry, resulting in job losses, pay cuts, and reduced working hours. Hence this study aims to investigate the impact of the economic crisis on the employees of contractors’ organisations in the Sri Lankan construction industry, the most affected level of employees, and propose strategies to minimise the impact on the most affected level of employees. This study has been done using the mixed-method approach. Thirty-three (33) employees participated in a questionnaire survey and seven (7) managerial-level professionals were interviewed who are currently engaged in construction projects. This study has explored the levels of employees including technical, supervisory, and similar levels, professional level, administration, and managerial level. Further, this study provides the strategies adopted by the employees and the contractors to overcome the impact of the crisis, including measures to enhance productivity, cost reduction strategies, and access to financial support. The findings of the study will provide insights into the impact of the economic crisis on the construction industry in Sri Lanka and inform policy recommendations to support affected workers and ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry in a resilient way.
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.