Browsing by Author "Nawarathna, RAG"

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item: Conference-Full-text
Applicability of socio-economic factors in sustainable construction for sri lankan context
(Ceylon Institute of Builders - Sri Lanka, 2013-06) Amarakoon, AMDC; Chandrathilake, SR; Nawarathna, RAG; Sandayake, YG; Fernando, NG
“Sustainability” has emerged as a vibrant field of research and innovation over last few decades. The concept is based on three basic factors; environment, social and economic, namely the Triple Bottom Line. Frequently, the environmental aspect, despite the social and economic aspects, is given a major emphasis in the global arena of sustainable construction. The World Green Building Council (WGBC), being the leading institute in sustainability, has initiated the first step towards assessing the socio economic factors in the field of sustainable construction, which are being neglected in rating green buildings due to its immeasurability as a tool, by developing a framework for assessing the concerns addressed in the Triple Bottom Line. The WGBC criteria presented in seven sections hold concepts developed by the expert panel representing 14 countries, for assessing the social and economic factors. Since the concepts are in contrast with Sri Lankan context, they seek readjustment in order to match Sri Lankan context. Research agenda hascommenced with a comprehensive literature survey, followed by expert interviews and a questionnaire survey. The process of developing the theoretical framework to determine the appropriate weightages between each rating has proceeded using the indicators and benchmarks of the available frameworks. Adjusted criteria of the social and economic factors would be able to improve the applicability of GreenSL to assess the green buildings in Sri Lanka. Developed framework through the evaluation process in the research would be capable of assessing the Sri Lankan sustainable constructions in a more appropriate manner, with proper compositional integration of socio-economic and environment factors. A comprehensive assessment of sustainable construction could be achieved through the developedtheoretical framework that is fitted in to the Sri Lankan context with due consideration on aspects addressed in Triple Bottom Line; economic, social and environment.
item: Conference-Full-text
Energy from waste: a solution for the garbage crisis at Meethotamulla, Kolonnawa, Sri Lanka
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2016-07) Nawarathna, RAG; Joyce, S; Sandanayake, YG; Karunasena, GI; Ramachandra, T
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation and management is a continually growing problem at global level, and is becoming more complicated day by day. Sri Lanka as a developing country also confronts the issue of increasing solid waste. Its major conventional solid waste management practice of open dumping is being challenged at present due to its negative impacts on environment and public health. Therefore, there is a necessity to look at this problem from a new perspective. Being identified the Energy from Waste (EfW) technologies as one of the best solutions to solve MSW problem, this paper aims at assessing the viability of setting up an EfW facility to get rid of Meethotamulla, Kolonnawa Garbage Mountain which has become a pressing issue today. The data gathered from secondary sources such as government publications, journal articles, newspaper articles, and other published reports intensifies this analysis. Based on the analysis, it is identified that mass combustion is the best possible technology to treat about 1300 tons of waste per day in order to make the Meethotamulla garbage site hazard free zone by 2040 and to generate 14MW of electricity per day as a by-product of waste combustion. And eventually, the PESTE analysis identifies the opportunities and threats that can be affected when implementing such a capital intensive facility.
item: Conference-Full-text
ENERGY FROMWASTE: A SOLUTION FOR THE GARBAGE CRISIS AT MEETHOTAMULLA, KOLONNAWA, SRI LANKA
(2016-08-29) Nawarathna, RAG; Joyce, S
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation and management is a continually growing problem at global level, and is becoming more complicated day by day. Sri Lanka as a developing country also confronts the issue of increasing solid waste. Its major conventional solid waste management practice of open dumping is being challenged at present due to its negative impacts on environment and public health. Therefore, there is a necessity to look at this problem from a new perspective. Being identified the Energy from Waste (EfW) technologies as one of the best solutions to solve MSW problem, this paper aims at assessing the viability of setting up an EfW facility to get rid of Meethotamulla, Kolonnawa Garbage Mountain which has become a pressing issue today. The data gathered from secondary sources such as government publications, journal articles, newspaper articles, and other published reports intensifies this analysis. Based on the analysis, it is identified that mass combustion is the best possible technology to treat about 1300 tons of waste per day in order to make the Meethotamulla garbage site hazard free zone by 2040 and to generate 14MW of electricity per day as a by-product of waste combustion. And eventually, the PESTE analysis identifies the opportunities and threats that can be affected when implementing such a capital intensive facility.
item: Conference-Full-text
ENERGY FROMWASTE: A SOLUTION FOR THE GARBAGE CRISIS AT MEETHOTAMULLA, KOLONNAWA, SRI LANKA
(2016-08-29) Nawarathna, RAG; Joyce, S
Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) generation and management is a continually growing problem at global level, and is becoming more complicated day by day. Sri Lanka as a developing country also confronts the issue of increasing solid waste. Its major conventional solid waste management practice of open dumping is being challenged at present due to its negative impacts on environment and public health. Therefore, there is a necessity to look at this problem from a new perspective. Being identified the Energy from Waste (EfW) technologies as one of the best solutions to solve MSW problem, this paper aims at assessing the viability of setting up an EfW facility to get rid of Meethotamulla, Kolonnawa Garbage Mountain which has become a pressing issue today. The data gathered from secondary sources such as government publications, journal articles, newspaper articles, and other published reports intensifies this analysis. Based on the analysis, it is identified that mass combustion is the best possible technology to treat about 1300 tons of waste per day in order to make the Meethotamulla garbage site hazard free zone by 2040 and to generate 14MW of electricity per day as a by-product of waste combustion. And eventually, the PESTE analysis identifies the opportunities and threats that can be affected when implementing such a capital intensive facility.
item: Conference-Full-text
Estimating whole life cycle carbon emissions of buildings: a literature review
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2017-06) Nawarathna, RAG; Fernando, NG; Perera, S; Sandanayake, YG; Ramachandra, T; Gunatilake, S
Building sector has been increasingly recognised as one of the significant sectors which emits considerable amount of carbon to the atmosphere. Therefore, lowering carbon emissions of buildings has become an essential response to the global carbon reduction targets. In response to that, many efforts have been put forward in estimating and reducing carbon emissions in this sector over the last few decades. Whole life cycle carbon of a building is considered as the total amount of operational and embodied carbon occurred throughout its lifecycle. A building life cycle consists of four main phases as product, construction, operation and end of life. Even though, many studies have examined the whole life cycle carbon emissions during the assessment zones of operational and detailed design, it was found no studies have been conducted to examine the whole life cycle carbon emissions during early stage of a design. However, it is believed that the carbon emission reduction potential is high in the early stages of a project. Accordingly, the aim of this paper was to review the existing literature on building life cycle carbon estimation in order to identify the reasons for the less focus on early stage life cycle carbon estimation and to learn further research aspects on life cycle carbon estimation. A comprehensive literature review was carried out referring secondary data sources to achieve this aim. It was found out that insufficient primary data and limited approaches in estimating life cycle carbon as a major reason for the less focus on life cycle carbon estimations in early stage of design. Accordingly, it creates the need of a rigorous approach for early stage life cycle carbon estimating.
item: Conference-Full-text
Impact of maintenance management procedures on energy efficiency of chillers
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2013-06) De silva, N; Siriwardana, MR; Nawarathna, RAG; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG
The most important element of the central air conditioning system, the chiller, accounts for about 40% of annual total energy consumption of commercial and industrial buildings. As a result, many approaches have been proposed to increase energy efficiency of chillers with the intention of managing the annual total energy consumption of facilities. Among them, it was revealed that the approach of proper chiller maintenance procedures lead towards the energy efficiency of chillers. Therefore, the research was focused on identifying the impact of maintenance management procedures on energy efficiency of chillers. The data was collected through a pilot survey and a main survey which were followed by a questionnaire along with observations and interviews with experienced industry practitioners. It was identified that the maintenance procedures has a great impact towards the energy efficiency of chillers. Perform condenser water quality test, Monitoring refrigerant pressure and temperature, Monitoring water flows, cleaning of condenser bundle and cooling tower cleaning and water treatment were identified as the most significant maintenance activities which assist to meet the standard energy efficiency level of chillers. Eventually, a multiple linear regression model was developed with the intention of deriving relationship between performance deviation of above maintenance activities and energy efficiency drop of chillers.
item: Conference-Abstract
Impact of maintenance management procedures on energy efficiency of chillers
(2015-04-09) Siriwardana, MR; De Silva, END; Nawarathna, RAG
Themost important element of the central air conditioning system, the chiller, accounts for about 40010 of annual total energy consumption of commercial and industrial buildings. As a result, many approacheshave been proposed to increase energy efficiency of chillers with the intention of managingthe annual total energy consumption of facilities. Among them, it was revealed that the approachof proper chiller maintenance procedures lead towards the energy efficiency of chillers. Therefore,the research was focused on identifying the impact of maintenance management procedureson energy efficiency of chillers. Thedata was collected through a pilot survey and a main survey which were followed by a questionnairealong with observations and interviews with experienced industry practitioners.Chillers; Energy Efficiency; Energy Efficiency Drop; Maintenance Management Procedures; Maintenance Performance Deviation. II wasidentified that the maintenance procedures has a great impact towards the energy efficiency of chillers. Perform condenser water quality test, Monitoring refrigerant pressure and temperature,Monitoring water flows, cleaning of condenser bundle and cooling tower cleaning andwater treatment were identified as the most significant maintenance activities which assist to meelthestandard energy efficiency level of chillers. Eventually, a multiple linear regression model wasdeveloped with the intention of deriving relationship between performance deviation of above maintenanceactivities and energy efficiency drop of chillers.
item: Conference-Full-text
Implications of insufficient awareness of statutory requirements for building construction on consultant team of building construction projects
Sarathchandra, MANM; Perera, BAKS; Nawarathna, RAG
All over the world, the construction industry is inherently subjected to a wide range of statutory requirements which are empowered by various bodies. Though, it is vital to comply with these statutory requirements, the rate of non-conformity is still high in the Sri Lankan construction industry giving rise to punitive actions, cost increases and overruns of project schedules. The researchers assume that either insufficient or lack of awareness of statutory regulations among members of construction consultant team is the main reason for this state of affairs. The present study therefore focuses on identifying the substantial statutory requirements laid by the Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka, vis-à-vis building construction in the Colombo Municipal area and their implications for construction consultant team such as Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers, who may be unaware of the existence of such statutory requirements. Accordingly, the research was approached through a document survey and semi-structured interviews respectively. The gathered data was subjected to a content analysis based on the findings of which conclusions were drawn regarding implications and possible strategies to address the perceived problems. The research reveals that the City of Colombo Development Plan 1999 and its amendment in 2008 with regard to zoning regulations are the twin sources of statutory requirements that are applicable for the Colombo Municipal area. They lay down the zoning regulations, planning regulations, building regulations, and required development guide plans that should be considered by architects and specify the statutory requirements relating to sanitation, mechanical ventilation and airconditioning that engineers should adhere to when undertaking constructions in the area of the Colombo Municipal Council. The study findings also show how an derstanding of Urban Development Authority regulations would help quantity surveyors to discharge their role as a member of consultant team better. On the basis of its findings, the study proposes strategies that could be implemented in order to overcome the identified problem of unawareness of statutory regulations in relation to the members of consultant team.
item: Conference-Full-text
Implications of insufficient awareness of statutory requirements for building construction on consultant team of building construction projects
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2014-06) Sarathchandra, MANM; Perera, BAKS; Nawarathna, RAG; Sandanayake, YG; Fernando, NG; Karunasena, GI
All over the world, the construction industry is inherently subjected to a wide range of statutory requirements which are empowered by various bodies. Though, it is vital to comply with these statutory requirements, the rate of non-conformity is still high in the Sri Lankan construction industry giving rise to punitive actions, cost increases and overruns of project schedules. The researchers assume that either insufficient or lack of awareness of statutory regulations among members of construction consultant team is the main reason for this state of affairs. The present study therefore focuses on identifying the substantial statutory requirements laid by the Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka, vis-à-vis building construction in the Colombo Municipal area and their implications for construction consultant team such as Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers, who may be unaware of the existence of such statutory requirements. Accordingly, the research was approached through a document survey and semi-structured interviews respectively. The gathered data was subjected to a content analysis based on the findings of which conclusions were drawn regarding implications and possible strategies to address the perceived problems. The research reveals that the City of Colombo Development Plan 1999 and its amendment in 2008 with regard to zoning regulations are the twin sources of statutory requirements that are applicable for the Colombo Municipal area. They lay down the zoning regulations, planning regulations, building regulations, and required development guide plans that should be considered by architects and specify the statutory requirements relating to sanitation, mechanical ventilation and airconditioning that engineers should adhere to when undertaking constructions in the area of the Colombo Municipal Council. The study findings also show how an understanding of Urban Development Authority regulations would help quantity surveyors to discharge their role as a member of consultant team better. On the basis of its findings, the study proposes strategies that could be implemented in order to overcome the identified problem of unawareness of statutory regulations in relation to the members of consultant team.
item: Conference-Abstract
Reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka
De Silva, END; Nawarathna, RAG
A cohesive and centralised recording system of occupational accidents is a significant element of construction industry of any country which requires an effective reporting procedure to feed information into it. It is a valuable management tool that can be used as an aid to risk assessment, to prevent deaths, injuries and ill health conditions, and to minimise costs for accidental losses. However, the absence of an effective reporting procedure will form shortfalls in management of occupational accidents. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that suffers from lack of an efficient recording system. It is revealed that ineffectiveness of existing accident reporting procedure is the main cause for this gap. Therefore, it created a necessity to study the existing reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka with the aim of upgrading it by addressing its gaps. Accordingly, the research problem was approached through a document survey and an expert survey which followed by semi structured interviews. Ten experts who are involved in industrial health and safety management were interviewed. The findings revealed that safety representatives of most of the construction organisations reluctant to report to the Labour Department through the district factory inspecting engineer when incidents occur, due to unawareness of legal provisions and burden of paper work. Further, other organisations such as workmen’s compensation department; insurance companies; hospitals and police stations, where construction accidents are reported, are not properly linked with the Labour Department. Therefore, Labour Department as the ultimate data storekeeper does not get steady flow of information from any party. Owing to this, seven strategies were established to lift up the adeptness of the existing reporting system through establishing proper links for efficient information feeding.
item: Conference-Full-text
Reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka
(Ceylon Institute of Builders, 2014-06) De Silva, N; Nawarathna, RAG; Sandanayake, YG; Karunasena, GI; Fernando, NG
A cohesive and centralised recording system of occupational accidents is a significant element of construction industry of any country which requires an effective reporting procedure to feed information into it. It is a valuable management tool that can be used as an aid to risk assessment, to prevent deaths, injuries and ill health conditions, and to minimise costs for accidental losses. However, the absence of an effective reporting procedure will form shortfalls in management of occupational accidents. Sri Lanka is one of the countries that suffers from lack of an efficient recording system. It is revealed that ineffectiveness of existing accident reporting procedure is the main cause for this gap. Therefore, it created a necessity to study the existing reporting procedure of construction accidents in Sri Lanka with the aim of upgrading it by addressing its gaps. Accordingly, the research problem was approached through a document survey and an expert survey which followed by semi structured interviews. Ten experts who are involved in industrial health and safety management were interviewed. The findings revealed that safety representatives of most of the construction organisations reluctant to report to the Labour Department through the district factory inspecting engineer when incidents occur, due to unawareness of legal provisions and burden of paper work. Further, other organisations such as workmen’s compensation department; insurance companies; hospitals and police stations, where construction accidents are reported, are not properly linked with the Labour Department. Therefore, Labour Department as the ultimate data storekeeper does not get steady flow of information from any party. Owing to this, seven strategies were established to lift up the adeptness of the existing reporting system through establishing proper links for efficient information feeding.