Journal Articles

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    Benefits, constraints and enablers of modular offsite construction (MOSC) in New Zealand high-rise buildings
    (Emerald, 2023) Shahzad WM; Reddy SM; Kahandawa R; Rotimi JOB
    Purpose: The ascendancy of modular offsite construction (MOSC) over traditional construction methods is well known. Despite the known potential of this construction approach, its adoption is minimal in New Zealand construction industry. This article investigates the potential benefits of using MOSC for delivery of high-rise buildings in New Zealand, underlying factors responsible for its low uptake and the measures that can facilitate its improved uptake. Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised a mixed research approach. An empirical questionnaire survey was carried out with New Zealand construction industry professionals with expertise in MOSC. Factor analysis of survey data was carried out using SPSS software. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with subject matter experts to get further insights and expand the survey findings. Interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: Study identified benefits of MOSC, thus establishing potential of its uptake for high-rise building construction. Constraining factors were investigated, most pronounced being low level of skills in construction industry to design, manufacture and integrate supply chain of MOSC, high initial investment, high cost of importing modules and negative perception about offsite manufactured buildings. This study also highlighted the enablers to improve uptake of MOSC. These enablers included; loan and mortgage policies to suit MOSC paradigm, building regulations to support OSC industry, increased support from the government and awareness and acceptance of standardised building designs among the clients. Originality/value: Originality of this paper harps from little to no research carried out to investigate use of MOSC for high-rise buildings in New Zealand context.
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    Real options analysis of revenue risk sharing in post-disaster housing reconstruction
    (Emerald, 2021) Vahdatmanesh M; Firouzi A; Rotimi JOB
    Purpose: Post-disaster housing reconstruction (PDHR) demands a considerable percentage of global property investment, yet the post-disaster environment presents intricate challenges to reconstruction financing for governments and at the same time, revenue uncertainty for private investors. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology for tackling land shortage and the financial challenges of PDHR in the aftermath of a disaster. Design/methodology/approach: This study developed a methodology based on a combined minimum revenue guarantee and maximum revenue cap model using a well-established real options analysis (ROA) for revenue risk sharing in PDHR projects and land readjustment (LR) for finance. The applicability of the purported model is demonstrated through an illustrative example. Findings: The results show that flexibility in the options could increase the PDHR contractor’s risk profile by increasing the expected value of the contractor investment and reducing the probability of investment loss. On the other side, a cap on the contractor revenue stream would allow the government to benefit from any excess in revenue and would counterbalance the value of the option. Practical implications: The framework proposed in this study could serve as a practical risk-revenue sharing in PDHR projects. Governments and policymakers could use the findings to enable the successful delivery of PDHR projects and consequently bring the quality of life of affected people to pre-disaster conditions. Originality/value: This study can be considered as a first attempt toward the use of the Australian barrier style options structure, and the trinomial lattice valuation model in PDHR projects, which incorporates LR, public-private partnerships, governmental guarantees and PDHR concepts in one ROA-based framework.
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    Heater choice, dampness and mould growth in 26 New Zealand homes: A study of propensity for mould growth using encapsulated fungal spores
    (MDPI AG, 2015) Boulic M; Phipps RA; Cunningham MJ; Cleland DJ; Fjallstrom P; Keiko P; Howden-Champan P
    The relationship between the use of unflued gas heaters (UGH, N = 14) and heat pump heaters (HP, N = 12) located in the living rooms, and mould growth on the living room and bedroom walls, of 26 New Zealand (NZ) occupied homes was investigated during winter. Two methods were employed to evaluate the potential of mould growth on walls: (i) measurement of daily hyphal growth rate using a fungal detector (encapsulated fungal spores); and (ii) estimation of fungal contamination based on a four level scale visual inspection. The average wall psychrometric conditions were significantly different between the two heater type groups, in both the living rooms and the bedrooms with the UGH user homes being colder and damper than HP user homes. The UGHs were found to be a significant additional source of moisture in the living rooms which dramatically increased the capacity for fungi to grow on wall surfaces. The average daily hyphal growth rates were 4 and 16 times higher in the living rooms and in the bedrooms of the UGH user homes, respectively. Results from both mould detection methods gave good agreement, showing that the use of a fungal detector was an efficient method to predict the potential of mould growth on the inside of the external walls in NZ homes.
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    The primacy of as-built drawings in the management of underground utility operations: A New Zealand study
    (MDPI AG, 2021) Maree S; Rotimi FE; Rotimi JOB
    There are increasing incidences of damages to underground utilities and services during maintenance and construction works. These have posed significant challenges to utility owners regarding the magnitude and costs associated with remediation works. Therefore, this study inves-tigates the management activities for underground utility maintenance works in New Zealand to establish the significance of as-built drawings as a mitigator of these challenges. Data for the analysis was obtained through a questionnaire survey of asset owners, consultants, and contractors based in three major city centres in New Zealand. The responses are analysed descriptively and inferentially for ease of understanding of the study findings. The findings established the challenges around the as-built records, which were significant to utility damages during construction operations in New Zealand. The study participants highlighted other factors such as poor project management, site records, communication, excavation operator competencies, and inadequate site inventory. Generally, more investment in asset documentation is recommended for asset owners. Innovative approaches to information capture, monitoring and updating of as-built drawings are also suggested to improve on current routine processes. Other solutions relate to skills acquisition and development in the management of underground utility maintenance projects.
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    Does the Number of Occupants in an Office Influence Individual Perceptions of Comfort and Productivity?-New Evidence from 5000 Office Workers
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 25/03/2019) Rasheed E; Khoshbakht M; Baird G
    Purpose—The purpose of this article is to present evidence of occupants’ perception of their work environment in five different office types (Solo, Duo, 2–4, 5–8 and 8Plus offices). The study examined the influence of the number of office occupants on individual perception of indoor environment quality (IEQ) in office environments. Design/methodology/approach—A dataset of 5000 respondents in 67 commercial and institutional office buildings was analysed using IBM SPSS v23. The dataset contained user response on the BUS Methodology questionnaire that is designed to retrieve occupants’ perception of their work environments. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis were conducted to calculate the impact of the office environment on occupants’ perception of comfort and productivity. Findings - This study showed that occupants in Solo and Duo offices perceived higher satisfaction with their environment (except for temperature in summer), better health and productivity; and more control over the office environment than those in 5–8 and 8Plus offices. Occupants in 8Plus offices were most satisfied with the temperature in summer. It was also noted that the IEQ factors that predicted comfort were observed to not predict productivity. Noise was the only IEQ factor that had predictive power for both comfort and productivity in all the office spaces. Originality/value—This article provides intriguing findings on occupants’ perception of various types of office environment that contributes significantly to the debate on open-plan versus cellular office environments.
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    The perceived benefits of apps by construction professionals in New Zealand
    (MDPI AG, 1/12/2017) Liu T; Mbachu J; Mathrani A; Jones B; McDonald B
    The construction sector is a key driver of economic growth in New Zealand; however, its productivity is still considered to be low. Prior research has suggested that information and communication technology (ICT) can help enhance efficiency and productivity. However, there is little research on the use of mobile technologies by New Zealand construction workforce. This paper reports findings of an exploratory study with the objective of examining the perceived benefits regarding uptake of apps in New Zealand construction sector. Using self-administered questionnaire survey, feedback was received from the major construction trade and professional organisations in New Zealand. Survey data was analyzed using descriptive, one-sample t-test, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling. Results showed that iPhone and Android phone currently dominate the smartphone market in New Zealand construction industry. The top three application areas are site photos, health and safety reporting and timekeeping. The benefits of mobile apps were widely confirmed by the construction professionals. The benefit of “better client relationship management and satisfaction” has substantial correlation with overall productivity improvement and best predictor of the overall productivity improvement. These findings provide a starting point for further research aimed at improving the uptake and full leveraging of mobile technologies to improve the dwindling productivity trend in New Zealand construction industry.
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    How do personality traits affect construction dispute negotiation? Study of Big Five Personality Model
    (1/03/2011) Yiu TW; Lee HK
    This paper provides some leads as to how personality traits affect negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes in a construction dispute negotiation. To achieve this, a questionnaire survey was conducted. The Big Five Personality Model was used to measure the personality traits of construction negotiators. Factors of negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes were developed. By interrelating these three elements, moderated multiple regression (MMR) was used to examine how personality traits affect the relationships between negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes. The results suggest that 16 MMR models are of significant moderating effects on these relationships. Among them, the top five MMR models with relatively strong moderating effects are identified. These models reveal that the personality traits of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness can significantly moderate the relationships of negotiating behaviors and negotiation outcomes. In addition, their moderating effects are plotted to examine their natures. Effective zones of extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness are identified to show precisely how these personality traits can effectively facilitate positive negotiation outcomes. These results provide construction organizations with indicators to which type of personality traits can help improve negotiation outcomes and optimize the overall performance of construction dispute negotiations. © 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
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    Catastrophic transitions of construction contracting behavior
    (24/11/2008) Cheung SO; Yiu TW; Leung AYT; Chiu OK
    The ways to manage a construction project very much depend on the attitude of the people involved. Collectively this is identified as construction contracting behavior (CCB). The CCB of the construction industry is adversarial as pinpointed in many industry-wide reviews. A more cooperative project delivery approach has therefore been advocated. In fact, drive for efficiency provides the incentive for cooperation. Nevertheless, members of a project team, in representing their respective organizations, are often in conflict. The dichotomous pair of cooperation and aggression forces therefore coexist. It is not uncommon to note that CCB turns aggressive as the construction activities of a project intensify. This change is often sudden and thus matches well with the phenomenon of hysteresis described by the catastrophe theory (CT). It is hypothesized that the dynamics of CCB can be modeled by CT. The three-variable CT models include CCB (as dependent variable), cooperation forces (as normal factor) and aggression forces (as splitting factor). With data collected from a survey fitted by the Cuspfit program, it was found that trust intensity is an effective normal factor. Contract incompleteness and competitive inertia are splitting factors that trigger aggression. © 2008 ASCE.
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    Does leadership style differ between a post-disaster and non-disaster response project? A study of three major projects in New Zealand
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2019-09) Witton F; Rasheed EO; Rotimi JOB
    Purpose–The leadership styles of three major infrastructure projects within New Zealand were determined and comparatively analysed to ascertain whether the leadership style employed in a post-disaster recovery project would differ significantly from a normal infrastructure project. A multifactor leadership questionnaire was administered to project leaders and personnel of the three infrastructure projects. The statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in leadership styles were determined using one-way ANOVA analytical tool in STATISTICA 13. Results showed all three projects have strong transformational and transactional leadership traits. There were similarities in leadership style amongst the projects. None of the projects had a significant laissez-faire leadership style. Hence there is no significant difference in leadership style between a disaster recovery project and a normal project. Plausible reasons and implications are provided to support these findings. This study provides insight into leadership styles employed in projects in New Zealand, which could assist in the decision-making process for new and existing projects. Future studies could investigate the effect a combination of leadership styles will have on project success and staff retention. More studies are required across New Zealand to verify the generalizability of the current study findings.