Joshua Ayarkwa

Industrial training of construction students: perceptions of training organizations in Ghana

Purpose – The industrial training component in a universitys curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, as part of its industrial training programme.Design/methodology/approach – Through a structured questionnaire survey of 120 organisations which have offered industrial training to construction students in the Accra, Kumasi and Cape Coast metropolitan areas of Ghana, the paper assessed industrys views on issues relating to the nature and objectives of industrial training, preparation towards training, performance of students during training, effectiveness of the training and areas of improvement. Data collected through the survey were analysed using largely descriptive statistics and content analysis.Findings – In the ...

Application of the CBA Decision System to Manage User Preferences in the Design Process

AbstractOne dimension of user-involvement in the design process is the management of user preferences. Managing user preferences, as a way towards optimizing value in the design process, could sometimes involve making tradeoffs among competing design options. The focus of this research is to explore the possibility of applying the choosing by advantages (CBA) decision system to manage user preferences in the design process, especially at the conceptual design stage. The CBA decision system was therefore applied to choose between two conceptual design options in relation to the expansion of an operating theater building at the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman, Ghana. A workshop involving the design team, user-group, and management of the hospital was organized to decide on the options using the CBA approach. The findings from this study illustrate the CBA decision aid as a transparent and participative decision system, capable of creating and sustaining a collaborative atmosphere of trust and respect in th...

An exploration of the choosing by advantages decision system as a user engagement tool in participatory design

ABSTRACT The significance of user involvement in design process towards generating value remains uncontested. It is however a challenge to identify the most appropriate strategy for engaging users to effectively participate in design process. This paper explores the suitability of the choosing by advantages (CBA) decision system for designers to engage users in design process. The paper specifically reports on a case application of CBA to make a typical design decision, such as the choice of a mode of operation of window openings, in the design of a three-storey lecture theatre at Takoradi Polytechnic in Takoradi, Ghana. A workshop, involving various stakeholders, including potential users of the project, was organized to apply CBA to choose among various modes of operation of window openings: louvres, sliding, awning, casement and pivoted. Findings, which were based on an active participation of a key member of the research team in the workshop, were further corroborated by direct observation and interview with some participants in the workshop. The findings point to CBA as a decision system capable of creating a collaborative forum for designers to engage users in design decisions.

Holistic Diagnosis of Rising Damp and Salt Attack in Two Residential Buildings in Kumasi, Ghana

Rising damp is one of the most severe phenomena that leads to decay and deterioration of both old and modern types of buildings. This study employed a holistic approach to dampness investigation and sought to examine the problem of rising damp in the walls of two residential apartments in Kumasi, Ghana. The study sought to determine the types of soluble salts and their concentrations in the soils and accumulated percentages in the walls over time and whether there exists any linkage between the salts in the walls and those in the ground. Results from the geotechnical survey of the building sites found that the soils on site 1 consisted of silty sandy gravel with some clay particles and those on site 2 consisted of silty sandy soil with some clay and traces of gravel. The study identified several groups of salts in the walls of the buildings, with the most damaging and dangerous being magnesium sulphate, magnesium chloride, and sodium sulphate salts. Similar salts were identified in the soil samples from the trial pits. The results therefore indicate a linkage between the salts found in the ground and those found in the walls and therefore confirm the presence of rising dampness.

Performance of building technology graduates in the construction industry in Ghana

Purpose – This paper aims to assess the perception of the Ghanaian construction industry of the performance of entry‐level building technology graduates. Also, other non‐technical skills or attributes expected from building technology graduates are to be compared with the actual proficiency of the graduates.Design/methodology/approach – The findings in this paper are based on a series of interviews and structured questionnaire survey of randomly selected contractors and consultants in the Ghanaian construction industry.Findings – The overall performance of the graduates was considered acceptable by the construction industry. However, much more needed to be done in “coordination” and “scheduling” of site activities by graduates who work as site managers, and in “coordination of site activities” and “issuance of site instructions” for those who work as project managers for contractors. There was a considerable gap between the expectations of the construction industry practitioners and the actual proficiency...

Choosing By Advantages incorporated framework for a user-involved design process

ABSTRACT Participation of stakeholders, such as users, in the design process remains significant in generating value of construction projects. This calls for new approaches in the interactions between designers and users towards collaboratively understanding and meeting user needs. A systematic framework, incorporating the Choosing By Advantages (CBA) decision system is, therefore, proposed as a contribution to improving designer–user collaboration for value generation in construction projects. The framework, resulting from an action-oriented constructive research approach, is based on a combination of empirical knowledge from the case application of CBA on selected projects in Ghana, and relevant theory. It is structured along the Input-Mediator-Output-Input scheme of team process, containing six performance episodes connected with reciprocal dependency loops. Guided by the pragmatist stance on truth, the workability of the framework was evaluated in a case study. The paper contributes to design process management and stakeholder involvement by providing a systematic guide on employing a multi-attribute decision system for designers and users to collaboratively discover, generate and authenticate value at the design stage of construction projects.

Participatory design, wicked problems, choosing by advantages

Purpose The phenomenon of wicked problems is inextricably associated with a design process, especially participatory design. The management of wicked problems in participatory design, however, remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of the choosing by advantages (CBA) decision system to manage wicked problems in participatory design. Design/methodology/approach Two case studies, involving the application of CBA to make typical participatory design decisions, are evaluated to establish how responsively the CBA decision system operates in the midst of wicked problems in participatory design. Findings Findings point to the exploitability of some elements and attributes of the CBA process to manage wicked problems in participatory design, to some extent. The observed collaborative attributes of CBA is particularly helpful and play a key role in mitigating the adverse effects of wicked problems on collaboration in this regard. Practical implications The recommendation of the paper is the incorporation of CBA in the development of stakeholder involvement frameworks for a design process. Originality/value This paper contributes to knowledge on relying on elements and the attributes of a decision-making system, such as CBA, to manage stakeholder involvement in the design process, particularly focussing on wicked problems. The CBA decision system still remains emergent regarding its application and research in the AEC industry.

Shear Behaviour of Palm Kernel Shell Reinforced Concrete Beams without Shear Reinforcement:Influence of Beam Depth and Tension Steel

This study investigated the influence of beam depth with varying longitudinal reinforcement without shear reinforcement. Size effect, which is described here in as the decrease in shear strength with the increase in the depth of members, is not evaluated sufficiently enough. To this end, fifteen palm kernel shell (PKS) reinforced concrete beams varying from 150 to 300 mm were tested to investigate their size effects on ultimate shear capacity and failure modes. Test variables were longitudinal reinforcement ratio (ρw varying from 1 to 2%) and effective depth of beams (varying from 120 to 265 mm) with average compressive strength (fcu) = 30.3 MPa and shear span to effective depth (av/d) = 2.5. For the range of variables tested, the test results were compared with the strengths predicted by the ACI 318-08 and BS 8110 with and without reduction factors. All tested beams failed in shear failure modes and were influenced by the beam depth and amount of longitudinal reinforcement. The PKS beams were found to develop sufficient strength after diagonal cracking to continuously transfer loads until failure. Key words: Palm kernel shell concrete, size effects, longitudinal reinforcement, shear strength, ACI 318-08, BS8110.

A theoretical framework for conceptualizing contractors’ adaptation to environmentally sustainable construction

Abstract Theories are employed to enhance conceptualization of research ideas. They facilitate useful explanations for better understanding of research findings. However, the use of theories to advance studies in sustainable construction has been given little attention. According to Agenda 21 for sustainable construction in developing countries, contractors are yet to achieve capability to establish sustainable construction due to knowledge gaps and lack of relevant frameworks. The enormity of the ramifications of contractors’ inability to adapt to environmentally sustainable construction (ESC) justifies adopting a multi-theory approach for understanding the dynamics of adaptation to ESC. In this study, the usefulness of three theories in facilitating understanding of the complexities surrounding contractors’ adaptation to ESC was reviewed. The three theories are: resilience theory, ecological modernization theory and institutional theory. Following the review, it was found that resilience, isomorphic drivers and technology are integral elements needed for improving contractors’ capability to adapt to ESC. The theoretical review yielded integrated framework that conceptualizes the dynamics and actions relevant to contractor’s adaptation to ESC.

Antecedents of building information modelling adoption among quantity surveyors in Ghana: An application of a technology acceptance model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to empirically study the factors that facilitate adoption of building information modelling (BIM) among quantity surveyors (QSs) using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Design/methodology/approach Using a quantitative approach, factors identified in the UTAUT are examined. The empirical investigation has been conducted using survey questionnaire. The data set has been obtained from 73 practicing QSs in Ghana. Findings The results indicated a significant positive impact of effort expectancy, facilitation conditions and hedonic motivation towards BIM adoption. Surprisingly social influence and performance expectancy have a negative impact on BIM adoption. Practical implications The structures uncovered in the study show that not all UTAUT factors are applicable within the study area. The findings provide a good backdrop in the development of policy and a roadmap for BIM implementation in Ghana. Originality/value The original contribution and value of the paper is the use of UTAUT2 to provide empirical evidence on factors that facilitate BIM adoption in Ghana amongst QSs.