Marcel Macarulla

Standardizing Housing Defects: Classification, Validation, and Benefits

AbstractDefects produce economic and temporal deviations in construction projects. Although learning from past experiences can help reduce defects and their consequences, usually data is not easily available or is poorly structured and difficult to analyze. Several structured classification systems for defects exist, but regionally specific construction activities make the data unviable for research use. This paper presents the development and the validation of a defects’ classification system for the Spanish housing sector. From the analysis of the existing defect classification systems, a first draft was developed to be discussed and improved in a series of workshops done by a panel of experts. Afterward, the final classification was validated by experts’ interviews. The experts evaluated the epistemological adequacy and reusability of the proposed classification system. The results demonstrate the suitability of the classification system. In addition, the validation revealed that the classification can...

Assessment of residential defects at post-handover

AbstractIn Spain, the Ley de Ordenacion de la Edificacion (Building Regulation Act) has established compulsory warranties to ensure that buildings meet basic requirements with regard to functionality, general safety and structure, fireproofing, and use and habitability. Despite the requirements of this regulatory body, defects in newly built dwellings remain a pervasive problem, which has resulted in a plethora of complaints to the Instituto Nacional del Consumo (National Institute for Consumers’ Protection), which deals with consumer protection in Spain. In this paper, a total of 2,351 post-handover defects derived from four Spanish builders and seven residential developments are classified according to their location, subcontract, and element. The research reveals that the most common defects identified by customers at handover were incomplete tile grouting and incorrect fixtures and fittings in toilets. In addition, failure to apply second coats of paint to walls was deemed a problematic issue. Typical...

Influence of building type on post-handover defects in housing

Clients’ lack of involvement in defining quality requirements for dwellings built by developers leads to a perception of poor quality at the time of purchase. The research presented in this paper aims to broaden previous research on defects by analyzing the defects that remain in the post-handover stage, which usually lasts 12 months after the handover period, and identifying the factors that influence the appearance of these defects, determining whether a significant difference exists in the quality of the two main residential building types built by developers: flats and detached houses. It also analyzes and discusses the areas and elements in which the defects were detected. The data were obtained from client complaint forms completed after the handover of 95 dwellings in Spain. The data were then statistically analyzed using a t-test analysis, a Pearson’s parametric correlation, and a chi-square test. The research reveals that clients detect more defects in flats than in detached houses. The lower quality of the materials used in flats and the tighter schedule to which flats are subject may cause these differences.

Posthandover Housing Defects: Sources and Origins

In Spain, the high levels of inexperienced workers and the long chains of subcontracting contribute to the poor quality of dwellings. Althoughthe Ley reguladora de la subcontratacion en el Sector de la Construccion (subcontracting law) has established quality measures, the number of customer complaints is still increasing. In this paper, a total of 2,351 posthandover defects derived from four Spanish builders and seven residential developments are classi fi ed according to their source and origin. The research reveals that the most common defects identi fi ed by customers at posthandover were derived from bad workmanship and were related to construction errors and omissions. Typical defects were foundtoincludeincorrectinstallation,appearancedefects,andmissinganitemortaskmainlyrelatedto fi nishingandconsideredtobeminor.No defects were caused by poor design because they are mainly detected and resolved during construction or become apparent after some years of use. This study demonstrates the negative impact of redoing defective work during the fi nal stages of construction and provides knowledge to de fi ne measures to improve the quality of the fi nished buildings, such as understanding customer expectations and preferences, training programs for workers, specialization of subcontractors, and tightening external controls prior to handover.

Rework in highway projects

There is limited systematic knowledge available about the dynamics of rework in highway projects, despite the fact that they frequently exceed budget and schedule by more than 10%. A case study of a Spanish highway project, which experienced a significant cost overrun as a result of rework, is examined and the causal factors that contributed to its occurrence are determined. Through observation and subsequent analysis of interviews and documentation a high degree of interdependency existed between perceived causes of rework. This resulted in the nomenclature of Project, Organization and People to be adopted and used to develop the rework generic systemic model. Scope changes, high complexity, poor skill levels and unexpected underground services were found to be the most significant causes of rework. The developed model provides managers with insights about the interdependencies and behaviour between key influencing variables in highway projects and can be used to stimulate learning and process improvements in future highway projects.

Assessment of construction defects in residential buildings in Spain

The building industry is noted for its repeated building defects causing cost increases and time delays during construction. In Spain, despite the Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación (Building Regulation Act), which establishes a general framework to promote overall building quality, construction defects in residential buildings remain a pervasive problem. An analysis of 3647 construction defects is presented which identified the location within the building, subcontractors and building element in 68 residential building developments undertaken by two large Spanish contractors. The research reveals that the most common defects that arise during construction are related to the stability of the structure and inappropriate installation of roofs and facades. These technical faults are caused by poor workmanship rather than by the quality of the materials or products used. By comparing these results with a previous study on defects after handover, it can be concluded that while the nature of defects during construction is basically technical, at handover it is aesthetic or technical.

Handover defects: comparison of construction and post-handover housing defects

Although inspections occur during construction or at handover, customers do not normally participate. This situation creates a gap between the quality perceived by both contractors and customers. An analysis of 52 552 handover defects in 2179 flats in Spain is presented which identified their nature, the building element and trade where these defects are located. These results are compared with previous studies that analysed defects detected during the construction stage and those that remain after handing over the building to the client. The research reveals that structural defects are resolved during construction due to existing quality standards. However, other aesthetic and functional defects remain and/or arise at handover. Some defects are not resolved until customers complain after they first occupy the dwelling. Many functional defects arise due to the lack of involvement of end users in the early project stages.

Smarter grid through collective intelligence: user awareness for enhanced performance

Purpose – This paper examines the scenario of a university campus, and the impact on energy consumption of the awareness of building managers and users (lecturers, students and administrative staff). Design/methodology/approach – This study draws a comparison between direct fruition of the information by both skilled (building managers) and unskilled (users) recipients, and the effect of peer pressure and beneficial competition between users in applying the good practices. In fact, the usage of edutainment, implemented by the automatic publication on the Twitter platform of energy consumption data from different users, can promote general users’ awareness on best practices and their effect on energy consumption. In addition, the use of a social network platform allows the interaction between users, sharing experiences and increasing the collective intelligence in the energy efficiency field. Findings – Tests revealed that enhanced awareness helped managers to identify strategies that, if implemented in the whole building, could reduce energy consumption by about 6%. The tests on university users’ awareness hint that the expected energy savings can reach 9%, in addition to the previous 6%. In fact, the measures were implemented

ENCOURAGEing results on ICT for energy efficient buildings

This paper presents how the ICT infrastructure developed in the European ENCOURAGE project, centered around a message oriented middleware, enabled energy savings in buildings and households. The components of the middleware, as well as the supervisory control strategy, are overviewed, to support the presentation of the results and how they could be achieved. The main results are presented on three of the pilots of the project, a first one consisting of a single household, a second one of a residential neighborhood, and a third one in a university campus.