Michael Y. Mak

Problematic issues associated with project partnering--the contractor perspective

The use of project partnering is becoming more frequent in Australian Government construction projects because of the potential benefits that can be achieved from the effective implementation of the project partnering arrangement. Despite this, project partnering is not always successful. The aim of this paper is to identify the problematic issues associated with project partnering based on contractors’ perceptions. Fifteen problematic issues were identified from six contractors involved in unsuccessful project partnering relationships. The results indicate that the unwillingness of the client to fully commit to the partnering agreement was the main reason for ineffective project partnering. There is a need for the public clients to adapt more flexible administrative procedures in order to improve contractors’ willingness to commit to project partnering arrangements.

The predictive ability of Bromilow's time-cost model

Bromilows log-log time-cost (BTC) model is tested and refitted with a new set of data for Australian construction projects completed between 1991 and 1998. It is shown that, as anticipated by earlier research, different parameter estimates are needed for different project types, with smaller industrial projects taking less time to complete than the smaller educational and residential projects. This results in the development of two separate models, one for industrial projects and one for non-industrial projects. No changes in parameter estimates are needed for projects with different client sectors, contractor selection methods and contractual arrangements. Alternatives to the log-log model failed to produce any improved fit. Finally, the results are compared with previous work to indicate the extent of changes in time-cost relationships in Australian construction projects over the last 40 years. This indicates a clear improvement in construction speed over the period. Furthermore, the ‘public’ sector group in particular has exhibited a greater variation (up to 132%) over the years.

Feng shui: an alternative framework for complexity in design

Abstract Building design is a very complex process that requires an integration of creativity, rationality and selforganization. Although there are numerous studies that examine how architects learn and apply their knowledge to design new buildings, the design process still cannot be explicitly defined. Because the way that architectural design knowledge is applied to building design cannot be formulated, the term ‘black box’ is used to represent an architects design mechanism that cannot be logically explained. Designers use intuition and individual past experiences to make heuristic decisions when tackling new situations in building design. These characteristics are similar to the Chinese philosophy of direct insight into the nature and principles and practice of feng shui as applied to building design. Feng shui is traditional Chinese wisdom aimed at creating harmony among the environment, buildings and people. The aims of this paper are to examine the potential of feng shui knowledge as an alternative approach to building design and to derive a conceptual framework based on the principles and practice of feng shui.

An Integrated Research Design for Developing a Holistic Sustainable Decision Making Framework in Regenerating Chinese Cities

It has often been recognised that urban planning and regeneration play a crucial role in the achievement of urban sustainability. However, problems still exist with regards to the approaches for decision making in urban regeneration of Chinese cities. Significant limitations are identified and discussed in the context of sustainability, such as the reductionism within many of the approaches and the lack of holism in the evaluation. The identified deficiencies provide the motivation for the development of a new framework which can integrate the hierarchical structure and holistic utilisation of sustainability in the built environment. The framework helps decision makers identify the sustainability aspects involved in an urban planning project, guiding them in the evaluation on the basis of a number of problem solving methods. This paper describes the development of the research methodology. It is structured into four main sections. In order to address the research question and select the appropriate research methods for achieving the research objectives, the opening section provides information on the contemporary context of the study area. Existing inductive modelling approaches and their suitability to this research are discussed. Then the following section provides the research objectives and a justification for the chosen strategy. Both the selection of the research theory and the immediate context of the study are discussed. Subsequently, the logic linking the research design to the research objectives is considered. Finally, the detailed methodology for building an integrated sustainability evaluating framework will be introduced. Case studies are adopted to show the benefits of the framework in the urban projects and across different design processes. Practical applications of the framework are used to test the validity of this approach in different cultural regions and using different local practices. The resulting framework will provide a significant step forward in understanding and evaluating the built environment in the context of a sustainable urban development in China.

ASSESSING COMPENSATION FOR LANDHOLDERS AFFECTED BY COAL SEAM GAS OCCUPATION

Abstract Valuation theory in Australia has long established principles relating to compensation for the acquisition of part of property. However, the theory relating to assessing compensation for coal seam gas (CSG) occupation is relatively undeveloped and CSG activity in New South Wales (NSW) takes place in an environment where some confusion surrounds the subject of the assessment of landholder compensation. This paper applies a comparative study of the compensation assessment practices of courts in NSW, Queensland and Alberta. The research, reported in this paper, documents a trail of judicial decisions supporting the use of “piecemeal” and “before and after” approaches where mining infrastructure occupies part of property. A comparison of the valuation techniques identified in this study with the harms described by Fibbens et al 2013 indicates the “piecemeal” and “before and after” valuation approaches have greater utility in addressing losses to the balance land than the so called common industry practices used in NSW which ignore effects on the balance land.