Nilupa Udawatta

Managing intragroup conflicts in construction project teams: case studies in Sri Lanka

Conflict is intrinsic to individuals, teams and organisations. Due to the unique and complex nature with various parties, conflict is inevitable in most construction projects. According to the general management literature, three distinct types of intragroup conflicts can be identified: task, process and relationship conflicts. However, very little consideration has been given in the literature addressing the three types individually in a construction project team setting. Therefore, this study has explored the existence of types of intragroup conflicts and their management in this context. This research was approached through case studies of six construction projects, which were operating under the traditional procurement method in Sri Lanka. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three distinct participants from each team. The findings revealed that both process and relationship conflicts offer disruptive effects to construction projects and teams, while task conflicts offer positive effects when they exist at low levels. Based on the most critical sources identified within the cases, suggestions are offered here to construction project team managers on how to manage intergroup conflicts proactively. Since the research is based on six case studies on traditional procurement arrangement in Sri Lanka, further research is required to generalise the findings across different contexts.

Adaptive Reuse of Inner-City Buildings: Methods for Minimising Waste and Stimulating the Economy

There is a growing number of aged and obsolete buildings all over the world due to the rapid restructure of the economy. Even though ageing buildings experience physical, functional, technological and economic obsolescence, demolition can be a premature decision. The aim of this research is to identify methods of adaptive reuse of buildings to minimise waste generation and stimulate the economy using the Central Business District (CBD) of Adelaide as a case study. The results showed that adaptive reuse of buildings provides substantial amount of social, economic and environmental benefits. Key factors affecting the decision of reusing buildings include: financial, technical, functional, cultural/historical and legal. Cost analysis showed that conversion and refurbishment costs can be increased due to technical risks. Similarly, it is necessary to consider the functional and cultural values in adaptive reuse of buildings. However, there are some restrictions in the Australian National Construction Code and other legislation in relation to adaptive reuse of existing buildings especially in fire and safety requirements, earthquake resistance, hazardous substances, disability access and environmental protection. Despite benefits of providing flexibility in using them in existing buildings, there are practical impediments associated with compliance with these legislation and standards.

MAJOR FACTORS IMPEDING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIAN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

This article aims to identify barriers to implementing waste management practices in construction projects and their interrelationship, based on the particular context of Australia. Interviews and ...

Retrofitting heritage office buildings in the UK: a case study

Purpose Heritage buildings are a crucial part of the UK built sector. They perpetuate a sense of identity, prestige and community. Many heritage buildings however tend to be energy-inefficient, and the scope for retrofitting such buildings is paramount. Heritage buildings require ratification from planning bodies in order to undertake any alteration on the building. This tends to create a bottleneck in the retrofitting of heritage office buildings. Design/methodology/approach This study utilises a case-study building in Scotland to evaluate the potential for retrofitting in a UK heritage office building. Building energy simulation software is used to generate the energy data in different retrofit options. A scenario analysis on the heritage status of the building is also undertaken. Findings The costs, energy-consumption and carbon emission levels are evaluated and compared. It was found that the differential in annual energy savings achieved, based on the proportion of capital cost to operational cost is...