Robert Lopez

Design Error Classification, Causation, and Prevention in Construction Engineering

Construction and engineering practitioners have found it increasingly difficult to learn from their mistakes, particularly with regard to the prevention, identification and/or containment of design errors. Yet, design errors have been the root cause of numerous catastrophic accidents that have resulted in the death and injury of workers and members of the public. This paper examines and classifies the nature of error and design error causation in construction and engineering projects. A review of the normative literature revealed that design errors are caused by an array of factors that can work interdependently. A generic framework is developed that classifies design error according to people, the organization, and project is presented. The paper suggests that people, over and above organizational and project management strategies, have the greatest propensity to reduce errors through the process of situated learning and knowing. This is because the working environment provided by an organization and the processes used to deliver construction and engineering projects influence the nature and ability of people to undertake tasks. Consequently, there is no single but rather a multitude of strategies that need to be adopted in congruence to reduce design errors so that safety and project performance are ameliorated.

Design Error Costs in Construction Projects

AbstractDesign errors can adversely influence project performance and can contribute to failures, accidents, and loss of life. Although there has been a considerable amount of research that has examined design error causation, little is known about design error costs. With increasing emphasis placed on the use of nontraditional forms of procurement methods as a result of various government reports and the advent of Building Information Modelling there is a general perception that design error costs will be significantly less than those projects procured by traditional means. By using a questionnaire survey, estimates for design error costs were obtained from 139 projects. The mean direct and indirect costs for design errors were revealed to be 6.85 and 7.36% of contract value, respectively. Design error costs were found not to significantly vary with procurement method and project type used. Although the research provides invaluable insights into practitioners’ perceptions of design errors costs, their ac...

Error begat error: Design error analysis and prevention in social infrastructure projects

Design errors contribute significantly to cost and schedule growth in social infrastructure projects and to engineering failures, which can result in accidents and loss of life. Despite considerable research that has addressed their error causation in construction projects they still remain prevalent. This paper identifies the underlying conditions that contribute to design errors in social infrastructure projects (e.g. hospitals, education, law and order type buildings). A systemic model of error causation is propagated and subsequently used to develop a learning framework for design error prevention. The research suggests that a multitude of strategies should be adopted in congruence to prevent design errors from occurring and so ensure that safety and project performance are ameliorated.

Reviewing the past to learn in the future: making sense of design errors and failures in construction

Design errors can severely jeopardise safety and contribute to failures in construction and engineering projects. Such failures can have devastating economic, environmental and social consequences. Significant efforts have been made to reduce the incidence of failures through learning from previous disasters and events by modifying building and engineering codes and standards accordingly. Design errors, however, remain an innate feature of construction and engineering projects despite the considerable amount of knowledge that has been accumulated to date. Most errors are identified during construction and require rework, but there is always a potential for some to remain undetected and contribute to failure, and as a result potentially contribute to accidents and loss of life. An examination of the literature research suggests that a series of pathogenic influences contribute to errors and failure. Thus, this paper article examines the circumstances and issues that contributed to a series of construction and engineering failures to enable development of a learning framework that can be used to mitigate design errors and potential failures and accidents.

Comparative Analysis on the Adoption and Use of BIM in Road Infrastructure Projects

AbstractThe uses of building information modeling (BIM) in building and infrastructure projects are numerous. Most previous BIM case examples focused on buildings, and limited studies have reported on the adoption and use of BIM in infrastructure projects. Therefore, this research aims to analyze and compare the adoption and use of BIM in infrastructure projects, particularly in constructing major road projects in Australia and the People’s Republic of China. The related BIM uses and associated technologies of the projects were analyzed based on a case study approach. Subsequently, a number of comparative analyses were conducted on the cultural and managerial aspects between the projects, as well as different BIM uses between buildings and infrastructure projects. The results show both case studies had quite similar uses of BIM, yet the adopted managerial strategies and issues encountered were rather different. The evolution of BIM uses from buildings to infrastructure projects is also discussed. The rese...

Technical Review: Analysis and Appraisal of Four-Dimensional Building Information Modeling Usability in Construction and Engineering Projects

AbstractBuilding information modeling (BIM) fundamentally requires the importation of a three-dimensional (3D) model with a series of repository data. Numerous studies have been conducted to clarify the philosophy of BIM and promote its adoption in construction and engineering projects. The primary contributions of this research to the construction engineering and management body of knowledge are the technical review, analysis, and appraisal of various issues concerning the usability of four-dimensional (4D) BIM. The research aims to determine the readiness and development of 4D BIM. A technical literature review was conducted of various BIM software websites, journal articles, brochures, and videos about required 4D elements. A comparative analysis was conducted to compare the technical (TECA) and project-planning functionality (PPFA) aspects of developing 4D models with features provided by available BIM software. This analysis yielded matrices that can be used to guide decision making on which BIM soft...

Influence of Organizational and Project Practices on Design Error Costs

AbstractThe organizational and project-related practices adopted by design firms can influence the nature and ability of people to perform their tasks. In recognition of such influences, a structured survey questionnaire was used to determine the key factors contributing to design error costs in 139 Australian construction projects. Using stepwise multiple regressions, the significant organizational and project-related variables influencing design error costs are determined. The analysis revealed that the mean design error costs for the sample projects were 14.2% of the original contract value. Significant organizational and project factors influencing design error included inadequate training for employees and unrealistic design and documentation schedules required by clients. From the findings, key strategies for reducing design errors that are attributable to organization and project-related practices are identified.

Probabilistic Assessment of Design Error Costs

The statistical characteristics of design error rectification costs experienced in 139 Australian construction projects are analyzed. Theoretical probability distributions are fitted to the design error cost data. A generalized Pareto probability function was found to provide thebestoveralldistribution fitfordesignerrorcosts.ThegeneralizedParetodistributionisusedtocalculatetheprobabilityofdesignerrorcosts being experienced for the selected sample. A mean design error cost of 14.2% of a projects contract value is reported. A significant difference between mean design error costs and project types was found for civil engineering (23.44%) and fit-out (22.50%) projects. Projects .Australian dollars ðA

Design error management: interaction of people, organisation and the project environment in construction

Þ101M were found to experience significantly higher mean design error costs (26.18%) than other projects. Being abletodeterminethelikelihoodofdesignerrorrectificationcostsfromthederivedempiricalprobabilitydistributionwillprovideanameliorated assessment of risk before the commencement of construction. Strategies to reduce design error rectification costs are also discussed. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000439.

Case study on subcontracting arrangements in the scaffolding supply chain of a Liquefied Natural Gas infrastructure project

Design errors can have a negative impact on the cost, schedule and safety performance of construction projects. They can also have an adverse effect on an organisations profitability, as additional work requires resources and time to rectify the error that has occurred. The reduction (i.e. measures designed to limit the occurrence of failures) and containment (i.e. measures designed to increase the detection and accelerate the recovery of errors) of design errors can therefore ameliorate organisational and project performance as well as improve safety. A systemic framework that classifies design error reduction and containment strategies according to people, organisation and project is propagated. It is suggested that when people, organisational and project strategies are implemented, incongruence then the propensity for design error reduction will significantly increase. The proposed framework can be used as a point for reference for implementing error management strategies to anticipate for ‘what might go wrong’ in construction projects.