The Relationship between Movement Control Order Impact Factors and Construction Project Performance

The Malaysian government's pursuit of the Movement Control Order (MCO) had a severe impact on the performance of the construction project, which was hampered as a result of their actions. It becomes even more difficult when the region around construction projects is defined as a "red zone". This situation affects the performance of construction projects, which is related to project delays, increase in construction costs, waste of construction materials, labourers who have not received any salary, lack of labour, and etc. This paper attempts to investigate the relationship between MCO impact factors and the performance of construction projects in Malaysia. The quantitative technique was applied in this study. The contractors registered under the Construction Development Board (CIDB) in the state of Selangor were chosen as the respondents. In total, 100 respondents participated and gave full support for this study. This relationship was investigated using a correlation analysis technique. The highest impact is the construction cost. The construction costs increased due to the increase in the prices of construction materials and machinery, lack of labours, and additional expenses for COVID-19 precautions. The findings found that the larger the negative impact of MCO's actions during the COVID-19 outbreak on time, cost, and resources, the worse the performance of Malaysian projects will be in general. These factors should be considered by the government before a decision is made. For future research, it is suggested to look at how the regulation can assist the construction stakeholders to ensure the MCO does not have a big impact on the construction projects.

The Construction of Legal Basis Relevant to The State of Law in The Event of Pandemic Emergency: A Lesson from Indonesia

This paper aims to study the construction of an appropriate legal basis for a state of law in responding to the Covid-19 emergency. As a state of law, Indonesia has been making many regulations at both central and local government levels. The regulations vary, ranging from Government Regulations in Lieu of Law, Ministerial Regulations, Ministerial Decrees, and Joint Decrees of Ministerial Instructions, to the Regulations of Regional Heads, and these regulations have led to overlapping regulations. With normative-juridical methods, the prescriptive technique was used to further analyze the problem and find a new concept of the construction of an appropriate legal basis in responding to the Covid-19 emergency. The research results show that, juridically, the use of non-legal products such as Ministerial Instructions and Circular Letters issued by ministers during the Covid- 19 emergency in Indonesia has fulfilled the procedural aspects of law-making but not the substantive ones regarding the curbs restricting people's social activities. This research recommends that the construction of a legal basis intended to respond to a state of emergency should simultaneously meet both procedural and substantive aspects © 2022, University of Muhammadiyah Malang. All rights reserved.

Interior Design Aspects Affecting Infection Rate: A Systematic Review of Possible Interventions

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, getting infected through the built environment is being studied. The measures that should be taken to reduce infection through the built environment are essential;not only for COVID-19, but this idea is present at all times of widespread diseases.The purpose of this research is to systematically review the relationship between the built environment and the spread of infection to create a potential guideline to reduce the transmission rate. Articles and studies on the relationship between infectious disease and the built environment were reviewed.Articles matching the selection criteria were identified. Most articles described peer reviews, consensus statements, and reports. The articles have provided data that can be used as guidance for reducing the transmission of infection within the built environment. It was found that evidence has been created such as ventilation, buffer spaces, flooring, and surfaces that can reduce the infection of COVID-19.

Organization of construction accounting in the process of sustainable development

The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of different professionals who are working in the construction industry about construction accounting, within the context of construction project management and development. A primarily quantitative research approach was used in this study. The researcher developed a bespoke survey questionnaire as the research instrument. This research instrument was then used in the collection of the data from the respondents. Considering that this study was implemented at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the data gathering procedures had to be conducted virtually. The sample population used in the present study was composed of 100 individuals (N = 100). These 100 individuals have already been working as accountants in a company that is operating in the construction industry for at least 1 year at the time of the study's implementation. The participants' responses to the survey questionnaire were collected and then sorted using Microsoft Excel. The corresponding scores were then analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis. This was done by determining the frequency (percentage) of the participants who chose a specific answer to every question in the survey. In conclusion, if quality, efficiency, and profitability are a construction firm's main focus, then there is a good chance that the use of construction accounting or its integration in the construction project management and sustainable development process would be of great help. However, if the goal is to shorten the project delivery timeframe, or to improve the project completion rates (i.e., productivity), then chances are the construction firms should stay away from construction accounting, at least at the moment. Copyright © FrancoAngeli.

Verification and validation of a framework for collaborative BIM implementation, measurement and management (CIMM)

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to develop through a two-stage verification and validation process a novel implementation framework for collaborative BIM, utilising experts from academia and industry as well as a real-world case study project.Design/methodology/approachThe aim of this research was to build upon previous research findings by the authors in order to develop an implementation framework that stems from ousting the inefficiencies of current collaborative BIM practices. This is achieved by a more objectified and quantified approach towards seeking heightened transparency and objectivism of what is required through the implementation of BIM. The mixed research methods technique of both qualitative and quantitative data collection was utilised, with the structure consisting of a two-stage approach utilising the Delphi model for verification and validation. This was developed to test the novelty and beneficial structure hypothesis involving 15 core BIM experts from academia, construction and design with c. 22 years average experience. Validation was undertaken on a complex, high value real world building structures project in central London, inclusive of 8 core project BIM experts. The research utilised a developed solution that mirrored and provided a more holistic representation guiding the practitioners as a project team step by step through the determination of underpinning elements, which support the goal of enhanced information requirements as well as executing the prioritisation measurement tools as part of the framework. Data ascertained at the workshop case study prioritised areas of importance that are core in supporting the delivering of these enhanced information requirements at a project delivery level, which were in order of prioritisation determined by the project team (1) constraints (39.17%), (2) stakeholder requirements (35.78%), (3) coordination (existing asset) (15.86%), (4) exchange requirements (5.38%) and (5) level of information need (3.81%). Furthermore, risk mitigations for the top three priorities were focussed on early stakeholder engagement, appropriation of survey data collection, focus on quality of outputs and applying toolsets and processes with meaning and emphasis on the defined high-level requirements.FindingsFindings show that the framework and the developed solution translate the process methodology of the framework schema into a useable and beneficial tool that provides both qualitative and quantitative inputs and outputs. Furthermore, a collective agreement on the objectives, risk mitigations and assignment of tasks in order to achieve outcomes is presented, with evidence on numerical weightings and goal achievement.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the impacts of COVID-19 on physical engagements both the verification (electronic survey questionnaire) and validation (case study project) were undertaken remotely, using available technologies and web interfaces.Practical implicationsThe case study workshop was limited to one building structures project in central London of a value of c. £70 m design and build cost that the project team (participants) were actively engaged with.Social implicationsThe social impacts of this research has resulted in the review of existing systems, methods and approaches from a wider perspective of theoretical and applied environments, which led to the development of a novel approach and framework guided by an interactive and useable solution.Originality/valueAs shown within the core findings, experts across academia and industry (design and construction) confirmed that the framework methodology and application were 100% novel, and added a benefit to the existing collaborative BIM approach. Value added is that through objectifying, weighting/prioritizing and creating a discussion supported by qualitative and quantitative reasoning the focus on what collaborative BIM is to achieve is increased, and thus the likelihood of successful implementation.

‘Did COVID-19 exist before the scientists?' Towards curriculum theory now

We live in an era that normalized absurdism and abnormality. From successive devastating economic and environmental havoc, the world is now before a pandemic with a lethal footprint throughout the planet. The pandemonium became global. This paper situates the current COVID-19 pandemic within the context of an endless multi-plethora of devastating sagas pushing humanity into an unimaginable great regression. In doing so, the paper examines, how such pandemic reflects the very colors of an intentional epistemological blindness that frames Eurocentric reasoning, which crippled the political economy of global capitalism deepening and accelerating a never-ending and non-stop crisis that started in 2008. The paper explores also the social construction of the current pandemic and argues for alternatives ways to think and to do education and curriculum theory alternatively to challenge Modern Western Eurocentric reasoning. In doing so, advances itinerant curriculum theory as a just approach, a just alter-curriculum ‘theory now', one that respects the world's pluri-epistemological diversity, and aims to walk way from utopias framed within the borders determined by coloniality towards an anti-decolonial climax, and ‘heretopia'.

Tracking the Transit Divide: A Multilevel Modelling Approach of Urban Inequalities and Train Ridership Disparities in Chicago

Using a multilevel modelling approach, this study investigates the impact of urban inequalities on changes to rail ridership across Chicago's "L” stations during the pandemic, the mass vaccination rollout, and the full reopening of the city. Initially believed to have an equal impact, COVID-19 disproportionally impacted the ability of lower socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhoods' to adhere to non-pharmaceutical interventions: working-from-home and social distancing. We find that "L” stations in predominately Black or African American and Hispanic or Latino neighbourhoods with high industrial land-use recorded the smallest behavioural change. The maintenance of higher public transport use at these stations is likely to have exacerbated existing health inequalities, worsening disparities in users' risk of exposure, infection rates, and mortality rates. This study also finds that the vaccination rollout and city reopening did not significantly increase the number of users at stations in higher vaccinated, higher private vehicle ownership neighbourhoods, even after a year into the pandemic. A better understanding of the spatial and socioeconomic determinants of changes in ridership behaviour is crucial for policymakers in adjusting service routes and frequencies that will sustain reliant neighbourhoods' access to essential services, and to encourage trips at stations which are the most impacted to revert the trend of declining public transport use.

Moderating effect of project size on the relationship between COVID-19 safety protocols and economic performance of construction projects

PurposeThe COVID-19 health crisis has brought about a set of extra health and safety regulations, and procedures to the construction industry which could influence projects' economic performance (EP). The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of adopting COVID-19 safety protocols on construction sites on the economic performance (EP) of construction projects.Design/methodology/approachEmploying the survey method using a structured questionnaire, data were collected from small- and large-sized construction projects in Nigeria and analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique.FindingsThe findings reveal that job re-organization and sanitization have negative significant effects on EP, while social distancing and specific training have no effect on EP. Furthermore, project size moderates the relationship between job re-organization, sanitization, specific training and EP with the stronger effect on the relationships observed in big projects, except for the relationship between sanitization and EP where the moderating relationship is stronger in small projects. However, there is no significant moderating effect of project size on the relationship between social distancing and EP.Practical implicationsAs construction project sites continue to operate amidst strict safety protocols, this study offers theoretical and practical insights on how construction projects can adhere to the safety protocols while performing economically.Originality/valueThe originality of this study's findings stems from the fact that it is among the first to provide greater insight on how construction projects have fared economically considering the impact of the various COVID-19 protocols.

Development of a behavioral measure of physical distancing: The o'sickey distancing test

Introduction: Covid-19 has swept the globe and has disproportionately affected the United States with over 600,000 deaths in just over one year. The Centers for Disease Control recommendations for reducing the spread of Covid-19 have focused on physical distancing (PD), the practice of maintaining a distance greater than 6 feet from individuals not in the same household. When employed, this health behavior has been found to reduce the incidence of Covid-19. A review of the measurement literature evaluating PD indicates that PD has been measured at the community level via GPS, using proxy measures of the behavior, or as a construct. These methods can be useful in some situations;however, PD is an observable health behavior and can be reported as such. This study sought to address the issues in measuring PD by creating a new measure of self-reported PD that was: 1) appropriate for individual level measurement, 2) based on participant's self-report of the behavior of PD, and 3) presented a less ambiguous representation of the self-reported behavior. Method: Fifty college students from the University of New Mexico were sampled at a single time-point to evaluate the convergent and concurrent validity of the O'Sickey Distancing Test (ODT). Analysis Plan: To establish convergent validity, individual violations of PD as measured by the ODT were correlated with the Social Distancing Measure (SDM) and participant steps per day using Spearman's rank correlations and by comparing the correlations between the ODT and the number of participant self-reported steps per day and a measure of social distancing and participant steps per day using Steiger's t-test of correlated correlations within a sample. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The Need for Speed: How Operation Warp Speed Shifted the Pharma Industry

During the United States government's push for vaccine development and manufacturing (dubbed Operation Warp Speed)-and partly because of it-capital projects struggled to acquire adequate construction materials and equipment. Additionally, video production equipment was leveraged to offer an overview of progress in real time and even perform equipment testing. [...]startups are competing for a few outsourced manufacturing slots. The main solution to limited manufacturing opportunities is to work with a consulting partner who can help them accelerate the process of finding, prequalifying, and negotiating with appropriate and available contract manufacturers.

Modular Processes and Facilities Enable Flexible Vaccine Manufacturing

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for modular designs to rapidly expand vaccine production capacity. Speed to market An established benefit of modular facilities is that they are constructed off-site and then delivered to the site where they will be put into use. CRB's SlateXpace was introduced in September 2020 as a "suitebased" modular facility design for cell and gene therapy. Modular systems enable the manufacturer to produce regionally on the required scale and thus to react flexibly to the current situation and local requirements," says Kappeler.

Dialogism and polyphony in the interpretations of COVID-19 discourse in Zimbabwe

Meaning-making in any discourse is a nuanced or complex process which is ever-evolving and multifaceted. This study seeks to interrogate the linguistic and religious interpretations of COVID-19 pandemic discourse. The notions of the dialogic and polyphonic, in Bakhtin's theorisation of human discourse adopted in this chapter, underscore the importance of new hermeneutic traditions that embrace the polysemantic and polyvocal nature of COVID-19 discourses. Bakhtinian philosophy of language problematises the idea of a single reality or monolithic conceptualisation, but rather embraces multiperspectivality, contradictions and diversity in the interpretive process. Drawing from Bakhtin's dialogic and polyphonic notions, this chapter argues that the reception, interpretation and comprehension of meaning with regard to the pandemic depend on a linguistic composition of a particular discourse and the religious perception that one subscribes to. Most importantly, the claim to stable meanings disregards subjectivity and variability that come with diverse linguistic and religious interpretations in different contextual circumstances. Thus, the major thrust of this study is to explore and reflect on the linguistic framing and religious understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe. The findings from this chapter demonstrate that interpreting the COVID-19 pandemic involves an interpretive process that is open-ended and ever-evolving in new contexts that demand constant re-reading. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023. All rights reserved.

Managing risk in commercial property development projects during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from China

The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest global health crisis in years. China is the first market primarily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with unprecedented lockdown measures bringing real estate and other economic activities to a standstill. This study has two objectives: (1) to identify the risks critical to the risk management of commercial real estate (CRE) development projects based on the project life cycle stages and (2) to identify the stages most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the risk factors at different stages. Three rounds of the Delphi study were conducted with nine experts involved in the construction project. The findings indicate that the construction, lease and sale phases are prone to significant risks. Additionally, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) identified ‘health and safety risk' as the most critical risk factor during the construction phase and ‘marketing and payback risk' as the most critical risk factor during the lease and sale phase. This study enhanced the effectiveness of risk management practices for implementing CRE development projects in China.

Monitoring the Construction Sector in Valle del Cauca

The objective of this research is to develop a monthly indicator that synthesizes the economic acti-vity of the construction sector in Valle del Cauca, as a tool for analyzing the production cycle and as a single, public measure that contributes to decision-making. Dynamic factorial models, the Kalman filter and the Litterman method are used, also employed in the Monthly Index of Economic Activity (IMAE), in order to capture signals, changes in the productive cycle of construction and compile the sectoral economic facts that affect production. In the results, the dynamics of the sectoral and economic variables are observed that explain the behavior of the sector in Valle del Cauca during 2009-2020. A change of slope is observed in 2020, as a direct consequence of the crisis generated by COVID-19 and the restrictive measures taken by the government to contain its advance.

Strategies for implementation of green roofs in developing countries

PurposeReportedly, green roof (GR) makes a significant contribution towards a truly sustainable-built environment;however, its implementation is yet to hit a sufficient level in developing countries. Thus, this study assesses GR implementation strategies in developing countries by providing a comparative analysis through experts in Kazakhstan, Malaysia and Turkey.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopts a four-step methodological approach to achieve the research aim: literature review, focus group discussion, fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) analysis and correlation analyses. First, a literature review followed by a focus group discussion is used to determine 18 (out of 25 initially) strategies for the selected context and these are classified into three categories: governmental and institutional support, knowledge and information and policy and regulation. Afterward, the identified GR strategies are evaluated using the FAHP with the data gathered from the experts in the countries studied. Finally, correlation analyses were used to observe the strength of agreement between the assessments of experts from the included countries.FindingsThe findings indicate that financial incentives, low-cost government loans and subsidies and tax rebates are the essential strategies for the wider adoption of GR. Evaluating the policy and regulations strategies also showed that mandatory GR policies and regulations and better enforcement of the developed GR policies are ranked as the most prominent strategies. The findings show a low level of agreement among respondents from Kazakhstan, while there is a high level of agreement between the experts in Malaysia and Turkey.Research limitations/implicationsThe research contribution is twofold. First (research implication), the study identifies the strategies through a complete literature review. Second, the identified strategies are evaluated through the lenses of experts in three developing countries which are hoped to provide (practical contribution) a better understanding of the most effective strategies that require attention and enable the frontline stakeholders (particularly government authorities) to focus on them.Originality/valueThe study findings provide a good point of departure to explore the strategies for broader adoption of GRs in developing economic setting.

Who's Cheating? Mining Patterns of Collusion from Text and Events in Online Exams

As the COVID-19 pandemic motivated a shift to virtual teaching, exams have increasingly moved online too. Detecting cheating through collusion is not easy when tech-savvy students take online exams at home and on their own devices. Such online at-home exams may tempt students to collude and share materials and answers. However, online exams' digital output also enables computer-aided detection of collusion patterns. This paper presents two simple data-driven techniques to analyze exam event logs and essay-form answers. Based on examples from exams in social sciences, we show that such analyses can reveal patterns of student collusion. We suggest using these patterns to quantify the degree of collusion. Finally, we summarize a set of lessons learned about designing and analyzing online exams.

A Structural Equation Model to Analyze the Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic Risks on Project Success: Contractors' Perspectives

The purpose of this paper is to capture the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 emerging risks on construction projects' success in developing countries from the contractors' perspective. To achieve this, we collected data from Iraqi construction industry and conducted the following multistage research methodology: (1) preliminary investigation with four construction contractors to identify the success indicators of construction projects;(2) focus group session with 11 experts to identify the COVID-19 emerging risks for the construction industry;(3) semistructured interviews with seven construction experts to develop several hypotheses on the effect of COVID-19 emerging risks on project success;(4) survey data collection from 99 construction contractors;and (5) development of a structural equation model (SEM) to analyze the effects of COVID-19 emerging risks on project success. The results of the SEM analysis show that financial market (FM)-related risks, supply chain operations (SCO)-related risks, health and safety of construction workforce (HSCW)-related risks, organizational implications (OI)-related risks, and contractual implications (CI)-related risks have a significant impact on construction projects success. CI-related risks have the strongest total effects on project success, followed by OI-related risks, FM-related risks, HSCW-related risks, and SCO-related risks, respectively. The results also emphasis the significant mediation role of CI between COVID-19 emerging risks and project success. This study contributes to the body of knowledge and contracting companies by helping researchers and construction contractors to better understand how the key risk factors emerging from extreme conditions like the COVID-19 pandemic affect construction projects' success and may serve as a guideline for developing effective response strategies. © 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.

A critical review of public–private partnerships in the COVID-19 pandemic: key themes and future research agenda

PurposeUndoubtedly, coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has released unprecedented disruptions and health crisis on people and activities everywhere. The impacts extend to public–private partnership (PPP) arrangements in the construction industry. Concomitantly, PPP pacts are contributing to combat the pandemic. However, literature on the PPP concept in the COVID-19 era remain under-researched. This study aims to review the current literature on PPPs in the COVID-19 pandemic and present the key themes, research gaps and future research directions.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, 29 highly relevant literature were sourced from Web of Science, Scopus and PubMed search engines within the systematic literature review (SLR) methodology. With the aid of qualitative content analysis, the 29 articles were critically analysed leading to the extraction of hot research themes on PPPs in the coronavirus pandemic.FindingsThe results of the SLR produced eight themes such as major changes in PPP contracts, development of the COVID-19 vaccines, economic recession, facemasks and testing kits, governance and sustainability of PPPs. In addition, the study reveals seven research gaps that need further investigations among the scientific research community on mental health and post-pandemic recovery plans.Research limitations/implicationsThe articles selected for this review were limited to only peer-reviewed journal papers written in English excluding conference papers. This restriction may have taken out some relevant literature but they had insignificant impact on the overall outcome of this research.Practical implicationsTo improve the understanding of practitioners in the construction industry on key issues on PPPs in the COVID-19 pandemic, the study provides them a checklist of relevant themes.Originality/valueAs a novel literature review relating PPPs to the coronavirus, it sets the foundation for further research and contributes to practical measures to control the virus.

Barriers to incorporation of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles into building designs

PurposeThis research presents a comprehensive review of the literature on the barriers to incorporating indoor environmental quality (IEQ) principles into building designs. The aim was to identify these barriers in the literature and subsume them under broad categories for the development of a framework showing the interrelationships among the barriers.Design/methodology/approachThe research design used a systematic desktop review which comprised of three levels of screening. The first level allowed for a broad selection of papers;the second level of screening was done to limit the results to papers within the construction industry, and the third level of screening limited the documents strictly to the publication period of 2000–2021.FindingsTwenty-four (24) barriers were identified in the literature, including lack of integrated design teams, which ranked the highest in appearance, high initial costs, poor market for IEQ buildings and higher design charges among others. The identified barriers were classified into six (6) categories namely capacity barriers, economic barriers, process-related barriers, cultural barriers, client-related barriers and steering barriers.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study would enable practitioners and policymakers to better understand what is preventing the widespread adoption of IEQ designs in the built environment and devise actionable strategies to overcome them. It adds to the body of knowledge on IEQ research by categorizing the various barriers that prevent the delivery of IEQ projects.Social implicationsThe developed barriers in this research can serve as a useful checklist to future researchers who may want to validate the barriers to IEQ designs in empirical studies and in different settings.Originality/valueThe interconnectivity revealed by the web-like framework allows for an appreciation of the various barriers of IEQ adoption which would help in expanding the current knowledge on IEQ beyond the narrow scope of isolated barriers. The fact that the papers selected in this study are not limited geographically, underscores the wide applicability of the findings in the global construction industry.

The Role of Greenery in Stress Reduction among City Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Cities, as places of social interactions and human relationships, face new challenges, problems, and threats, which are sources of stress for residents. An additional cause of stress in recent years has been the COVID-19 pandemic; it was urban dwellers who were most exposed to the virus and most affected by it. Chronic stress has led to the serious erosion of physical health and psychophysical well-being among urban dwellers, and so there is a need to seek new solutions in terms of building the resilience of cities and their residents to stress. This study aims to verify the hypothesis that greenery reduced the level of stress among urban dwellers during the pandemic. The verification of this hypothesis was achieved based on a literature analysis and the results of geo-questionnaire studies conducted involving 651 residents of Poznan-among the largest of Polish cities, where the share of green areas in the spatial structure is more than 30%. According to the analysis, the interviewees experienced above-average stress levels that went up during the pandemic, and the source was not so much the virus but the restrictions imposed. Green areas and outdoor activities helped in reducing this stress (being surrounded by and looking at greenery, garden work, or plant cultivation). Residents perceive a post-pandemic city as one that is more green, in which priority is given to unmanaged green areas. It has also been pointed out that a response to the reported need for urban re-construction towards stress resilience may be a biophilic city.