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This opinion argues that there is a desperate need to create more sustainable affordable social housing in the UK, like Goldsmith Street in Norwich, because the younger generation in particular cannot currently afford to buy homes and that this demand is likely to increase in the future. It argues that in order to create sustainable affordable housing, the government needs to raise taxes to pay for it (which is unpopular); that local people need to accept this type of development in terms of where it is located (including in their backyard); that existing legislation, including the planning system and indeed government itself, needs to be more supportive in creating this type of housing by offering incentives to developers and by using more creative tools (such as encouraging sustainable design features and allowing for more lenient or perhaps more and stricter planning conditions as is currently being mooted by government and by requiring minimum/higher standards to be met); and that the students of the future learning to become the planners, architects and construction professionals of tomorrow need to be better educated in how to design and deliver it in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National studies have suggested that a large percentage of existing code professionals are expected to reach retirement age in the next 10 years. The purpose of this research project was to assess the health and long-term viability of the code professional industry in Utah, and explore the impacts of a mass departure of code professionals. The code professional spectrum was developed to illustrate the increasing complexity and body of knowledge contained within this industry. A statewide survey of over 300 licensed building inspectors was conducted to investigate the current demographics of the industry and explore the various levels of professional expertise contained within this group. It was determined that approximately half of all actively licensed building inspectors in the state of Utah will reach retirement age within the next 10 years. Correspondingly, there are many different certification areas in which over half of the current professionals will also be lost during this same time period. Finally, projections were made contrasting the large number of code professionals leaving the industry versus the small number of individuals entering the industry. This research conclusively predicts a steady and dramatic decline in the number of licensed code professionals unless the industry actively works toward addressing the issue. Potential solutions include increasing the availability of technical training, targeting potential sources of new code professionals, improving wages and other incentives, prolonging the careers of current code professionals, outsourcing through private industry, and utilizing new technologies to more efficiently perform routine responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To deal with the existing building dilapidation problem in Hong Kong, a mandatory building inspection scheme (MBIS) has been introduced. The effectiveness of the scheme is reliant on an adequate supply of registered inspectors (RIs) to inspect and supervise repair works. To ensure that there is an adequate supply and demand of RIs to enable the implementation of the MBIS, a robust workforce planning model is proposed. The database of private buildings from the Hong Kong Home Affairs Department and a web-based survey were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data, from practitioners and professional bodies, to determine the demand and supply of labor. A quantitative modeling approach, which utilizes a labor multiplier method, revealed that there will be a shortage of RIs to meet future professional workforce demand under the MBIS. The qualitative aspect of the research reported in this paper, which addressed the perception of eligible RIs, revealed that the majority of respondents were disinterested with becoming an RI as their responsibility and liability had not been clearly defined under the current MBIS scheme. The findings provide the local government authority with the ability to visualize the workforce demand under the MBIS and articulate future workforce strategy to ensure an adequate supply of the professional workforce. As a result, the condition of buildings and the living environment of the general public will be improved with the implementation of MBIS to safeguard public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The amount of energy that buildings consume is currently attracting significant interest throughout the world, and considerable attention is being devoted to the development of green buildings to reduce energy consumption; however, the current process being used to conduct building energy analysis has a significant shortcoming in that it cannot directly use building information modelling (BIM)-based representational data that includes a curved wall. Currently, the curved wall must be converted into segmented straight walls (SSWs) in the building model in order for the building energy analysis (BEA) program to be able to recognize and use the data. In this paper, we have proposed a segmentation process for curved walls in industry foundation classes (IFC)-based BIM for BEA. The proposed process consists of three sub-processes: 1) extracting data from the IFC model; 2) dividing the curved wall into several segmented straight walls; and 3) generating an INP file as a building description for DOE-2.2-based BEA. The proposed process will enable the engineers who are responsible for BEA to use a BIM-based model directly in the BEA program without having to do additional work. The proposed process can help ensure that the BEA results are accurate and reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The current number of deficient U.S. bridges makes the evaluation of bridge condition paramount to a state highway department in developing a bridge management system. State DOTs routinely visually inspect bridges on 24-month cycles. Findings from these inspections are numerically summarized by bridge inspectors for bridge condition ratings and additionally documented with inspector notes and pictures. However, bridge inspections include a human factor, which introduces bias and subjectivity. Consequently, bridge inspection values are tainted with nonuniformity. This article presents gigapixel technology as an inexpensive quality assurance/quality control tool that can easily be implemented by a state DOT for their bridge inspections. The process includes developing gigapixel panoramas of a bridge that can later be reviewed by bridge engineers trained for this task. The proposed approach is used to supplement visual bridge inspection to improve quality control among bridge inspections. This approach promotes uniformity between bridge sites by reviewing multiple bridges by the same group of engineers; the methodology streamlines the documentation included in bridge inspections. In addition to bridge inspections, the technology has the potential for use in a health monitoring program through cataloging images and/or developing time-lapse videos as a culmination of multiple panoramic images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] For workers, inputs of enforcement were positively related to outputs of inspections. [•] For managers, competence of inspectors was positively related to outputs of inspections. [•] OSH inspections should be modified in order to develop a systematic OSH enforcement. [•] OSH inspectors should provide advices about how to exceed the minimum level of OSH. [•] In OSH inspections managers and workers received new information on OSH obligations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction labour productivity has continued to be researched into because of its importance in nations' economy. This study assesses and compares the relative effects of project-related factors on construction labour productivity in Bayelsa State of Nigeria from the perspectives of building craftsmen and project supervisors/engineers. A field survey involving a stratified random sample of 146 building craftsmen and 81 project supervisors/engineers was conducted. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analysed using Mean Item Score and Mann-Whitney U-test. The result shows that there is no significant difference between building craftsmen' and project supervisors'/engineers' perceptions of the relative effects of project-related factors on construction labour productivity (p = 0.646 > 0.05). In addition, the selected project team members ranked specification and standardisation, availability of material, project goals and milestones, high quality of required works and availability of drawings as the first five significant project-related factors affecting construction labour productivity respectively. The study therefore, recommends that construction managers should make more explicit project specifications; address the effects of availability of materials, high quality of required works and nonavailability of project documents on construction labour productivity with clients and motivate craftsmen with realisable goals and milestones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper surveys the feasibility of an infrastructureless real-time monitoring system to provide prompt support for inspectors in charge of health and safety management on construction sites. The system was tested in the specific application of monitoring interference between teams working on large construction sites. The system accounts for a wireless and untethered tracking technology and a local server running a software tool for handling collected data, real-time site state visualization and remote interaction with safety inspectors. The low-level tracking technology is a ZigBee-based easily deployable and reconfigurable technology. In this paper the system is found to be able to cover large fields while keeping its non-invasive features, thanks to the implementation of a novel low-power approach. This paper shows the degree of support inspectors can get from the system: it is able to alert in the occurrence of interference and to log any unexpected behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This research examines how a broadening of discretionary powers afforded build-ing inspectors in Ontario since 2006 have been initially embraced and their ef-fects on the Building Code's implementation. The focus is on the initial few years following the increase in discretionary power, an area little studied in the litera-ture, yet a crucial period of time given the fact that attitudes and habits formed at this early stage can have significant effects on implementation activities. The results reveal how concerns over liability issues have led to the continuation of narrow Building Code interpretations thereby impeding efforts to foster innova-tion and competitiveness therefore limiting efforts to improve the protection of water resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The assessment of a deteriorating masonry structure should lead to an objective evaluation of condition. This process is, however, inevitably subjective owing to human interpretation. The condition of the substrate and the required repairs cannot be guaranteed and may vary from building inspector to inspector. For conservation works the determination of repairs is a function of condition but also directly relates to the underpinning framework of building conservation philosophy. These are also fundamentally subjective. The combination of both condition survey subjectivity and building conservation philosophy's nebulous nature creates the potential for project aesthetic and technical divergence. This paper aims to examine this issue. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents a literature review and hypothetical case studies. Findings - It has been shown by various researchers that a visual survey is subjective and is therefore prone to differences in reporting. In addition, the application of building conservation philosophy is seen through the perspective of the professional specifying the repairs. The combination of these two factors leads to the potential for significant project outcomes. Originality/value - Subjectivity of evaluation of condition for traditional masonry structures has been little studied by academics and practitioners alike, and it is generally assumed that these yield objective, rational data. This is not necessarily the case. The application of building conservation philosophy to determine repair strategies is also a subjective process. The combination of both may lead to significant project divergence. These combined factors have never previously been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to issues about municipal-led regulatory enforcement, governments in Canada have been reforming their regimes of building regulation and control since the 1980s. As a result, private-sector inspectors were introduced as an alternative to local government control on the adherence to building regulations. However, this privatization has resulted in variations among jurisdictions. The main difference is the degree of private-sector involvement. Based on a series of interviews with forty-seven insiders, this article addresses the implications of such differences in privatization on the practice and process of building code enforcement. It draws some general lessons for the redesign of control over building regulations but at the same time warns against copy-pasting best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the standard for condition assessment of buildings in the Netherlands. The study conducts literature review on the improvement, content and practical use of Dutch Standard for Condition Assessments of Buildings for Dutch housing associations. Results show that building inspectors can give objective data to property managers regarding the status of the building through the use of the condition assessment standard.

A brief quality assessment exercise conducted among officers of Malaysia's Public Works Department (PWD) on outsourced quantity surveying services affirmed the view that the consultants' performance was generally unsatisfactory. The performance dimensions cover from preliminary estimates and cost plans to final accounts. The result of this purely academic exercise generated sufficient interest among top decision-makers at PWD's Contract and Quantity Surveying Division to render quality improvement initiatives feasible. For a large public sector organisation usually afflicted with inertia, the changes that have taken place within such a short space of time are encouraging. What this case study points to is that given sufficient motivation, even a simple quality assessment exercise is able to prompt quality changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to the understanding of how those street-level bureaucrats who are at the front lines of regulatory enforcement help to bring about compliance with regulations. Hypotheses concerning the impact of inspectors' differing enforcement styles on compliance are examined for data concerning municipal enforcement of building codes. Building inspectors vary in their day-to-day style of interaction with homebuilders with respect to facilitation— how helpful and supportive they are—and with respect to formalism-how rigid and picky they are. We fail to find a direct effect of differing enforcement styles on compliance. However, enforcement styles influence homebuilders' knowledge of rules and the degree of cooperation between homebuilders and inspectors. We attribute the limited impact of enforcement style to inconsistencies in inspection that tend to immunize homebuilders to stylistic differences among inspectors. This suggests a downside to "responsive regulation" as a preferred mode of regulatory enforcement: such inconsistencies undermine regulatees' understanding of rules and the development of shared expectations concerning compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on ways and considerations to be taken by auditors when auditing the quality of a construction project. It discusses the importance of quality assurance and quality control functions in auditing construction quality and ensuring that a project is designed properly and built according to the plans, specifications and drawings. It says that the tests and inspections by the construction teams are important to ensure that the quality of construction meet the highest standards.

The article provides a direct opinion from a business perspective on what to do when an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspector calls in the U.S. It provides insights to level the playing field so that business responses to OSHA inspections will meet a minimum standard. It mentions that an OSHA investigation should be taken seriously since a willful citation will carry a possible 70,000 U.S. dollar fine and could preclude the company from bidding on many jobs.