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Green Building (GB) has attracted more attention in recent years and many studies have been conducted in project delivery of GB. In Singapore, the compulsory requirement of Green Mark, one certification for GB, drives the rapid development of GB Market. The purpose of this research is to identify the critical resources and capabilities of design firms that should be cultivated in order to help their projects achieve higher ratings of Green Mark effectively. Firstly, potential important organizational factors were explored through literature review. Then, these factors are ranked based on data collected in a questionnaire survey. “Experience and knowledge in GB”, “organizational green culture” “innovation capability” were found more important than other factors. Finally, the findings were tested by using a qualitative case study approach and two case companies in Singapore were investigated. The results of case studies not only validated the findings obtained from quantitative analysis, but also provided more in-depth additional reasons for the identified factors.

Green Mark, a certification for Green Building (GB), has become a compulsory requirement for all new buildings in Singapore. The aim of this study is to explore the controllable critical project management factors of Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) firms for delivering Green Mark certified projects and examine how these factors can be useful. Based on three case projects in Singapore, the factors influencing the success of GB were identified. It was also observed that the higher ratings of the building projects, the more management factors should be given proper attention. The research findings could assist project managers in managing the overall project performance and successfully implementing Green Mark certified projects more effectively.

Climate change has drawn the attention of many researchers and practitioners to focus on the methods to address the challenges in achieving low-carbon buildings and cities and in future developments. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the application of orthogonal experimental design (OED) method to optimize building design for the lowest carbon emissions of building operational energy consumption. This paper aims at developing a new optimization method to building envelope design for the lowest carbon emissions of building operational energy consumption using OED. Firstly, according to the basic principles of the building heat transfer, the method of building’s energy consumption calculation is analyzed, which includes the simplified algorithm based on steady-state heat transfer theory and the dynamic simulation based on the unsteady heat transfer theory. The classification of the building energy consumption influencing factors are then investigated and discussed. Furthermore, based on the basic concept and principle of OED, a case study from the perspective of OED has been conducted, which involves a public building in Nantong, Jiangsu province. Six influence factors of building envelope to building operational energy consumption are selected as follows: exterior wall type, window frame type, glass type, roof type, floor type, and shading type. Selection of optimal case is then determined by the index that is based on the year-round accumulative total load. In the end, Tianzheng Building Energy Consumption Software is used to calculate the optimal case operational energy consumption. The research would provide a new optimization method for building envelope design to the lowest carbon emissions of building operational energy consumption.

Green Building involves many parties and has attracted attention recently. In this paper, the main external actors for Green Building were explored based on literature review. Then, a structured questionnaire was developed to facilitate systematic data collection. Finally, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was applied and “clients,” “government,” “qualified/certified materials and products suppliers,” and “good green consultants” were found to be significant external partners of Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) firms for successful delivery of Green Mark certified projects. The research findings will help AEC firms understand how to achieve competitive advantages in the Green Building market in Singapore by using external resources.

It has been widely accepted that reported accidents on construction sites are just the tip of the iceberg representing the safety challenge because a very large number of near-miss accidents exist and constitute the portion of under-water surface. Undoubtedly, near-miss accidents provide insights into possible accidents and provide a great opportunity to further improve safety margins. It is possible to significantly improve the safety performance by learning from previous near-miss accidents and tracking near-miss accidents in real time leading to taking appropriate action before a potential up-coming accident. However, little research has been done in both autonomous data requirement analysis of near-miss accidents and technological solutions to track near-miss accidents based on real-time information on construction sites. The objective of this paper is to analyze and verify the autonomous information requirement of near-miss accidents and investigate the feasibility and performance of using a Zigbee RFID sensor network to fulfil these requirements. First, the autonomous data requirement of near-miss accidents is systematically analyzed based on typical historical accident cases. Then, considering the features of construction sites and characteristics of near-miss accidents, an autonomous real-time tracking system of near-miss accidents (ARTTS-NMA) on construction sites is proposed, which employs ultrasonic for outdoor and indoor real-time location tracking, adopts sensors for environment surveillance, RFID for access control as well as storage of safety information about workers, equipment and materials, and wireless sensor networks for data transmission. All system components are integrated into a Zigbee RFID sensor network architecture that features a relatively low cost and fast implementation with a pure wireless network backbone. The demonstration system based on the hybrid RFID sensor network architecture is fully working in a laboratory environment and for safety reasons we have chosen to evaluate it in a warehouse, which is considered as the main scenario of a construction site containing both multi-storey structure and open area, to evaluate the complexity of implementation.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between a number of variables pertaining to core capability, competitive strategy and performance of construction small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) in China.Design/methodology/approachThe paper consists of a quantitative survey. It involves mainly the development of instrument and testing of the hypotheses.FindingsCore capability and competitive strategy are found to influence construction SMEs' performance. Moreover, there are positive relationships between core capability and competitive strategy. This suggests a need to align core capability and competitive strategy as a precondition for superior performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper has limitations as a result of data collection. A somewhat larger sample would obviously permit firmer conclusions to be drawn from the results of the statistical analysis.Originality/valueThis paper will contribute to the literature on SMEs, strategic management and resource‐based theory. This integration of scope is particularly new to the context of the Chinese construction industry. Similarly, this research will have implications for practice. The research findings help SMEs' managers to understand the impact of the unique resources of their enterprises and competitive strategy.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine a series of environmental factors and industrial conditions governing the construction industry in China. The outcome of this part of the analysis sheds light on the development of appropriate competitive strategies and important resources and competencies (IRCs) to establish long‐term competitive advantages.Design/methodology/approachThe overarching conceptual framework consists of both external and internal analyses. Since, the scope of work is very broad, the materials presented in this paper is limited to external analysis of environmental factors. The study is primarily derived from a literature review and synthesis of data gathered from various public sources. Certain parts of the analysis utilize frameworks developed by other researchers and selective statistical methods.FindingsSome environmental factors, such as government intervention and legal and regulatory systems require the development of Guanxi (relationships) to cope with. Other factors including market structure, project procurement systems, horizontal market segments related to construction, regional characteristics and upstream and downstream functions within the construction value chain are suggestive of five potential types of competitive strategies: cost leadership, differentiation, market/product diversification, geographical diversification, and vertical/functional integration.Research limitations/implicationsThe research study as a whole is targeted at large construction firms in China that belong to the First class qualification category. Therefore, the proposed competitive strategies and IRCs may not be applicable to small and medium construction enterprises.Originality/valueApplication of strategic management theories and empirical findings related to the Chinese construction industry is lacking. This research fills this gap and builds a foundation for future studies related to this industry.

The many transitory changes in China have raised the intensity level of competition among construction firms. Despite having a high growth economy, some construction firms continue to suffer from low profitability. Meanwhile, practical cases and empirical findings related to Chinese construction firms remain lacking. This research develops a conceptual model for improving the competitiveness of large construction firms in China. The model integrates two main streams of strategic management theories—the industrial organisation theories, and the resource‐based and competence‐based views. Critical variables that form the model are initially identified from an environmental analysis and the case studies of 12 large Chinese construction companies. The relationships between competitive strategies, important resources and competencies, and competitive advantage are then verified using survey results. The statistical findings suggest that two strategies—differentiation and market/product diversification, and thre...

With China's accession to the World Trade Organization and rapid development of the country's economy, foreign design firms are seeking timely opportunities for market entry. However, unique features of the Chinese business environment and their impact on the design services sector remain unclear to many of these potential new entrants. The objective of this paper is to survey the interior design services sector and provide guidance for foreign firms that wish to enter this market. Several systemic problems pertaining to this sector are identified from interviews, which include two different standards for design fees, short design cycles and an inappropriate design proposal review system. Several transnational marketing strategies are proposed: establishing alliances with Chinese private design firms, and establishing long-term cooperative relationships with developers and contractors to provide focused services. However, a more competitive pricing policy is not regarded as a sustainable strategy for fore...

PurposeTo provide a structured and integrated framework of corporate strategy in order to help practitioners and researchers identify critical issues related to the Chinese construction industry and analyze its dynamics from a holistic viewpoint.Design/methodology/approachA brief review of the major themes of strategy mostly developed by western researchers is first presented. This is then supplemented by a review of the pertinent characteristics of the construction industry in general, and those related to China's context in specific, which affect management decision‐making. Two case studies are used to illustrate the concepts implied by the proposed framework.FindingsThe cases of Guangsha and the Shanghai Construction Group demonstrate that there is no hard and fast rule in developing a coherent strategy. This is even truer considering the fact that China's circumstances are still evolving.Practical implicationsThe critical elements identified in the proposed framework serve as a good starting point for individual firms to further develop a more detailed execution plan.Originality/valueThis paper bridges a management gap that exists between mainstream management researchers, who have few precedence of studying the construction industry, and traditional construction management researchers, who tend to focus on project‐level issues rather than corporate‐level issues.

Buildings’ sustainability is one of the crucial parts for achieving urban sustainability. Applied to buildings, life-cycle assessment encompasses the analysis and assessment of the environmental effects of building materials, components and assemblies throughout the entire life of the building construction, use and demolition. Estimate of carbon emissions is essential and crucial for an accurate and reasonable life-cycle assessment. Addressing the need for more research into integrating analysis of real-time and automatic recording of key indicators for a more accurate calculation and comparison, this paper aims to design a real-time recording model of these crucial indicators concerning the calculation and estimation of energy use and carbon emissions of buildings based on a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)-based system. The architecture of the RFID-based carbon emission recording/tracking system, which contains four functional layers including data record layer, data collection/update layer, data aggregation layer and data sharing/backup layer, is presented. Each of these layers is formed by RFID or network devices and sub-systems that operate at a specific level. In the end, a proof-of-concept system is developed to illustrate the implementation of the proposed architecture and demonstrate the feasibility of the design. This study would provide the technical solution for real-time recording system of building carbon emissions and thus is of great significance and importance to improve urban sustainability. Published version

The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries in many countries. Struck-by-falling-object accidents are not given adequate attention even though they are of great importance on construction sites. The objective of this paper is to analyze the proactively preventive information requirement of struck-by-falling-object accidents and propose an integrated information management model using a ZigBee RFID sensor network to fulfill these requirements. First, the frequency of particular type of objects is analyzed based on vast historical accident cases. Next, this paper analyzes the proactively preventive information requirement of struck-by-falling-object accidents and brought forth an integrated information management model. Furthermore, considering the crucial and controllable objects, an integrated information management model is proposed. This study would provide a possible approach for tracking struck-by-falling-object accidents based on real-time information for proactive prevention and could serve as a foundation for further study.

Identifying accident precursors using real-time identity information has great potential to improve safety performance in construction industry, which is still suffering from day to day records of accident fatality and injury. Based on the requirements analysis for identifying precursor and the discussion of enabling technology solutions for acquiring and sharing real-time automatic identification information on construction site, this paper proposes an identification system design for proactive accident prevention to improve construction site safety. Firstly, a case study is conducted to analyze the automatic identification requirements for identifying accident precursors in construction site. Results show that it mainly consists of three aspects, namely access control, training and inspection information and operation authority. The system is then designed to fulfill these requirements based on ZigBee enabled wireless sensor network (WSN), radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and an integrated ZigBee RFID sensor network structure. At the same time, an information database is also designed and implemented, which includes 15 tables, 54 queries and several reports and forms. In the end, a demonstration system based on the proposed system design is developed as a proof of concept prototype. The contributions of this study include the requirement analysis and technical design of a real-time identity information tracking solution for proactive accident prevention on construction sites. The technical solution proposed in this paper has a significant importance in improving safety performance on construction sites. Moreover, this study can serve as a reference design for future system integrations where more functions, such as environment monitoring and location tracking, can be added.