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The concept of Circular Economy (CE) has gained significant traction in addressing the issue of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, which is generated because of global urbanisation and urban renewal. Therefore, this research aims to explore the applicability of CE strategies to minimise the C&D Waste Management (WM) issues in Sri Lanka considering the preconstruction stage of the building project.

The research adopted a qualitative approach, using three expert interview rounds with the Delphi technique. In each round, 17, 15 and 12 experts were involved. A manual content analysis method was used to analyse the collected data.

Findings uncovered effective strategies in CE to address the 14 issues within C&D WM and its effects on the project management iron triangle in Sri Lanka. Integrating CE strategies within the construction sector to tackle C&D WM issues can significantly contribute to establishing a more sustainable, robust and resource-conscious built environment. By adopting CE strategies such as design for adaptability of existing buildings and design for disassembly, construction projects can optimise the project's timeline, cost and quality factors.

This will help to minimise the demand for virgin materials and reduce the volume of waste generated. Using recycled materials also helps close the loop of the materials cycle, thereby contributing to the CE. Also, this research contributes uniquely by offering practical, context-driven solutions that align with Sri Lanka’s construction sector.

Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste Management (WM) poses significant challenges in Sri Lanka, contributing to environmental degradation and resource depletion. To address these issues, this study explores the application of Circular Economy (CE) strategies in minimising waste generation and optimising resource utilisation in Sri Lankan construction industry. The research focuses on the construction and building renovation and use and operate stages of the building project life cycle, recognising their significance in waste generation and resource consumption.

The research employed a qualitative approach, utilising the Delphi technique through three rounds of expert interviews. Seventeen experts were involved in the first round, followed by fifteen in the second round, and twelve in the final round. The collected data was analysed using manual content analysis methods.

The research findings revealed fifteen C&D WM issues in the construction and building renovation stage in Sri Lanka, along with suitable strategies to overcome each of them. Similarly, eight C&D WM issues were identified for the use and operate stage of the building, and corresponding strategies were provided to address each issue. By adopting CE strategies such as modular design and material reuse, construction projects can optimise the project's timeline, cost, and quality factors. These strategies enable efficient resource allocation, reduce waste generation, and contribute to the overall sustainability of the project. The impact of CE strategies on mitigating these issues within the project management iron triangle was also discussed.

This paper entails delving into how construction, building renovation, and operation stages of a building's life cycle intersect with CE strategies, which profoundly influence operational efficiency and long-term sustainability. By incorporating principles such as energy efficiency, water conservation, and circular product design, the paper illuminates how these strategies facilitate decreased energy usage, enhanced resource management, and diminished waste production throughout the building's lifespan.

Awarding contracts based solely on the lowest price is unsuitable for every project. Consequently, most procurement systems in developed countries have progressed to the multicriteria selection practices (MSPs) for tender evaluation. MSPs consider a range of quality measures, such as completion time, life cycle cost, functional characteristics, environmental impact and innovation, alongside bid price. This study examines the prevailing MSPs in Sri Lankan public tender evaluations to enhance the effectiveness of the local tender evaluation process.

A desk study approach was employed to collect bidding documents, resulting in the identification of 66 documents. A systematic screening process was then applied to identify those bidding documents that incorporated MSPs. Subsequently, content analysis was conducted to determine the common features of the functions used in MSPs.

The study identified six primary functions related to MSPs incorporated in the bidding documents to procure building and substation projects. Three functions follow the price-to-quality method, while the remaining three follow the quality-to-price method. Among these identified functions, four functions employ objective evaluation criteria, such as thickness, capacity and operational loss. The other two functions utilize subjective evaluation criteria, such as the project’s design and technical specifications. Contract awarding will be based on either the highest score or the lowest bid, depending on the function type.

This study’s originality lies in exploring MSPs in the Sri Lankan public tender evaluation process and in disclosing their characteristics to promote the MSPs in Sri Lanka and developing countries.

Water conservationists have been promoting a hierarchy of measures to preserve water resources in the face of decreasing freshwater availability in the world. However, applicability of water hierarchy to the construction industry is yet to be investigated. To fill this knowledge gap, the purpose of this paper is to investigate water usage, water use efficiency, and conservation measures relevant to the construction operations.

A triangulation-based mixed-methods approach was adopted for the collection and analysis of data. First, four case studies were carried out to explore the current practices and the possibilities of applying the water hierarchy to the construction operations. This was followed by a questionnaire survey, administered among construction professionals to obtain their views and to verify the findings of case studies.

Strategies such as reuse and recycling were found to be less applicable and least preferred by the construction professionals compared to reduce, replace, and eliminate. Based on the research findings, three enabling measures, namely, regulation, responsibility, and reward, were found to enhance the effectiveness of these conservation strategies.

Knowledge on preferences of different water conservation measures among the construction professionals and their effectiveness on construction site could help the construction companies to device strategies to mitigate water wastage and enhance water use efficiency. It could also help policy-makers to develop guidelines that would have higher probability of acceptance among construction stakeholders.

The study proposes an extended water hierarchy (3R.6R) by integrating three enabling measures discussed above for the construction project sites.

Construction activities generate noise that is harmful to workers and the neighbouring community. Engineering control methods are often used for its control which are expensive and limited in effectiveness. This study aims to investigate factors that affect employee behaviour and how it could be used by construction companies to manage noise pollution on sites.

Norm Activation Model (NAM) is used to investigate the relationship between attitudes and behaviour of site-based employees using a questionnaire survey administered in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The responses were analysed using structural equation modelling to discern behavioural patterns and how it differs between managers and workers.

The results showed that behaviour of site employees could be influenced when they are aware of the consequences of noise pollution and take responsibility for its control. Personal norm of an employee and company's environmental behaviour are found to influence the behaviour in a positive manner.

Construction companies should focus more on how to harness their employee's behaviour in order to reduce noise pollution on sites. Employees should be made aware of consequences of noise pollution and feel responsible for their actions through training, awareness campaigns, signage and so on.

This study contributes to the literature by building a theoretical model of employee noise control behaviour in construction organizations and empirically testing it among managers and workers. It compares the differences between these two groups which enhances one’s understanding of behavioural control methods when applied in a construction project setting. The study also evaluates the effects of company's environmental behaviour on employee behaviour.

The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system is a significant energy consumer in built environments, and the building energy consumption could be minimised by optimising HVAC controls. Hence, this paper aims to investigate the applicability of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) air conditioning systems for optimising the indoor comfort of buildings in Sri Lanka.

To address the research aim, the quantitative approach following the survey research strategy was deployed. Data collected through questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistical tools, including Mean Rating (MR), Relative Important Index (RII) and Standard Deviation (SD).

The findings revealed that VRF systems are popularly used in Sri Lankan apartment buildings. Furthermore, energy efficiency and comfort were recognised as the most significant top-ranked benefits, while ventilation issues and initial cost were recognised as significant challenges. Moreover, the allocation of trained technicians and provision of proper ventilation through a Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) were highlighted as applicable mitigation strategies for the identified challenges in VRFs.

The study recommends VRF systems as a suitable technology to ensure energy efficiency, reduce GHG emissions and achieve climate performance within the built environment. The opportunities for adopting VRF systems for developing countries could be explored based on the research findings. The identified challenges would assist the design engineers and facilities professionals to devise suitable strategies to mitigate issues of VRF systems in developing countries.

This research provides empirical proof of the energy efficiency and comfort aspects of VRFs. The study has explored and recommended VRF technology as a beneficial application to overcome the persistent energy crisis in developing countries.

Despite the positive impacts of the construction sector on enhancing economic growth and ensuring societal well-being, its negative impacts on the environment from unsustainable resource consumption levels, emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and waste generation is monumental. Circular economy (CE) concept is identified globally as an avenue to address problems regarding adverse impacts of construction on the environment. This paper presents the principles of CE as an avenue for enhancing environmental sustainability during the pre-construction stage within Sri Lankan construction projects.

This research was approached through a qualitative research method. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts. The number of experts were limited due to lack of experts with knowledge on the subject area in Sri Lanka. Data were analysed using content analysis.

Findings revealed a range of activities under each R principle of CE, that is, reduce, reuse, recycle, redesign, reclassification and renewability that could be implemented during the pre-construction stage, thereby providing a guide for construction professionals in implementing CE at the pre-construction stage. The need to expand knowledge on CE concepts within the Sri Lankan construction sector was recognized.

This study provides a qualitative in-depth perspective on how 6R principles of CE could be integrated to a construction project during the pre-construction stage. By adopting the proposed activities under CE principles, construction professionals can enhance the environmental sustainability of construction projects.

The implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been initiated by many countries for construction industry applications due to its peculiar benefits. However, the successful implementation of the RFID technology has been hindered due to numerous barriers that are specific to the construction sector. Therefore, this study aims to propose strategies to overcome barriers that constitute significant obstructions to RFID adoption in the construction industry.

This study adopted an exploratory mixed-method approach to attain the research aim. The survey was followed by 11 individual interviews conducted with experts and the findings were analysed using content analysis. The questionnaire survey that was carried out as a part of the research had a response rate of 80% and collected data were analysed using Relative Importance Index. To ensure the robustness of the findings, expert validation interviews were conducted to cross-verify and provide deeper insights into the results.

The high implementation cost of RFID technology was identified as the most significant barrier when implementing RFID technology. Subsequently, strategies were proposed to implement RFID technology based on identified highly significant barriers of RFID. Implementing RFID technology in small-scale construction projects, increasing the collaboration among the countries that have implemented RFID technology and encouraging investors to invest in RFID-implemented projects were mainly proposed to improve the applications of RFID technology in the construction industry.

This study paves the way to identify the RFID technology concept and its barriers and strategies to effectively implement RFID technology in the construction industry. Findings are helpful to the construction industry practitioners to obtain the optimum benefit from the implementation of RFID technology.

The purpose of this paper is to explore ways to enhance water use efficiency at construction sites according to project stakeholders’ perceptions.

A questionnaire survey was developed based on drivers, barriers and potential water use efficiency measures identified through a literature review. It was administered among professionals working in the construction industry who have more than ten years of work experience.

The study highlighted cost of water and sources of water as main drivers that promote water use efficiency on sites. Lack of priority for water management among host of other managerial functions was identified as the main barrier. In order to conserve water, respondents favoured “soft” measures such as changes in workers’ behaviour and managerial policies and planning for water savings, as opposed to “hard” measures which were primarily technology based.

The major implications of the study are related to how behaviour of the workers could be changed to accommodate water use efficiency in their everyday activities. Water saving measures such as leak detection, auditing and sub-metering were favoured by respondents referring to policies and planning, as well as implementing a water action plan when a project begins.

This study makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on the subject of water sustainability at construction projects. This is an understudied area. In addition, the findings will enhance the understanding of construction companies on water use efficiency and should serve as a platform to develop improved and appropriate techniques.

The purpose of this study is to develop a set of parameters universally acceptable for assessing design and construction strategies for reducing operational energy usage and its associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission. Also, the parameters are intended to estimate the quantity of energy and its associated GHG emission reduction over the assessment period.

This study used five steps framework comprising definition of purpose, selecting the candidate parameters, criteria selection and description, selecting proposed parameters and defining the proposed parameters. The criteria used were the parameter’s prevalence, measurability, preference and feasibility toward adaptability to the relevant stakeholders.

This study consolidated 11 parameters. Seven cover designs and construction strategies comprising energy monitoring, natural lighting and ventilation design. Others are building thermal performance, efficient equipments, renewable energy and energy policy. The remaining four consider operational energy consumption, GHG emission quantification and their reduction over time.

Providing suitable indicators for assessing direct and indirect GHG emission with easily accessible data is essential for assessing built environment. The consolidated parameters can be used in developing rating systems, monitoring GHG inventories and activities of building related industries.

This study was conducted at the CEIES UTHM and used 11 existing rating systems open for research purposes, International Panel for Climate Change reports and GHG protocol report and guides and several other standards.