Abstract: Last few years the hindrance, accidents, pollution and other negative side effects of construction projects and namely construction transport have become an issue particularly in urban areas across Europe such as in London, and in the Netherlands as well, including the cities of Utrecht, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Municipalities have issued new legislation and stricter conditions for vehicles to be able to access cities and city centres in particular and accessibility of older and polluting vehicles. Considerate clients, public as well private, have started developing tender policies to encourage contractors to reduce the environmental impact of construction projects. Contractors and third party logistics providers have started applying consolidation centres. These developments have shown considerable reductions of number of vehicles needed to deliver goods and to transport workers to site. In addition these developments have led to increased transport efficiency, labour productivity and cost reductions on site as well as down the supply chain. Besides these developments have led to increased innovations in the field of logistics planning software, use of ICT , and handling hardware and equipment. This paper gives an overview of current developments and applications in the field of construction logistics in the Netherlands, and in a few project cases in particular. Those cases are underway as part of an ongoing applied research project and studied by using an ethnographic participative action research approach. The case findings and project results show initial advantages how the projects, the firms involved and the environment can profit from the advancement of logistics management leading to reduced environmental impact and increased efficiencies of construction transport.
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from the article: "Abstract The way in which construction logistics is organised has considerable impact on production flow, transportation efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and congestion, particularly in urban areas such as city centres. In cities such as London and Amsterdam municipalities have issued new legislation and stricter conditions for vehicles to be able to access cities and city centres in particular. Considerate clients, public as well private, have started developing tender policies to encourage contractors to reduce the environmental impact of construction projects. This paper reports on an ongoing research project applying and assessing developments in the field of construction logistics in the Netherlands. The cases include contractors and third party logistics providers applying consolidation centres and dedicated software solutions to increase transportation efficiency. The case show various results of JIT logistics management applied to urban construction projects leading to higher transportation efficiencies, and reduced environmental impact and increased production efficiency on site. The data collections included to-site en on-site observations, measurement and interviews. The research has shown considerable reductions of vehicles to deliver goods and to transport workers to site. In addition the research has shown increased production flow and less waste such as inventory, waiting and unnecessary motion on site."
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From a circular standpoint it is interesting to reuse as much as possible construction and demolition waste (CDW) into new building projects. In most cases CDW will not be directly reusable and will need to be processed and stored first. In order to turn this into a successful business case CDW will need to be reused on a large scale. In this paper we present the concept of a centralized and coordinated location in the City of Utrecht where construction and demolition waste is collected, sorted, worked, stored for reuse, or shipped elsewhere for further processing in renewed materials. This has expected advantages for the amount of material reuse, financial advantages for firms and clients, generating employability in the logistics and processing of materials, optimizing the transport and distribution of materials through the city, and thus the reduction of emissions and congestion. In the paper we explore the local facility of a Circular Hub, and the potential effects on circular reuse, and other effects within the City of Utrecht.
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The growth in urban population and economic upturnis leading to higher demand for construction, repairand renovation works in cities. Houses, public utilities,retail spaces, offices and infrastructure need toadapt to cope with the increasing number of residentsand visitors, urban functions and changing standards.Construction projects contribute to more attractive,sustainable and economically viable urban areas oncethey are finished. However, transport activities relatedto construction works have negative impacts on thesurrounding community if not handled appropriately.It is estimated that 15 to 20 percent of heavy goodsvehicles in cities are related to construction, and 30to 40 percent of light commercial vans [1]. In the citiesstudied in the CIVIC project, construction-relatedtransport was found to be one of the biggest challengesto improving sustainability. Smarter, cleaner and saferconstruction logistics solutions in urban areas areneeded for environmental, societal and economicreasons. However, in many European cities and metropolitanareas the sense of urgency is not evident or alack of knowledge is creating passivity.
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From the article: Abstract. This exploratory and conceptual article sets out to research what arguments and possibilities for experimentation in construction exists and if experimentation can contribute towards more innovative construction as a whole. Traditional, -western- construction is very conservative and regional, often following a traditional and linear design process, which focuses on front-loaded cost savings and repetitive efficiency, rather than securing market position through innovation. Thus becoming a hindrance for the development of the sector as a whole. Exploring the effects of using the, in other design-sectors commonly and successfully practiced, “four-phased iterative method” in architectural construction could be the start of transforming the conservative construction industry towards a more innovative construction industry. The goal of this research is to find whether the proposed strategy would indeed result in a higher learning curve and more innovation during the - architectural- process. Preliminary research indicates that there is argumentation for a more experimental approach to construction.
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Standard mass-production is a well-known manufacturing concept. To make small quantities or even single items of a product according to user specifications at an affordable price, alternative agile production paradigms should be investigated and developed. The system presented in this paper is based on a grid of cheap reconfigurable production units, called equiplets. A grid of these equiplets is capable to produce a variety of different products in parallel at an affordable price. The underlying agent-based software for this system is responsible for the agile manufacturing. An important aspect of this type of manufacturing is the transport of the products along the available equiplets. This transport of the products from equiplet to equiplet is quite different from standard production. Every product can have its own unique path along the equiplets. In this paper several topologies are discussed and investigated. Also, the planning and scheduling in relation to the transport constraints is subject of this study. Some possibilities of realization are discussed and simulations are used to generate results with the focus on efficiency and usability for different topologies and layouts of the grid and its internal transport system.
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In recent years, a step change has been seen in the rate of adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by manufacturers and industrial organizations alike. This article discusses the current state of the art in the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies within the construction industry. Increasing complexity in onsite construction projects coupled with the need for higher productivity is leading to increased interest in the potential use of Industry 4.0 technologies. This article discusses the relevance of the following key Industry 4.0 technologies to construction: data analytics and artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, building information management, sensors and wearables, digital twin, and industrial connectivity. Industrial connectivity is a key aspect as it ensures that all Industry 4.0 technologies are interconnected allowing the full benefits to be realized. This article also presents a research agenda for the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies within the construction sector, a three-phase use of intelligent assets from the point of manufacture up to after build, and a four-staged R&D process for the implementation of smart wearables in a digital enhanced construction site.
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Despite the efforts of governments and firms, the construction industry is trailing other industries in labour productivity. Construction companies are interested in increasing their labour productivity, particularly when demand grows and construction firms cope with labour shortages. Off-site construction has proved to be a favourable policy to increase labour productivity. However, a complete understanding of the factors affecting construction labour productivity is lacking, and it is unclear which factors are influenced by off-site construction. This study developed a conceptual model describing how 15 factors influence the construction process and make a difference in labour productivity between off-site and on-site construction. The conceptual model shows that all 15 factors affect labour productivity in three ways: through direct effects, indirect effects and causal loops. The model is a starting point for further research to determine the impact of off-site construction on labour productivity.
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From the article: "Project execution in the construction industry faces major challenges, e.g. difficulty in coordination and cooperation. Operational procurement during project execution is no exception. In this paper we construct a maturity model, based on earlier work, consisting of six dimensions (goal, control, process, organization, information, technology) and five maturity stages (transactional-oriented, commercial-oriented, coordination, internal-optimized, external-optimized). The model can be used to determine the level of procurement maturity for each of the dimensions, and for the determination of a strategy for growth in the construction industry. With input from a major construction firm in the Netherlands, through simulating tooling, the model is evaluated for its contribution to growth in operational excellence. Results of the simulation show support for a relation between maturity growth and increased operational excellence." Recommended Citation Xing, Xiaochun; Versendaal, Johan; van den Akker, Marjan; and De Bevere, Bastiaan, "Maturity of Operational Procurement in the Construction Industry: A Business/IT-Alignment Perspective" (2011). BLED 2011 Proceedings. Paper 22. http://aisel.aisnet.org/bled2011/22 Affiliation: Xing Xiaochun - Swets Information Services, Netherlands; Johan Versendaal - Utrecht University, Netherlands; HU University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands; Marjan van den Akker - Utrecht University, Netherlands; Bastiaan De Bevere - Ballast Nedam, Netherlands.
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Background: The built environment is increasingly recognized as a determinant for health and health behaviors. Existing evidence regarding the relationship between environment and health (behaviors) is varying in significance and magnitude, and more high-quality longitudinal studies are needed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a major urban redesign project on physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), active transport (AT), health-related quality of life (HRQOL), social activities (SA) and meaningfulness, at 29–39 months after opening of the reconstructed area. Methods: PA and AT were measured using accelerometers and GPS loggers. HRQOL and sociodemographic characteristics were assessed using questionnaires. In total, 241 participants provided valid data at baseline and follow-up. We distinguished three groups, based on proximity to the intervention area: maximal exposure group, minimal exposure group and no exposure group. Results: Both the maximal and minimal exposure groups showed significantly different trends regarding transportbased PA levels compared to the no exposure group. In the exposure groups SB decreased, while it increased in the no exposure group. Also, transport-based light intensity PA remained stable in the exposure groups, while it significantly decreased in the no exposure group. No intervention effects were found for total daily PA levels. Scores on SA and meaningfulness increased in the maximal exposure group and decreased in the minimal and no exposure group, but changes were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the potential of the built environment in changing SB and highlights the relevance of longer-term follow-up measurements to explore the full potential of urban redesign projects.
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