Acta Structilia : Journal for the Physical and Development Sciences - latest Issue

Public buildings are not permanent, but at most durable and robust enough to outlast a few generations. Earth-constructed buildings, as soft architecture used for public buildings, need more care and maintenance than buildings in brick, stone, concrete and steel. The ownership and care of private and public buildings reflect social attitudes and sustainable means. The attitudes towards the durability and technical performance of building materials can lead to the rejection of earth architecture, due to the high maintenance required. Negative attitudes discourage the use of traditional earth-constructed buildings in Africa. Case studies show the ownership and care in maintenance as temporal reflectors of the communal well-being. This care or no care becomes a celebration or rejection of the built environment. The argument is that, without ownership, public buildings constructed in conventional building materials can deteriorate faster than well-accepted maintained earth-constructed buildings of cultural significance. This phenomenon should be considered if public buildings are built in contemporary earth construction.

Publieke geboue is nie permanent nie. Dit is hoogstens duursaam genoeg om ’n paar generasies te oorleef. Grondkonstruksie-geboue as sagte argitektuur, gebruik as publieke geboue, het meer sorg en onderhoud as geboue van baksteen, klip, beton en staal nodig. Die eienaarskap en sorg van privaat en publieke geboue toon die sosiale houdings en volhoubaarheidsvermoë aan. Houdings teenoor die duursaamheid en tegniese handhawing van konvensionele geboue verwerp publieke grondkonstruksie, weens die hoë onderhoud daaraan. Negatiewe houdings ontmoedig die gebruik van tradisionele grondkonstruksie-geboue in Afrika. Gevallestudies van eienaarskap en sorg (onderhoud) van publieke geboue dui op tydelike gemeenskaplike welvaart. Die argument is egter dat publieke geboue in konvensionele boumateriaal sonder eienaarskap vinniger kan verweer en agteruitgaan as aanvaarde goed onderhoude grondgeboue van kulturele belang. Hierdie verskynsel moet in gedagte gehou word indien publieke geboue in kontemporêre grondkonstruksie gebou word.

Sequential mixed methods research is an effective approach for investigating complex problems, but it has not been extensively used in construction management research. In South Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has seen construction management taking on a vital responsibility since the government called upon the private sector to play a greater part in combating HIV/AIDS. However, the South African construction industry has been slow in responding to this call, and many organisations are not fully aware of what such involvement might mean. A sequential mixed methods research approach was used to investigate this problem. As the research is ongoing, it is described in this article as a research journey; the findings of each stage have determined the best method for the next. Findings of each stage are not presented in detail, since the main purpose of this article is to show the effectiveness of the research method. The approach commenced with a quantitative survey to establish base-line information. Semi-structured interviews then yielded richer qualitative data before quantitative datasets were revisited to exploit their potential for more complex analysis and modelling. Findings to date show that corporate knowledge about HIV/AIDS is inconsistent, that intervention management may miss the population most affected, and that the stigma of being HIV+ is a major barrier that frequently prevents disclosure and thus misses the benefits that employer organisations can bring. The construction industry needs to find better ways to promote disclosure and minimise stigmatisation. The applied example shows that the adoption of sequential mixed methods has responded to individual stage data needs and provided essential flexibility for the research. It is an effective approach where end outcomes are not sufficiently clear at the outset of the research.

Opeenvolgende gemengde metodes-navorsing is ’n doeltreffende benadering vir die ondersoek van komplekse probleme, maar is nog nie op groot skaal in konstruksiebestuurnavorsing gebruik nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse regering het die privaat sektor gevra om ’n groter rol te speel in die hantering en betrokkenheid van MIV/VIGS, maar organisasies is nie bewus van wat hantering en betrokkenheid behels nie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse boubedryf is traag om te reageer. ’n Opeenvolgende gemengde metodes-navorsingsbenadering is gebruik om die probleem te ondersoek. Die proses word genoem ’n navorsingsreis, aangesien daar huidiglik steeds navorsing gedoen word. Die resultate van elke stadium voorspel die relevante metode vir die volgende navorsingsmetod. Die opeenvolgende gemengde metodesnavorsingsbenadering het ontstaan as gevolg van kwantitatiewe navorsing om basiese inligting te verkry. Kwantitatiewe datastelsels is verander om ’n meer ingewikkelde komplekse analise en modellering van gedeeltelik gestruktureerde onderhoude te verseker en het gelei tot beter kwalitatiewe onderhoude. Resultate tot op datum het bewys dat kooperatiewe kennis van VIGS nie konsekwent is nie. Inmenging het tot gevolg dat die meerderheid geaffekteerde mense nie geraak word nie en dat die stigma van MIV+ onttrekking veroorsaak. Werkgewers se invloed word gevolglik ondermyn. Individuele data behoeftes en buigsaamheid ten opsigte van navorsing het gelei tot die aanvaarding van opeenvolgende gemengde metodes. Dit is ’n effektiewe benadering wanneer die eindresultaat nie duidelik genoeg is tydens die verslaglewering van die navorsing nie.

The total amount of cost overruns for any construction project can be fully determined once the project is completed. Estimating the amount of cost overruns at different stages of ongoing construction projects is important for project success. There is, however, a dearth of research for this exercise. This article reports the results of an investigative study on cost overruns for ongoing building projects in Abuja. The quantitative technique was adopted in this study. The investigation included ongoing building-construction projects within Abuja, from which a sample of 30 building projects (public and private) was purposively selected (project value of ZAR100 million and above). The data were sourced from the archival records (drawings, bills of quantities, project progress reports, and specifications) on the issues relating to the costs and duration of building projects. The data were analysed using descriptive (percentages) and inferential methods. The results revealed that the percentage of cost overruns ranged from a minimum of 5.56% with 90% project completion, and within 88% of the estimated time limit, to a maximum of 216.08% with merely 5% project completion, and within 8.3% of the estimated time limit. The entire projects had average cost overruns of 44.46%, with an average project completion of 52.4%, and within 91.4% of the average estimated time limit. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that continuous investigation into, and analyses of cost overruns at stages of building projects would encourage professionals to apply the best mitigation measures, in order to achieve a significant reduction in the total cost overrun at the completion of a project. Construction professionals should be well informed of these consequences (cost overruns) at an early stage, in order to evaluate the extent to which these consequences could be minimised.

Die totale koste-oorskryding van enige konstruksieprojek kan ten volle bepaal word nadat die projek voltooi is. Koste-oorskrydingberamings op verskillende stadiums van deurlopende konstruksieprojekte is belangrik vir ’n projek se sukses; maar daar is gebrekkige navorsing daaroor. Hierdie artikel gee die resultate van ’n ondersoek oor koste-oorskryding van voortgesette bouprojekte in Abuja. Die kwantitatiewe navorsingmetode is in hierdie studie gebruik. Die ondersoek sluit deurlopende bouprojekte binne Abuja in, waaruit ’n steekproef van 30 (openbare en private) bouprojekte doelgerig geselekteer is (projekwaarde van ZAR100 miljoen en hoër). Die data is verkry uit die argiefrekords (tekeninge, wetsontwerpe van hoeveelhede, projek-vorderingsverslae en spesifikasies) oor die kwessies wat verband hou met die koste en duur van bouprojekte. Die data is ontleed met behulp van beskrywende (persentasies) en inferensiële metodes. Die resultate het getoon dat die persentasie van koste-oorskryding gewissel het van ’n minimum van 5.56% met 90% projekvoltooiing, en binne 88% van die beraamde tydslimiet, tot ’n maksimum van 216.08% met net 5% projekvoltooiing, en binne 8.3% van die beraamde tydslimiet. Die hele projek het ’n gemiddelde koste-oorskryding van 44.46% met ’n gemiddelde projekvoltooiing van 52.4%, en binne 91.4% van die gemiddelde geskatte tydslimiet gehad. Op grond van hierdie bevindinge, kan daar afgelei word dat deurlopende ondersoek en ontleding van koste-oorskryding by stadiums van bouprojekte professionele persone sal aanmoedig om die beste versagtingsmaatreëls toe te pas, ten einde ’n aansienlike vermindering in die totale koste-oorskryding op die voltooiing van ’n projek te bereik. Professionele konstruksiemense moet goed ingelig wees van hierdie gevolge (koste-oorskryding) op ’n vroeë stadium, ten einde die mate waartoe hierdie gevolge geminimaliseer kan word te evalueer.

Alhoewel volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuur toenemend erkenning in ontwikkelende lande geniet en in veral nuwe geboue geïmplementeer word, is daar min inligting beskikbaar oor volhoubare praktyke in fasiliteitsbestuur wat plaaslik in Suid-Afrika, en veral in Pretoria, toegepas word. In hierdie artikel word vyf belangrike gebiede vir volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuur in winkelsentrums ondersoek, naamlik energieverbruik, watergebruik, materiaal- en hulpbronbestuur, interne omgewingskwaliteitbestuur en liggingsbestuur. Verder is daar vasgestel watter volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuurstrategieë en -metodes tans op hierdie gebiede toegepas word asook watter persepsies by eiendomsbestuurders oor volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuur in winkelsentrums in Pretoria bestaan. Vir doeleindes van hierdie studie was alle winkelsentrums in Pretoria met ’n handelsoppervlakte van 10 000m² of groter geïdentifiseer. ’n Totaal van 69 winkelsentrums het aan die vereiste minimum grootte voldoen. Vraelyste asook een-tot-een onderhoude met eiendoms- en sentrumbestuurders is gebruik om die toepassing van volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuur te karakteriseer. Waar die winkelsentrums deur die eienaars self bestuur word, is onderhoude ook met die eienaars gevoer. Voltooide vraelyste is van sowat ’n kwart van die totale steekproefpopulasie, verteenwoordigend van ’n verhuurbare oppervlakte van 765 835m2 en 1 663 winkels terug ontvang. Byna 90% van die respondente het aangedui dat die ‘eiendomsbestuurs’funksie intern uitgevoer word, teenoor meer as 94% wat die ‘fasiliteitsbestuurs’funksie intern bestuur. Daar is bevind dat volhoubare fasiliteitsbestuurspraktyke wel toegepas word in winkelsentrums in Pretoria, maar dat daar ’n duidelike voorkeur bestaan vir praktyke wat lei tot finansiële besparings, welke praktyke dan ook algemeen toegepas word. Praktyke wat bydra tot sosiale en omgewingsdoelwitte word tot ’n veel mindere mate toegepas, as gevolg van die persepsie dat sulke praktyke nie lei tot finansiële besparings of bydra tot die bestuur van die sentrums nie en dus as minder belangrik geag word.

Although sustainable facility management is increasingly gaining recognition in developing countries and is implemented in new buildings, in particular, hardly any information is available regarding sustainable practices in facility management that are applied locally in South Africa, and particularly in Pretoria. In this article, five key areas for sustainable facility management in shopping centres are investigated, namely energy consumption, water consumption, materials and resource management, internal environment quality management, and location management. This study also established which sustainable facility management strategies and methods are currently being applied and what perceptions property managers in shopping centres in Pretoria have regarding sustainable facility management. Questionnaires and one-on-one interviews with property managers and centre managers and owners were employed to obtain qualitative information such as the perceptions and knowledge of the respondents, as well as quantitative information such as quantities and percentages. The sample and data collected for the study are limited to shopping malls in Pretoria with a commercial area of 10 000m² or more, which yielded a total of 69 shopping centres. Completed questionnaires were returned by approximately a quarter of the total sample population, representing a lettable area of 765 835m2 and 1 663 stores. Nearly 90% of the respondents indicated that the ‘property’ management function is done internally, compared with over 94% that internally manage the ‘facility’ management function. It was found that sustainable facility management practices are being applied in shopping centres in Pretoria, but that there is a clear preference for widely applied practices that lead to financial savings. Practices that contribute to social and environmental objectives are applied to a much lesser extent, due to the perception that such practices do not result in financial savings or contribute to the management of the centres and are, therefore, regarded as less important.

Accidents and incidents in the construction environment are not reduced or eliminated effectively, despite numerous efforts made to improve health and safety in the industry. An extensive field of research has been conducted on how teams in the construction environment interact to deliver a project successfully in terms of cost, quality and time. Previous research exists on how team dynamics interface with safety, but is found to be of different focus or markets than this study. This study aims to determine the characteristics of the safety climate that exists in construction teams in South Africa in terms of world-class safety performance, when compared to teams with poor safety performance. An adaptation of the modified safety pyramid (Zohar, 2010) provides a useful conceptual model to investigate the link between safety performance and safety climate related to construction teams. By combining observations from literature and predominantly adapting the Safety Climate Questionnaire (SCQ), a number of directly measurable factors are identified that can be correlated with safety performance and utilised in this investigation to identify the unique characteristics of safety climate in construction teams with world-class safety performance. The characteristics of the safety climate in construction teams were divided into eight groups, namely work pressure, incident investigation, adequacy of procedures, communication and training, relationships, personal protective equipment, spares, and safety. The framework developed in previous studies is used for assessing the responses of safety users to that of safety performance observations. It is found that relationships within an organisation are a major contributory factor in safety performance, but also the way in which the safety climate is enforced in an inclusive management style through proper procedure, training and communication. This also supports the results of Cohen (1977).

Ongelukke en voorvalle in die konstruksie-omgewing word nie verminder of effektief uitgeskakel nie, ten spyte van talle pogings wat reeds aangewend is om die gesondheid en veiligheid in die bedryf te verbeter. ’n Wye spektrum van navorsing is gedoen oor hoe die spandinamika in die konstruksie-omgewing werk om ’n projek suksesvol te voltooi ten opsigte van koste, kwaliteit en tyd. Vorige navorsing is ook gedoen oor die invloed van spandinamika op gesondheid, maar daar is gevind dat die fokus of mark op die studies verskillend was. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die eienskappe van die bestaande veiligheidsklimaat in konstruksiespanne in Suid-Afrika te bepaal in terme van wêreldklas veiligheidsprestasie, in vergelyking met spanne wat swak veiligheidsprestasie het. ’n Voorstelling van die gewysigde veiligheidspiramide (Zohar, 2010) verskaf ’n nuttige konsepmodel om sodoende die verband tussen veiligheidsprestasie en veiligheidsklimaat wat verwant kan wees aan konstruksiespanne, te ondersoek. Deur gewaarwordings van literatuur te kombineer met die hoofsaaklik aanpassende Veiligheidsklimaat Vraelys (VV) kan ’n aantal direk meetbare faktore geïdentifiseer word wat met veiligheidsprestasie gekorreleer word en in hierdie ondersoek gebruik word om unieke karaktereienskappe van veiligheidsklimaat in konstruksiespanne met wêreldklas veiligheidsprestasie te identifiseer. Die eienskappe van die veiligheidsklimaat in konstruksiespanne is in agt groepe verdeel, naamlik werkslading, voorvalondersoek, geskiktheid van prosedures, kommunikasie en opleiding, verhoudings, persoonlike beskermende toerusting, onderdele, en veiligheid. Die raamwerk wat ontwikkel was in vorige studies is gebruik vir assessering deur die terugvoering van veiligheidsgebruikers te vergelyk met fisiese veiligheidsprestasie-waarnemings. Die bevindings dui daarop dat verhoudings ’n groot bydraende faktor is tot veiligheidsprestasie, maar die manier waarop dit afgedwing word in ’n inklusiewe bestuurstyl deur middel van behoorlike prosedures, opleiding en kommunikasie speel ook ’n belangrike rol. Hierdie bevestig dan ook die resultate soos bevind deur Cohen (1977).