Alinaitwe, H; Nyamutale, W and Tindiwensi, D (2014) Design phase constructability improvement strategies for highway projects in Uganda. Journal of Construction in Developing Countries, 19(1), pp. 127-140. ISSN 1823-6499
Abstract
There is great concern regarding the escalation of project costs and delayed completion of road work in Uganda. This has been partly associated with a lack of constructability. Studies have demonstrated that improved constructability leads to significant improvements in project cost savings and reduced completion times. The main aim of this study was to establish design phase constructability improvement strategies for highway projects in Uganda. A pragmatic approach of both qualitative and quantitative research methods was used for this study. Concepts of constructability were identified and rated. Using factor analysis, major design phase constructability improvement recommendations were identified. These factors include conducting formal constructability reviews; ensuring adequate materials design, communication, coordination and scheduling; analysing jobsite accessibility and storage requirements; engaging experienced personnel and adopting Computer Aided Design (CAD); ensuring thorough site investigation and clear design information; and developing designs that are sensitive to safety and weather conditions. The primary recommendation is to include constructability reviews to form part of the formal design process, using a separate team of construction experts (consultants) that are distinct from the design consultant before the construction stage of the project.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | constructability; design phase; developing countries; highways; strategies |
| Index terms: | coordination, Uganda, constructability, design phase, factor analysis, highway construction, site investigation, savings, quantitative research, accessibility, weather, completion time, computer aided design, project cost, strategy, scheduling, design process, personnel, developing country |
| Subjects: | design methods, air quality, computational design, economic analysis, professional practice, data analysis and analytics, operations research, development economics, Geography, construction integration, civil engineering, inclusive design, economics, management, statistical analysis, geotechnical engineering, project controls |
| Topics: | Organizational Design, Time Control, Digital Applications, Design Practice, International Construction, Human Resources, Sustainability, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here