Babangida, I (2014) Hierarchical structuring and evaluation of risks, uncertainties and technical challenges faced by building refurbishment contractors. PhD thesis, University of Bolton, UK.
Abstract
The UK is believed to have some of the oldest buildings in Europe and these aged buildings are constantly growing in number while there is a concomitant growing pressure to maintain their utilitarian values in the face of changing technology, legislation and sustainability issues. Wholesale demolition of these buildings is believed to be unhealthy from an environmental protection perspective as it causes heavy pollution as well as placing more demand upon depleting resources. The need for alternatives to demolition and new-build is therefore imperative. Refurbishment is one such and a well-established alternative to demolition and new-build as the schemes are adjudged to be a cost-effective way of extending the lifespan of properties as it allows the provision of modern facilities. However, dealing with an existing building is faced with various unknowns, unexpected, unpredictable and often undesirable situations which will require further attention and a mechanism to identify any source of uncertainty because when risks are unidentified and not properly managed, they consequently affect project objectives. The study investigates the factors which contribute to risks, uncertainties and technical challenges associated with building refurbishment schemes and the impact they may have in achieving project desired outcomes. The overall objective is to develop a framework that provides helpful information to refurbishment practitioners to assist in minimising level of uncertainty. Developing a framework that provides support for decision makers in pinpointing the vital elements that define the characteristics of the refurbishment projects in terms of achieving high quality standards as well as those factors which may act as barriers was chosen for this study as there is no widely used, understood and accepted refurbishment focused framework.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | demolition; europe; legislation; pollution; refurbishment; sustainability; UK; uncertainty |
| Index terms: | legislation, face, refurbishment project, quality standard, placing, Europe, practitioner, environmental protection, pollution, lifespan, building refurbishment, unknowns |
| Subjects: | quality assurance, theoretical framing, practitioner, infrastructure engineering, material degradation and durability, asset management, physical geography and landforms, environmental health, psychology, environmental engineering, concrete and cementitious materials, legal systems |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Quality Management, Organizational Design, Engineering Principles, Construction Materials, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Legal Issues, Sustainability, 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