Hu, M (2022) Influence of project design team characteristics on construction cost of sustainable buildings. PhD thesis, University of Maryland, College Park, USA.
Abstract
Sustainability has become a driver of innovation in the built environment, but the affordability of sustainable building remains a significant challenge, according to developers, building owners, and design teams. This dissertation proposes a framework to understand how the characteristics of a project design team are influential cost drivers. We use empirical data to understand: (1) the sustainable building construction cost (SBCC) in relation to level of sustainability; (2) the influence on the SBCC of soft cost associated with the project design team; (3) the causal relation between project characteristics, project design team characteristics and construction cost of sustainable buildings. A mixed methodology is employed with four steps: research flow; a regression model and structural equation model in the quantitative research phases; and a comparative case study in the qualitative research phase. Altogether, thirteen project and project design team characteristics are studied, and ten hypotheses tested. The findings reveal: (a) the construction cost of studied sustainable building is comparable to conventional buildings, even lower; (b) the relationship between the construction cost and level of sustainability achieved is inconclusive; (c) among the project design team characteristics, skill and experience dominate, while communication, collaboration, and innovation are less influential; and (d) technical complexity is not always related to sustainability, hence the empirical data does not proved its influence. The proposed research contributes to research and practice at three levels: data, evidence, and methodology. The broad impact of this research is to advance an understanding of the SBCC cost as a means of promoting building green. The findings and methods resulting from this research project can empower architects, engineers, and developers to promote affordable sustainable building.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | skibniewski, M |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | built environment; complexity; sustainability; construction cost; collaboration; communication; innovation; sustainable building; architect; developer; owner; case study; qualitative research; quantitative research |
| Index terms: | design team, affordability, complexity, collaboration, sustainable building, qualitative research, methodology, evidence, construction cost, engineer, owner, regression model, project design, quantitative research, case study, dissertation, architect, structural equation model, built environment |
| Subjects: | sustainable construction, research methods, economic analysis, contractual arrangements, professional practice, evaluation and assessment methods, research dissemination and communication, statistical analysis, systems engineering, infrastructure and transport systems, sociology, management, financial and cost management, data analysis and analytics, research design and methodology, profession, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Procurement, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Urban Studies, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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