Defect in the South African construction industry
- Authors: Le Roux, Martyn
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa , Buildings -- Defects -- South Africa , Quality assurance -- Standards -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9711 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020320
- Description: Lack of quality in the South African construction industry is causing various problems for different stakeholders. The causes of this lack in quality are due to various different attributes. Corruption has become one of the leading causes with regards to lack of quality. Quality assurance can mitigate or eliminate defects through the implementation of a quality management system. Defects manifest primarily through cracking, dampness, detachment, and water leaks. Defects are categorized as structural, subsidence, acoustic and thermal. In terms of time, defects are either patent or latent, and can be discovered through observation, inspection and various tests. The causes of defects are ultimately due to error or omission, either during design or during the construction phases. Defects may also result due to procurement related factors, such as appointment of incompetent contractors. The result of defects is customer dissatisfaction, rework and disputes. Non-conformance to requirements results in rework and this in turn contributes to time and cost overruns. The aim of this research was to investigate the greatest cause that leads to defects in houses; the most common type of defect; and why projects fail in term of project management terms (due to defects). Results of quantitative research amongst professionals within the construction industry in the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa as well as literature that has been reviewed form the basis of this study. Architectural practices, consulting engineering practices, and general building contractors were selected on a random sample basis, and surveyed using an online questionnaire. The study revealed that inadequate artisan skills is the biggest cause leading to defects in houses, and that cracks are the most frequent type of defect occurring. Projects fail in project management terms because of defects as the construction time of the projects are increased. The study revealed that construction related causes of defects dominate over design related causes. This study should be of value to both construction industry professionals as well as their clients.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Le Roux, Martyn
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa , Buildings -- Defects -- South Africa , Quality assurance -- Standards -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9711 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020320
- Description: Lack of quality in the South African construction industry is causing various problems for different stakeholders. The causes of this lack in quality are due to various different attributes. Corruption has become one of the leading causes with regards to lack of quality. Quality assurance can mitigate or eliminate defects through the implementation of a quality management system. Defects manifest primarily through cracking, dampness, detachment, and water leaks. Defects are categorized as structural, subsidence, acoustic and thermal. In terms of time, defects are either patent or latent, and can be discovered through observation, inspection and various tests. The causes of defects are ultimately due to error or omission, either during design or during the construction phases. Defects may also result due to procurement related factors, such as appointment of incompetent contractors. The result of defects is customer dissatisfaction, rework and disputes. Non-conformance to requirements results in rework and this in turn contributes to time and cost overruns. The aim of this research was to investigate the greatest cause that leads to defects in houses; the most common type of defect; and why projects fail in term of project management terms (due to defects). Results of quantitative research amongst professionals within the construction industry in the Western and Eastern Cape of South Africa as well as literature that has been reviewed form the basis of this study. Architectural practices, consulting engineering practices, and general building contractors were selected on a random sample basis, and surveyed using an online questionnaire. The study revealed that inadequate artisan skills is the biggest cause leading to defects in houses, and that cracks are the most frequent type of defect occurring. Projects fail in project management terms because of defects as the construction time of the projects are increased. The study revealed that construction related causes of defects dominate over design related causes. This study should be of value to both construction industry professionals as well as their clients.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Genetic algorithm for Artificial Neural Network training for the purpose of Automated Part Recognition
- Authors: Buys, Stefan
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008356 , Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Description: Object or part recognition is of major interest in industrial environments. Current methods implement expensive camera based solutions. There is a need for a cost effective alternative to be developed. One of the proposed methods is to overcome the hardware, camera, problem by implementing a software solution. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are to be used as the underlying intelligent software as they have high tolerance for noise and have the ability to generalize. A colleague has implemented a basic ANN based system comprising of an ANN and three cost effective laser distance sensors. However, the system is only able to identify 3 different parts and needed hard coding changes made by trial and error. This is not practical for industrial use in a production environment where there are a large quantity of different parts to be identified that change relatively regularly. The ability to easily train more parts is required. Difficulties associated with traditional mathematically guided training methods are discussed, which leads to the development of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based evolutionary training method that overcomes these difficulties and makes accurate part recognition possible. An ANN hybridised with GA training is introduced and a general solution encoding scheme which is used to encode the required ANN connection weights. Experimental tests were performed in order to determine the ideal GA performance and control parameters as studies have indicated that different GA control parameters can lead to large differences in training accuracy. After performing these tests, the training accuracy was analyzed by investigation into GA performance as well as hardware based part recognition performance. This analysis identified the ideal GA control parameters when training an ANN for the purpose of part recognition and showed that the ANN generally trained well and could generalize well on data not presented to it during training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Buys, Stefan
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9648 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008356 , Genetic algorithms , Software architecture
- Description: Object or part recognition is of major interest in industrial environments. Current methods implement expensive camera based solutions. There is a need for a cost effective alternative to be developed. One of the proposed methods is to overcome the hardware, camera, problem by implementing a software solution. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) are to be used as the underlying intelligent software as they have high tolerance for noise and have the ability to generalize. A colleague has implemented a basic ANN based system comprising of an ANN and three cost effective laser distance sensors. However, the system is only able to identify 3 different parts and needed hard coding changes made by trial and error. This is not practical for industrial use in a production environment where there are a large quantity of different parts to be identified that change relatively regularly. The ability to easily train more parts is required. Difficulties associated with traditional mathematically guided training methods are discussed, which leads to the development of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based evolutionary training method that overcomes these difficulties and makes accurate part recognition possible. An ANN hybridised with GA training is introduced and a general solution encoding scheme which is used to encode the required ANN connection weights. Experimental tests were performed in order to determine the ideal GA performance and control parameters as studies have indicated that different GA control parameters can lead to large differences in training accuracy. After performing these tests, the training accuracy was analyzed by investigation into GA performance as well as hardware based part recognition performance. This analysis identified the ideal GA control parameters when training an ANN for the purpose of part recognition and showed that the ANN generally trained well and could generalize well on data not presented to it during training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Post occupancy evaluation of an office building : the case of country club estate, Johannesburg
- Matshili, Humbulani Emmanuel
- Authors: Matshili, Humbulani Emmanuel
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Architectural design -- Evaluation , Offices -- Design , Office buildings -- South Africa -- Johannesburg -- Evaluation , Real property -- South Africa -- Johannesburg
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9703 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018554
- Description: Most organisations nowadays want to build offices that are cost effective, but at the same time they forget to consider the impact of IEQ on the occupants’ wellbeing and performance. These offices are equipped with air-conditioners, which may impact negatively on performances if not monitored, controlled and maintained. An occupant’s performance may be accelerated or reduced, based on the effectiveness of IEQ in the office buildings. It is imperative that the employer or management create a work environment that is conducive to the occupants’ needs, so that the occupants may be able to improve their work performance that often yields increased productivity. The main aim of the study was to investigate the efficiency of a building’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and how it affects workers with regard to productivity. The objectives of the study were: to determine the level of satisfaction of the occupants in terms of the IEQ, evaluate the effects that the current IEQ of the building has on the productivity of the occupants, and proffer solutions to identified problems so that the building performance can be improved, and similar future buildings can be improved upon in terms of IEQ. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) was utilised to conduct the evaluation. This will help stakeholders and managements to ensure that past mistakes committed are not repeated in the future buildings. POE analyses IEQ related to Indoor Air Quality (IEQ), thermal comfort, occupant’s satisfaction and occupant performance and productivity. There is a correlation between different indoor parameters of the occupants’ satisfaction, health and productivity at the workplace. For these correlations to complement each other successfully, IEQ factors must be conducive to human wellbeing. Workplace environments are perceived as unsafe and unhygienic. This situation is caused by poor planning of workstations, low indoor air quality, inappropriate lighting in the office, lack of ventilation and insufficient safety measures. In particular, findings of this study demonstrate the low level of occupants’ satisfaction with regard to office buildings in the Country Club Estate, Johannesburg. The results from this study show that POE is perceived to be completely new to occupants of the Country Club Estate. Management or stakeholders have a huge task ahead to address the benefits of implementing POE and to face the consequences if POE is not implemented.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Matshili, Humbulani Emmanuel
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Architectural design -- Evaluation , Offices -- Design , Office buildings -- South Africa -- Johannesburg -- Evaluation , Real property -- South Africa -- Johannesburg
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9703 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018554
- Description: Most organisations nowadays want to build offices that are cost effective, but at the same time they forget to consider the impact of IEQ on the occupants’ wellbeing and performance. These offices are equipped with air-conditioners, which may impact negatively on performances if not monitored, controlled and maintained. An occupant’s performance may be accelerated or reduced, based on the effectiveness of IEQ in the office buildings. It is imperative that the employer or management create a work environment that is conducive to the occupants’ needs, so that the occupants may be able to improve their work performance that often yields increased productivity. The main aim of the study was to investigate the efficiency of a building’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and how it affects workers with regard to productivity. The objectives of the study were: to determine the level of satisfaction of the occupants in terms of the IEQ, evaluate the effects that the current IEQ of the building has on the productivity of the occupants, and proffer solutions to identified problems so that the building performance can be improved, and similar future buildings can be improved upon in terms of IEQ. Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) was utilised to conduct the evaluation. This will help stakeholders and managements to ensure that past mistakes committed are not repeated in the future buildings. POE analyses IEQ related to Indoor Air Quality (IEQ), thermal comfort, occupant’s satisfaction and occupant performance and productivity. There is a correlation between different indoor parameters of the occupants’ satisfaction, health and productivity at the workplace. For these correlations to complement each other successfully, IEQ factors must be conducive to human wellbeing. Workplace environments are perceived as unsafe and unhygienic. This situation is caused by poor planning of workstations, low indoor air quality, inappropriate lighting in the office, lack of ventilation and insufficient safety measures. In particular, findings of this study demonstrate the low level of occupants’ satisfaction with regard to office buildings in the Country Club Estate, Johannesburg. The results from this study show that POE is perceived to be completely new to occupants of the Country Club Estate. Management or stakeholders have a huge task ahead to address the benefits of implementing POE and to face the consequences if POE is not implemented.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
The influence of project management service provision on role-players within the South African construction industry
- Authors: Hefer, Andre le Roux
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Project management -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9663 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008295 , Project management -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Description: The legitimate existence of the Project Management Profession in the South African construction industry needs to relate to positive project influence on the industry roleplayers. This study assessed the perceived lack of recognition and acceptance of Project Management as a stand-alone profession relating to: · Appointments of Project Managers being questioned due to a perceived lack of influence and impact on project success. · Project Managers not being recognised as an integral part of the industry. · Project Management not being perceived as having a unique and defined function. Interviews were held with 23 industry role-players made up of clients, contractors and consultants. The interviews solicited input on the role-players’ perception and experience related to the influence of Project Management over the past 10 years, not only on a list of success criteria relative to their own role in the industry, but also their perception of the influence on the other defined role-player groups. Included in the interview questionnaire was also a range of general questions to refine the feedback and further test the hypotheses. The data were interpreted and analysed by comparing the feedback of the respondents as a combination and separately as groups. The results of the study indicate that: · Project Management could be seen as a legitimate part of the industry; · The industry role-players perceive Project Management as making an impact and having a growing influence on the industry; A specific but broad set of skills are required by Project Managers; · The Project Management function cannot be fulfilled by other consultants, but there are project related criteria which should be considered before making a final judgment. These criteria relate to project size and complexity; and · Project Management is currently perceived to be more related to a specific person’s skill than to a specific profession. The study’s aim was to influence and inform the views of industry role-players on the appointment of a Project Manager in the construction industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Hefer, Andre le Roux
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Project management -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9663 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1008295 , Project management -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa
- Description: The legitimate existence of the Project Management Profession in the South African construction industry needs to relate to positive project influence on the industry roleplayers. This study assessed the perceived lack of recognition and acceptance of Project Management as a stand-alone profession relating to: · Appointments of Project Managers being questioned due to a perceived lack of influence and impact on project success. · Project Managers not being recognised as an integral part of the industry. · Project Management not being perceived as having a unique and defined function. Interviews were held with 23 industry role-players made up of clients, contractors and consultants. The interviews solicited input on the role-players’ perception and experience related to the influence of Project Management over the past 10 years, not only on a list of success criteria relative to their own role in the industry, but also their perception of the influence on the other defined role-player groups. Included in the interview questionnaire was also a range of general questions to refine the feedback and further test the hypotheses. The data were interpreted and analysed by comparing the feedback of the respondents as a combination and separately as groups. The results of the study indicate that: · Project Management could be seen as a legitimate part of the industry; · The industry role-players perceive Project Management as making an impact and having a growing influence on the industry; A specific but broad set of skills are required by Project Managers; · The Project Management function cannot be fulfilled by other consultants, but there are project related criteria which should be considered before making a final judgment. These criteria relate to project size and complexity; and · Project Management is currently perceived to be more related to a specific person’s skill than to a specific profession. The study’s aim was to influence and inform the views of industry role-players on the appointment of a Project Manager in the construction industry.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
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