Graduation Projects 2014 - Bachelor of Construction Management and Property

Graduation Projects 2014

Bachelor of Construction Management and Property Never Stand Still

Built Environment

D E S I G N B Y : Equilibrium Design equilibriumdesign.com.au

Construction management and property development are concerned with the effective procurement of built facilities in the context of time, cost and quality objectives, and the growing imperative for sustainable development. The complexity of the planning, design, construction and operation of clients’ properties requires graduates to be able to oversee and coordinate large multidisciplinary teams. At UNSW, the Bachelor of Construction Management and Property (BCMP) Program aims to produce graduates with broad knowledge and skills to meet the changing demands of the construction and property industry.

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PROJECT INDEX

Samuel Bradshaw

13

Jianxiang Li

Luke Brbot

15

Daniel Litherland

35 37

Jeremy Brown

17

Santiago Luperdi

39

Mathew Chalker

19

Jackson Ngo

41

Evan Faraos

21

Erick Phuong

43

Arash Ghaffari

23

Christopher Royle

45

Amy Hammersley

25

Boro Szrich

47

Matthew Henderson

27

Antonios Tsathas

49

Kevin Joe

29

Marney Watt

51

Luke Kim

31

Oscar Williams

53

Freddie Lazar

33

Alexander Wu

55

CONTENTS

MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

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MESSAGE FROM THE THESIS PROGR AM CONVENER

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MESSAGE FROM THE PROGR AM DIRECTOR

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BCMP FINAL YEAR THESES

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PROFESSOR ALEC TZANNES AM DEAN U N S W B U I LT ENVIRONMENT

Congratulations to the students who have completed their degree at UNSW Built Environment and now join our alumni community.

This catalogue provides a glimpse into some of the many study themes and projects you have undertaken as part of your academic experience and serves as a record of your graduation class.

We have designed your program of study to reflect advanced contemporary professional practice emphasising the development of leadership skills and innovation, ensuring that as a graduating student you have the best opportunity to be at the forefront of your chosen field of endeavour.

Register to join the alumni community at www.alumni.unsw.edu.au

Share your news and updates BEalumni@unsw.edu.au Support future students

Now that you have graduated, our relationship evolves from student to alumnus, continuing a lifelong engagement of support and involvement (register to join the alumni community at www.alumni.unsw.edu.au). As you travel the world through your career, you will meet many alumni who have become global leaders through their innovative thinking, acting as catalysts for change in all facets of the built environment professions as well as in other fields of work. As an alumnus we encourage you to keep in touch with UNSW Built Environment. We are always keen to support our graduates and publish their successes throughout our alumni network.

Please email us your news and updates at BEalumni@unsw.edu.au.

We are also always grateful to our alumni who support our future students with scholarships, prizes, internships and mentoring programmes.

Go further at the UNSW Built Environment Graduate School of Urbanism (AGSU)

Should you wish to further your education, qualifications and knowledge, UNSW Built Environment Graduate School of Urbanism (AGSU) offers an extensive suite of post professional degrees. AGSU focuses on advanced qualifications in specialised interdisciplinary areas of professional practice and a suite of highly relevant research orientated programs of study. Our commitment to being the leading educators in the design and delivery of more liveable, sustainable cities has underpinned the creation of the AGSU.

Join our Linkedin group (UNSW Built Environment) and network with your peers

As a professional, I also invite you to join our Linkedin group (UNSW Built Environment) where you will be able to keep in touch and network with your peers, other professionals and UNSW Built Environment.

I wish you a successful and rewarding career.

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BENSON LIM 2 014 BCM P THESIS PROGR AM CONVENER

Research-based analysis and reporting are cornerstones to the thesis program of the Bachelor of Construction Management and Property (BCMP) degree. The program enrolment is by invitation only, based on students’ academic progression and performance. In another words, the thesis program is not meant for every student but only for scholars who have high intellectual achievements. The program offers students with capstone experience, in their final year of studies, towards development and implementation of a major independent research project.

A remarkable diversity of thesis topics was pursued in 2014, ranging across important contemporary topics in the architectural, engineering, construction and property industries. These include: workspace planning and management, project trust and productivity, human resource management, corruption and unionisation in construction, work-life balance of employees, sustainability management, information technology and management, contract management and project estimation, construction technology, and property market analysis and development.

The thesis program entails two courses, i.e. BLDG 4501 Thesis Foundation and BLDG 4502 Thesis, which continuously extend over two 13-week semesters. The former is a preparatory course, and a pre-requisite to BLDG4502, introducing students to the fundamentals of research and design of research methodology for subsequent fieldwork in BLDG 4502. Indeed, the information-gathering and data analysis processes remain very much an individual challenge; whereby students are constantly dealing with unaccustomed events and venture, taking on a ‘roller coaster’ ride of self-discovery – a passage that they may have never encountered in their previous 3 years of studies. It follows that, upon completion of BLDG4502, students would have acquired key competences including problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as report writing skills. In brevity, the thesis program is a rite of passage developing the acumen, intellectual and logical reasoning abilities of our students; thus transforming them into the next generation of scholars and industry leaders.

Each student was assigned an advisor from our CMP program, who possesses respective contributory expertise within the architectural, engineering, construction and property domain. Taking this opportunity, I would like to thank all my fellow colleagues: Professor Martin Loosemore, Associate Professor Sidney Newton, Dr. Jinu Kim, Dr. Cynthia Wang, Dr. Imriyas Kamardeen, Dr. Lan Ding and Dr. Riza Sunindijo. Their valuable contribution and guidance to the students’ research projects was indispensable.

At the end of the day, the thesis exhibition and catalogue remain a showcase of the students’ masterpieces. On behalf of our entire CMP team, I am honoured to offer sincere congratulations to our thesis students of 2014 (our BCMP Research Warriors).

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CYNTHIA WANG PROGR AM DIRECTOR, BCMP

It is always a delight to see this thesis catalogue produced at the end of year to showcase the talents of our high achieving students. This booklet contains our students’ research projects in their honour’s degree program, and covers a wide range of topics in the construction and property industry. This year’s students continued the hardworking tradition and achieved outstanding results in their thesis program.

Construction management and property development are concerned with the effective procurement of built facilities in the context of time, cost and quality objectives, and the growing imperative for sustainable development. The complexity of the planning, design, construction and operation of clients’ properties requires graduates to be able to oversee and coordinate large multidisciplinary teams. At UNSW, the Bachelor of Construction Management and Property (BCMP) Program aims to produce graduates with broad knowledge and skills to meet the changing demands of the construction and property industry.

The degree provides students a unique opportunity to explore both the construction and property area, while also allowing students to specialise in one of the four areas – building construction, quantity surveying, property development and facilities management. The education of the BCMP students at UNSW is provided by highly capable university academics and experienced industry professionals. Students gain practical skills and real life experience in the course of the study as well as high-level critical thinking and strategic management skills. Our program is renowned for its ability to produce future industry leaders. In this booklet, our honour’s students have contributed to a range of contemporary issues in the construction and property industry.

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BCMP 2 014: FINAL YEAR THESES

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SAMUEL BR ADSHAW

DEVELOPMENT OF A CONSTRUCTION GREEN PURCHASING FRAMEWORK

C O N TA C T

samuel_bradshaw@hotmail.com 0423 866 323 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Lan Ding PICTURED:

1. Green purchasing is a key aspect of construction green supply chain management 2. Green purchasing is the sourcing of environmentally preferable products

Construction environmental sustainability is a serious issue for the Australian construction industry. The industry is a large consumer of the earth’s natural resources and is a significant polluter of the environment. Green supply chain management is an emerging strategy that construction organisations are adopting to reduce the impact of construction on the environment. This paper focuses specifically on green purchasing, a key aspect of green supply chain management.

This research paper develops a framework for the integration of environmental criteria into the conventional construction purchasing process. The framework considers best practice strategies adopted by organisations within the Australian construction industry to overcome barriers within existing green purchasing processes. Data was collected through face to face interviews with top management within four of Australia’s leading construction organisations. The interviews focused on current green purchasing strategies with special consideration to the barriers, best practice strategies and future development of the green purchasing process. The research found that the integration of environmental criteria into the construction purchasing process requires gradual development to allow construction supply chains to cope with the developing process.

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LUKE BRBOT

OVERCOMING ISSUES WITH PLANNING AND DESIGNING A S U S TA I N A B L E DEVELOPMENT

C O N TA C T

luke.brbot@theplantyard.com.au 0425 339 235 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Cynthia Wang PICTURED:

1. The Avenue at Sydney Olympic Park

The aim of this study is to address the issues and challenges surrounding a sustainable development with particular emphasis on the planning and design phases. Furthermore, this study aims to find potential solutions to the issues and challenges through a range of theoretical and practical resolutions. The research was based on a questionnaire where data was collected via interviews with 13 development industry experts. The results of these interviews showed that the major challenges were cost as well as the rigidity of the assessment tools. It also addressed that the industry’s view is that the sector is willing to change as long as the cost does not overrun the benefits. Moreover, the results discovered that location plays an important role in sustainable development. It was also found that the planning and design phases were highly influenced by the involvement of the consultants associated with a development. It was stressed that consultants should have a basic knowledge of the other consultants discipline as many of the issues are co-related. It is recommended that the members of the development team adopt some of these significant guidelines and solutions for better realisation of a sustainable development.

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JEREMY BROWN

B EH AV I O U R A L FACTO RS I N FLU EN CI N G CORRUPT ACTION IN THE AUSTR ALIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

C O N TA C T

Corruption is made possible through social context (Stansbury, 2005; Nordin et al. 2012, Nordin et al, 2013). Lou (2004) states corrupt activities are derived from environmental factors, noting culture as a key factor. Laland and Brown (2011) declare human behaviour is in the main part learned from the people interacted with and primarily influenced by culture.

Further research acknowledges culture strongly influences personal behaviours (Seleim and Bontis, 2009; Rokeach, 1972; House et al. 2004; Hofstede, 2001) and cultural dimensions may influence personal perception of ethical situations (Seleim and Bontis, 2009, and Scott et al. 1993).

z3378438@zmail.unsw.edu.au 0431 879 134 SUPERVISOR

Prof. Martin Loosemore PICTURED:

1. Symbolic representation of corruption in Australian construction industry 2. Issues of corruption in the global construction industry

The Cole commission’s (2003) findings suggested a corrupt cultural climate within the Australian construction industry and recommended change will occur through behavioural and cultural influence. In February 2014 the Australian Government set up Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption amid allegations of corrupt behaviour in the construction industry (Australian Government Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, 2014). This research studies the behavioural factors influencing corrupt action, separate from the technical domain. Further, there is only one piece of published research within the construction industry which specifically delves into the behavioural factors influencing corrupt action, conducted in Malaysia (Nordin et al. 2013).

The aim of this research is to study the person based factors influencing corrupt action in the Australian construction industry. Through identifying behavioural factors influencing corrupt behaviour and establishing a link between these factors and corrupt action.

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M AT H E W CHALKER

TRUST AND PRODUCTIVITY AT T H E P R O J E C T L E V E L : A subcontractor perspective

C O N TA C T

m.chalker@student.unsw.edu.au 0402 136 357

In recent times, the Australian construction industry has been subjected to mounting pressure with regards to productivity performance. The rising cost of construction, emerging global competition and increasingly value conscious clients are just some of the factors compelling the need for productivity reform.

Whilst the government has commenced measures to address productivity shortfalls, a structured approach encompassing all levels of industry is required if the necessary productivity improvements are to be realised. Addressing this issue is not only significant in securing the industry’s own prosperity, but also driving Australia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

SUPERVISOR

Prof. Martin Loosemore PICTURED:

1. Subcontracting

The construction industry by nature is heavily fragmented in terms of client, consultant, contractor and supplier relations. In many cases this has given rise to an environment of suspicion and mistrust amongst stakeholders. The aim of this research was to determine whether greater trust at the project level could also be a contributing factor to productivity gains.

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E VA N FA R AO S

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT INSUR ANCES: Methods of mitigating financial risks and drivers for change

C O N TA C T

z3484413@zmail.unsw.edu.au 0408 288 880 SUPERVISOR

Construction project insurances are an important risk management tool in mitigating financial risks on construction projects. Main Contractors in the construction industry could be left financially exposed without the knowledge and correct application of construction project insurances.

The thesis, on a holistic front, determines the liabilities in using old insurance policies to mitigate financial risk on construction projects. The financial risks are framed from a main contractor’s perspective. There are many forms of construction insurance policies. Generally, the policies explored within this study include: (i) Contractor’s All Risk, (ii) Public and Products Liability, (iii) Indemnity Insurance, (iv) Workers Compensation Insurance; and (v) Home Warranty Insurance

Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo PICTURED:

1. Construction Insurance

The research aim is therefore centralised in determining and supporting the notion that longstanding policies adopt financial liabilities. This has allowed new or amended construction insurance policies to be implemented within the industry to assist in mitigating financial risk.

The study then focuses on the applications of the following recently amended, introduced policies. These two policies include; Home Warranty Insurance introduced in 2012 and 2014 and Workers Compensation Insurance introduced in 2012.

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ARASH G H A F FA R I

I M PA C T O F I N T E G R AT E D SUB-SYSTEMS ON S U S TA I N A B L E O F F I C E BUILDINGS IN AUSTR ALIA

C O N TA C T

arash_ghaffari@hotmail.com 0404 094 484 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Lan Ding PICTURED:

In recent decades, global warming and climate change are raising concerns all around the world. Construction industry is one of the major contributors to this matter and office buildings produce 20-40% of overall green house gas.

One of the most effective ways to reduce green house gas emissions is through sustainable development and integration of sub-systems, which includes; renewable energies, HVAC systems and building envelops, mainly façade systems.

Renewable energy produced by solar PV panels, wind turbines and solar hot water systems; reduce the need for power produced by coal due to production of green power.

Also HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems) reduces the need of grid power, as natural ventilation and reclaimed heat by energy sources would help with space cooling and heating.

1. Pixel (Melbourne), An example of sustainable office building in Australia 2. This table outlines the impact of individual sub-systems on Pixel building 3. This table indicates the impact of

Furthermore, smart façades play a big role in reducing energy consumption of office buildings by providing natural lighting and natural ventilation. Also, shading devices block direct sunlight to reduce the heat gain.

integrated sub-systems on overall energy consumption of the building

After analysis conducted on the mentioned sub-systems on five sustainable office buildings in Australia and the comparison with a typical non-sustainable office building, results indicated that sustainable sub-systems will reduce office building’s energy consumption and carbon footprint, but most importantly, the integration of all sub-systems is more efficient than implementing individual sub-systems with no interconnection.

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AMY HAMMERSLEY

IMPROVING SAFETY AMONGST SMES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

C O N TA C T

Today safety in Australia has developed into a social and moral responsibility of the employer. It is the right for every employee to go home safely and to not be treated as objects that achieve corporate goals. In this study, the research focus’ on improving safety in small and medium enterprises in the construction industry. Four objectives where researched, these include identifying the safety barriers faces by SMEs, Forces of change, safety climate and suggestions to improve safety in SMEs.

amy.hammersley@hotmail.com 0430 722 308 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo PICTURED:

1. Large vs small 2. SMEs in the construction industry

Fifteen companies were asked to take part in the survey.

Fifty participants contributed to the survey results, with a fairly even spread of 24 participants from small construction enterprises (1-19 employees) and 26 participants from medium construction enterprises (20-199 people employees).

In summary the significant barriers that were indicated by the respondents, were the dissatisfaction of client demands and behaviours. The significant forces of change that were indicated by the respondents, showed there was a need for staff to be more involved in the safety procedures and development. There also was a greater need for more safety training and safety education within the companies. The significant safety climate variables that were indicated by the respondents, showed a lack in safety rules and procedures, as well as not enough safety evaluation from management.

Suggestions made by the respondents to improve safety in SMEs, were analysed by cyphering through the openended questions. Suggestions made included, Government grants/ funds, sharing of resources from larger construction companies, free and online training, more audits and harsher punishments.

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M AT T H E W HENDERSON

A N I N V E S T I G AT I O N I N T O T H E I M P E M E N TAT I O N O F C O R P O R AT E A N D SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AMONGST AUSTR ALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION O R G A N I S AT I O N S

C O N TA C T

matthew.henderson@zmail.unsw.edu.au 0412 480 630 SUPERVISOR

Researchers have reported corporate and social responsibility is increasingly growing prominence as a core confronting issue amongst many organisations, which can impact the business positively or negatively. The inconsistency in available research is possibly due flawed experiential data.

The aim of this research is to investigate the implementation of CSR amongst Australian and New Zealand building and construction organisations.

Arguably, there are over 40 different definitions of CSR all dating back to the 1950s (Murphy et al, 2013), many academic scholars have since agreed on a unified and contemporary definition of CSR (European Commission, 2011) involving the economic, social and environmental dimensions of an organisation. Moreover, supportable evidence would suggest the building and construction sector is currently viewed as a multifaceted and vehement industry engaging in a numerous amount of business activities with, clients, contractors, consultants, and sub-contractors.

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

1. Corporate and social responsibility

In addition to this, the building and construction industry is also heavily scrutinised and perceived by society as an industry focused largely on corruption, greed, profit and neglecting CSR values and ethics (Murphy, 2013). As identified and reflected in the literature review, CSR is increasingly becoming a contemporary issue debated amongst academic scholars, society, environmentalists and government organisations.

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M O T I VAT I O N T O W O R K FOR AN EMPLOYER S E L F - A C T U A L I S AT I O N

Career development and training opportunities

SELF-ESTEEM

Job characteristics (incl. skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback) SOCIAL AFFINITY

Workplace culture, management style

SECURITY

Organisational reputation

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Location, rewards and recognition, work–life balance

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KEVIN JOE

K E Y AT T R I B U T E S O F IDE AL EMPLOYERS: The perception from future construction and engineering professionals

C O N TA C T

kevin_brotherjoe@hotmail.com 0425 512 288 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

1. Conceptual model

The aim of this research is to investigate the employer of choice from Australian future construction and engineering professionals. The specific objectives are to: (i) identify the key attributes of ideal employers from the perception of future construction and engineering professionals; (ii) examine the similarities and differences in ideal employers’ attributes of Gen X and Y future construction and engineering professionals; (iii) identify the types of Human Resource Development practices (HRD) preferred by future construction and engineering professionals; and (iv) identify the relationship between the key attributes of ideal employers and their HRD practices. The results presented that five key attributes of ideal employers from the perception of future construction and engineering professionals were: (i) career development; (ii) salary; (iii) work-life balance; (iv) training opportunities; and (v) job characteristics. Also, it is found that Gen X2 was placing more significant emphasis on training opportunities and company goals compare to other generation groups. Next, the five HRD practices highly valued by future construction and engineering professionals were: (i) face-to-face communication; (ii) time off from work; (iii) subsidisation of tuition fees for employees’ self-upgrading courses and seminars; (iv) day off for continuous professional development and professional qualification courses; and (v) induction programme for all recruits. The findings could inform Human Resource personnel of Australian construction and engineering firms about those key attributes and their HRD practices and in turn, reconfiguring appropriate human resource management policies as well as practices towards recruiting and retaining Australian talented future construction and engineering professionals.

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LUKE KIM

T H E R E L AT I O N S H I P O F LEADING ECONOMIC I N D I C AT O R S A N D RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY PRICES IN AUSTR ALIA

C O N TA C T

luke.k@live.com 0451 300 177 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Jinu Kim PICTURED:

1. Increasing property prices

The research attempts to ascertain the interaction between the Australian economy and residential property prices. The research develops a theoretical model of leading economic indicators derived from the literature review of the topic area.

Utilising SPSS, a linear regression analysis will be performed based on explanatory variables which have been selected by means of the stepwise method.

The aim of the research is to study the relationship between the leading economic indicators and median housing prices in Australia. The final model is successful in explaining past trends and performance from 1988 to 2013. It found that Australia’s gross domestic product, exchange rate, unemployment rate and the number of building approvals are statistically significant independent variables, which attribute to median residential prices. The trend suggests future median residential prices in Australia will continue to grow into 2015-2016, however there is uncertainty surrounding the current property market.

2. Australian residential properties

The conclusions drawn from this research supports contemporary economic theory that a tangible relationship exists between the Australian economy and property markets. The results and discussions, coupled with the recommendations, enables future studies into property price forecasting and predictive modelling through the enhancement of understanding in leading economic indicators and median residential property prices.

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FREDDIE LAZAR

THE AUSTR ALIAN CONSTRUCTION DEMAND DURING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

C O N TA C T

freddie.lazar@student.unsw.edu.au

As resilient, as the Australian economy may be to have performed in recent times in vast and ever altering conditions, in comparison to other developing nations. Several sectors have greatly influenced the macroeconomic factors by a multitude of means, which has significantly contributed to this performance. In light of this uncertainty an accurate measurement of the impacts of external shocks on construction demand will enable construction industry policymakers and developers to make allowances for future occurrences and advance the construction industry in a sustainable manner.

02 9584 0277 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo PICTURED:

1. The construction industry 2. Construction output

The primary aim of this paper is to investigate the relationships between data collected on Australian economic variables in contrast to its relevant construction demand and validate on its analysis within the pre Global Financial Crisis and the period through the Global Financial Crisis, which, is believed to be in-between the period of 2008–2010. This thesis aims were to conduct its research within the specified period of 2000–2012 in significance to illustrate data incumbent of the immediate rise, peak, and decline of the Global Financial Crisis. Thus, the results identified that two significant variables had influenced greatly in both periods of the GFC being interest rates and unemployment.

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JIANXIANG LI

T H E I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F R E L AT I O N S H I P BETWEEN PROJECT E S T I M AT I N G A C C U R A C Y AND PROJECT SIZE

C O N TA C T

jianxiang.li@student.unsw.edu.au 0450 247 261 SUPERVISOR

Assoc. Prof. Sidney Newton PICTURED:

This thesis aims to investigate the relationship between project estimation accuracy and project size. Through the literature, there is a knowledge gap and argument that if there exists any relationship between the estimation accuracy and project size, and even the project type. The thesis used survey research design to collect the data and adopted quantitative research method to implement the findings. There were 1,950 projects data surveyed from three clients from all six states and two territories across Australia. The main project type analysed in this thesis is Classroom, Hall and Library projects as additional facilities attached to existing schools. This thesis has adopted least-square regression analysis and Lorenz curve to conduct the analysis. The findings suggested that projects are more accurately estimated in larger contract value projects rather than smaller ones. Further, among all three project types, Hall projects achieves the highest estimating accuracy, which indicates that project estimation is also influenced by project type.

1. Average bias ratio percentage in all project types 2. Estimation over and under $3-million

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DANIEL LITHERLAND

I N V E S T I G AT I N G THE INFLUENCE OF S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y O N TH E VA LU E O F COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

C O N TA C T

danlitherland@gmail.com 0403 651 136 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

1. Sustainable commercial buildings

Attention to the sustainability credentials of commercial buildings, and the means of measuring these credentials, has increased substantially over the past decade. However, little work has been done on assessing the impact of sustainability on an asset’s value. The aim of this research is to investigate the impact of sustainability on the value of commercial buildings. This is achieved by identifying the factors that influence the value of commercial buildings and by examining whether sustainable buildings could fetch a premium over nonsustainable buildings. The research was conducted using a quantitative research methodology and secondary data were collated from archival records and documentation provided by RP Data and the Commercial Building Disclosure’s database of buildings certified with NABERS ratings. The results show that buildings categorised as sustainable do fetch a premium although this may be a result of the buildings inherent features as opposed to its sustainability credentials. The research informs building owners about the feasibility of investment decisions surround sustainable upgrades.

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SANTIAGO LUPERDI

UNION EFFECTS ON PRODUCTIVITY IN THE AUSTR ALIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

C O N TA C T

luperdi.santiago@gmail.com +61 42528120 SUPERVISOR

Prof. Martin Loosemore

The effects of union involvement, and its effects project has long since debated from the beginning of the union movement in Australia. Different political parties restrict or enable union influence across the construction, with the promise of increased productivity. Previous research used to support these claims were found to not accurately, and confusingly, portray the productivity of the industry and often tended had political agenda behind them.

This research paper examined the links between union involvement and productivity, and ultimately identified specific effects. This was achieved through a survey conducted of 92 site workers, across 14 residential construction sites, spread across different trades and builders. This research drew relevance from the pending reinstatement of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

PICTURED:

1. MH Construction: 27.04.2012, 9am 2. Union Grocon AAP

The findings demonstrated, that the majority of site workers identified that the use of EBAs and work strikes, were detrimental to productivity, and that Union issued safety instruction and work hours were in fact a positive influence.

Site workers also felt that the tighter reigns the ABCC will have on unions will be positive to their productivity, however not without some side effects.

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JACKSON NGO

THE EFFECTS OF I M M I G R AT I O N O N AUSTR ALIAN RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY PRICES

C O N TA C T

jackson.v.ngo@gmail.com 0421 125 743 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

1. Increasing property prices

In Australia, residential property prices are ever increasing.

One of the many factors that are being blamed for this is the high number of immigration settlement in Australia. This study examined the effects immigrants had on property prices in Australia. The study focused on the impact of the increasing total net overseas immigration population in Australia, how being skilled or unskilled affected property prices and what impacts the location of settlements had on property prices between 1994 to 2011. A quantitative approach was adopted using archival records to carry out a survey design. It was revealed that the increasing immigration population had a positive relationship with the increasing property prices. In particular, skilled immigrants contributed positively at a rate double that of the unskilled who negatively impacted prices.

Furthermore, it was found that the settlement locations of immigrants also contributed positively to increases in property prices. This study suggested that tighter controls on immigration could possibly be used to control the housing market. This could be done by controlling the net movement of immigration, the number of skilled and unskilled migrants and the settlement locations.

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ERICK PHUONG

A N I N V E S T I G AT I O N O F EMPLOYERS ON THE K E Y AT T R I B U T E S O F FUTURE CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE

C O N TA C T

erick@hotmail.com.au 0411 846 599 SUPERVISOR

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

Graduate positions in the construction industry are highly competitive; with increasing building activity rates, as the number of graduates far outweigh the positions available.

A lack of understanding in the attributes and employers’ expectations creates a veil of disillusion amongst graduates when attempting to enter the workforce. Current Australian studies have found there is slow progression and focus on human resource development practises in organisations.

This study identifies the gap between graduates’ skills and employers perceptions. Identifying the skill gaps allow universities, employers and employees to identify current trends and benchmark of the industry. It can be insightful to assist organisations or individuals in developing their training and education programs. By understanding these preferences, graduates are able to demonstrate their potential and abilities when entering the workforce, thereby increasing their employability. Thus posing the question “which attributes are organisations currently seeking in graduates?”.

1. Mentoring scheme

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CHRISTOPHER ROYLE

THE EFFECT OF THE RESOURCES BOOM ON THE AUSTR ALIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

C O N TA C T

ctroyle@hotmail.com 02 9417 7886 SUPERVISOR:

Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo PICTURED:

1. Iron ore mining 2. Construction of Gorgon LNG project

The resources boom has had significant effect on all areas of the Australian economy, particularly benefitting the construction industry. With the resources boom declining, this poses significant problems for the construction industry. This study aims to investigate how the resources boom affects the construction industry; and how it affects future performance once the boom subsides. This research adopted explanatory research design utilising a quantitative approach to compare identified factors of the boom and how these factors are affecting the construction industry. This study compares these factors between WA and QLD, states which benefit the most from the boom; and in contrast to NSW, which does not. Data analysis results of these factors were compared between these states. Results indicate that the boom is having a significant effect on the construction industry; especially in WA and QLD; and is not having an effect in NSW. Prediction models created suggest that as the boom subsides, WA and QLD construction industries will decline heavily, in contrast to NSW which will grow. Included is the critical evaluation of research findings and their significance to the construction industry. This study also recommends how the resource rich states WA and QLD can mitigate the predicted large scale decline of their construction industries.

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BORO SZRICH

REDUCING CONSTRUCTION WASTES THROUGH P R E FA B R I C AT I O N

C O N TA C T

The construction industry plays a vital role in meeting the needs of society and enhancing the quality of life however, is largely responsible for generating tremendous amounts of Construction and Demolition waste. Prefabrication technologies provide numerous benefits to the construction process and drastically improve sustainable measures namely a reduction of construction waste. In overseas industries, prefabrication has been incorporated as an effective means of reducing construction wastes however, its uptake in Australia is still comparatively slow.

b.srzich@student.unsw.edu.au 0414 411 771 SUPERVISOR:

Dr. Imriyas Kamardeen PICTURED:

1. Tall building 2. Prefabricated components

The Australian construction industry has experienced consistent growth over the past decade along with the nation’s population indicating increased levels of waste generation. The current green and sustainable trend that is being adopted by Australia’s most reputable contractors and the continued push for green practices by government and external stakeholder groups strengthens the need for alternative measures in waste reduction and other sustainable practices.

This thesis explores the use of prefabrication as a waste management alternative and the relative extent to which it can satisfy this purpose. Furthermore, methods of promoting prefabrications use are explored based on current overseas practices with the aim of promoting a stronger use for waste reduction purposes.

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1

ANTONIOS T S AT H A S

S U R V I VA L S T R AT E G I E S OF AUSTR ALIAN TIER 1 AND 2 CONSTRUCTION CONTR ACTORS DURING THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS (GFC)

C O N TA C T

antonios_tsathas@hotmail.com 0414 322 099 SUPERVISOR:

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) had a profound impact on the Australian construction industry. It was reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2012, that there was a total of 352,100 construction companies operating in Australia in June 2007 at the beginning of the GFC. By June 2011, there were 149,891 instances of business cessations recorded in the Australian construction industry. To put this into perspective this represented almost half (42.6%) the number of construction firms that were in operation in June 2007, which had now ceased to exist by June 2011.

While there has been significant research on the survival strategies of overseas construction contractors particularly in the United Kingdom and Singapore little research has been undertaken on the survival strategies employed by Australian contractors during the GFC.

Prof. Martin Loosemore PICTURED:

1. Effect of the GFC on construction

The primary aim of this study is to understand the business strategies employed by Australian Tier 1 & 2 Construction Contractors to survive during the GFC. Secondly, this study will develop a framework that can be used to examine how Australian Tier 1 & 2 Construction Contractors survived the GFC.

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MARNEY W AT T

GREEN BUILDINGS: Occupant Perceptions of Health and Productivity

C O N TA C T

marneywatt@hotmail.com 0402 944 952 SUPERVISOR:

Assoc. Prof. Sidney Newton PICTURED:

1. Sydney CBD commercial buildings 2. Occupants mean scores of workplace factors

The green building movement has initiated a focus on the sustainability of the built environment. This has led to greater consideration of the economic and environmental benefits of green buildings along with an increasing interest in the social benefits. The aim of this research is to quantify occupant perceptions of two key social factors of green buildings; health and productivity. More specifically, the objectives are to; identify occupants perception of productivity in a commercial green building and what factors have the greatest perceived impact on the occupant, to examine occupants opinion of personal health in a commercial green building and what factors have the greatest perceived influence on the occupant, and to quantify occupants perceptions of health and productivity for analysis of employee satisfaction.

The research approach involved a case study on a green commercial building located in the Sydney central business district (CBD). The primary research method was a paperbased questionnaire, which received a response rate of 77%.

Descriptive data analysis was conducted to analyse the results. The results revealed that natural lighting, ventilation and conversation noise levels have the greatest impact and influence on health and productivity. In general, the occupants were found to be satisfied with their current work environment.

The findings of this study can be used in consideration of building design; to optimise the performance of green buildings and to support the economic business case for building ‘green’.

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OSCAR WILLIAMS

A N I N V E S T I G AT I O N I N T O THE INTERDISCIPLINARY SKILL REQUIREMENTS OF B U I LT E N V I R O N M E N T G R A D U AT E S I N T H E PROPERT Y DEVELOPMENT INDUSTRY

C O N TA C T

o.williams@student.unsw.edu.au 0431 843 805 SUPERVISOR:

Dr. Benson Lim PICTURED:

1. Faculty of the Built Environment UNSW 2. Teamwork

Property development projects are becoming increasingly complex and often require professionals from multiple disciplines working in small teams. As a result, there is a need for the development of interdisciplinary skills amongst built environment professionals. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the interdisciplinary skills of built environment graduates meet the expectations of the Australian property development industry. Under this aim, the specific objectives were to (1) ascertain industry’s opinion on the importance of interdisciplinary skills for graduates entering the property development industry; (2) evaluate industry’s perspective on the prevalence of interdisciplinary skills amongst graduates and (3) examine the relationship between skill importance and skill prevalence in order to identify interdisciplinary skills that are important yet underdeveloped.

Professionals in the property development industry were surveyed in order to ascertain the perceived importance and prevalence of interdisciplinary skills amongst graduates. The research showed that graduate interdisciplinary skills are generally developed to a satisfactory level but there is room for improvement as industry has relatively high expectations.

The research can be used to inform the development of future interdisciplinary courses in built environment education and assist in improving the interdisciplinary skills of graduates.

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ALEXANDER WU

S T R AT E G I C PA R T N E R I N G IN SMALL AND MEDIUM SIZED GENERAL CONSTRUCTION CONTR ACTORS IN AUSTR ALIA

C O N TA C T

a.wu@student.unsw.edu.au 0423 039 069 Supervisor: Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo PICTURED:

1. Teamwork 2. Partnering

The construction industry has long called for adoption of new collaborative procurement approaches in order to reduce the traditional adversarial relationships and to integrate the supply chain. The aim of this research is to investigate the nature of strategic partnering in small and medium sized general construction contractors in Australia. Specifically, the objectives are to: (i) identify the general attitude towards collaborative working arrangements; (ii) evaluate the benefits, barriers and critical success factors; (iii) examine the link between upstream and downstream strategic partnering; and (iv) find the significant differences between general contractors with strategic partnering experience and those without. Through employing a survey questionnaire, the findings highlight that strategic partnering with clients demanded more rigid procedural management techniques whereas strategic partnering with the downstream supply chain is sustained through a more informal relationship.

The benefit of improved quality was the highest perceived importance by general contractors and there was commonly a collective acknowledgement that nothing will change in the industry without a high level of commitment towards project quality from both parties.

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Please join me in congratulating the 2014 honours program students for their wonderful achievement. We wish them great success in their future careers.

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