Choosing by Advantages (CBA) Method to Determine Feasibility of Mass Timber Building Material in the US Construction Market
Publication: Construction Research Congress 2022
ABSTRACT
Construction projects involve multiple stakeholders that make numerous decisions during the design and construction phases. One of the crucial decisions is to select the most suitable building material for the project. Therefore, it is important to select a building material with low-environmental impacts. The decision-making process is not often managed in an organized manner. Many decisions are made without having a systemic approach to decision-making, thus generates conflict among the stakeholders. To overcome the challenges associated with decision-making, the study proposes a scientific decision-making framework called Choosing by Advantages (CBA). This process facilitates effective decision-making by aligning practical knowledge and subjective judgments. In this study, CBA is used to determine the feasibility of mass timber in the US construction industry. Concrete and steel were used as alternatives to compare with mass timber. Mass timber is a new form of building material that is still gaining momentum in the US market. Thus, it is nontrivial to evaluate the feasibility of this product. A total of 29 construction industry practitioners from different parts of the country participated in the study. The outcomes of the study provide evidence that the CBA tabular method is capable to select the best-suited building material by establishing the preference of the industry practitioners. It further stretches that although mass timber is not the most suitable alternative in terms of present situation, it has multiple positive features to be accepted as a mainstream building material in the US construction industry.
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Construction Research Congress 2022
Pages: 724 - 733
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Published online: Mar 7, 2022
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