Grasping the Nonconformities in Building Construction Supply Chains
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35, Issue 1
Abstract
Identifying and understanding potential nonconformities in different construction phases is key to ensuring the anticipated quality and performance of a building in its service period. Previous studies mostly focus on studying nonconformities in the handover or posthandover phases of building projects. There has been relatively less attention paid to the issue in the preconstruction and construction phases of building projects, particularly in densely populated South Asian countries. This study aims to identify the potential and critical nonconformity problems from the initiation to construction phases of building projects, with a particular focus on Bangladesh, where the quality and integrity of building construction works and practices are generally lacking. The study is informed by a comprehensive literature review of the topic, followed by a series of discussions and workshops with highly qualified and experienced experts to identify the potential nonconformities frequently encountered in building construction projects. Additionally, three building projects are studied to identify the instances of nonconformities and their root causes. The major nonconformities identified from this study are improper soil investigation, poor quality of materials, poor quality of concrete, improper alignment of structural members, insufficient concrete cover, lack of or no curing of concrete, defective formwork, and early removal of formwork. Subsequently, specific remedial actions are recommended for the individuals/organizations involved throughout the building construction phases in developing countries, such as Bangladesh, toward improving the quality and performance of buildings in their service lives.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the reviewers’ contributions in their comprehensive reviews, comments, and suggestions to improve the quality of this paper. The authors also acknowledge the funding support of the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) Research Centre, Bangladesh, under Grant No. AS/2019/2/07 for carrying out this study.
References
Abdelsalam, H. M. E., and M. M. Gad. 2009. “Cost of quality in Dubai: An analytical case study of residential construction projects.” Int. J. Project Manage. 27 (5): 501–511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2008.07.006.
Ahmad, S. 2015. “Housing demand and housing policy in urban Bangladesh.” Urban Stud. 52 (4): 738–755. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098014528547.
Ahzahar, N., N. A. Karim, S. H. Hassan, and J. Eman. 2011. “A study of contribution factors to building failures and defects in construction industry.” Procedia Eng. 20 (Jan): 249–255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2011.11.162.
Almarwae, M. 2017. “Structural failure of buildings: Issues and challenges.” World Sci. News 66 (Jun): 97–108.
Bortolini, R., and N. Forcada. 2018. “Building inspection system for evaluating the technical performance of existing buildings.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 32 (5): 04018073. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0001220.
Brogan, E., W. McConnell, and C. M. Clevenger. 2018. “Emerging patterns in construction defect litigation: Survey of construction cases.” J. Leg. Aff. Dispute Resolut. Eng. Constr. 10 (4): 03718003. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000277.
Chiel de, W. 2014. Exploring the nature of nonconformities. Enschede, Netherlands: Univ. of Twenty.
Dietz, K. 2013. Learning from building failures. Austin, TX: Univ. of Texas.
Engebø, A., N. Kjesbu, O. Lædre, and J. Lohne. 2017. “Perceived consequences of counterfeit, fraudulent and sub-standard construction materials.” Procedia Eng. 196 (1877): 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.07.209.
Forcada, N., M. Macarulla, A. Fuertes, M. Casals, M. Gangolells, and X. Roca. 2012. “Influence of building type on post-handover defects in housing.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 26 (4): 433–440. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000225.
Forcada, N., M. Macarulla, M. Gangolells, and M. Casals. 2014. “Assessment of construction defects in residential buildings in Spain.” Build. Res. Inf. 42 (5): 629–640. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2014.922266.
Forcada, N., M. Macarulla, M. Gangolells, and M. Casals. 2016. “Handover defects: Comparison of construction and post-handover housing defects.” Build. Res. Inf. 44 (3): 279–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/09613218.2015.1039284.
Forcada, N., M. Macarulla, and P. E. D. Love. 2013. “Assessment of residential defects at post-handover.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 139 (4): 372–378. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000603.
Gashi, E. 2018. “Management of defective works in infrastructure projects.” Int. Rev. Appl. Sci. Eng. 9 (1): 73–80. https://doi.org/10.1556/1848.2018.9.1.10.
Gutierrez, C., and B. A. Hussein. 2015. “Insights on the impact of conformity and commitment on project performance.” In Proc., 2015 IEEE 8th Int. Conf. on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications, IDAACS 2015, 543–550. New York: IEEE.
Heravi, G., and A. Jafari. 2014. “Cost of quality evaluation in mass-housing projects in developing countries.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 140 (5): 04014004. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000837.
Islam, M. S., and B. T. Suhariadi. 2018. “Construction delays in privately funded large building projects in Bangladesh.” Asian J. Civ. Eng. 19 (4): 415–429. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42107-018-0034-3.
Jonsson, A. Z., and R. H. Gunnelin. 2019. “Defects in newly constructed residential buildings: Owners’ perspective.” Int. J. Build. Pathol. Adapt. 37 (2): 163–185. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-09-2018-0077.
Kazaz, A., M. T. Birgonul, and S. Ulubeyli. 2005. “Cost-based analysis of quality in developing countries: A case study of building projects.” Build. Environ. 40 (10): 1356–1365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2004.11.010.
Lili, X., and Q. Zhe. 2018. “On civil engineering disasters and their mitigation.” Earthquake Eng. Eng. Vib. 17 (1): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11803-018-0420-6.
Liu, A. M. M. 2003. “The quest for quality in public housing projects: A behavior-to-outcome paradigm.” Constr. Manage. Econ. 21 (2): 147–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144619032000049700.
Love, P. E. D., and D. J. Edwards. 2004. “Determinants of rework in building construction projects.” Eng. Constr. Archit. Manage. 11 (4): 259–274. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699980410547612.
Love, P. E. D., and D. J. Edwards. 2005. “Calculating total rework costs in Australian construction projects.” Civ. Eng. Environ. Syst. 22 (1): 11–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286600500049904.
Love, P. E. D., P. Teo, and J. Morrison. 2018. “Unearthing the nature and interplay of quality and safety in construction projects: An empirical study.” Saf. Sci. 103 (Oct): 270–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2017.11.026.
Macarulla, M., N. Forcada, M. Casals, M. Gangolells, A. Fuertes, and X. Roca. 2013. “Standardizing housing defects: Classification, validation, and benefits.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 139 (8): 968–976. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000669.
Minchin, R. E., F. Corona, E. D. Lucas, Y. Zhang, J. Pan, and R. C. Walters. 2017. “Chinese organizations’ actions, attitudes, and motivations when faced with counterfeit items in their construction supply chains.” J. Leg. Aff. Dispute Resolut. Eng. Constr. 9 (2): 04516015. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)LA.1943-4170.0000209.
Naderpajouh, N., M. Hastak, S. Gokhale, M. E. Bayraktar, A. Iyer, and F. Arif. 2015. “Counterfeiting risk governance in the capital projects supply chain.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 141 (3): 04014084. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000943.
Omondi, S. 2019. “The worst building collapses in history.” World Facts. Accessed August 2, 2019. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-worst-building-collapses-in-history.html.
Pheng, L. S., and B. Abeyegoonasekera. 2001. “Integrating buildability in ISO 9000 quality management systems: Case study of a condominium project.” Build. Environ. 36 (3): 299–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0360-1323(00)00004-4.
Pheng, L. S., and D. Wee. 2001. “Improving maintenance and reducing building defects.” J. Qual. Maint. Eng. 7 (1): 6–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/13552510110386865.
Rahman Tishi, T., and I. Islam. 2019. “Urban fire occurrences in the Dhaka metropolitan area.” GeoJournal 84 (6): 1417–1427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10708-018-9923-y.
Silvestre, J. D., and J. De Brito. 2011. “Ceramic tiling in building façades: Inspection and pathological characterization using an expert system.” Constr. Build. Mater. 25 (4): 1560–1571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2010.09.039.
Sommerville, J. 2007. “Defects and rework in new build: An analysis of the phenomenon and drivers.” Struct. Surv. 25 (5): 391–407. https://doi.org/10.1108/02630800710838437.
Tayeh, B. A., A. Maqsoom, Y. I. A. Aisheh, M. Almanassra, H. Salahuddin, and M. I. Qureshi. 2020. “Factors affecting defects occurrence in the construction stage of residential buildings in Gaza Strip.” SN Appl. Sci. 2 (2): 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-1959-1.
Wardhana, K., and F. C. Hadipriono. 2003. “Study of recent building failures in the United States.” J. Perform. Constr. Facil. 17 (3): 151–158. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0887-3828(2003)17:3(151).
Wasfy, M. A. F. 2010. Severity and impact of rework, A case study of a residential commercial tower project in The Eastern Province-KSA. Dhahran, Saudi Arabia: King Fahd Univ. of Petroleum and Minerals.
Zhang, D., C. T. Haas, P. M. Goodrum, C. H. Caldas, and R. Granger. 2012. “Construction small-projects rework reduction for capital facilities.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 138 (12): 1377–1385. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000552.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35 • Issue 1 • February 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Apr 22, 2020
Accepted: Aug 26, 2020
Published online: Dec 2, 2020
Published in print: Feb 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 2, 2021
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.