Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology
School for the Built Environment
Department of Construction Economics
Selected Highlights from Research Findings
The South African construction industry lags behind countries that have been involved in the development of construction information classification systems since the late 1940s. During the past decade especially, much attention has been given in those countries to the development of new classification systems and to the establishment of national standards for organising construction information. The challenges are, therefore, to develop a South African National Standard (SANS) for the classification of construction information, to manage the changes it will bring, and to promote its widespread adoption. A lack of incentives, little immediate benefits, costs to be incurred from re-classifying historical data and cross-disciplinary differences are some of the possible obstacles in the way of the implementation process.
A Joint Committee from the architectural and quantity surveying professions has been established to spearhead the development of an SANS on the classification of construction information. The committee’s work will be based on this research in which a detailed and comprehensive classification system was proposed for the South African construction industry. In tandem with the development of the system much further work is envisaged, especially in the area of specification drafting. Decisions by all the industry role players will be needed on the most important priorities, such as the extent and status of the information to be provided, the possible use of the information, and the financing of the work. A research proposal in this regard has been put forward.
Contact person: Dr MJ Maritz.
An investigation found that the original planned construction schedules on building projects in SA are in general exceeded by a considerable period. The extent of the problem is such that a real risk is posed to both contracting parties. The factors with the most influence on building project completion in SA are: Insufficient work rate, influence of architect's instructions, architect's instructions or other information issued late, and disruption by others. Insufficient work rate, or low productivity, has singly the most substantial influence. In contrast to the prominent role ascribed to it in the literature the influence of inclement weather is relatively small.
Contact person: Prof DG Brümmer.
The initial concept for this project was the conversion of single dormitory-type accommodation into self-contained family units for rental through the government's institutional housing subsidy scheme.
A socio-economic survey of residents carried out by a research team under leadership of Mr. Jacus Pienaar under the guidance of Prof Chris Cloete, both from the Department of Construction Economics, revealed that low pay and high unemployment contribute to serious reservations among the residents about their ability to afford the to be upgraded accommodation, the possibility of displacement and even eviction. The expressed need appears to be for affordable accommodation options not limited to family units as originally envisaged, but ranging from single rooms to apartments for sharing and sub-letting. The survey has also yielded very useful information on life-style needs and support of economic livelihood activities within the compound.
The research, augmented by consultation with the resident community, have led to a redesign of the project in order to offer more affordable options for both shared and self-contained accommodation through the use of the more appropriate public sector hostels upgrading subsidy scheme. Further research into skills levels and qualifications of residents have also made it possible to prepare proposals for training and mentorship that will allow residents to participate in the construction work and assist them in improving their current informal business activities within and adjacent to the complex.
Contact person: Prof CE Cloete.
An integrated property and asset market model (IPAMM) for South African property markets was developed, utilising the Pretoria office market as case study. The IPAMM simulates the interrelationships between property and asset markets in a diagrammatic quadrant model configuration. The Fischer-DiPasquale-Wheaton (FDW) real estate model – arguably the most advanced diagrammatic quadrant real estate model available at present – served as basis for the development of IPAMM. The IPAMM is essentially a regression model based on a system of stochastic equations that captures the interrelationships between property and asset markets. It advances beyond mere conceptualisation of these relationships to a quantified interpretation and application of the theoretical premises that represent the micro-foundations of economic behaviour in property and asset markets. The model incorporates a broad spectrum of endogenous and exogenous variables in the most influential markets that impact on the property business, namely the market for space, asset valuation and the construction sector. As such, it provides an intelligible framework ideally suited to aid strategic decision-making processes in a number of property sectors. A number of application possibilities as well as suggestions for refinement of the model were proposed.
Contact person: Prof CE Cloete.
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