An investigation of the most waste-prone materials and waste causes in prefabricated steel structure building projects

Prefabrication is the shifting of construction activities from traditional practices, with high level of waste, to industrial processes with minimum waste generation. Therefore, it is considered as one of the major improvements to minimize waste generation in the construction industry. However, the prefabrication process itself is associated with significant amount of material wastage; which increases the total project cost and time with negative environmental impacts. In order to take efficient measures in reducing the amount of waste at source, which is the initial step in waste management, it is essential to identify the most waste-prone materials and investigate the main sources of waste generation. The current paper presents initial findings of an on-going research on development of a process model as well as a decision support tool to predict and manage waste in prefabricated steel structure projects. An investigation has been carried out in collaboration with the Turkish prefabricated steel structure building companies to identify the most waste-prone materials and the main sources of waste generation. A mixed research method incorporating qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted during the initial phase of the on-going study. A classified list of potential waste causes and a set of materials were formulated by a detailed literature review, studying real project records in a company and by interviewing with experts in the sector. A multi-phase questionnaire survey has been administrated to more than 30 professionals to learn about their perceptions on waste-prone materials, their sources and factors plugging the way of effective waste management within the prefabrication sector in Turkey. The questionnaire results indicate that, sealing materials, dry wall boards, heat insulation materials, cables and paints are the five most waste-prone material groups. Also, the main sources of waste generation are identified; which reveals the dynamic nature of material waste causes. After the discussion of questionnaire findings, it would be proposed that considering the different sources of waste generation, impacts on project performance and mitigation strategies, an efficient waste management process model and a support tool should be developed for the Turkish prefabricated building companies in order to monitor and control waste generation. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Diamond Congress Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Creative Construction Conference 2018.

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