The Influence of Design and Procurement on Construction Site Waste Generation - A Pilot Study

This research is part of a long term effort to reduce the amount of material waste from building and demolition sites destined for the landfill. This pilot study focused on a subset of this, with an aim to “determine the potential for waste reduction on construction sites, within the design and procurement stages of the building process”. To gain an understanding of just what this potential is, a survey was carried out based on a comparable survey in a similar construction environment (Australia). Architects, quantity surveyors and contractors, mainly from the Wellington region, were surveyed. From the results, it can be concluded that: there is very little importance placed by architects on waste minimisation compared to other design criteria good component sizing, standardisation of room dimensions to reflect standard sheet sizes, careful attention at the design stage to avoid variations on site, and assistance in creating a buildable design that allows for a logical sequence in construction are all considered to be effective design stage measures which reduce the output of waste where possible, contracts should be set up so that waste reduction efforts are financially beneficial to the client. The pilot study will be extended into a nation-wide survey, covering the three main cities, towards the end of 1998.