Infrastructure Engineering - Research Publications
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ItemWhole-life baseline carbon assessment of residential building stock – A Victorian case study(Australian Life Cycle Assessment Society (ALCAS), 2023-07-19)Assessing residential building decarbonisation opportunities requires a whole-life approach, given the increasing share of embodied carbon as housing becomes more energy efficient. Since most of the projected housing stock would consist of existing buildings, emissions from renovation should also be included in determining both embodied and operational carbon in the residential building sector. A bottom-up typology framework was developed to estimate carbon emissions for existing and new housing up to 2050, scalable from local government area (LGA) to state-level jurisdiction which allows for granularity in testing scenarios for the future. Housing typologies were developed for existing, new, and renovation housing stock based on census data. Operating carbon was obtained using building energy simulation while embodied carbon data was accounted from localised life cycle construction datasets. The state of Victoria along with its corresponding LGAs was used as a case study for said framework. Heating load comprised most of the operating energy demand for most typologies while external walls and floors contributed significant embodied carbon for new residential buildings, particularly for detached houses. For Victoria, detached houses built prior to 1991 contributed most of the operational carbon, however with high construction rates set for most LGAs, new housing may contribute more GHG emissions in 2050. Brick veneer housing yielded more embodied carbon from the external wall compared to timber homes while concrete slabs used in floors also incurred a large amount of embodied carbon for the residential building stock. Renovating existing housing has the potential to reduce operating energy demand while emitting less embodied carbon, thus policies on this should be considered in developing decarbonisation pathways. Using the bottom-up typology whole-life carbon framework offers granularity in analysing individual-level carbon impact which can be expanded to LGA and state level.
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ItemLean and Green: How the Synergy Can Promote Sustainable Construction(Springer Nature, 2023-08-01)Lean construction aims to improve efficiency through the reduction of wasteful activities. These waste reduction activities also indirectly improve the sustainability approach used by organizations. Our paper examines the definition of lean construction (LC), LC activities, and green construction as understood by academics through a focused literature review. It then examines these practices considering how these activities contribute towards enhancing the sustainability of the built environment and the organization. Our findings suggest that not all waste reduction activities have the same degree of effect on sustainability improvements. Some lean tools such as standardization and just-in-time (JIT) for production scheduling can have a better effect, especially, if the key performance indicators (KPI) specifically target sustainability indicators. “Lean and Green” is not a myth and is very much achievable in the construction industry with the current efforts towards industry 4.0/5.0. Combining these two concepts remains a challenge. This paper aims to learn from what we already know and suggests ways on how “Lean and Green” can be achieved in the future. The paper includes a discussion on leveraging lean and green concepts to achieve the sustainable development goals promoted by the United Nations.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableHow Can Decarbonisation Alternatives Be Prioritised to Achieve Carbon Neutrality in Building Projects?(ASCE American Society of Civil Engineers, 2023-01-01)The built environment generates approximately 40% of the annual global carbon emissions. To achieve the Paris Agreement target towards net-zero emissions, timely and sufficient plans for emissions reduction in the sector need to be made. One of the optimal strategies to realize sustainable structures is to select decarbonisation alternatives that will present a holistic view of environmental impacts. This research effort examined how decarbonisation alternatives are prioritised to achieve carbon neutrality in building projects. Based on extensive semi-structured interviews with experts, this research identified energy, emissions, economy, and exergy (4Es) as the four critical variables considered when making decarbonisation decisions. These 4Es were then assigned to different evaluation criteria, resulting in a total of 27 evaluation criteria. These findings will assist built environment professionals to prioritise decarbonisation alternatives across the entire project lifecycle. It will also provide policymakers with new insights for assessing potential impacts based on these four variables.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProduction scheduling in modular construction: Metaheuristics and future directions(Elsevier, 2023-06)Modular construction (MC) is an increasingly important construction technique. However, it also requires the use of sophisticated scheduling algorithms. A comprehensive literature review of different scheduling systems used for prefabricated construction, was conducted using the PRISMA methodology. Over 500 relevant papers were analysed and 59 critical applications of production scheduling metaheuristics were closely examined. However, very few of these were for modular construction. This paper provides a deep analysis of GA applications in scheduling and the newer techniques using PSO, SA and ACO. The results of the review suggest 6 directions for future research namely, (i) Consideration of added complexities, (ii) Responsiveness of the scheduling system to new tenders or work, (iii) Integrating production scheduling with Manufacturing Execution and Control Systems, (iv) Dynamic scheduling, (v) Simulation-based optimization techniques for MC, (vi) Use of AI and machine learning concepts for MC. This paper will inform better production scheduling of MC projects.
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ItemDigitalising modular construction: Enhancement of off-site manufacturing productivity via a manufacturing execution & control (MEC) system(Elsevier, 2023-03-02)Modular construction facilities operate under tight deadlines making the monitoring of manufacturing progress and delivery for optimal factory-to-site operations a significant challenge. This paper presents an action research study that assisted in enhancing the productivity of a manufacturing execution and control system implemented at a facility in Melbourne, Australia. This system monitors production processes, and shares information for timely, well-informed decision-making using an online platform and a mobile app, developed using lean principles. The results showed significant time and cost savings, quality improvement and increased visibility of inefficiencies and will serve as a helpful reference for construction factory managers wishing to improve their manufacturing systems.
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ItemIntegrating sustainability into higher education curricula(Engineers Australia, 2021)Education has been widely recognised as a key instrument to achieve sustainability. Integrating sustainability knowledge, skills and values are considered paramount to enable individuals to contribute to sustainable development. The paper presents a pilot study conducted at the University of Melbourne to investigate the links between the subjects offered by the University and sustainability. The pilot study is a part of the Sustainability in the Curriculum program, which addresses the Sustainability Plan Teaching and Learning Target 1, aimed to incorporate sustainability knowledge and values in the University's curricula. The 17 Sustainability Development Goals have been used as a framework to measure how well the curricula are linked to sustainability. A study first undertaken to establish the link between subjects and the Sustainability Development Goals is presented. The study involved data collection through published literature on Sustainable Development Goals and the University's subject handbook, followed by a survey involving the subject coordinators. The findings of the study show that the strength of linkages between subjects with sustainability varies, highlighting the challenge in some technical subjects in linking their contents with sustainability. Approaches adopted in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology in embedding sustainability in the curriculum are presented with some examples and discussions for the next steps.
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ItemForeword(The University of Melbourne, 2022-09-27)
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ItemAnalytical Framework for Understanding the Differences between Technical Standards Originating from Various Regions to Improve International Hydropower Project Delivery(MDPI, 2022-02)The international hydropower construction market is continuously growing during the past decade. The existing literature points out that contractors are facing ongoing difficulties in achieving the objectives of developing international hydropower projects, which largely arise from the misunderstanding and poor use of international technical standards. However, there is a lack of a coherent framework to help systematically analyze the differences between technical standards originating from various regions. This study establishes an analytical framework that incorporates the essential factors of technical standards, namely philosophy of standards, logical structure, completeness of standards, calculation method, equipment and material requirements, test method, construction method, and application conditions of standards, and demonstrates their relationships from a holistic perspective. With support of the data collected from Chinese contractors, the results revealed the application status of various technical standards and their differences. Hierarchical cluster analysis demonstrates that unfamiliarity with the differences between domestic and international technical standards can cause multiple problems in international hydropower project delivery, concerning applying international standards, integrated project management, design, procurement, and construction, which have broad theoretical and practical implications. The outcomes of this study can not only help contractors improve their capabilities of applying international standards for achieving superior international hydropower project performance, but also facilitate mutual recognition of the standards from various regions, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of global resources such as expertise, technologies, methods, and products.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableUpcycling opportunities and potential markets for aluminium composite panels with polyethylene core (ACP-PE) cladding materials in Australia: A review(ELSEVIER SCI LTD, 2022-11-28)Many buildings worldwide have high fire-risk materials as part of their cladding. As governments in Australia strive to make buildings safer, it is expected that a large volume of end-of-life dangerous cladding will be replaced with safer materials. This high volume of hazardous materials might be upcycled into value-added products. This article presents a systematic market analysis and literature review in identifying current and potential uses for the raw materials used in hazardous ACP-PE cladding. The most promising areas were identified to be non-food-contact packaging (US$228 M p.a.), non-pressure pipes (US$30 M p.a.), footwear (US$5.29 M p.a.) and 3D printer filament (US$2.73 M p.a.)
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ItemNo Preview AvailableChallenges in Transport Logistics for Modular Construction: A Case Study(Springer Nature, 2023-01-01)Construction logistics is one of the essential functions in the modular construction industry due to the high demand for on-time delivery of components. For modular component suppliers, there is minimal flexibility in delivery times as generally, the installation times of modular components are critical to the contractor’s construction programme. There are several studies conducted in recent years that articulate novel methodologies in construction logistics scheduling; however, the industry still faces challenges in streamlining the whole supply chain to better cater to potential uncertainties that impact construction logistics. This paper looks at a case study on a modular component supplier in Melbourne, with regarding to the challenges faced and how they have effectively overcome these challenges and provides a framework to mitigate construction logistics related discrepancies in the supply chain. The resilience of these methods in facing unforeseen events such as COVID-19 will also be discussed. The overarching objectives of this paper are to include: (1) bibliographic mapping of related publications; (2) identification of current methods, problems and technologies used in modular construction logistics; and (3) propose best practice guidelines that can be implemented to effectively cater to such uncertainties in construction logistics to minimise the impact on the supply chain. Further, incorporating lean principles for planning construction logistics and transport for the modular construction industry is also in discussion. Finally, the potential future research directions are highlighted to guide the researchers to pursue areas of much importance.