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Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation...
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Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation and Production

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 10108

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Anna Fredriksson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: sustainability; circular flows; construction logistics; urban development; supply chain management; supply chain planning
Prof. Dr. Martin Rudberg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: operations strategy; supply chain management; digitalization and digital transformation, all related to the construction sector
Dr. Micael Thunberg

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: construction logistics
Dr. Ahmet Sezer

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: productivity and sustainability in the construction industry; waste management; performance measurement; digitalization
Dr. Mats Janné

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science and Technology, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden
Interests: construction logistics; urban development; city logistics; sustainability; circular flows

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present ongoing research on how to increase sustainability through resource efficient transportation and production in the construction industry. The construction industry accounts for 13% of gross domestic product (GDP) globally and employs 7% of the world’s working population (Barbosa et al., 2017), while suffering from low productivity growth rates and being harmful to the environment. On construction sites, workers spend 15% of their time moving equipment and materials to the assembly areas (Strandberg and Josephson, 2005), and transportation by hand represents 43% of the logistics cost (Wegelius-Lehtonen, 2001). The lack of proper logistics management, i.e., poor management of materials, equipment and tools, leads to deficiencies in productivity through low value-adding times (Almohsen and Ruwanpura, 2011).

While construction projects contribute to more attractive, sustainable, and economically viable urban areas, a vast amount of construction materials needs to be delivered to sites. According to Guerlain et al. (2019), a typical construction site receives 2–10 deliveries or 8–10 tonnes of material per day. Furthermore, construction-related transport accounts for at least 30% of all urban freight transports (Guerlain et al., 2019) and is a major contributor of the GHG emissions for construction projects (Akan et al., 2017, Ji et al., 2018). In a recent study, Sezer and Fredriksson (2020) have shown that the transport part of the emissions from a construction project is about 10% of the total emissions. With urbanisation, the amount of construction transports, and its related disturbances, is likely to increase (Deloison et al., 2020). Thus, the ineffective management of construction transports can increase both the costs and the environmental harm of construction projects (Sezer and Fredriksson, 2021).

There are several ongoing initiatives to improve sustainability of construction transports and productivity, such as 1) the use of construction logistics setups (CLS) (Janné and Fredriksson, 2021), 2) simulation studies of how to improve coordination between production and transport (Fredriksson et al., 2021), and 3) the possible impacts of digitalization (Stoyanova, 2020). However, there is a lack of spread of these results in the urban planning and the construction industry, and therefore the actual impact of how these initiatives increase sustainability through resource efficient transportation and production in construction is unclear. Therefore, in this Special Issue, we are looking for studies based on proof of concept or adoption in the industry, based on a wide variety of empirical research approaches including, but not limited to simulation, case based research, and surveys. We are also welcoming studies on project, portfolio, urban development and city level, focusing on the logistics to and from the construction areas, or on the construction site, in order to cover the complexity of the subject.

References

Akan, M. Ö. A., Dhavale, D. G. & Sarkis, J. 2017. Greenhouse gas emissions in the construction industry: An analysis and evaluation of a concrete supply chain. Journal of Cleaner Production, 167, 1195-1207.

Almohsen, A. & Ruwanpura, J. Logistics management in the construction industry. Proceeding of the International Council for research and Innovation in Building and construction (CIB), 2011 Sophie Antipolis, France. 10.

Barbosa, F., Woetzel, J. & Mischke, J. 2017. Reinventing Construction: A Route of Higher Productivity. McKinsey Global Institute.

Deloison, T., Hannon, E., Huber, A., Heid, B., Klink, C., Sahay, R. & Wolff, C. The Future of the Last-mile Ecosystem: Transition Roadmaps for Public-and Private-sector Players. 2020. World Economic Forum.

Fredriksson, A., Nolz, P. C. & Seragiotto, C. 2021. A mixed method evaluation of economic and environmental considerations in construction transport planning: The case of Ostlänken. Sustainable Cities and Society.

Guerlain, C., Renault, S. & Ferrero, F. 2019. Understanding Construction Logistics in Urban Areas and Lowering Its Environmental Impact: A Focus on Construction Consolidation Centres. Sustainability, 11, 6118-6128.

Janné, M. & Fredriksson, A. 2021. Construction logistics in urban development projects – learning from, or repeating, past mistakes of city logistics? The International Journal of Logistics Management, ahead-of-print.

Ji, Y., Li, K., Liu, G., Shrestha, A. & Jing, J. 2018. Comparing greenhouse gas emissions of precast in-situ and conventional construction methods. Journal of Cleaner Production, 173, 124-134.

Seo, M.-S., Kim, T., Hong, G. & Kim, H. 2016. On-site measurements of CO2 emissions during the construction phase of a building complex. Energies, 9, 599.

Sezer, A. A. & Fredriksson, A. The transport footprint of Swedish construction sites. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2020. IOP Publishing, 042001.

Sezer, A. A. & Fredriksson, A. 2021. Environmental impact of construction transport and the effects of building certification schemes. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 172, 105688.

Stoyanova, M. (2020), “Good Practices and Recommendations for Success in Construction Digitalization”, TEM Journal, Vol. 9 No. 1, pp. 42-47.

Strandberg, J. & Josephson, P.-E. What do construction workers do? Direct observations in housing projects. Proceedings of 11th Joint CIB International Symposium Combining Forces, Advancing Facilities management and Construction through Innovation, 2005. 184-93.

Wegelius-Lehtonen, T. 2001. Performance measurement in construction logistics. International Journal of Production Economics, 69, 107-116.

Dr. Anna Fredriksson
Prof. Dr. Martin Rudberg
Dr. Micael Thunberg
Dr. Ahmet Sezer
Dr. Mats Janné
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • circular flows
  • construction logistics
  • construction supply chain
  • productivity
  • resource utilization
  • service management
  • sustainability
  • transport emissions
  • urban development

Published Papers (4 papers)

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26 pages, 2836 KiB  
Article
Using Transport to Quantify the Impact of Vertical Integration on the Construction Supply Chain: A New Zealand Assessment
by Kamal Dhawan, John E. Tookey, Ali GhaffarianHoseini and Mani Poshdar
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1298; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15021298 - 10 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2341
Abstract
New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 32.5% of approximately 67,000 operating businesses are ‘small’ (up to 19 employees), while 65% are sole traders. The construction supply chain (CSC) is extensive, prone to inefficiencies at [...] Read more.
New Zealand (NZ) construction is highly fragmented, comprises primarily micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs); 32.5% of approximately 67,000 operating businesses are ‘small’ (up to 19 employees), while 65% are sole traders. The construction supply chain (CSC) is extensive, prone to inefficiencies at segmental boundaries accentuated by project-centric delivery. Conversely, it presents significant opportunity for consolidation and improved efficiency. Vertical integration and CSC management from the supplier-end rather than the project-end enable component elements to be individually independent in terms of ownership, while integrating their management above the tactical CSC level. This leads to improved operational philosophy and employment. Quantifying impacts, however, is a challenge due to lack of tangibility. This can be effectively overcome using quantifiable parameters associated with the CSC’s transport component. The paper investigates transport operations in a narrow NZ CSC segment over a three-month period to quantify improved performance using operational data and further potential for resource optimisation using operations research-based planning. Research outcomes point towards: (i) Fleet management strategy; (ii) Integrated planning and operational delivery; (iii) Non-price attributes in tendering/contracting; (iv) Change in the delivery model of manufactured construction products; (v) Information and communication technology-based solutions; and (vi) Integration of reverse logistics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation and Production)
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19 pages, 1673 KiB  
Article
The Potential of Improving Construction Transport Time Efficiency—A Freight Forwarder Perspective
by Farah Naz, Anna Fredriksson and Linea Kjellsdotter Ivert
Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10491; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710491 - 23 Aug 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2505
Abstract
Construction transport, in general, is not carried out efficiently, resulting in unnecessary costs and CO2 emissions. Although it has been found that there is a great potential to improve construction transport, little research has been conducted within this field. The purpose of [...] Read more.
Construction transport, in general, is not carried out efficiently, resulting in unnecessary costs and CO2 emissions. Although it has been found that there is a great potential to improve construction transport, little research has been conducted within this field. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the construction transport time efficiency by identifying non-value-adding activities and their causes from a freight forwarder perspective. A single case study was conducted and two flows, a goods delivery flow and a waste material flow, were mapped and analyzed with the help of value stream mapping (VSM). We ran two workshops to discuss the findings of the VSM. The results from this study show that there is large potential for improving construction transport time efficiency as over 40% of the time was used for non-value-adding activities. Although transport suffers from similar non-value-adding activities undertaken in other industries, this study identifies the transport activities with respect to construction transport. The findings further highlight areas of potential improvements, such as improved information sharing, planning, and coordination among all stakeholders. This knowledge can be used by the freight forwarder and the main contractor to improve construction transport time efficiency. The limitation of this study is that it is based on a single case of a freight forwarder. It does not provide a full picture of construction transport efficiency but rather a starting point for future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation and Production)
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33 pages, 4003 KiB  
Article
Five Guidelines for Adopting Smartwatches in Construction: A Novel Approach for Understanding Workers’ Efficiency Based on Travelled Distances and Locations
by Cristina Toca Pérez, Stephanie Salling and Søren Wandahl
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8875; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148875 - 20 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1539
Abstract
This study is part of an ongoing research project aiming to develop a method for understanding workers’ efficiency (workers’ time spent in value-adding activities) by measuring new indexes, such as workers’ travelled distances and workers’ locations collected by smartwatches. To achieve the objective [...] Read more.
This study is part of an ongoing research project aiming to develop a method for understanding workers’ efficiency (workers’ time spent in value-adding activities) by measuring new indexes, such as workers’ travelled distances and workers’ locations collected by smartwatches. To achieve the objective of the study, a Design Science Research (DSR) strategy was adopted. The first cycle consists of understanding which types of information smartwatches can collect and how this data can be employed for measuring workers’ efficiency. This paper reports a case study as part of the first Cycle of the DSR. The object studied were the activities carried out by a carpenter trade in a housing renovation project. The authors used the geographic coordinates obtained by smartwatches worn by the carpenter trade connected to two Global Navigations Satellite Systems. The primary contribution of this research consists of proposing a set of five guidelines for the application of smartwatches, using data gathered from the case study. The guidelines are: (1) adopt a stratified sampling approach for selecting the workers involved according to their tasks conducted; (2) set up the smartwatches considering workers’ physical features; (3) carefully consider the job site location for delivering the smartwatch to workers; (4) establish assumptions for the data cleaning process regarding construction project features and the study’s goal; and (5) use individual participant data in the analysis according to each participant’s characteristics and role. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation and Production)
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14 pages, 2939 KiB  
Article
A Sustainability Assessment Framework for On-Site and Off-Site Construction Logistics
by Nicolas Brusselaers, Selamawit Mamo Fufa and Koen Mommens
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8573; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148573 - 13 Jul 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2533
Abstract
Urban areas pay increasing attention to new construction and infrastructure works, mainly due to the rapid global rise in urbanisation. In the long run, these works have a positive correlation with the economic and social attractiveness of cities. Construction strongly relies on logistics [...] Read more.
Urban areas pay increasing attention to new construction and infrastructure works, mainly due to the rapid global rise in urbanisation. In the long run, these works have a positive correlation with the economic and social attractiveness of cities. Construction strongly relies on logistics activities, which cannot be neglected in the environmental equation. An important aspect in tackling the negative effects of construction logistics (CL) lies in understanding the source and mitigation potential of the impacts incurred. However, currently, limited robust impact assessments are available for this sector. Given the lack of these rigorous assessments, it is difficult to evaluate the environmental criteria concerned, especially when comparing innovative CL solutions. In this paper, we present a holistic sustainability assessment framework designed for CL activities based on life cycle approaches, which covers four main iterative steps: (1) goal and scope definition, (2) data identification and availability, (3) scenario and setup evaluation and (4) environmental impact assessment. To measure both the off-site and on-site CL impact, two distinct and complementary methodologies are used: External Cost Calculations and Life Cycle Assessment. The framework was implemented on a pilot case in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). It provides a holistic view of CL impacts for policy evaluations and implementations on the project, portfolio or city level. The results show that off-site zero-emission construction vehicles are the way forward if cities want to achieve environmental goals by 2035. However, market readiness for high-capacity vehicles must be considered. Otherwise, the positive effects on air pollution, climate change and noise are offset by a saturation of the road transport network and its associated congestion and infrastructure damage costs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Increasing Sustainability of the Construction Industry through Resource Efficient Transportation and Production)
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