Courses by Abimbola Windapo
The course will introduce the user to the fundamentals of construction management, why orthodox m... more The course will introduce the user to the fundamentals of construction management, why orthodox management theories and systems theories do not address difficulties in managing construction projects and why a Construction Management theory is required. The course also outlines the objectives of construction management and factors that make construction projects inherently difficult. Users will also be exposed to straightforward/challenging projects and the construction management strategies for managing difficulties on construction projects. 7 video lessons238 views
Videos by Abimbola Windapo
The presentation presents an overview of the factors to consider in the provision of affordable h... more The presentation presents an overview of the factors to consider in the provision of affordable housing and follows this outline:
Understanding Housing Affordability
The State of Play
Issues in Affordable Housing
Land acquisition
Construction material inputs
Housing finance and interest rates
Basic Income
Way forward
Leveraging construction materials for affordable housing provision 164 views
Papers by Abimbola Windapo
Using Nigeria as a case study, this study examines the Social, Political, Economic, Cultural and ... more Using Nigeria as a case study, this study examines the Social, Political, Economic, Cultural and Religious (SPECR) contexts of developing countries towards unearthing and discussing the opportunities for improving Health and Safety (H&S). Previous research demonstrates the imperativeness of understanding the SPECR contexts of developing countries and the implications of practices, policies and laws that are not underpinned or based on a good understanding of the contexts. However, this has received little attention and the contexts-based opportunities for improving H&S remain unexamined. Through a critical review of literature, it was found that the contexts-based opportunities for improving H&S centre around social media platforms, unexplored potentials and undeveloped fields, the quest of Nigerians to embrace change, religion which teaches morals, community leadership where the leaders are able to command respect, the collectivist cultural dimension which emphasises affection, kinship and power relationship. While issues such as the sensitive nature of religion pose challenges, the study highlights SPECR characteristics, such as the collectivist cultural dimension, that policymakers and contractors should consider in developing policies and strategies towards improving H&S. Nevertheless, as the study is a theoretical piece of work, further empirical evidence on the subject is recommended.
WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks, Jul 1, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Aug 22, 2019
14One of the ways of improving construction health and safety (CH&S) remains its regulation, the ... more 14One of the ways of improving construction health and safety (CH&S) remains its regulation, the foundation and catalyst of other improvement measures. However, in Nigeria, it is poorly understood. Consequently, this chapter reports an examination of how it is regulated (including the roles of various parties), and the implications and opportunities therein for improving CH&S. Adopting semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study shows that the Nigerian
Routledge eBooks, Jun 14, 2023
Routledge eBooks, Aug 22, 2019
Poor safety culture is a systemic issue for construction workers in Nigeria. Evidence suggests wo... more Poor safety culture is a systemic issue for construction workers in Nigeria. Evidence suggests workers’ rights to safe work and dignity are abused frequently. Although extant Nigerian laws compel contractors to maximise work safety, media reports are rife with incidents of collapse of structures, site accidents and hazards. Fatalities, and consequential losses from these, are significant. In context, the Nigerian procurement law requires contractors to be pre-qualified before receiving contract awards. Through a systematic literature review (SLR), this study examines pre-award assessment processes and standards relating to contractors’ compliance with workers’ health and safety. In addition, pre-award assessment objectives are compared with normative objectives of health and safety standards during construction. A significant gap is found between the two: pre-award assessment is incapable of translating into considerable safety outcomes for workers and projects. As a result, a new framework for assessing contractors’ safety capability is proposed. The study also argues the significance of the proposed framework to extant pre-qualification frameworks used in Nigeria. Rather than being prescriptive, the framework can measure health and safety capabilities quantitatively. Conclusions are elicited from these on how to reform the Nigerian procurement landscape in terms of health and safety standards, and the cost benefits therefrom.
Computing in construction, Jul 10, 2019
This study examines the use of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) as a machine learnin... more This study examines the use of Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) as a machine learning technique in the prediction of the impact size of uncertainty events on construction cost of highway projects and whether this technique is more accurate than the classical statistical methods. The rationale for the study stems from the availability of several techniques such as regression analysis and machine learning for developing predictive models of relationships of various variables in the construction industry. However, there has been limited research undertaken to compare the accuracy of the available techniques. The success or failure of prediction depends on the credibility of the prediction method. In this study, the predicted impact size of 76 uncertain events on the construction of highway projects using ANFIS as an intelligence machine learning method and Stepwise Regression Analysis (SRA) as a classical statistical method were compared to delineate the ability and accuracy of the ANFIS prediction technique. The comparison of calculated R-Value and two error tests for ANFIS and SRA show that the constructed ANFIS model has a higher performance than the SRA method in both fitness and reliability of the prediction model. Also, the performance comparison showed that ANFIS is a good tool for predicting the impact of uncertainty events on construction project cost. Based on these findings, the study concludes that the use of intelligent methods such as ANFIS will minimise the potential inconsistency of correlations in construction cost and time prediction. The model developed enables cost engineers to estimate the construction cost with a higher degree of accuracy.
Safety Science, Oct 1, 2019
A robust and pragmatic regulatory framework that is based on a good understanding of the external... more A robust and pragmatic regulatory framework that is based on a good understanding of the external-context domains of countries is fundamental for Safety, Health and Environment (SHE). However, in many developing and emerging economies the regulatory framework for SHE is complex and the external-context domains are poorly understood and not factored in SHE. Using Nigeria as a case, the study examines the causal inferences of the social, cultural, political, religious and institutional contexts on the complex Construction Safety, Health and Environment (CSHE) regulatory framework using a qualitative research approach. The findings show that the external-context domain factors are indirect determinants of CSHE regulation. There is evidence that the main external-context factors include the dysfunctional and fragmented health and safety (H&S) regulatory environments, which is exacerbated by the poor governmental and political attention on H&S. While political influence results in the low threat of regulation, 'Nigerian factors' such as 'the no follow-up culture' result in inadequate governmental and political involvement, among many, poor regulation and inadequate H&S laws. Although the need for a consolidated CSHE regulatory framework is emphasised hence recommended, it should be resilient to social and political pressure.
International Journal of Construction Education and Research, May 8, 2017
There is evidence that scholars in some countries, which includes Nigeria, mostly employ the quan... more There is evidence that scholars in some countries, which includes Nigeria, mostly employ the quantitative approach to research, and in some cases it is used inappropriately. This leaves research questions that should be tackled from a qualitative standpoint, unaddressed or wrongly undertaken. The aim of this study is to understand why the qualitative approach (QA) has failed to gain similar recognition in Nigeria and other countries, and by extension, the disposition of researchers towards its use. The impact of the disposition of researchers towards QA was also explored. Researchers in the various built environment (BE) disciplines in Nigeria were interviewed. The results revealed that there is a preference for quantitative research, while QAs are used if convenient. Furthermore, the study revealed that the educational background of academics and their poor understanding of the qualitative paradigm, explain their disposition towards the adoption of the QA in research. This finding suggests that academic followers instead of leaders are being produced, and that research is done for ad hominem promotion. In advancing the understanding of QA in BE research in Nigeria, this study also draws the attention of stakeholders in the academia to the implications of a preference by researchers for quantitative research.
Smart and sustainable built environment, May 18, 2015
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine green building legislation requirements and pra... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine green building legislation requirements and practices in the construction project execution stage within the context of the South African construction industry. The rationale for this examination rests with the perception that the implementation of green practices (per se) has been recognised as being “behind” the legislation enacted to control the design and construction of green buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The research process consisted of a literature review to identify existing green building legislation and practices applicable to the project execution phase. This was supported by a sequential mixed-method research approach, which involved a survey of contracting companies based in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to undertake focused interviews with management staff and site operatives. Findings – Research findings established a number of issues, not least: a gap between green building practices and legislation requirements; a high degree of unawareness of green building legislation/practices by construction company stakeholders; selective implementation of health and safety legislative requirements; that management staff had a more “positive” attitude to green building practices than site-based staff who tended to be less motivated and open to such practices. Research limitations/implications – Results from this study are considered generalisable with the sample frame only. Research inference and projections should therefore only be made within this set, and not to the wider population of South African contractors (as this study was limited to the Western Cape Province). Practical implications – Implications from this research are applicable to construction company stakeholders within the population set. Practical considerations include the need to acknowledge a formal commitment to developing a sustainable built environment – especially cognisant of the gap between practices on site and green building legislation requirements. Moreover, this lack of awareness in respect of green building practices and legislation requirements impinges upon several wider areas, not least: construction company stakeholders’ positioning, health and safety practices; managerial and operational staff perceptions, and stakeholders’ willingness and motivation to proactively address these gaps. Social implications – Government bodies and allied professionals in charge of construction industry development are encouraged to consider the implementation of green building legislation requirements on construction sites. This reflection should encourage engagement through formative legislative provision and transparent awareness campaigns. Originality/value – This work is original insofar as it directly addresses the alignment of legislation to current practices within the context of the South African construction industry. However, similar exercises have been undertaken on green building legislation in other countries such as USA, UK and Australia.
Springer eBooks, Dec 22, 2020
Facilities, Feb 7, 2017
Purpose This paper aims to examine briefing practices and whether these are related to the qualit... more Purpose This paper aims to examine briefing practices and whether these are related to the quality of brief documents and client satisfaction in constructed health-care facilities in South Africa. The rational for the examination stems from the view held by scholars that the briefing process is critical to the success of projects, as well as client/user satisfaction in the constructed facility, and also because of undocumented reports of client/end-user dissatisfaction in constructed health-care facilities in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach The research process consisted of a literature review to identify existing briefing framework and practices in use applicable to facilities. This was supported by an exploratory case study of a recently completed public hospital in East London, South Africa. Data collection for the study was undertaken by means of conducting semi-structured interviews with two groups consisting of client representatives and the technical design team on the project. Findings The research established that in the context of this case study, inadequate client consultation took place, not all design consultants were adequately involved in the development of the project brief, limited use was made of a specific briefing framework in developing the project brief and that despite these shortcomings in the briefing process followed, a comprehensive good quality briefing document was produced and the client was satisfied with the health-care facility constructed. Research limitations/implications The results of this study are generalizable with health-care facilities only. As such, research inferences and projections can only be made within this set and may not necessarily be applicable to the wider construction sector or to all projects within this sector. Practical implications The implications of this research are applicable to constructed health-care facilities. Practical inferences include the need to acknowledge that there is a need for a briefing framework, which should outline the involvement of all design consultants and client representatives when developing the project briefs for health-care facilities. The briefing framework is proposed for use in addressing the shortcomings in the briefing processes and practices and will also help the client in the choice of a brief process and practice which will comprehensively capture their requirements, give clear directives/information to the design consultants and will result in higher levels of end-user/patient satisfaction in the constructed health-care facility. Social implications Clients and allied professionals in charge of health-care facilities’ construction are encouraged to consider the implementation of a standard framework for use in the briefing process. This reflection should encourage engagement through formative legislative provision and transparent awareness campaigns. Originality/value This work is original insofar, as it directly addresses the alignment of briefing practices to quality of brief documents and client satisfaction in constructed health-care facilities within the context of the South African construction industry. However, similar exercises have been undertaken on briefing practices in the wider construction sector.
Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology, Apr 1, 2019
PurposeThe poor quality of design documentation has been identified as a significant contributor ... more PurposeThe poor quality of design documentation has been identified as a significant contributor to delays, rework and cost overruns on construction projects in South Africa. Despite this, limited research has been undertaken to specifically investigate the quality of design documentation. This in turn hampers efforts aimed at improving the quality of the design documents. The aim of this study is to identify the key quality attributes of design documentation and determine the extent to which the design documents issued on South African construction projects are perceived to incorporate the quality attributes.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was distributed among civil engineering design consultants and contractors in the South African construction industry. Responses to a total of 120 completed questionnaires were statistically analysed. The relative importance and extent of incorporation of the quality attributes was determined based on the mean scores.FindingsIt emerged from the study that the two key quality attributes of design documentation were legibility and coordinated design documentation. Attributes with the least importance were relevancy and certainty. Regarding the incorporation of the quality attributes, the design documents were rated highly with respect to their legibility and clarity. The quality of the documentation was deemed inadequate in terms of accuracy and certainty.Practical implicationsThe findings provide valuable insight to stakeholders involved in developing initiatives aimed at improving the quality of design documentation and as a result construction project performance.Originality/valueThe study provides empirical evidence and extends the literature on design documentation quality especially from the perspective of South Africa, a developing country.
Built environment project and asset management, Mar 26, 2020
Purpose-This paper examines the use of intelligent technologies in buildings and whether the use ... more Purpose-This paper examines the use of intelligent technologies in buildings and whether the use of smart technologies impacts the circular economy performance of buildings in terms of energy and water consumption, their marginal cost and the management decision time and quality, for building management companies. Design/methodology/approach-The study is initiated through the detailed build-up of the proposition that employs a systematic literature review and adopts the case study research design to make a cross-case analysis of the information extracted from data. The data are derived from the operating costs of two buildings in which most advanced smart technologies are used in Cape Town and interviews with their facility managers. These data provide two research case studies. The results of the investigation are then analysed and linked back to the literature. Findings-The results of the research suggest that the implementation of smart technologies to create intelligent infrastructure is beneficial to the circular economy performance of buildings and the time taken for management decisions. The results of the study have proven that the impact of smart technologies on the circular economy performance of buildings is positive, as it lowers the cost of utilities and decreases the time required for management decisions. Research limitations/implications-The research reported in this paper is exploratory, and due to its limited sample size, its findings may not be statistically generalizable to the population of high-occupancy buildings in Cape Town, which incorporate smart infrastructure technologies within their building management systems (BMSs). Also, the empirical data collected were limited to the views and opinions of the interviewees, and the secondary data were obtained from the selected buildings. Practical implications-The findings suggest that investment in smart technologies within buildings is of significant value and will improve the circular economy performance of buildings in terms of low energy and water use, and effective management decisions. Social implications-The results imply that there would be more effective maintenance decisions taken by facilities managers, which will enable the maintenance of equipment to be properly monitored, problems with the building services and equipment to be identified in good time and in improved well-being and user satisfaction. Originality/value-The study provides evidence to support the concept that advanced smart technologies boost performance, the time required for management decisions and that they enable circularity in buildings. It supports the proposition that investment in the more advanced smart technologies in buildings has more positive rewards.
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
PurposePrevious studies have postulated that an advance payment system (APS) positively impacts t... more PurposePrevious studies have postulated that an advance payment system (APS) positively impacts the contractor's working capital and is paramount to ensuring an efficient and effective project cash flow process. However, scant research has been undertaken to empirically establish the cash flow performance and domino effect of APS on project and organisational performance.Design/methodology/approachThe epistemological design adopted a positivist philosophical stance augmented by deductive reasoning to explore the phenomena under investigation. Primary quantitative data were collected from 504 Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) registered contractors (within the grade bandings 1–9) in South Africa. A five-point Likert scale was utilised, and subsequent data accrued were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM).FindingsEmergent findings reveal that the mandatory use of an APS does not guarantee a positive project cash flow, an improvement in organisational per...
Routledge eBooks, Aug 22, 2019
Integration of Health and Safety (H&S) into procurement is a proactive approach to improving H&S ... more Integration of Health and Safety (H&S) into procurement is a proactive approach to improving H&S culture in project development processes, more effective than reactive and active strategies. Nonetheless, procurement approaches that support H&S culture has received limited attention in construction research. This paper examines Labour-only Procurement System (LoPS) towards eliciting key barriers, opportunities and strategies for incorporating H&S into this growing procurement approach. Systematic review of literature is the main method of the study. Findings suggest clients are highly involved in LoPS. They control and monitor objectives including H&S. We argue that extant clients' approach present a mixture of opportunities and barriers to facilitating robust H&S outcomes in construction projects. This is because in LoPS, inexperienced clients have unreserved rights to undertake leadership responsibilities and this often compromise H&S outcomes of their projects and projects environment. We also found that traditional contract documents, in the ways they define stakeholders' roles and responsibilities, remain barriers to integrating H&S into LoPS. This is because these documents have been the tradition long before the industry commenced the renewal of its efforts at promoting H&S culture. One the other hand, incorporating H&S in LoPS triggers insights from cost-effectiveness H&S strategies and H&S culture also benefits from risk-benefit transfer between construction contract parties. LoPS encourages early-stage collaboration and effective negotiation that could lead to appropriate revisions to the definitions of H&S responsibilities of contract parties. Conclusions of the study are drawn from robust conceptual theories in a way that inspires empirical studies.
The performance of labour is one of the factors that contribute to the success of the constructio... more The performance of labour is one of the factors that contribute to the success of the construction project. Labour productivity alone has been ascribed the sole measure of poor project performance without an examination of factors giving rise to this claim. Furthermore, there is limited research that examines the primary factors affecting labour productivity in the context of South African construction industry. This study examines the contextual factors affecting labour productivity on construction projects and whether there are key factors that impact on labour productivity on construction projects. The aim of this study will be achieved through a review of literature pertinent to contextual factors impacting labour productivity on construction projects. Additionally, a distribution of a questionnaire survey to construction companies listed on the cidb Register of Contractors in the grades 2–6. It emerged from the study of extant literature that delays in delivery of material, inspection delays from engineers, change orders from designers/consultants, lack of experience amongst workers and mismanagement of resources on site, critically and negatively impact on labour productivity on construction projects. This examination of contextual factors that affect labour productivity provides necessary information for use by construction organisations in implementing measures to properly address issues pertaining to poor labour productivity on construction projects. Based on these findings, the study recommends that construction organisations create a database that clusters contextual factors per region/location of the project. This is to ensure that the critical factors such as inadequate supervision and remuneration disputes that impact on the performance of labour are addressed, while those that are out of the organisation’s control such as shortage of materials and industrial action are planned for at the pre-construction phase of the project. Further studies that investigate the contextual factors impacting on labour productivity, using empirical data is recommended.
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Jun 18, 2020
Ahead of Print articles will move to that issue's Table of Contents. When the article is publishe... more Ahead of Print articles will move to that issue's Table of Contents. When the article is published in a journal issue, the full reference should be cited in addition to the DOI.
WORLD SCIENTIFIC eBooks, May 1, 2019
Uploads
Courses by Abimbola Windapo
Videos by Abimbola Windapo
Understanding Housing Affordability
The State of Play
Issues in Affordable Housing
Land acquisition
Construction material inputs
Housing finance and interest rates
Basic Income
Way forward
Leveraging construction materials for affordable housing provision
Papers by Abimbola Windapo
Understanding Housing Affordability
The State of Play
Issues in Affordable Housing
Land acquisition
Construction material inputs
Housing finance and interest rates
Basic Income
Way forward
Leveraging construction materials for affordable housing provision