Comparative Analysis: Quality, Time and Cost Efficiency of Dry Construction and Wet Construction Techniques
1.0 Introduction
Dry construction refers to the use of dry materials including gypsum board, plywood or wallboard in construction, minus the application of plaster or mortar whereas wet construction refers to any construction which makes use of that are installed or applied in other than a dry condition. Aside from plaster or mortar, concrete is also used as agent in wet construction. Dry construction can only be performed in soil formations which are inherently stable and where ground water is not present. As such, any intrusion which may degrade the structure of the surrounding soil could reduce the capacity of the infrastructure to be built. Wet construction, on the other hand, implies that slurry is placed capable of maintaining positive pressures, and can be mineral, synthetic or natural (Gunaratne, 2006). This exploratory study aims to compare the efficiency of dry construction vis-à-vis wet construction techniques in terms of three fundamental efficiency measures as quality, time and cost.
2.0 Statement of the Problem
The control mechanism of construction projects falls into five categories including time, cost, quality, function and conflict. In this study, the first three categories will be considered. The documentation of construction programs, the bills or financial statements and the specifications differ based on which construction technique the project manager and also engineers and architects will decide to use. Time is a major influence surrounding the success of any construction venture. However, time is influenced by several factors hence the necessity to making timeframes and/or schedules of activities unambiguous. The question is: To what extent does time efficiency is achieved between dry and wet construction method? Cost control, further, is framed with reference to the financial scheme of the project. The changes in the circumstances relating to the project is reflected on cost plan and cost performance. Between dry and wet construction, under what circumstances does cost efficiency is realized is the question to be answered. Topical at the moment are quality control and quality assurance issues. Quality could be defined in two ways: characteristics and perception. As such, a construction project must have specified and quantifiable characteristics and depend on the subjective reaction of the people regarding the project. Quality efficiency is a must in the construction and building industry. The question worthy of researching is: How do dry and wet construction techniques sustain the quality of construction produce? Will there be similarities and differences in quality efficiency if dry or wet construction technique is employed? Likewise, will there be similarities and differences in time and cost efficiency depending on the technique to be used. Other issues that the study will address are:
1) What are the benefits and detriments of using dry construction techniques? of wet construction techniques?
2) Are there specific applications of dry construction techniques? of wet construction techniques?
3) Why do industry experts and practitioners prefer dry construction? wet construction?
3.0 Research Aims and Objectives
The main purpose of the research is to develop comparative arguments based upon sound practices in the construction and building industry by means of outlining the comparison between the performance of dry and wet construction. The three areas by which the researcher will build insights upon are quality, time and cost efficiency. In lieu with this, the study purports to:
§ Evaluate levels of similarities/differences in areas of quality, time and cost between dry and wet construction
§ Assess how dry or wet construction will proved to be beneficial in completing a construction project
§ Decide on which construction technique is preferred by industry experts and practitioners
4.0 Significance of the Study
This study is undertaken to advance the awareness in various construction techniques which will provide greater efficiency to the industry and the relevant stakeholders including society in general. Motivations for improving construction quality are ongoing because of the heightened pressures on decision-makers. Based on the findings of this research, decision-makers including builders, designers and project managers will be provided with guidelines/recommendations in optimizing resource utilization plans that will minimize the construction cost and time while also maximising the quality of construction projects. Construction optimization could only be achieved if decision-makers relating to construction projects are educated enough on what specific technique will provide them with much efficiency especially in terms of time, cost and quality. The study is also important as it can relate the factors affecting the likelihood of success in completing a construction project.
5.0 Research Plan
The research will operate within the cross-sectional design, as I will be collecting data using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, structured observation, and document analysis. The benefit of this would be that Ì would be able to focus on the breath of the research. Exploratory research will enable the study to look at the problem in both descriptive and exploratory manner. This approach is a preferred mean of finding out “what is happening to seek new insights” or “to ask questions or to assess phenomena in a new light” (Saunders et al, 2003; Robson, 2002). This study will use the principal ways of conducting an exploratory research, which include: literature search; talking to experts about the subject; participative observation and conducting survey and interview.
The research will utilise both primary and secondary research. In primary research, a semi-structured questionnaire will be used as the survey tool for the study. Accordingly, semi-structured interview questions will be developed to provide the researcher the opportunity to ‘probe’ answers, which can be done in instances where there is a need or want for the interviewees to explain further or build on their responses. It is planned that the questionnaire will have open-ended and probing questions aside from the 5-point Likert scale ranking questions. A secondary research will also be conducted in the study. Sources in secondary research will include previous research reports, newspaper, magazine and journal content. Existing findings on journals and existing knowledge on books will be used as secondary research. The interpretation will be conducted which can account as qualitative in nature.
Further, exact and sophisticated observation will be also employed during the data collection process. Non-participant observation will be conducted and the observer will make use of audio and visual devices for recording observations. Observation guide will be prepared to aid observers during the process. A resource person with construction expertise will be contacted to assist in observation. Observation encounters will include mostly of implementation of wet and dry construction. What will be observed is the process of completing a project using dry construction techniques and wet construction techniques. Prior to observation, written consent and interview forms will be accomplished.
The research shall be divided into five chapters in order to provide clarity and coherence on the discussion. The first part of the dissertation will be discussing the problem uncovered by the researcher and provide ample background of the topic. The chapter shall constitute an introduction to the whole dissertation, the hypothesis, and the statement of the problem in order to present the basis of the study.
The second chapter shall be discussing the relevance of the study in the existing literature. It shall provide studies on proper waste treatment, storage and disposal and how the environment can be affected in the process. After the presentation of the existing related literature, the researcher shall provide a synthesis of the whole chapter in relation to the study.
The third part of the study shall be discussing the methods and procedures used in the study. The chapter shall comprise of the presentation of the utilized techniques for data collection and research methodology. Similarly, it shall also contain a discussion on the used techniques in data analysis as well as the tools used to acquire the said data.
The fourth chapter shall be an analysis on the tabulated data. After the said tabulation, the data are statistically treated in order to uncover the relationship of the variable involved in the study. With the said data, the chapter seeks to address the statement of the problem noted in the first chapter.
The last chapter shall comprise of three sections, the summary of the findings, the conclusions of the study, and the recommendations. With the three portions, the chapter shall be able to address the research problem stated in the initial chapters of the study.
References
Effective Controls of Construction Projects. Paper to 7th Annual ARCOM conference. University of Bath.
Gunaratne, M. (2006). The Foundation Engineering Handbook. CRC Press.
Robson, C. (2002). Real world research. (2nd edn). Oxford: Blackwell.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill, A. (2003). Research Methods for Business Students, 3rd Ed. London: Prentice Hall Financial Times.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment