FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Productivity Measuring Tool for Construction Projects
By Mohammad Faedzwan Abdul Rahman , Intan Diyana Musa , Maria Zura Mohd Zain Centre for Advanced Technology and Innovation , Construction Research Institute of Malaysia
Tan Ek Khai , Mohammad Hafiz Ameran Gamuda Industrial Building System Sdn Bhd
Zuhairi Abd . Hamid , Gerald Sundaraj Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia
The Productivity Measuring Tool defines productivity performance of building construction projects as the ratio of total constructed gross floor area to total man-days . Using this tool , construction projects using Industrialised Building System ( IBS ) have shown higher productivity performance compared with projects using conventional construction methods .
The industrial sector is one of the most important sectors for a country ’ s economic growth . It is one of the main drivers of economic development and hence it can improve the employment rate in every country ( Kamarul Bahrin , Fauzi Othman , Nor Azli , & Farihin Talib , 2016 ). In the 21 st century , technological advancement and innovation have transformed the industry to be more dependent on the use of computers and cyber-physical systems , or mainly known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution ( Forcael , et al . 2020 ). The rise of the Fourth Industrial Revolution , also colloquially known as IR4.0 has massively impacted all industries , including the construction industry .
Originating from Germany , ( Klaus Schwab 2021 ), IR 4.0 comprises various new technologies combining digital , physical , and biological elements , which have impacted all disciplines , industries , and economies ( WEF , 2016 ). These global trends have had the biggest impact where the emergence of new technologies such as Building Information
Modelling ( BIM ), Internet of Things ( IoT ), additive manufacturing , 3D printing , and digital twin construction have been adopted by organisations throughout their construction projects ( Premise & Begi , 2021 ). However , the implementation levels of these emerging technologies in the construction industry is still low .
To align the construction industry with the rise of IR4.0 , Construction 4.0 has been developed as part of the emerging IR4.0 to assist in the advancement of technology , specifically designed for the construction industry . This has been supported through a recent approach by Sawhney , et al . ( 2020 ) where Construction 4.0 is defined as a transformative framework of industrial production and construction , digital technologies and cyber-physical systems .
Figure 1 shows the transformative framework approach of Construction 4.0 by Sawhney et al . ( 2020 ). The digital technologies approach underpins the implementation of high-tech applications such as Building Information Modelling ( BIM ), unmanned aerial systems , common data environment , cloud , augmented / virtual reality , artificial intelligence , big data analytics , laser scanner and blockchain . Moreover , the application of cyber-physical systems , for instance , robotics and automation , Internet of Things , sensors , off-site and on-site construction offers productivity gains for an organisation to improve their quality , project completion duration and services offered to their client .
46 VOL 88 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2021