Abstract. Materials constitute a large proportion of the total project cost and the absence of right materials in the right quantities and quality on site when needed is one of the most commonly experienced causes of delays in construction projects. Although supplier selection is a strategic issue, contractors generally select suppliers based on their past experiences, which may result in selecting wrong suppliers. Supplier selection decision is generally made by multiple decision makers and is affected by several criteria. Therefore, selecting the right supplier among many alternatives considering several compromising and conflicting criteria is a multi-criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) problem. This paper proposes an integrated fuzzy MCGDM approach, which employs fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) together, for the supplier selection problem. In the proposed approach, fuzzy AHP is used to analyse the structure of the supplier selection problem and to determine the weights of the criteria, and the fuzzy TOPSIS method is employed to rank the alternative suppliers. The proposed approach is applied to a problem of selecting the most appropriate rail supplier and company management found the proposed decision approach satisfactory and implementable in future supplier selection problems.
Adaptive reuse of buildings is considered a superior alternative for new construction in terms of sustainability and a disruptive practice in the current capital project delivery model for the renewal of today’s built environment. In comparison to green-field construction projects, adaptive reuse projects require distinct stages, definition of interfaces, decision gates, and planning methods in order to secure the success of the building project. Unfortunately, little research has been done regarding establishing feasible systems for the planning, assessment, and management of adaptive reuse projects, leading to underperforming building projects outcomes. Interface management (IM) can improve renovation projects outcomes by defining appropriate ways to identify, record, monitor, and track project interfaces. IM has the potential of bringing cost and time benefits during adaptive reuse projects execution. The aim of this study is to develop a reference framework for implementing IM for adaptive reuse projects. First, the inefficiencies of redevelopment projects are explained inside of a circular economy (CE) context. Second, an ontology of IM for adaptive reuse projects is defined based on the current barriers to adaptive reuse and the most common interface problems in construction projects. Third, the defined ontology is expanded through a case study by showing examples of adaptive reuse barriers on a case project, and how IM could have been part of the solution for these problems. Finally, this study concludes with the suggestions on interface management systems (IMS) implementation for future adaptive reuse projects.
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