| dc.description.abstract | Efficient construction project management is crucial to project success. As the construction industry changes, constructors find themselves confronted by new issues and must undertake roles that have not traditionally been part of their responsibility. This change in roles requires their traditional responsibilities to be supplemented with non-engineering knowledge and skills to meet today's professional demands. While many studies have examined competency for effective project management, few have done so in the context of NetZero Energy Building (NZEB) construction. Achieving NZEB is a complex process. The decisions made in the early stages of a project impacts its outcomes most in meeting NetZero energy (NZE) goals, which requires knowledge sharing of NZEB constructors in a collaborative work environment. So, the decision-making process and the delivery of the completed project should be integrated, and crucial for NZEBs in achieving the NZE goals. Another important aspect for NZEB projects is the successful integration of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and Building Performance Simulation (BPS) tools, which aid the constructors in selecting optimal solutions from a set of available alternatives. Therefore, this study primarily aimed to determine the critical knowledge areas and skills that are necessary to respond to NZEB construction challenges. Through a survey and follow up interviews with NZEB constructors, this study identified the knowledge and skills base for constructors to be competitive and to effectively execute NZEB projects.
Results from this study revealed that the most important challenges were workers’ unawareness of the correct methods and procedures, reluctance to change from traditional practices, and lack of the technical skill regarding Green/NZEB technologies. The most important knowledge areas were communication management, schedule management and planning, and cost management. The most important skills required to mitigate the challenges were teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving skills. In addition, this study summarized attitudes of the participants regarding the relative importance of the various mechanisms for professional development. The contribution of on the job site experience was rated higher than that of formal industry training provided by employers. The contribution of academic education to the competency of NZEB constructors was rated lower than that of industry training. For BIM implementation, industry’s resistance to change from traditional working practices, inadequate in-depth expertise and know-how to operate sustainability related analysis software program, and high initial investment in staff training costs were the top challenges. Accuracy, intelligence, and usability were the important features for BPS tools.
This study is expected to be beneficial for the constructors’ decision making in NZEB project context. Construction educators are also expected to benefit from this study in developing their academic curriculum with a goal to meet the industry need. | en_US |
