- Melbourne Schoool of Design
Faculty of Architecture, Building & planning, Room 317
The University of Melbourne,
Victoria 3010
Australia
https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/152800-ajibade-aibinu - +61 3 8344 6811
- Construction Claims, Conflict and Dispute Management (including Mediation and Arbitration), ICT adoption in Construction (with specific focus on Building Information Modelling), Construction Cost Modelling with Artificial Intelligence (including Life Cycle costing), Construction Economics, Project Procurement and Performance, Architecture, and 5 moreBig Data Analytics, Value for money, Internet of Things (IoT), Circular Economy, and Digital Engineeringedit
- Ajibade is currently an Associate Professor is Quantity Surveying (Cost Management) and Construction Economics at the... moreAjibade is currently an Associate Professor is Quantity Surveying (Cost Management) and Construction Economics at the Melbourne School of Design, Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne where he was the Assistant Dean, Research Training (2013 – 2017). Prior to joining the University of Melbourne in 2006, he was a research scholar at the National University of Singapore. He has published over 80 research articles, and book and has spoken at numerous conferences. Ajibade ’s research interest cut across the built environment project and asset management from design, construction to operations. He founded the Intelligent Cost Manager (ICM), an AI-based cost management solution that leverages deep learning and predictive modelling to generate cost estimates with greater accuracy using historical data. His work uses design science research methodology grounded in knowledge management theory, innovation adoption theories, and theories in human-computer interaction. In 2017, a paper co-authored and published won the Outstanding Paper Award in the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence. Ajibade is the Lead Guest Editor of, Built Environment Project and Asset Management [BEPAM] journal special issue on Data analytics and big data in construction and asset management. He won the Melbourne School of Design Teaching Excellence Award in 2012. He is currently a Member, Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (MAIQS) and Associate, Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2008-2013).
He holds BSc and MSc in Quantity Surveying from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria before he proceeded to Singapore for his PhD in Construction Project Management from the National University of Singapore.
Teaching/Research Aspirations
‘To create a transforming learning experience for students by teaching in a passionate and engaging manner and as much as possible promote interaction and foster students' critical thinking and independent construction of new knowledge rooted in academic research and industry practice so that they are well prepared to become leaders in the construction industry’edit
This is a book Chapter appearing in:
Penny Brooker and Suzanne Wilkinson (eds.), Mediation in the Construction Industry: An International Perspectives. CIB/Taylor and Francis (Spoon Press): UK.
ISBN: 978-0-415-47175-6
Penny Brooker and Suzanne Wilkinson (eds.), Mediation in the Construction Industry: An International Perspectives. CIB/Taylor and Francis (Spoon Press): UK.
ISBN: 978-0-415-47175-6
Research Interests: Engineering, Project Management, Data Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling, Procurement, and 15 moreModeling, Public sector, Construction Industry, Public Procurement, Bidding, Latent variable, Project manager, Partial Least Squares, Continuous professional development, Structural Equation Model, Clients, Partial Least Square, Questionnaire Survey, Professional association, and Data Gathering
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. It helps to decide on whether or not to proceed with the project. An incomplete scope definition in early stages of a project's life cycle is... more
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. It helps to decide on whether or not to proceed with the project. An incomplete scope definition in early stages of a project's life cycle is a common source of difficulty in construction project development process. Meanwhile, the developing of the project can effect positively or negatively a variety of interests. Construction projects in specific bring different degrees of changes on the surrounding environment and people, not only limited at the construction site. Therefore, project definitions boundaries may be redefined, or subjected to differing expectations and interpretation by different stakeholders. The literature suggests that project scope definition practices and stakeholders’ management are two separate domains, which are often investigated separately. However, project scope definition practices can benefit from stakeholders’ management theories. Using procedural justice and participation theories to bring together the two domains, this research will contribute to theory and practice in the project management field. The paper develops a conceptual framework of an ongoing PhD research that seeks to answer the main research question ‘How can the level of project scope definition completeness be evaluated to account for differences in stakeholders’ concerns to facilitate a better project outcome in public building projects? The research aims to develop a procedure that should help a project management team measure the completeness of project scope definition with adequate consideration for stakeholders’ inputs at the pre-project planning stage of building projects, thereby facilitating a better project outcome.
A complete definition of the scope of a project upfront during early stages ensures smooth and successful implementation during the project execution. This research identifies and prioritises project scope definition elements for public... more
A complete definition of the scope of a project upfront during early stages ensures smooth and successful implementation during the project execution. This research identifies and prioritises project scope definition elements for public buildings in Saudi Arabia. Elements that could significantly contribute to complete project scope definition package at pre-project planning stage are identified and their interrelationship determined and prioritised. Using the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) as a basis, the study uses analytical network process (ANP) technique based on data obtained from project managers who have been involved in public sector projects in Saudi Arabia. Data collection and analysis was conducted in three steps. The first step involved identification of scope definition elements while the second involved an investigation into interrelationships among the elements. In the third step, ANP was used to determine the weight of the elements’ importance in terms of contribution to project scope definition completeness. Finally, Pareto analysis was used to prioritise and assess the distribution pattern of the elements. The outcome from this research is the prioritisation of project scope definition elements for public building projects in Saudi Arabia. The prioritised list developed indicates the importance of project scope definition elements. It should help project management teams identify elements to consider when evaluating project scope definition for completeness at the pre-project planning stage.
Research Interests:
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. A well-defined project can reduce the risk of changes and delays during construction. Thus, measuring the level of project scope definition... more
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. A well-defined project can reduce the risk of changes and delays during construction. Thus, measuring the level of project scope definition completeness during pre-project planning stage can help decision-makers determine whether or not to proceed with the project or to spend more time in defining the scope of project elements. Conventionally, decision-makers and project management team are the main players involved when defining scope elements. However, they are not the only contributors in shaping the project scope at the pre-project planning stage; other stakeholders need to be involved as well. This research investigates the involvement of project's stakeholders when measuring the level of project scope definition completeness. More specifically, this paper aims to develop a procedure and an evaluation tool to measure the level of project scope definition completeness based on stakeholders' inputs. The procedure accounts for the differences in stakeholders' importance to each project scope definition element. The proposed procedure has been validated using two case studies within the context of public building projects. The proposed procedure could improve project stakeholders' sense of procedural justice and fairness in project decision-making. It should also improve project scope definition process in practice, which could in turn increase the chance of having a better project outcome, successful project and satisfied stakeholders. The procedure can serve as a first step towards achieving an optimal project outcome that satisfies all project stakeholders, both internal and external.
Research Interests:
... The assessment could be factored into project time and cost estimate thereby increasing price and cost certainty prior to project commencement. ... The causes and effects ofconstruction delays on completion cost of housing projects in... more
... The assessment could be factored into project time and cost estimate thereby increasing price and cost certainty prior to project commencement. ... The causes and effects ofconstruction delays on completion cost of housing projects in Nigeria. ...
Research Interests:
ABSTRACT Purpose – The study reported in this paper proposed the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) as viable alternative to regression for predicting the cost of building services elements at the early stage of design. The purpose... more
ABSTRACT Purpose – The study reported in this paper proposed the use of artificial neural networks (ANN) as viable alternative to regression for predicting the cost of building services elements at the early stage of design. The purpose of this paper is to develop, test and validate ANN models for predicting the costs of electrical services components. Design/Methodology/Approach – The research is based on data mining of over 200 building projects in the office of a medium size electrical contractor. Of the over 200 projects examined, 71 usable data were found and used for the ANN modeling. Regression models were also explored using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics Software 21, for the purpose of comparison with the ANN models. Findings – The findings show that the cost forecasting models based on ANN algorithm are more viable alternative to regression models for predicting the costs of light wiring, power wiring and cable pathways. The ANN prediction errors achieved are 6.4, 4.5 and 4.5 per cent for the three models developed whereas the regression models were insignificant. They did not fit any of the known regression distributions. Practical implications – The validated ANN models were converted to a desktop application (user interface) package – “Intelligent Estimator.” The application is important because it can be used by construction professionals to reliably and quickly forecast the costs of power wiring, light wiring and cable pathways using building variables that are readily available or measurable during design stage, i.e. fully enclosed covered area, unenclosed covered area, internal perimeter length and number of floors. Originality/value – Previous studies have concluded that the methods of estimating the budget for building structure and fabric work are inappropriate for use with mechanical and electrical services. Thus, this study is unique because it applied the ANN modeling technique, for the first time, to cost modeling of electrical services components for building using real world data. The analysis shows that ANN is a better alternative to regression models for predicting cost of services elements because the relationship between cost and the cost drivers are non-linear and distribution types are unknown.
Research Interests:
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. A well-defined project can reduce the risk of changes and delays during construction. Thus, measuring the level of project scope definition... more
Project scope definition is the process whereby a project is defined and prepared for execution. A well-defined project can reduce the risk of changes and delays during construction. Thus, measuring the level of project scope definition completeness during pre-project planning stage can help decision-makers determine whether or not to proceed with the project or to spend more time in defining the scope of project elements. Conventionally, decision-makers and project management team are the main players involved when defining scope elements. However, they are not the only contributors in shaping the project scope at the pre-project planning stage; other stakeholders need to be involved as well.
This research investigates the involvement of project’s stakeholders when measuring the level of project scope definition completeness. More specifically, this paper aims to develop a procedure and an evaluation tool to measure the level of project scope definition completeness based on stakeholders’ inputs. The procedure accounts for the differences in stakeholders’ importance to each project scope definition element. The proposed procedure has been validated using two case studies within the context of public building projects.
The proposed procedure could improve project stakeholders’ sense of procedural justice and fairness in project decision-making. It should also improve project scope definition process in practice, which could in turn increase the chance of having a better project outcome, successful project and satisfied stakeholders. The procedure can serve as a first step towards achieving an
This research investigates the involvement of project’s stakeholders when measuring the level of project scope definition completeness. More specifically, this paper aims to develop a procedure and an evaluation tool to measure the level of project scope definition completeness based on stakeholders’ inputs. The procedure accounts for the differences in stakeholders’ importance to each project scope definition element. The proposed procedure has been validated using two case studies within the context of public building projects.
The proposed procedure could improve project stakeholders’ sense of procedural justice and fairness in project decision-making. It should also improve project scope definition process in practice, which could in turn increase the chance of having a better project outcome, successful project and satisfied stakeholders. The procedure can serve as a first step towards achieving an
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
... It also depends on three legal regimes governing the ADR, namely, (1) contractual arrangement of parties; (2) national legal system to which the technique(s) is subjected; and (3) relevantinternational ... Legal developments... more
... It also depends on three legal regimes governing the ADR, namely, (1) contractual arrangement of parties; (2) national legal system to which the technique(s) is subjected; and (3) relevantinternational ... Legal developments affecting arbitration. Singapore Institute ...
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
The quality of papers in this journal could not be sustained were it not for our referees and the high quality of feedback that they provide to us and to our authors. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their work and to... more
The quality of papers in this journal could not be sustained were it not for our referees and the high quality of feedback that they provide to us and to our authors. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their work and to thank them for undertaking this task so freely and enthusiastically. We are grateful to the following people for acting as referees during the last twelve months.
Research Interests:
The quality of papers in this journal could not be sustained were it not for our referees and the high quality of feedback that they provide to us and to our authors. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their work and to... more
The quality of papers in this journal could not be sustained were it not for our referees and the high quality of feedback that they provide to us and to our authors. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their work and to thank them for undertaking this task so freely and enthusiastically. We are grateful to the following people for acting as referees during the last twelve months.
Research Interests:
Building economists have produced construction cost indices to allow for a comparison of building construction costs for a wide range of locations. These are updated regularly to enable building owners, contractors and investors to... more
Building economists have produced construction cost indices to allow for a comparison of building construction costs for a wide range of locations. These are updated regularly to enable building owners, contractors and investors to estimate the cost of an equivalent building on a per square metre basis. This method of computing construction costs, either in local currency, or adjusted using a purchasing power parity approach provides a reasonably accurate description of the cost relativities between countries. This focus on per square metre building costs disregards the differences in construction methods or technologies employed to construct buildings. Thus, they do not provide a complete insight into the reasons for the differences in construction costs observed across countries and localities. The aim of an ongoing research project is therefore to develop a construction cost index to compare the various methods of concrete construction that are available to produce the same build-up floor area. Differences in local practices, availability of local resources (materials, labour and capital), domestic building materials industries, and local regulations all combine to influence the construction cost of a building. An illustrative example of this framework is reflected in labour and plant constants for three concrete structural systems in Australia, UK, Malaysia and the US. The findings indicate that it is now possible to utilise simple ratios of material costs to labour rates to justify the choice of concrete construction technologies. These derived cost indices should be able to provide a rational method for selecting appropriate building technologies to suit the circumstances of the construction sector in different economies. This is important as countries continue to seek new ways of making construction products affordable as well as to stimulate the development of domestic construction industry.
In February 2009, the Australian Government announced the $16.2b Building the Education Revolution (BER) as part of an economic stimulus package. In the context of a global financial crisis, the Government called for ‘shovel ready’... more
In February 2009, the Australian Government announced the $16.2b Building the Education Revolution (BER) as part of
an economic stimulus package. In the context of a global financial crisis, the Government called for ‘shovel ready’ projects
requiring state education departments to develop template designs to speed the delivery process. Three years later, new
facilities have been completed in over 1100 government schools in Victoria (DEECD, 2012). This article outlines research by
an interdisciplinary team to track the early occupation of a template design used inVictoria. The design template was unusual: it
enabled schools to continue using traditional classroom teaching or to slide open walls to form larger neighbourhoods suitable
for team teaching. Our research linked different methodological frameworks to undertake post-occupancy evaluation (POE)
of the new spaces. POE strategies are often driven by construction and project management perspectives rather than focus
on organizational issues and user behaviour.
an economic stimulus package. In the context of a global financial crisis, the Government called for ‘shovel ready’ projects
requiring state education departments to develop template designs to speed the delivery process. Three years later, new
facilities have been completed in over 1100 government schools in Victoria (DEECD, 2012). This article outlines research by
an interdisciplinary team to track the early occupation of a template design used inVictoria. The design template was unusual: it
enabled schools to continue using traditional classroom teaching or to slide open walls to form larger neighbourhoods suitable
for team teaching. Our research linked different methodological frameworks to undertake post-occupancy evaluation (POE)
of the new spaces. POE strategies are often driven by construction and project management perspectives rather than focus
on organizational issues and user behaviour.
A cooperative attitude is essential for successful teamwork in construction. The levels of conflict and dispute on construction projects are conceptualized as forms of cooperative/uncooperative attitude. A theoretical model demonstrates... more
A cooperative attitude is essential for successful teamwork in construction. The levels of conflict and dispute on construction projects are conceptualized as forms of cooperative/uncooperative attitude. A theoretical model demonstrates how conflict intensity, contractors’ dispute tendencies and six identified constructs of organizational justice interact with and relate to each other. The model is tested using a structural equation modelling technique with partial least-squares estimation. It uses survey data obtained from 41 contractors regarding their project experience. The results suggest that perceptions about organizational justice either
promote or hinder cooperative behaviour in the construction project delivery process. Organizational justice, or at least people’s perceptions of it, influenced 38% of conflict intensity levels, and altered 46% of contractors’ tendencies to dispute. Perceptions about the quantum of claims approved (favourability of the outcome and the perceived fairness of the outcome) influenced the levels of conflict and dispute. However, the way people are treated (quality of treatment) and the way claims are administered (quality of decision-making) have the largest impact on the model developed. Cooperative behaviour can be promoted on projects by managing construction claims in a proactive manner and by proper implementation of the claims mechanism.
promote or hinder cooperative behaviour in the construction project delivery process. Organizational justice, or at least people’s perceptions of it, influenced 38% of conflict intensity levels, and altered 46% of contractors’ tendencies to dispute. Perceptions about the quantum of claims approved (favourability of the outcome and the perceived fairness of the outcome) influenced the levels of conflict and dispute. However, the way people are treated (quality of treatment) and the way claims are administered (quality of decision-making) have the largest impact on the model developed. Cooperative behaviour can be promoted on projects by managing construction claims in a proactive manner and by proper implementation of the claims mechanism.
Pre-tender estimates are susceptible to inaccuracies (biases) because they are often prepared within a limited timeframe, and with limited information about project scope. Inaccurate estimation of project uncertainties is the underlying... more
Pre-tender estimates are susceptible to inaccuracies (biases) because they are often prepared within a limited timeframe, and with limited information about project scope. Inaccurate estimation of project uncertainties is the underlying cause of project cost overruns in construction. Typically, cost engineers and quantity surveyors would add contingency reserve to a pretender estimate in order to account for any unforeseen cost that may arise between the date of the estimate and the projected completion date of the project. The traditional 10%
rule of thumb for estimating contingency is subjective - based on experience and expert judgment, and are often inadequate. In the research reported in this paper, we propose that learning algorithms trained to use the known characteristic of completed projects could allow quantitative and objective estimation of the inaccuracies in pretender building cost estimates of new projects. The study assumes that the accuracy in the initial estimate (bias) of a completed project is the difference between the actual project completion costs minus the pre-tender cost forecast expressed as a percentage of the actual project completion costs. A three- layer ANN model of feed- forward type with one output node was constructed and trained to generalise nine characteristics of 100 completed projects and the cost data from those projects. The nine input variables of the model are project size (measured by number of storeys and gross floor area), principal structural material, procurement route, project type, location, sector, estimating method, and estimated sum. Estimate accuracy (bias) was used as the output variable. The prediction power stands at 73% correlation coefficient, 3% of Mean Absolute Error and 0.2% Mean Squared Error. It was found that in more than 73% of the test cases the predicted estimate bias did not differ by more than 8.2% from the expected
(Maximum Absolute Error). This means that amount of estimate bias predicted by the ANN are similar to what actually occurred. The trained ANN model can be used as a decision making tool by cost advisors when forecasting building cost at the pretender stage. The model can be queried with the characteristics of a new project in order to quickly predict the error in the estimate of the new project. The predicted error represents the additional
contingency reserve that must be set aside for the project in order to cater for possible cost overruns. The model can also be extended to forecast the likely cost of a project.
rule of thumb for estimating contingency is subjective - based on experience and expert judgment, and are often inadequate. In the research reported in this paper, we propose that learning algorithms trained to use the known characteristic of completed projects could allow quantitative and objective estimation of the inaccuracies in pretender building cost estimates of new projects. The study assumes that the accuracy in the initial estimate (bias) of a completed project is the difference between the actual project completion costs minus the pre-tender cost forecast expressed as a percentage of the actual project completion costs. A three- layer ANN model of feed- forward type with one output node was constructed and trained to generalise nine characteristics of 100 completed projects and the cost data from those projects. The nine input variables of the model are project size (measured by number of storeys and gross floor area), principal structural material, procurement route, project type, location, sector, estimating method, and estimated sum. Estimate accuracy (bias) was used as the output variable. The prediction power stands at 73% correlation coefficient, 3% of Mean Absolute Error and 0.2% Mean Squared Error. It was found that in more than 73% of the test cases the predicted estimate bias did not differ by more than 8.2% from the expected
(Maximum Absolute Error). This means that amount of estimate bias predicted by the ANN are similar to what actually occurred. The trained ANN model can be used as a decision making tool by cost advisors when forecasting building cost at the pretender stage. The model can be queried with the characteristics of a new project in order to quickly predict the error in the estimate of the new project. The predicted error represents the additional
contingency reserve that must be set aside for the project in order to cater for possible cost overruns. The model can also be extended to forecast the likely cost of a project.
The push for the use of e-bidding is on the increase. In many countries, e-bidding has become part of the public procurement reform. However, previous studies have reported the low uptake of e-bidding in the construction industry. This... more
The push for the use of e-bidding is on the increase. In many countries, e-bidding has become part of the public procurement reform. However, previous studies have reported the low uptake of e-bidding in the construction industry. This study develops a theoretical structural model representing the impact six latent variables on the willingness of construction organizations to participate in e-bidding. Data from a questionnaire survey of 64 respondents from clients, contractors, consultants, and suppliers organizations was used to analyze the model. The result of the data analysis suggests that perceived barriers, cost, the perceived benefits of e-bidding and security concerns are the factors influencing willingness participate in e-bidding with perceived barriers being the most significant influencing factor. The perception about the adequacy of the existing traditional paper-based tendering and the perception about the non-readiness of business partners are the underlying barriers that need to be addressed when introducing e-biding. This study also discovers that when the respondents concern about the cost of e-bidding is high, their reported willingness to participate in e-bidding is higher when the perceived benefits is high that when the perceived benefits is low. To enhance the participation of the industry in e-bidding, public sector and large private clients would need to take leadership by making bidder's capability for e-bidding and e-project management at all project phases a criteria in bid evaluation. E-bidding developers and promoters need to use test project cases to monitor, measure, and document the benefits of e-bidding. To disseminate the perceived benefits, promoters would need to work closely with industry professional associations to develop promotional programmes linked to continuous professional development (CPD) points. The analytical approach used in this study should assist other researchers who might wish to address a similar research problem under a similar data and model constraints.
Claims have become almost an inevitable aspect of building and civil engineering projects. This study brings construction into main stream social psychology field by exploring the role of decision-making process as a determinant of... more
Claims have become almost an inevitable aspect of building and civil engineering projects. This study brings construction into main stream social psychology field by exploring the role of decision-making process as a determinant of dispute in the process for administering project claims. The data collection
instrument was a structured questionnaire administered face-to-face with 41 contract managers of 41 construction firms regarding their experience with claims on 41 completed building and civil engineering projects. The data were analyzed with structural equation model using product indicator approach implemented with partial least square estimation. The result indicates that contractors who received
unfavorable outcome on their claims reported lower potential to dispute when they perceived that the process used in assessing claims was good and satisfactory than when they perceived it to be unsatisfactory. Project owners’ management team whose actions rejecting invalid claims may be misinterpreted and disputed need to pay greater attention to how decisions on claims are reached. A good quality decisionmaking process could mitigate disputing and uncooperative reaction against unfavorable outcome of claims. Strategies for improving the process for administering claims are suggested
instrument was a structured questionnaire administered face-to-face with 41 contract managers of 41 construction firms regarding their experience with claims on 41 completed building and civil engineering projects. The data were analyzed with structural equation model using product indicator approach implemented with partial least square estimation. The result indicates that contractors who received
unfavorable outcome on their claims reported lower potential to dispute when they perceived that the process used in assessing claims was good and satisfactory than when they perceived it to be unsatisfactory. Project owners’ management team whose actions rejecting invalid claims may be misinterpreted and disputed need to pay greater attention to how decisions on claims are reached. A good quality decisionmaking process could mitigate disputing and uncooperative reaction against unfavorable outcome of claims. Strategies for improving the process for administering claims are suggested
Adaptation of existing building stock must be considered so that it is able to respond to anticipated or actual consequences of climate change. Decision-making on ‘building adaptation action’ (BAA) needs to look beyond the initial cost.... more
Adaptation of existing building stock must be considered so that it is able to respond to anticipated or actual consequences of climate change. Decision-making on ‘building adaptation action’ (BAA) needs to look beyond the initial cost. Life Cycle Costing is a useful technique for assessing the cost performance of a building across its entire life. However, the traditional method of estimating life cycle costs (LCC) using a detailed breakdown of costs based on the elements of a building is impractical and costly considering the extent of existing building stock. This research seeks to apply LCC technique incorporated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning algorithm to data on existing school buildings in order to develop an effective and a user-friendly tool to help decision makers evaluate the best response to climate change imperatives.
Adaptation of existing building stock must be considered so that it is able to respond to anticipated or actual consequences of climate change. Decision-making on ‘building adaptation action’ (BAA) needs to look beyond the initial cost.... more
Adaptation of existing building stock must be considered so that it is able to respond to anticipated or actual consequences of climate change. Decision-making on ‘building adaptation action’ (BAA) needs to look beyond the initial cost. Life Cycle Costing is a useful technique for assessing the cost performance of a building across its entire life. However, the traditional method of estimating life cycle costs (LCC) using a detailed breakdown of costs based on the elements of a building is impractical and costly considering the extent of existing building stock. This research seeks to apply LCC technique incorporated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) learning algorithm to data on existing school buildings in order to develop an effective and a user-friendly tool to help decision makers evaluate the best response to climate change imperatives.
Construction disputes are characterised by being complex in nature, encompassing the technical and the economic whilst involving multiple parties across numerous and varied causes of action. In Victoria state of Australia, construction... more
Construction disputes are characterised by being complex in nature, encompassing the technical and the economic whilst involving multiple parties across numerous and varied causes of action. In Victoria state of Australia, construction disputes are estimated to cost around AUD 500million per year. Although there are no data from other states, construction disputes are expensive in Australia as well as in other countries. In order to contain legal costs and delays associated with litigation and the mounting case loads in the courts, the use of mediation method has been developed and nurtured as an alternative to litigation. In 2008, I was invited to develop a chapter for a forthcoming book titled: ‘International perspectives on construction mediation’ – to be published jointly by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB) and Taylor and Francis in the United Kingdom. Over a period of 8 months, Blair Gardiner and I worked together with another colleague from La Trobe University, to examine archival data including court reports, decided cases and publicly available data published by consumer and administrative tribunals across Australia. We reviewed some available documents and materials on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as well as some building and construction industry standard contracts. Our study sought answers to the following questions: How much has the Australian building and construction industry embraced mediation? What are the factors influencing the growth (or lack thereof) of construction mediation? What are the key legal challenges to mediation practice? Through the exploratory research, we provide some preliminary empirical evidence on the use, growth and success of mediation. We also identify some major developments and key legal challenges to construction mediation practice. This seminar presents some of the preliminary findings and proposals for future research.