ABSTRACT The productivity of the construction industry has received much attention by researchers and policy makers; particularly in developed countries. The productivity of the construction industry in developing countries, particularly Ghana is abysmally low. Strategies need to be developed to stimulate and enhance the productivity of the industry through concerted research and development. In line with this, the purpose of the research reported here was to determine the impact of motivatio...
ABSTRACT The control of materials on construction sites is handled by planning and purchasing departments, site supervisors and engineers as well as contractor’s organization and this have been posing various problems to contractors in realizing reasonable profit margin. The main purpose of the study was to assess material management of construction companies in Cape Coast Metropolis. This study assessed the current practices of managing materials on building projects, the problems associat...
ABSTRACT Informal sector labour basically refers to artisans who acquired their skill set and expertise through the traditional or informal apprenticeship. In the construction industry, this category of labour is very important to the execution and delivery of construction projects and contributed through their expertise and skill to the success of these projects. Interestingly, very little research regarding contributions of informal sector labour has been done in Ghana. The purpose of this ...
ABSTRACT Many technologies are now being prepared worldwide to convert stored energies in lignocellulosic materials such as bamboos to provide bioenergy in the form of heat, electricity, gas and transport fuel. This study investigated the fuel properties of bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J. C. Wendl. var. vulgaris) feedstock to produce biofuels – heat, transport fuels, gas and electricity. In all, 1 200 samples were tested for morphological properties, physical properties, proxim...
ABSTRACT Conventional construction materials require the extraction of large quantities, causing depletion of natural resources and environmental damage. This work investigates the possibility of using bauxite mining waste as fine aggregate replacement for concrete production. The experimental works were conducted by varying sand and bauxite mining waste to mix ratio of 1:2:4 with five different replacement levels namely: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% by weight and water cement ratio of 0...
ABSTRACT The industrial waste and metal by-products such as steel fibers, synthetic fibers, carbon fibers and steel particles can be used as reinforcement materials since they possess reinforcement properties. Steel particles are produced in millions of tons per year as waste material in metal shops. This enormous waste is currently not being harnessed productively in the metal shops in the Central Region of the Republic of Ghana. In most cases, they are indiscriminately dumped into the...
ABSTRACT The natural fibres, abundantly available in nature and also generated as agricultural waste, can be used advantageously in improving certain physical and strength properties of cement matrix and concrete. As compared to fibres widely used in construction activities viz. steel, glass carbon synthetic etc., these are advantageous in the sense that they are renewable, non-abrasive, cheaper, comparatively more flexible etc. Also, the health and safety concerns during their handlin...
ABSTRACT The national housing policy of Ghana which was approved by cabinet in 2010, advocates the use of local building materials for the construction of buildings. It is against this background, that in recent years many studies have been conducted to find cheap but useful local building materials to replace the conventional ones which are to some extent expensive. Cement is one of the most important elements in building construction works which is relatively expensive. This research...
ABSTRACT Construction projects are initiated in complex and dynamic environments resulting in circumstances of high uncertainty and risk, which are compounded by demanding time constraints. The government funded affordable housing projects in Ghana have been abandoned or are being worked on at a snail’s pace. Based on this, the study aimed at assessing risk management practices in construction projects focusing on government funded affordable housing projects in Ghana. Descriptive research...
ABSTRACT The built environment uses large amounts of scarce resources and contributes significantly to the production of global emissions and waste. It is of importance to adopt sustainable means to curb the dire consequences of the built environment. The purpose of this research is to analyze the existing sustainable building assessment tools and develop one for the Ghanaian construction industry. The study employed the mixed research method approach including literature review, and qu...
ABSTRACT Utilisation of lesser known species (LKS) or lesser used species (LUS) has become a necessity in the face of dwindling prime timber species. This study therefore contributes to utilization of LUS by investigating and determining Machining Characteristics of Gmelina arborea grown in Ghana. Four trees were obtained from G. arborea plantations in two different locations: Daboase in the Western region and Abofour in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Each tree was sawn into three sections; t...