Abstracts – Browse Results
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Ajayi, S O (2017) Design, procurement and construction strategies for minimizing waste in construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Bristol Enterprise, Research and Innovation Centre , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Akinade, O O (2017) BIM-based software for construction waste analytics using artificial intelligence hybrid models, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Business and Management , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Alaka, H A (2017) 'Big data analytics' for construction firms insolvency prediction models, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Faculty of Business and Law , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Asah-Kissiedu, M (2019) Development of an integrated safety, health and environmental management capability maturity model for Ghanaian construction companies, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Baba, A (2013) Developing a decision support framework for low carbon housing design and delivery in the UK, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Balogun, T B (2018) Integrating bridge maintenance life cycle assessments into bridge design for improved sustainable decision making, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Chidiobi, C (2022) Development of frameworks for the management of materials procurement and construction waste for Nigerian contractors, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Clark, P I (2011) CDM regulations: safety targeted assessment through gateway evaluation (stage) approach, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Dwairi, S (2018) Development of an Ontology-based framework and tool for Employer Information Requirements (OntEIR), Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Evans, M (2013) An investigation into occupants' satisfaction in UK sustainable social housing, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Faculty of Environment and Technology , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Henjewele, C (2010) Modelling client's value for money uncertainties in PFI projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Faculty of Environment and Technology , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Lam, T (2017) A web-based Decision Support System to assist SMEs to broker risks and rewards for BIM adoption, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Faculty of Environment and Technology , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Love, N E (2009) Leading indicators of failure: a study of SMES in the construction sector in Wales and Scotland, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Business School , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Mahamadu, A-M (2017) Development of a decision support framework to aid selection of construction supply chain organisations for BIM-enabled projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Meng, X (2008) Development of assessment framework for construction supply chain relationships, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of the Built and Natural Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Muhammed-Yakubu, N (2023) A BIM-based information management schema for construction activities data-flow across the project life cycle, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Oladejo, J (2020) An investigation in the factors affecting the implementation of health and safety management practices by contractors in Nigeria, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Omar, H (2020) Towards an automated photogrammetry-based approach for monitoring and controlling construction site activities, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Owolabi, H (2018) Public accountability: The case of government guarantee scheme in PFI/PPP projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Prabhakaran, A (2023) Development of interactive and distributed virtual environments for immersive communication in the furniture, fixture and equipment sector, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
- Type: Thesis
- Keywords: culture; population; virtual reality; bridge; construction project; equipment; decision making; variations; architect; productivity; communication; project stakeholder; stakeholder; UK
- ISBN/ISSN:
- URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9862290
- Abstract:
Despite the significance of the furniture fixture and equipment (FFE) sector to the UK's economy and the construction industry, this sector faces challenges that impede its productivity and performance, including an inability to meet end-user expectations in the delivery of its services. Lack of adoption of digitalisation and poor design communication between the stakeholders have been identified as one of the issues leading to challenges in the FFE Sector. In this context, visual representation offered by virtual reality (VR) can play a critical role in communicating the designs with the stakeholders effectively. However, evidence suggests that the current state of the VR application in the FFE sector lacks three critical advancements namely BIM-data interaction (interaction with the meta-data associated with the FFE elements), human-building interaction (interaction of stakeholders with FFE elements in the virtual environment) and human-human interactions (multi-user interaction). Therefore, the aim of this study was to bridge this gap through the development and testing of novel virtual environments for immersive communication between FFE and its construction project stakeholders. Furthermore, pre-conditions for the successful implementation of the developed VR applications were evaluated in this study through experimentation. A sequential, exploratory, mixed-method research design was adopted for this study in three phases. In phase one, an extensive literature investigation was carried out to acquire deeper knowledge of existing literature to understand the state-of-the-art developments of immersive technologies in the construction industry with a specific focus on the current challenges and benefits of implementing immersive technology. Phase two of the study involved the development and testing of immersive, distributed and interactive VR applications for various scenarios of the FFE communications for construction. Each application was developed by applying rapid application development methodologies and combining BIM, game engine and low latency cloud server development paradigm. The developments were tested through quasi-experiments and evaluation by stakeholders to ascertain usefulness and utility in the FFE sector context. The first development focused on interactive VR for FFE and was tested among (n = 12) stakeholders using a quasi-experiment in a single-group, pre-test-post-test design. The second development focused on distributed immersion for FFE design communication and was tested among construction stakeholders involved in FFE design decision-making (n = 26). The distributed VR application was further tested further among (n = 9) stakeholders in the context of FFE retail and showcasing of FFE products. The experimental approaches in the second phase adopted combined quantitative and qualitative evaluations to ascertain system usability which fed into further development and finetuning of applications. Finally, in the third phase of the study, the interactive and distributed VR applications were validated among wider group of construction stakeholders (n = 117) using a survey to ascertain industry-wide utility and usefulness as well as establish factors that influence their wider adoption in the sector. A combination of descriptive and inferential statistics was applied to establish findings including Kruskal-Wallis and ANOVA to measure variations in views across different segments of the population of respondents. Findings indicated that the interactive distributed immersive virtual FFE environment can enhance the productivity of the design team through a collaborative virtual workspace offering a synchronised networked design testing and review platform. Furthermore, it can reduce the time required for the stakeholders (Client/end-user, architect, FFE designer/contractor, FFE manufacturer) to comprehend and test the design options. In addition, the developed VR applications can enhance the design communication and quality of the design and encourage a collaborative culture in the industry and improve the design satisfaction of the stakeholders. It was also identified that the VR applications developed for this study can reduce the time required for design decision-making significantly when compared with traditional methods. In the retail and product showcasing context, the system was found to be a highly efficient and viable tool, which can deliver a compelling and richer experience similar to an FFE in-store experience. The testing also revealed that the proposed system not only improves the sense of presence but also brings in a new dimension of a sense of being together, which has a positive impact on decision making. Cumulative findings of this study revealed that distributed and interactive VR has become essential to digitalising the FFE sector's design communication, with improved design communication being regarded as the most important benefit of its use. Conversely, the most critical challenge that inhibits the implementation of these two VR applications in the FFE sector is the perceived cost. This research proposes a step change in the way furniture design is communicated and coordinated through an immersive virtual experience, thus allowing informed decisions making and creating shared understanding before the commencement of the construction activity.
Rogan, D J (2003) Attitudes towards innovation in the construction industry: The case in the social housing sector, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Smith, D (2020) Rank and file union organising and employers' counter-mobilisation: The role of activists in the mobilisation of 'self-employed' construction workers, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol.
Tanabe, S (2022) A risk allocation framework for public private partnerships (PPP) water infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of the West of England, Bristol.
Yakubu, O A (2010) Cost and time control practice of construction projects in the UK: The pursuit of effective management control, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of the West of England, Bristol.