Ashwin Mahalingam

This paper provides a means for improving the effectiveness of energy related decision-making during the design phase of a building. A review of the literature and discussions with experts revealed that several approaches for an Integrated Design Process for energy efficient buildings exist. However, most of these approaches are relatively abstract and philosophical in nature, and do not prescribe procedures that enable energy efficient design. This paper attempts to address this gap by proposing a comprehensive design process titled the 'Integrated Energy-Efficient Building Design Process' (IEBDP). This process provides a framework based on systems theory that facilitates the integration of various facets of the energy-efficient alternatives selection process. In addition, the proposed framework seeks to integrate state-of-the-art analysis tools and methods, to aid designers in performing holistic building design. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), a multi-attribute decision-making technique is used to resolve conflicts amongst diverging design goals. The proposed IEBDP framework was then used to design an office building, taken as a case study, in the composite climate of New Delhi, India. It was found that considerable energy savings could be achieved by following the IEBDP process. The benefits of this framework vis-a-vis traditional energy efficient design approaches were evaluated by comparing the design done through the IEBDP process with designs submitted by a group of practicing architects. The various designs were evaluated in terms of strategies adopted, the level of exploration as well as design integration, in order to validate the applicability and use of the IEBDP framework. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Today several activities of a construction project can be supported with information technology tools. However, there have been many cases of technology adoption failure. Lack of understanding about the process of technology adoption is often pointed out as the reason. This paper is based on a study to explore BIM technology adoption process and attempt to model and evaluate the process using system dynamics. The paper has its base on literature survey and five month field studies of three construction projects where BIM was being introduced. Insights from literature survey and case studies were used to develop a core system dynamics model of technology adoption. To this core, project and technology specific data was added to develop a preliminary system dynamics model. The research indicates that system dynamics is a promising approach in improving our understanding of technology adoption in construction projects.

Public-Private Partnership (PPP) coordination agencies are often used to assist government agencies in structuring PPP arrangements. Very few studies have compared the performance of various coordination agencies to understand the characteristics that define an effective coordination agency. The authors study three coordination agencies that were involved in projects in the water and sanitation sector in India and observe their performance across five parameters: project structuring, commercial risk management, relational risk management, project handover, and extent of institutional strengthening. The authors find that agencies with administrative expertise in handling project structuring and bid process, coupled with PPP-specific expertise and an understanding of PPP risks, are a necessary but insufficient condition for project success. In conjunction, high involvement of the coordination agency through the lifecycle of the project or measures that enhance the capacity of government departments to understand and monitor PPPs are required to ensure that real benefits are delivered to stakeholders. © The Author(s) 2011.

In India, the Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for project implementation has been gaining prominence as municipalities attempt to meet a growing demand for infrastructure services. However, weak competencies within urban local bodies (ULBs) present one of the primary bottlenecks to implementing PPPs in the delivery of urban services. In this paper we attempt to understand the kinds of competencies that are prevalent within ULBs in India, competencies that are often absent, strategies that are currently used to bridge these competency gaps, and approaches that ULBs should follow in order to create a more robust environment for PPPs. In order to do so, we first describe a competency framework for implementing urban PPP projects. We then adopt a case-based research approach to analyze five urban PPP projects. The case study analysis indicates that project development competencies are supplemented through the engagement of PPP coordination agencies. However, there are larger competency gaps in the area of project governance. The outcomes of this research study contribute to a growing body of knowledge on the performance of PPPs in developing countries and suggest areas for improvement in the existing institutional frameworks for urban PPP projects. © 2013 Policy and Society Associates (APSS).

As indicated by previous chapters, an increased need for public facilities and infrastructural improvements of all kinds – transportation, energy production and distribution, clean water, and sanitation – has led to a rapid rise in the volume of activity in the international construction industry in recent times – in particular, in developing countries. As a consequence, we observe an increase in the number of large “global projects” that involve collaboration among participants from multiple companies and countries. In addition to the complexities present in most large engineering projects, global projects are distinct from nonglobal projects in that the former involve the necessity to interact with individuals, firms, and agencies from diverse national and cultural backgrounds. As a consequence, participants confront a variety of institutional differences – including regulatory, normative, and cultural-cognitive disparities with which they must attempt to cope (see Chapter 2; Scott 2008). The existence of these differences presents substantial challenges to global projects, imposing associated “institutional transaction costs” requiring time, attention, and the expenditure of additional resources (see Chapters 1 and 5). A case study was carried out to investigate the types of challenges posed by institutional differences in one large construction project. In addition to examining institutionally based conflicts, we identified some of the ways in which these conflicts were resolved and, in particular, the types of actors who were instrumental to their resolution.

Over roughly the last twenty-five years, the topic of project delivery and finance has received significant attention in the infrastructure community and the construction industry. In the United States, the public sector’s mandated use of a delivery system where the activities of design, construction and operations were segregated, or independent, from one another has shifted toward a more open framework where other alternatives are now permitted and implemented. Globally, similar changes have occurred. The rationale behind these transitions is discussed subsequently. Further, this field remains in flux - a consequence, in part, of the search for ways to better align project stakeholder interests and objectives.

Recent governmental programs in India envisage the delivery of urban services in partnership with the private sector through public private partnerships (PPP). As per the Indian constitution, urban local bodies (ULBs) are primarily responsible for the provision of infrastructural services in urban areas. While these urban local bodies are competent in procuring projects through the traditional design-bid-build model, PPPs are a relatively new concept. The lack of competencies in urban local bodies to select, structure and bid out projects via public private partnership has emerged as a critical bottleneck to the adoption of the PPP model in the delivery of urban services. State governments are attempting to address this competency gap by adopting a variety of strategies for the development of competencies in urban local bodies for the implementation of PPP projects. As the need for urban infrastructure and services heightens across Indian cities, it is imperative that current practices in the development of competencies be studied to ensure effective implementation of urban PPP projects. This research paper reports the findings of a research study conducted to identify appropriate strategies for the development of competencies for the implementation of urban PPP projects. Semi structured interviews were conducted with urban experts and empirical evidence was gathered through case studies of urban PPP projects in order to evaluate the quality and outcomes of current capacity building measures in the urban Indian environment. The areas of improvement in the prevailing policy & institutional framework have been suggested. This study enriches the current body of knowledge on competency development and gives recommendations to policy makers for devising appropriate strategies for streamlining PPPs in the delivery of urban services by bridging the competency gap. © 2009 IEEE.

One of the key challenges in the development of infrastructure in India is the acquisition of land necessary for the projects. Land acquisition techniques adopted across a variety of other countries are reviewed in this paper. Although no single "best practice" exists, viewing land acquisition practices through a framework of principles, processes, and compensation mechanisms allows us to position the Indian experience within the international context.

Lean construction' is becoming a very popular paradigm in the construction industry globally. This paper attempts to analyze whether lean concepts can be applied to Indian construction sites with particular emphasis on above-false-ceiling building services. 'Lean'techniques, such as, the dependency structure matrix (DSM) and value stream analysis (VSM) have been applied to represent and manage the complexities inherent in the design and execution of above false-ceiling building services. Data was collected from four construction projects. A component-based design interface matrix was developed for reducing repetitive component routing iterations in the creation of coordination drawings. In order to improve material and information flow in execution of above false ceiling building services, a value stream analysis was performed. This analysis showed that process re-engineering could lead to a 50% reduction in construction time. The results show that 'Lean' tools and techniques can greatly benefit Indian construction.

Oversight arrangements which articulate technical, contractual and organizational decisions in a project domain constitute project governance. In the light of rapid globalization and an increasing number of complex, pluralistic and heterogeneous projects, the need for contingent project governance arrangements which bridge both stability and temporality of project decisions is emphasized in the literature. Nevertheless, inadequate attention has been paid to study how these governance arrangements are actually set up on contemporary projects. We use a combination of institutions-based and practice-based lenses to develop arguments on how governance arrangements are initially selected and replicated or revised, thereby leading to the emergence of order in project governance structures. We gather empirical evidence by qualitatively studying the shaping of project governance structures in a metro rail project in India. Our data show how the project promoters drew from the Delhi Metro’s governance structures to make technical, contractual and organizational decisions in the Chennai Metro, and then contested or stabilized these structures within the project field through situated interactions. Consequently, we identify 11 underlying mechanisms of sustenance and change of governance arrangements and project norms. By bridging both generic and contextual governance perspectives, the study underlines the role of situated “governing” in (re)creating governance structures.