Name: BONAGUA, Jian Jezequiel G.

Date: June 2, 2020

Course and Section: CE168P-2/A7 Student No.: 2018162140

Activity 1
The most important aspects in a construction project is how it will be built, and
how it will be managed as it is being built. This course, Construction Method and Project
Management, encompasses those aspects. Both are necessary to ensure the project’s
success. This synthesis covers four different research papers that are all under this
course. The first research discusses the differences of modern construction techniques
and conventional construction techniques. The second paper talks about the
conventional buildings and “green” buildings, and how they are perceived by building
occupants. The first two papers are topics under construction methods. The third paper
tackles techniques and challenges and of constructions of hotel in India. The last paper
talked about the collective mistakes learned from previous projects in the field of project
management. The last two papers are under the topic of project management.
Construction methods are the first being considered whenever there is a
construction project. There are various construction methods available in the field to
choose from, depending on what the project needs and suits the most. As the
construction industry changes with time, considerations in projects increases. The
affordability, efficiency in energy, durability, and quality must be all taken into
consideration when building a project.
Modern technology paved way to new methods in construction. The research
paper talked about the advantages and disadvantages of using modern construction
and how it affects the projects in the long run. Modern construction techniques are said
to reduce overall construction time of the project, more sustainable, and give more
efficiency to the site as it requires smaller space for storage. Modern construction
techniques also allow lesser disruption on site as it lessens transportation of materials,
and lesser disruption to the surrounding community of the site as well, as it lessens
noise and dust. Modern construction techniques also address the number of labors
required, hence, lesser manpower. Although these advantages suggest that affordability
is achieved, modern construction techniques are known to be expensive. It may affect
the overall cost of the project. Also, since these said techniques are new, manufacturers
and client lack experience on how to use modern construction materials. There are also
required skills in using these techniques which laborers might lack. Being new to the
market, modern construction techniques have few evidences that they have indeed met
client expectations. Transporting the materials, although not as frequent as conventional
methods, might be more expensive due to extra care. However, there are suggested
ways on how to overcome these barriers. First is educating and training provided by the
company that offers the said techniques in order to assure proper execution in the field.
Second, the academe must be in collaboration with the companies, so the new
techniques can be introduced in schools. Government support like insurances can also
help the to ease client’s expectations. The advantages of modern construction
techniques outweigh its biggest disadvantage: affordability. Modern construction
techniques ensure better execution and faster project building time that equates its cost.
As we continue to “modernize” our cities, in return, we are gradually damaging
our ecosystem in the process. This is why contemporary projects focus on being “green”
or bringing lesser impairment to the environment. Green buildings are simply those
buildings that are harmful to the ecosystem. With the continuous rise of climate change,
sustainability is another aspect taken into consideration, which is why more green
buildings are being attempted to make. The second research paper discussed how
users of the building are perceiving this attempt of making building sustainable or
“green”. There have been many studies that have proven that the overall impact of
green buildings is better for users. However, some studies showed otherwise. The
researchers have concluded that despite “green” buildings having better impact on the
environment than conventional buildings, they do not guarantee comfort and
productivity to the users. This could a huge factor why clients nowadays still prefer
conventional buildings as they prioritize the users of the building rather than its long-
term impact to the environment.
The latter part of this synthesis will focus on project management. Project
management is the overall preparation, organization, and management of a
construction project from beginning to finish. Building projects would be very
unorganized without these. Project managements helps to guarantee the efficiency of
the projects running. From daily to monthly basis, a project must be carefully watched
by the lead engineers to ensure that everything is in place. The third research paper is a
review on fast track construction of hotels in India. Indian Construction Industry
operations have set an international standard in past years by adapting intended
policies, improving quality standards and being able to complete projects within the
specified timeline. The paper tackled on how construction management and project
management companies worked in order to speed up the construction process and
finish within the given timeframe. The research has shown that in order for a project to
be built successfully on time, there must be a strong planning in terms of scheduling,
which is the project management’s responsibility. Even before the execution of a
project, project management must meticulously plan and prepare for contingency plans.
Not only should the engineers and the management must coordinate properly, but with
the client as well. Time, cost and quality concerns must be prioritized and addressed
openly with the client. The paper has concluded that the reason why India are able to
produce “fast-track” construction projects is because of good construction and project
management.
The last research paper presents findings of three studies from a research
program which analyzed errors in certain construction projects. Building projects will
inevitably face various challenges including aggressive local and foreign competition,
alliances, volatility in project performance, contractual issues and personnel turnover.
Unfortunately, when projects encounter problems, most of it were not recorded to serve
as lesson for future projects. The paper has also discussed why these problems occur
and it is often caused by miscommunication between the management. The transition
from the academe to practice also contributes to the problems because of
miscommunication. Lastly, having the companies set aside the problems a project has
gone through, lessons are not really learned. In its conclusion statement, the paper
suggested ways to avoid repeating past mistakes. First is proper communication, both
in formal and informal way. It also suggested that the academe and practitioners agree
on how common terms with be used in communicating.
In summary, both construction methods and project management will determine
the overall satisfactory of a project. Construction methods are primarily concerned with
on-site execution, building quality requirements for construction, design coordination
and providing work-front availability to other project related entities to set the benchmark
for better performance in the construction industry. While the project management
provide services to these projects and ensures that the execution of the project will be
done in a timely manner.