ESTiG - Publicações em Proceedings Indexadas à WoS/Scopus
Permanent URI for this collection
Browse
Browsing ESTiG - Publicações em Proceedings Indexadas à WoS/Scopus by Author "Abreu, Maria Isabel"
Now showing 1 - 10 of 11
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Attitudes and practices of homeowners in the decision-making process for building energy renovationPublication . Abreu, Maria Isabel; Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, JorgeThe most recent studies point out that building users play a critical role in the decision-making process for the energy renovation of buildings as well as in energy use during the building life-time occupancy. Nevertheless, this important player has been poorly considered in the policies implemented. The homeowner, whose role has been passively induced to renovate accordingly with impositions of the regulations, is calling for himself a more active participation in the renovation process. The social dimension of the building renovation has been ignored. The study highlights the role of the homeowner in the decision-making for building renovation investigating his motivations, needs, attitudes and daily routines. A selected group of Portuguese homeowners were interviewed. Also in Portugal, homeowners’ qualitative decisions and everyday life practices have a strong influence in the decision-making for building renovation.
- Choreographing network-based influences on the homeowners’ decision journey about energy-related renovationsPublication . Abreu, Maria Isabel; Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, JorgeCommunity engagement with the energy efficiency in housing is seen as a very challenging strategy that governments need to prioritize for climate agenda. Recent studies shed light on the underlying influences of some networks of actors in the homeowners’ decision to improve the energy-efficiency of their homes. Understanding the accurate role that both social and professional networks within communities play among homeowners seems to be paramount for energy policies enlargement and effectiveness. In a network level perspective, interpersonal communication, which has so far been undervalued, appears to be an influential mode of trust and information to energy-related activities. An exploratory research has been carried out in order to gain a sense about the whole chain in action between the above mentioned actors as agents of change. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with different Portuguese stakeholders involved in the renovation journey of owner occupied single-family houses were conducted. The findings signpost that interpersonal networks play a trustworthy and beneficial source of information along the entire renovation decision-making journey. In general, these interpersonal connections are conveyed in the social network activating the homeowners’ willingness to renovate, being a reliable channel for peer learning, guiding homeowners in the selection of professionals and acting also as an evaluative judgement tool to assess these same professionals in their technical advice. The results strengthen the view that the sense of neighbourliness, proximity and cooperation between citizens engaged in energy issues could pave the way to empower these utmost interpersonal networks which can have positive effects to encouraging house energy improvements.
- Housing energy-related renovations from a lifestyle and social standards perspective: insights from Portuguese homeownersPublication . Abreu, Maria Isabel; Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, JorgeRecent studies argue that energy-related renovations which are not distinctive from other house improvements must be socially contextualized and intercepted with the householders’ daily social practices. Within a practice-theory approach, this study aims to explore how tastes, lifestyles and social values and norms can be brought into the understandings of energy renovation practices of Portuguese homeowners. The outcomes disclosed differentiated taste-motivated issues which boost homeowners to renovate. This highlighted the importance of energy policy-makers understand the diversity of homeowners’ desires and preferences regarding house renovation activities. Reflecting upon this diversity inside the household domain, gender differences revealed to be a significant factor, being women an undervalued resource despite their key influence on domestic energy management. Results also reinforce previous theories about how home renovations decisions reflects societal values and norms which determined “what would look nice” to have in a house and which determine, in part, why visible renovations are so prioritized, frequently not energy-related. Findings suggested also that energy policies should be drawn making energy efficiency in houses as fashionable as other consumer goods related with home design. Innovative partnerships between energy policy-makers and household products industries, home design magazines, marketing experts or real estate experts, which have the know-how on shaping people’s tendencies and tastes, are needed
- Insights from a project procurement strategy through an action researchPublication . Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, Jorge; Abreu, Maria IsabelThe purpose of this paper is to describe the process of selecting an appropriate procurement method most suitable to the specificities of a building retrofitting project. The relevant literature points to the difficulties in managing design errors and mistakes in the conception phase and their negative impact on the construction phase and, ultimately, on construction project development. The regulatory framework related to these issues exists but the problems persist, alongside the absence of regulation in the project manager’s functions. General contracting is the procurement method mostly used but has its caveats, particularly in risky and complex construction projects. This study adopts a Participatory Action Research methodology to describe all the procedures and decision making during the project development process, including the evaluation of the tenders and the ensuing competitive negotiation process. The results of the study show the importance of a design consultant with skills base and experience in procurement in the process of construction project development. The competitive negotiation process allowed to a final contract price that was lower than the initial best offer. Furthermore, a revised structural project design undertaken under the responsibility of the contractor increased the quality of the project design in comparison with the initial one. The results also show some adjustments in procurement method along the procurement process.
- Planning and management of agriculture warehouse conversion project: a case studyPublication . Oliveira, Rui; Abreu, Maria Isabel; Lopes, JorgeO Planeamento é uma atividade crucial para o sucesso de um projeto. Os imprevistos acontecem mesmo utilizando técnicas de planeamento ajustadas à realidade, exigindo experiência na gestão de obra e de tomadas de decisão acertadas no momento certo. O estudo de caso objeto de descrição neste artigo envolve o planeamento estudado em fase de projeto recorrendo a quantidades de trabalhos, rendimentos de trabalhos, estimativa de equipas e de prazos, bem como o consequente encadeamento de diferentes tarefas, numa obra de adaptação de um edifício de apoio agrícola numa Capela dedicada à Santíssima Trindade. Atendendo às diferentes perspectivas de planeamento recorreu-se a entrevistas de opinião de 5 empreiteiros, conhecendo-se a partir do seu contributo o tempo estimado de execução da obra, e numa outra vertente foi calculado o prazo da obra com base no cálculo de rendimentos. Estas diferentes abordagens de planeamento permitiram com maior rigor aferir o prazo limite imposto para a obra. Apesar de o projeto envolver complexidade técnica sobretudo na coordenação de diferentes especialidades e áreas técnicas específicas, tais como trabalhos de subempreitadas e sua articulação com trabalhos de escultura, constatou-se em obra que as decisões ponderadas em projeto foram acertadas, bem geridas e com riscos controlados. A eliminação de erros do projeto, gestão antecipada de imprevistos, redução de constrangimentos e de divergências nos desvios em obra, permitiram o cumprimento do prazo previsto em projeto de apenas 57 dias, comparando-se os resultados dos diferentes cenários de planeamento estudados com o ocorrido na realidade.
- Qualifications and professional competencies of the construction manager in Portugal: the impact of the Bologna processPublication . Abreu, Maria Isabel; Oliveira, RuiThe legal framework concerning the construction industry is closely related with the industry’s specificities in each country. With the increasing globalisation of the economy, particularly in the European Union, there is a trend for a normalisation of the legal framework related to construction practices. In terms of professional practice in construction in Portugal, the graduate professionals are architects, civil engineers and technical civil engineers. In order to legally practise in the field, architects must be registered in the Order of Architects, civil engineers with the Order of Engineers and technical civil engineers with the Professional Association of Technical Engineers. The legal framework for the activity of these different professions has long been established by the Decree Law 73/1973. As regards the construction management profession, these professionals are not obliged by law to fulfil any specific educational requirements nor are they subject to any legal regime regulating their activities. However, it is generally recognised that the Institutions of Higher Education in Portugal do not provide the competencies required for an efficient practice in the area of construction management. The Bologna Model establishes that the definition of the objectives of the course subjects be centred in terms of the learning outcomes. It appears that with the new curricula structure, which emphasises competencies to be acquired, the institutions of higher education are better prepared to mach their educational activities with the needs of business community.
- Some refurbishment particularities: an older building case studyPublication . Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, Jorge; Abreu, Maria IsabelPortugal has many old buildings with historical and cultural values in advanced degradation. Many of them have an architectural interest, special values and some other characteristics with interest to preserve, which contribute to keeping the building originality and singularity. These building could be retrofitted for new facilities of uses increasing the levels of comfort similar to new buildings. However, all project management of that kind of buildings is more specific, complex and requires special knowledge in the management of the particularities of their work, even other factors related with misunderstandings, inheritance problems, and many others. This research describes a case study that involves the surveying of constraints and other problems concerning the retrofitting works of an old building located in Montesinho village (Bragança-Portugal). In their retrofitting works were applied some parameters of the “Retrofitting management system for buildings located in consolidated urban areas” to support the project design and the building existential particularities. Besides, the management system considers regulations obliged, sustainable practices and possible constraints particularities for that old building case study's project management. The results show constraints, problems, but also solutions application to solve and reduce them, being a contribution to many other old buildings with similar retrofitting needs.
- The construction sector and economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (revisited)Publication . Lopes, Jorge; Oliveira, Rui; Abreu, Maria IsabelThe relationship between a country’s level of construction activity and its stage of economic development has been the subject of study at the macroeconomic level for the last forty years or so. This study follows an earlier research that investigated the relationship between investment in construction and economic development in Sub-saharan Africa (SSA), and found that the share of construction in national economy follows an inverted U-shaped pattern of development. That is, it firstly increases in the early stages of development and ultimately tend to decline in the latest stages of economic development. The research is based on data acquired on 22 of the countries in SSA over the period 1990-2017 and the sample is split into two groups according to the proportion of the construction sector in total value added in the period 1990-1999. The results of the analysis of the development pattern of the construction industry in the two categories of countries tend to corroborate the results of the earlier work in what regards the evolutionary pattern of the middle-income economies in SSA.
- The sustainability of the construction industry in sub-saharan Africa: some new evidence from recent dataPublication . Lopes, Jorge; Oliveira, Rui; Abreu, Maria IsabelThe relationship between a country’s level of construction activity and its stage of economic development has been the subject of study at the macroeconomic level for a number of years. The dominant paradigm in the field is that the construction industry follows an inverted U shaped development pattern i.e. the share of construction in national economy first increases in the early stages of development and ultimately decline in the latest stages of development. An examination of construction indicators in two categories of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa is made and the link between construction investment and the economic and social targets of the sustainable development goals is considered.
- Use of building informatin modeling in building management retrofitting projects: case studiesPublication . Pinto, Rodrigo; Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, Jorge; Abreu, Maria IsabelThe retrofitting works of buildings is a different practice of the new construction works, involving the previous characterization of the existing elements and their conservation conditions. All existing data collection, project analysis and project management might be in a dimension where non-digital handling is a difficulty factor for the project. That could contribute losing important data related to technical support and for stakeholder’s decision. The Building Information Modelling (BIM) technologies are known to be an excellent choice handling information for new projects. However, its usage and potential in retrofitting works may remain unknown or not utilized for several reasons. The main goal of this research is to determine, using SWOT analysis tool, for the various phases of building retrofitting projects connected to the potential of BIM. In addition, it is expected to determine whether this technology is a feasible solution for these cases and what constraints are involved. Through data collection in design phase and interviews after the research and BIM analysis, three different retrofitting works case studies were analysed. At the same time of the BIM analysis, SWOT methodology was applied aiming to understand the reasoning, constraints and to identify opportunities. The BIM methodology was applied to three design projects studied in 3D and 4D spheres. The 3D analysis aimed to detect incompatibilities among the various disciplines of the projects and information related to the existing elements. The 4D analysis consisted in associating all the building elements with the construction-scheduling plan in order to analyse the activities sequencing behaviour. The use of BIM prove the existence of several flaws and incompatibilities between the different projects disciplines of each building studied, which being difficult to detect them without this uses. These failures generate problems in the construction phase, whose interviews expect demystify. On the other hand, BIM application at an early stage of the project leads to the resolution of some of these problems that arise posteriorly.