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- Evaluation of cost-optimal retrofit investment in buildings: the case of Bragança fire station, PortugalPublication . Cova, Sónia; Andrade, Carlos A.R.; Soares, Orlando; Lopes, JorgeOffice buildings built before the entry into force of the first thermal regulation in 1991 constitute a relevant group for analysing the energy performance of the Portuguese building sector. A dynamic energy simulation was used to assess the energy performance of an existing office building located in the town of Bragança, Portugal. Four energy efficiency measures were selected and a financial evaluation through the internal rate of return (IRR) method was undertaken to choose the best retrofit option for improving the building’s energy performance. An investment package consisting of the roof insulation and a new equipment for the domestic hot water system presented an IRR higher than the discount rate used in the analysis, and, thus, a positive financial return. The results of the study also suggest that the EU’s comparative methodology framework is not particularly suitable for assessing building retrofit investment at the private investor’s perspective and further refinement in the cost-effective approach to renovations is needed to help stimulate building’s energy renovation market. Suggestions for further studies conducted for office buildings in the different climate zones in Portugal are also proposed.
- O cluster de construção em Portugal: enquandramento legal e perspectivas de desenvolvimentoPublication . Lopes, Jorge; Oliveira, Rui; Abreu, Maria IsabelO sector de construção em Portugal, como na maioria dos países Europeus, foi fortemente afetado pela grave crise económica e financeira global de 2008. De acordo com a Comissão Europeia, a instável situação macroeconómica do país foi acompanhada por um decrescimento no número de empresas, emprego e produto do sector de construção em sentido lato no período 2008-2014. Por outo lado, verifica-se deste o início da década de 2000 um ajustamento estrutural do sector devido à forte expansão do segmento de construção residencial nova no período 1987-2001. É hoje genericamente reconhecido que a contribuição do sector para a economia nacional e o seu efeito multiplicador no produto e no emprego vai para além das atividades de construção desenvolvidas in situ, assim descritas na secção F das contas nacionais. Uma outra abordagem passa por uma conceção mais alargada do sector que contemple não só as atividades desenvolvidas in situ mas também as atividades imobiliárias, atividades de projeto e serviços técnicos para a construção, e atividades de manufatura relacionadas com a construção, i.e. o Cluster de Construção. Este artigo descreve o padrão atual das diferentes componentes do cluster de construção, o seu enquadramento regulamentar e os principais intervenientes, utilizando dados de diversas publicações do INE e de organizações internacionais. Adicionalmente, traçam-se algumas perspetivas para a evolução do sector tendo em conta as políticas do Governo para um desenvolvimento mais sustentável da indústria de construção.
- Estimates of construction infrastructure stock for cape verde: 1980–2019Publication . Lopes, Jorge; Tavares, AdmirBuilding and other construction assets constitute a significant part of a country's physical and economic infrastructure. According to several writers, the knowledge of reliable data of building and other construction assets of a specific country or region is a crucial element for the long-term management of these assets. Built capital stock statistics at the national or international levels have been available for most countries of the world, both developed and less developed ones, for some time, but construction infrastructure stock statistics at the disaggregated level are very scarce, even for most developed countries. Furthermore, the methodologies to produce the estimates of built capital stock, at the international level, do not consider countries' specificities. This paper discusses the methodologic issues for producing construction infrastructure stock statistics for Cape Verde, and makes estimates for the period 1980-2019. The paper outlines the Perpetual Inventory Method (PIM) used to produce capital estimation, data employed, and the assumptions made to estimate missing data. The paper analyses the level of the construction infrastructure stock estimates for Cape Verde, as well as their impact on the development pattern of the country's construction industry, and suggests how further studies can enhance our comprehension of the relationship between construction investment and economic growth and development.
- Indicadores internacionais que reflectem o potencial de desenvolvimento económico e social de Cabo VerdePublication . Lopes, Jorge; Balsa, Carlos; Nunes, AlcinaNos últimos anos, Cabo Verde adoptou, como uma das suas grandes opções estratégicas de desenvolvimento, medidas de promoção da capacidade empreendedora, da competitividade e do crescimento da economia. O sucesso de tal estratégia depende da sua capacidade de atrair investimentos (essencialmente externos) que, ao criarem empresas, geram emprego e riqueza. Para avaliar a capacidade de atracção de investimento externo este trabalho apresenta e analisa rankings internacionais de atractividade empresarial – que incluem indicadores de qualidade institucional, liberdade política e civil, empreendedorismo, inovação, burocracia e corrupção e os tradicionais indicadores de crescimento e desenvolvimento económico – de forma a aferir sobre o potencial de desenvolvimento económico e social de Cabo Verde. A análise realizada é de médio e longo prazo que acompanha a economia de 2000 a 2010 e permite observar tendências. Os indicadores utilizados mostram que o país tem trilhado um sustentado e bem-sucedido caminho em termos de qualidade institucional e de liberdades políticas e civis. No entanto, dadas algumas fragilidades estruturais, em que se enfatiza o mercado de trabalho e a inexistência de algumas infra-estruturas, não consegue apresentar ainda aos investidores um ambiente empresarial consolidado e de qualidade.
- The specifities of manor houses as built heritage: a case studyPublication . Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, Jorge; Abreu, Maria IsabelIn Portugal there are many heritage buildings with patrimonial, historical and cultural values in an advanced degradation process. Generally, the manor houses and small palaces were built mostly in villages and away from areas with more population. In many cases they have areas and space above conventional ones which required extensive maintenance costs. On other hand, these heritage buildings has unparalleled architectural features and uniqueness in addition to all the wealth and associated history. The architectonical valorization and rehabilitation works of this type of housing has generally some constraints that are not only related with their work specificities but also with other factors many others related with misunderstandings among owners, inheritance problems, lack of money for investment, and others. These manor houses and small palaces were generally occupied by affluent families whose economic and societal position ended up being lost over the years and due to changes in political regimes. However, it is possible to adapt this kind of buildings to new typologies of use, compatible and not disturbing the original occupation, such as the use for the tourism sector. The article describes a case study that involves the surveying of constraints and other problems concerning the rehabilitation works of manor houses and small palaces. The definition of adjusted and compatible solutions are duly balanced and weighted for each case. These solutions are based on the adoption of sustainable practices that allow a certain speed and certainties in the rehabilitation works of the built heritage. Also, the rehabilitation solutions are focused on the principles of sustainability and are adjusted for this purpose using some measures and ideas of a management system to support the rehabilitation works in buildings, which was developed in a former research project.
- Use of building information modeling in building management retrofitting projects: case studiesPublication . Pinto, Rodrigo; Oliveira, Rui; Lopes, JorgeThe 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.
- Is there a causal relationship between construction activity and the portuguese economy? An econometric empirical applicationPublication . Nunes, Alcina; Lopes, Jorge; Balsa, CarlosIt has long been recognised that the role of the construction industry in a country’s national economy goes beyond its share in national output. Existing paradigms on the structural change of the construction industry as national economy develops over time have been evolving from an approach that stresses the role of construction investment (indeed physical capital) as an engine of economic growth to one where the pattern of the evolution of the industry should follow that of the general economy. Using time–series data drawn from the United Nations national accounts databases, this study applies an econometric methodology to assess the validity of the underlying propositions in Portugal. With the availability of long and reliable time-series data and the development of econometric methodology related to the study of economic relationships between variables a new set of studies has emerged. Indeed, making use of the most recent innovations in the literature of unit root tests, this paper uses the Granger causality methodology to investigate the relationship between construction activity, measured by the construction value added, and the Portuguese aggregate economy measured by its Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The issues of concern here are whether the construction sector and the aggregate economy are interdependent and whether construction activity contributes to economic growth and/or economic growth contributes to the dynamics of the construction industry activity. This kind of economic research has not been applied, until now, in Portugal. However, the results could be of particular importance for policy makers and economic agents since they might affect not only all macroeconomic policy but also the management activities at a microeconomic level. The results have shown that there is, in the short and medium-run, a uni-directional relationship between GDP and construction output in Portugal. On the other hand, the results do not show any significant effect of the construction growth on the GDP growth, at least in the short and medium run.
- 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.
- Construction in the economy and its role in socio-economic development: role of construction in economic developmentPublication . Lopes, JorgeThe contribution of the construction industry to the national economy and its role in socio-economic development has been addressed by various authors and international organisations, and many of them have focused on developing countries. A partieular feature is that construcrion is the only sector Df the economy char appears twice in the national accounts Df any country: as a major component of fixed capital formarioo and as a secror that contributes to the gross domestic product (GDP) (Hillebrandt, 2000). Historical reviews point to the importance of construction in the process cf industrialisation and urbanisation that followed the advent of the industrial revolution in western and northern Europe and other parts of the globe. As regards the associarian between construction and economic growth, several writers (Strassman, 1970; Turin, 1973; World Bank, 1984; Wells, 1986; Bon, 1990) have analysed the changing role of the construction industry ar various stages cf economic developrnent and presented a developrnent partem for the industry based on the stage of development of a country's economy. One of the main features drawn from these works is the common assumption that directly relates the measures of construction output to a country's levei of econornic developrnent. Furthermore, in chis view, the construction secror, as a major component of a country's physical capital, plays a determinant role in the development process.