Factors affecting buildability of building designs

By identifying the succinct attributes of design, the abstract concept of buildability can be expressed in a more defined and tangible way for its improvements. In this research, factor analysis is used to expound the data obtained from a questionnaire survey on buildability attributes. Results show the first three out of nine key buildability factors for building designs are (i) allowing economic use of contractor resources, (ii) enabling design requirements to be easily visualized and coordinated by site staff, and (iii) enabling contractors to develop and adopt alternative construction details. Discriminant analysis has been used to identify significant differences amongst the respondent groups. At the project level, the findings give designers a better understanding of factors affecting the buildability of their outputs, thus enabling design solutions leading to more efficient and safe construction. At the industry level, the identified factors can contribute to sustainable development through the reduction of waste and the economic use of resources.