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Journal of Construction Engineering and Management / Volume 133 / Issue 5 / TECHNICAL PAPERS / Project Planning and Design

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Lean Management Model for Construction of High-Rise Apartment Buildings

J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 133, 374 (2007); http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:5(374) (11 pages)

R. Sacks1 and M. Goldin2

1Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. E-mail: cvsacks@techunix.technion.ac.il
2Graduate Student, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel. E-mail: goldm@techunix.technion.ac.il

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(Submitted 8 July 2005; accepted 30 November 2006)

Execution of the finishing works in high-rise apartment buildings is made complex by the need to customize apartments to the varying requirements and designs of individual clients. The conventional construction planning practice of progressing upward from floor to floor breaks down in the face of the arbitrary sequence in which clients finalize their decisions. The results are long cycle times for delivery of completed apartments and corollary high levels of work in progress, budget and schedule overruns, and general dissatisfaction with the process on the part of the developer, contractor, subcontractors, and the clients. Application of lean construction principles to this problem has led to development of a management model that adopts pull scheduling, reduced batch sizes, and a degree of multiskilling. The main benefits expected are an enhanced ability to provide customized apartments, improved cash flow, and reduced apartment delivery cycle times. The model was first formulated in theory, then tested using a management simulation game and computer simulation, and subsequently, developed for practical application. This paper presents an analysis of conventional practice, the theoretical background to the lean approach, and the specific management changes proposed.

© 2007 ASCE

Acknowledgments

The writers gratefully acknowledge the contributions of the management and staff of Danya-Cebus Construction Ltd. This research was funded in part by the company under Grant No. 2004559.

Article Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. Analysis of Existing Practice
  3. Lean Management Model
    1. Batch Size
    2. Pull Flow
    3. Work Restructuring
    4. Process Improvement with Multiskilling
  4. Management Simulation Experiment
  5. Trial Implementation
  6. Conclusions

KEYWORDS

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ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2007)133:5(374)

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0733-9364 (print)  
1943-7862 (online)

Publisher

ASCE

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