Evaluation of construction methods and performance for high rise public housing construction in Hong Kong

Time, cost and resource usage are some of the most important production performance issues in the construction industry. This paper investigates the impact of using different construction methods or techniques on production performance in the context of high-rise public housing construction in Hong Kong. Three different construction schemes with the same standard "Harmony" design were investigated. These schemes differ in the floor slab construction methods and the material handling plant input. Cycle duration, labour resource usage and costs in three schemes are analysed and examined. The findings have revealed that Scheme 2 with a six-day floor cycle duration is the most economical option on the basis of manpower and cost. However, Scheme 3 with four-day floor cycle duration is the preferred option because the speed of construction is of paramount importance in Hong Kong. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.