Reducing Construction Waste in Healthcare facilities: A Project Lifecycle Approach.

A lifecycle construction waste minimisation framework for healthcare facilities (HCWMF) and healthcare construction waste minimisation Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) were developed based on the findings of the literature review, preliminary data collection study and case studies. The basic concept for the HCWMF design was established based on the construction process improvement method adopted from traditional problem solving methodology. The HCWMF proposed six waste minimisation strategies (i.e. project document management; stakeholder and waste awareness; communication and coordination; buildability; materials selection and procurement; and change management) to implement throughout the lifecycle of healthcare facilities to reduce construction waste generation.

The framework consists of two levels: high level and low level. High level HCWMF shows the logical waste minimisation sequence proposed from the framework including six waste minimisation strategies and continuous learning process with the use of SAT. The low level HCWMF shows waste minimisation activities to implement in each lifecycle phase under each waste minimisation strategy. A combination of both qualitative and quantitative studies were conducted to validate the developed HCWMF and SAT with selected project managers involved in healthcare construction.