Mitigation of building failures in Uganda’s construction industry: a case study of greater Bushenyi district

Abstract

Building failure is one of the biggest problems construction firms face. Building failure can lead to many undesirable effects. The main purpose of the study was to mitigate building failures in the construction industry in Uganda. The survey was guided by three specific objectives: To establish the causes of building failures in the construction industry in Uganda, to evaluate the impact of building failures in the construction industry in Uganda, and to develop a decision support tool for use in mitigation of building failures in the construction industry. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. It was carried out in the districts of Greater Bushenyi district in a duration of one year (2018-2019). The study population comprised of 210 respondents: Supervising engineers, site engineer, site foremen, clerk of works and clients. The data collected were analysed quantitatively using SPSS Version 20 and Microsoft excel. Frequency tables, correlation and regression analysis tables were used to present the findings. It was observed that inadequate supervision of works (RII=0.77) is the leading cause of building failure. Based on findings, the study concluded that there is a great influence of consultant, contractor, client and external related causes of building failure. The study established that the quality of site supervision has a major influence on the overall performance and efficiency of construction projects. The study recommends that stakeholder engagements need to use a mitigation decision support tool, and skill levels should be enhanced to meet the needs of the construction project. Keywords: Mitigation of building failure, Decision support tool, Causes of building