Implications of insufficient awareness of statutory requirements for building construction on consultant team of building construction projects

Abstract

All over the world, the construction industry is inherently subjected to a wide range of statutory requirements which are empowered by various bodies. Though, it is vital to comply with these statutory requirements, the rate of non-conformity is still high in the Sri Lankan construction industry giving rise to punitive actions, cost increases and overruns of project schedules. The researchers assume that either insufficient or lack of awareness of statutory regulations among members of construction consultant team is the main reason for this state of affairs. The present study therefore focuses on identifying the substantial statutory requirements laid by the Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka, vis-à-vis building construction in the Colombo Municipal area and their implications for construction consultant team such as Architects, Quantity Surveyors and Engineers, who may be unaware of the existence of such statutory requirements. Accordingly, the research was approached through a document survey and semi-structured interviews respectively. The gathered data was subjected to a content analysis based on the findings of which conclusions were drawn regarding implications and possible strategies to address the perceived problems. The research reveals that the City of Colombo Development Plan 1999 and its amendment in 2008 with regard to zoning regulations are the twin sources of statutory requirements that are applicable for the Colombo Municipal area. They lay down the zoning regulations, planning regulations, building regulations, and required development guide plans that should be considered by architects and specify the statutory requirements relating to sanitation, mechanical ventilation and airconditioning that engineers should adhere to when undertaking constructions in the area of the Colombo Municipal Council. The study findings also show how an understanding of Urban Development Authority regulations would help quantity surveyors to discharge their role as a member of consultant team better. On the basis of its findings, the study proposes strategies that could be implemented in order to overcome the identified problem of unawareness of statutory regulations in relation to the members of consultant team.