https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/104558 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 12:01:44 GMT 2026-04-09T12:01:44Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108243 Title: Public's attitudes towards greener buildings and infrastructure within the Maltese built environment and public spaces Abstract: In Malta, as development and construction rates grow and the threat of climate change soars, integrating green construction concepts within the national legislative agenda is crucial. This is intended to reverse the impact of development and develop in a manner that mimics nature. Consequently, the construction sector can push forward a positive movement that will address the significant depletion of non-renewable resources and enhance people's quality of life. This will need to be underpinned by a strong policy and regulatory framework that considers the knowledge and perceptions of all actors involved. This dissertation aims at understanding the public's attitudes toward greener buildings and infrastructure within the Maltese-built environment and lays the groundwork for pro-green policy formulation. This was carried out by administering a comprehensive questionnaire which was analysed using 3 statistical tools: descriptive statistics, Chi Square of Independence with Monte Carlo Fisher-Freeman-Halton exact test and Ordinal Logistic Regression, which were used to assess and analyse the collected data. The different methods of analysis presented distinct observations, forming the basis for formulating a reliable policy framework. The study revealed that current green open spaces distribution was insufficient; however, participants still acknowledge the importance of green infrastructure within the Maltese built environment. The public demanded the inclusion of more green infrastructure within the urban built environment but lacked initiative due to the issue of cost. Additionally, among the 278 respondents, c.75% were willing to pay or tolerate longer construction time for a green building. Therefore, the government is encouraged to set an example by conducting more green projects. Respondents agreed that guidelines and a green policy framework are required to generate widespread support for more green infrastructure. Consequently, standards should complement one another, so that target groups do not receive inconsistent messages about their expected behaviour. Thus, participants positively voted for either a new governmental entity or mandating the existing Planning Authority with the responsibility to enforce greener construction in buildings. Eventually, educational level was observed as an underpinning concept that can remarkably change the local attitude toward greener construction. In sum, findings enable city planners and policymakers to provide a system that eases green infrastructure's introduction while incorporating the public realm within the equation. The study has built on previous local research that primarily focused on principal industry-related key players in the construction sector, leaving the public's perspective out of the equation. Therefore, by putting the public's perception into the equation, the study can be considered a pioneer in a Maltese context. Description: M.Eng.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/108243 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105052 Title: Public perception towards a greener and bluer San Ġwann : a case study Abstract: As the impacts of green space shrinkage in our urban zones become more obvious, local authorities must find ways to adopt environmental planning policies that can help generate new green areas to safeguard a good quality of life for residents, along with the action of rehabilitating the natural environment and creating resilient infrastructure. One approach that can help solve this is the promotion and development of green and blue infrastructure within our urban environment, including buildings, roads, and public spaces. In order to effectively promote blue and green infrastructure, it is crucial to understand the public’s attitudes towards this infrastructure, so that appropriate and efficient strategies can be put into effect by policy makers. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop an understanding on the perceptions of the public with respect to blue and green infrastructure. More specifically, it will focus on gaining an insight on the publics thoughts towards urban blue and green infrastructure, their perceived importance of this infrastructure, and their willingness to adopt them in a locality that they are familiar with and which they occasionally frequent. In this study, a multi-method approach was adopted where a number of respondents were interviewed using a mix of semi-structured interviews and visual preference surveys to better understand their views on blue and green infrastructure within the built environment and on the multiple related benefits that may arise from integrating such concepts within our infrastructure. For the purposes of this research study, the respondents interviewed consisted of several stakeholders, such as residents, visitors and business owners, within a case study area that was chosen to be the locality of San Ġwann, Malta. The interviews were then analysed and coded using both manual hand techniques and qualitative data analysis software’s such as NVivo. The results achieved in this study indicate that the majority of residents and visitors perceive urban blue and green infrastructure in terms of their social and environmental benefits, such as towards improving air quality and the aesthetic of the locality, and show a lesser appreciation towards the economic benefits that they can provide. On the other hand, most business owners perceive this infrastructure based on the economic benefits that they can provide towards their business, such as towards an increase in business attractiveness. Moreover, it was found that the majority of stakeholders across the board believed that the development of urban blue and green infrastructure is important due to the social services that they can provide to the locality. Lastly, the majority of stakeholders were willing to adopt urban blue and green infrastructure in the locality of San Ġwann, but most business owners and visitors showed concern when the implementation of blue and green infrastructure affected the parking infrastructure in the locality. Hence, they showed a reluctance to adopt these systems when it effected the customers’ accessibility to the locality. Moreover, the high initial costs and the maintenance requirements of urban blue and green infrastructure were common points brought up by the majority of stakeholders as having an effect on their willingness to adopt these systems. The study therefore provides valuable information for planners, researchers, and decision makers to better understand what the users of urban spaces require and expect from urban blue and green infrastructural systems. Description: M.Eng.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105052 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105051 Title: The importance of quality assurance procedures : a case study Abstract: As structural engineers, a strong commitment is undertaken towards predicting the behaviour that the designed structure will be subjected to. The materials or elements used in a construction project, as well as their assembly and delivery, are crucial to all parties involved, regardless of project size. This study seeks to shed light on how quality compliance is managed in the local building sector. Using data collected through contractors within a local construction organisation, a comparative analysis was carried out with an outcome to examine the standards being used internally to their procedures against industry standards. Data demonstrated that when compared to ISO standards, management processes, as well as assessments, may be used to enhance an organisation’s quality management system (QMS). A case study approach was adopted in this research where both primary and secondary data were utilised. Results showed that the effectiveness of a project is impacted when QMS procedures are ignored. Furthermore, poor workmanship and negligence were found to be the number one driver of this ineffectiveness. The study’s findings advocate creating confidence in the sector in order to promote and encourage organisations to perform construction inspections. Analysis of the works alongside estimates in scheduling and financial cost control are also made available in this study to give an insight into how quality conformance might help firstly, the organisation conducting the site work and most importantly the industry to enhance the entire quality assurance cycle. Description: M.Eng.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105051 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105050 Title: Examining the role of value management in controlling cost overruns Abstract: The building sector is one of the most important contributors to the Maltese economy. This influence was further demonstrated during the global pandemic, since this industry was critical to the country's stability as well as economic prosperity. However, issues attributed to cost overruns, sustainability, and value, are still a major concern. The scope of this study is to bring new project management tools and techniques to the forefront associated with the concept of Value Management, and to examine how their application can help in controlling cost overruns. A review of existing literature was conducted in order to evaluate the causes of such overruns and the relevant value management techniques which will help in their control. The research methodology adopted for this study took three stages; the Preliminary Search, the Academic Search, and the Manual Search. This was followed by a quantitative analysis, which was adopted due to the sample size and the form of statistical analysis required. Hence, a questionnaire was strategically designed in order to analyze the perception of different construction professionals regarding the implementation of value management in construction projects, and the perceived level of importance of different value management techniques in controlling cost overruns. This enabled the author to analyze the perception of various stakeholders within the construction industry, each having different work designations, level of experience, and level of understanding of Value Management techniques. The data collected from the questionnaire was analyzed using IBM SPSS. Three types of tests were used in order to analyze this data, being: the Freidman Test, the Pearson Correlation, and the Pearson Chi‐Square test. A number of conclusions were derived from this analysis, including which value management techniques were deemed to be most important in controlling cost overruns, the impact of a construction professional’s experience on the level of understanding of these techniques, and the relationship between a particular work designation and the level of understanding of the techniques. Lastly, a set of recommendations was provided with the aim of removing elements which create cost overruns, with the ultimate goal being that of eliminating the risk of cost overruns from first principles. Description: M.Eng.(Melit.) Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/105050 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z