Editorial

Editorial

The topics covered in this issue of the Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology are built environment education, impact of building sites on buildability, 3D integration of electronics and mechanics, 3D and 4D modelling for construction planners, and plant operator performance and personal motivation.

Manthe and Smallwood suggest that their study is contentious given that it questions the suitability of built environment education with respect to current trends, technologies and practices. They argue that while the construction industry demands the effective integration of key built environment disciplines and skills, students at higher education institutions still receive discipline-based education. Key findings hint at the inadequacy of architecture and civil engineering tertiary education.

Machika in her paper compares the academic performance of engineering students who participated in a six-month bridging course with those who did not. The former outperformed the latter in that they typically completed their study programs successfully within the designated times. The success of bridging programs is contingent on the assignment of appropriately qualified academic staff. She further argues that bridging courses offer increased accessibility to higher education.

In their paper, Lam, Wong and Wong report on the effects of building sites on buildability or constructability. In particular, they studied a number of building features and site specific factors in Hong Kong. They found the most important considerations to be simplicity, having adequate working spaces and minimization of water ingress and geotechnical difficulties. By using a buildability assessment model they were able to score the buildability of various building designs and the study findings are of practical value to design professionals.

Peltola and Mansikkamaki in their paper argue that the traditional rigid printed circuit board (PCB) may be a hindrance in today's highly competitive and dynamic electronics industry. Instead, she opines that a formable 3D multilayer PCB offers solutions to faddish packaging and a new material base for electrical performance. The paper discusses the benefits and challenges of 3D integration of electronics and mechanics.

In their paper, Khatib, Chileshe and Sloan investigate the benefits of 3D and 4D modeling as a construction planning tool in the construction process and examine the pervasiveness of their use in the industry. They concluded that attitude, lack of continuity of similar work, and lack of knowledge were the main barriers to the increased deployment of the technology in the sector.

The final paper by Edwards, Yang, Wright and Love discusses the link between plant operator performance and personal motivation. They conclude that the personal motivation of operators can best be encouraged given its importance as a critical internal driving force by focusing on personal satisfiers and security aspects. In particular, emphasis should be on work flexibility and variety, a safe work environment and appropriate operator remuneration.

Special thanks to each of the contributing authors and reviewers for their contributions to the papers in this particular issue.

Theo C. HauptCape Town, South Africa