Paper Title
IDENTIFICATION AND MITIGATION OF MISMATCH-RELATED LATENT DEFECTS FOR EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IMPLEMENTATION IN HONG KONG’S HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

Abstract
Abstract - Currently, there is little or no communication between end-users and building designers globally, particularly in Hong Kong. End-users’ preferences in high-rise residential (HRR) buildings are not taken into account in the choice of finishing and built-in fittings for their new homes, resulting in frequent abortive work and, in most cases, a large amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. This study uses the Delphi technique to discover latent defects in high-rise residential buildings and highlight experts’ perspectives on building end-user requirements. Hong Kong’s building construction industry experts were invited to participate in rounds of Delphi surveys. The responses were analysed using mean ranking, significant index, and inter-rater agreement statistics. The Delphi survey was concluded when an acceptable level of consensus was reached among the experts. The findings revealed that the most significant latent defects were related to external pipes, poor curtain wall designs, and inadequate working drawings and specifications. These findings have significant implications for residential building sustainability and maintenance practices to ensure building end users’ satisfaction and comfort. Keywords - Construction; High-Rise; Hong Kong; Latent Defects; Residential Buildings; Sustainability.