Analysis of Labor Productivity for Steel Assembly in Construction Projects in Hot and Humid Climate Zones Based on the RUP Methodology

The construction industry only increased its labor productivity by 1% over the past two decades, significantly lagging other industries' development. Several factors influence productivity on construction sites, including ineffective workforce management, outdated technologies, and environmental factors, such as heat and humidity. Construction projects in countries experiencing high temperatures and humidity presented even lower productivity rates when compared with countries with mild temperatures. Thus, there is a need to analyze productivity in these regions, identify the factors impacting it, and establish baseline values to optimize construction processes in these challenging environments. Moreover, the steel assembly process comprises almost 30% of the total cost of the conventional reinforced concrete structure, underscoring the significance of enhancing productivity performance. Therefore, this work aims to analyze labor productivity in construction projects within hot and humid climate zones, specifically focusing on the steel assembly process during the foundation and superstructure stages. Data was collected in two empirical studies conducted in northeast Brazil and east Saudi Arabia. The productivity rates of the studied projects were calculated using a standardized methodology developed in Brazil named RUP. The findings highlight the main factors influencing productivity in hot and humid climate zones, including workforce, heat, production planning and control, construction site logistics, and typology. This paper's primary contributions include analyzing key factors that influence productivity in these climate regions and proposing baseline values for steel assembly productivity in hot and humid zones. Future research may expand data collection across different countries using the same methodology to establish more precise baselines.