Construction Industry in Iran: Current Data Analysis Chapter

This would help to cut costs, and was seen as a significant problem as evidenced by the table on page 2. Another important issue was the consequences of using construction material that is substandard, meaning that the materials may be more difficult to work with and they not be as reliable and durable. Most individuals did not want to use these products, but there are often no other choices. These substandard materials cause delays in construction, increasing costs, failures, and continued problems after construction that can be disastrous. Many companies use substandard materials, also, because they prefer to cut costs - but this often does not work the way they had hoped and can result in significant problems in the future.

There are many sanctions against Iran, and those are also not helping the construction industry in that country. According to those who participated in the study and answered that question, sanctions cause:

Lack of standard material

Lack of latest technology

Lack of expert international engineers

Lack of investors in construction industry

Lack of capital of projects

Using hacked and outdated software and dealing with Iranian design regulations are also issues that are hampering what Iran is trying to do when it comes to creating safe homes and businesses. The civil rights of Iranians come into the construction mix, as well, because they are affected by the construction in the following ways:

Noise pollution

Hazard of falling construction materials in some project

Finishing property after long time of selling properties

Traffic due to trucks

Lack of parking spaces

The last part of the questionnaire was multiple-choice, and consisted of seven questions that looked at the biggest problems in the construction industry and what kinds of issue stem from those problems. On the following two pages, these multiple-choice questions will be discussed, with some represented in graph form, in order to see how much of a concern these kinds of problems really are when it comes to what the Iranian people can and should do to get their construction industry moving in the right direction again. Without a strong construction industry, the country will continue to flounder.

The first question asked dealt with what the participants thought was Iran's biggest financial problem. According to the answers to the questionnaire, that was the dependence that was seen regarding oil prices, as evidenced by the following graph. Neither diversity of income or an unstable private sector were chosen by any of the participants, and were determined not to be significant problems worth addressing. The same could not be said for high inflation and dependence on oil prices.

In Iran's current construction industry, it was also determined that concrete was used most commonly (10), followed by metal (7) and masonry (2). Wood was not used at all, which was a striking contrast to how building in the U.S. And many other countries are constructed. It is generally assumed that wood is used for framing for homes and smaller buildings, where concrete would be expensive and may not hold up well to problems such as earthquakes and other events. The concrete and metal being sub-par was also seen to be a problem, because that resulted in delays, extra costs, and buildings that did not hold up well to the hand of time after they were constructed. Modern technology and better materials have been severely restricted by the international sanctions faced by Iran.

Despite the fact that international sanctions are causing problem with materials, they are not seen to be the largest, most detrimental factor in the problem seen with the Iranian construction industry overall. The following graph shows what participants feel is the most detrimental problem in the construction industry in Iran today. While the opinions are divided, it is easy to see that there is a relatively clear consensus on the main issue between most of the participants.

Until Iranian construction industry regulations are adjusted and improved, the industry will continue to struggle, no matter how many sanctions are lifted or what materials the workers have the option to use. The regulations are the most significant problem.

Chart1

0 Diversity of Income

11 Dependence on Oil Prices

8 High…