Fundamental principles of site material management

This paper was written to fill a void created by the absence of fundamental principles of site construction management. Efficient material management is essential to managing a productive and cost efficient site. For more than 25 years, the senior author has been observing and writing about inefficient labor productivity practices resulting from poor site material management. Using deductive reasoning, fundamental principles were developed to avoid poor practices. A construction site should be portioned into three areas or zones: semipermanent (exterior) storage, staging areas, and workface (interior) storage. Each has a unique function relative to site material management. Using these areas as a framework, fundamental principles are stated and illustrated using a case study project accompanied by numerous photographs and narratives.