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Prefabrication in Building Construction: A Perspective of Pakistan Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nafees Ahmed Memon
Full Text Available Construction industry is facing many problems in terms of construction waste, quality, environment, durability, safety and higher construction cost. Adoption of prefabrication is a possible solution to such problems. Accordingly, there is a need to study the prospects that would stimulate the appropriate discussion of the suitability of prefabrication and other construction methods for concrete buildings. Therefore, this study investigates the significance of advantages in adopting prefabrication along with hindrances through questionnaire survey. The data has been analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight method as a MCDM approach. The results depict that main advantages of prefabrication are ?Shorter construction time? and ?Less construction site waste?. The top hindrances in adopting prefabrication as identified in this study are: ?Higher initial construction cost? and ?Inflexible for design changes?. Based on the survey results and apparent progress in the adoption of prefabrication around the world, it is concluded that the use of prefabrication is likely to increase in developing countries like Pakistan
Sustainable technologies for the building construction industry
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Vanegas, J.A.; DuBose, J.R.; Pearce, A.R. [Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
As the dawn of the twenty-first century approaches, the current pattern of unsustainable, inequitable and unstable asymmetric demographic and economic growth has forced many segments of society to come together in facing a critical challenge: how can societies across the world meet their current basic human needs, aspirations and desires, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? At the core of this challenge is the question: how can the human race maintain in perpetuity a healthy, physically attractive and biologically productive environment. The development path that we have been taking, in the past few centuries, has been ultimately detrimental to the health of our surrounding ecological context. We are consuming an increasing share of the natural resources available to use on this planet, and we are creating sufficiently large amounts of waste and pollution such that the earth can no longer assimilate our wastes and recover from the negative impacts. This is a result of a growing population as well as new technologies which make it easier for use to access natural resources and also require the consumption of more resources. Unsustainable technology has been the result of linear rather than cyclic thinking. The paradigm shift from linear to cyclic thinking in technological design is the crux of the shift from unsustainability to sustainability. This paper discusses the implications for the building design and construction industries. Strategies, technologies, and opportunities are presented to improve the sustainability of the built environment.
Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria
Eziyi Offia Ibem; Michael Nwabueze Anosike; Dominic Ezenwa Azuh; Tim O. Mosaku
This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, ...
Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eziyi Offia Ibem
Full Text Available This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, Ogun and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal sources of stress were high volume of work, uncomfortable site office environment, lack of feedback on previous and ongoing building projects, and variations in the scope of work in ongoing building projects. The paper suggests that taking responsibility for work which one has adequate capacity to handle, establishing realistic budgets and time frame for project delivery, provision of spatially adequate, visually and thermally comfortable site offices, adoption of appropriate job design practice and education of professionals on stress management strategies will reduce the incidence of stress among professionals in building industry in Nigeria.
Work Stress among Professionals in Building Construction Industry in Nigeria
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eziyi Offia Ibem
Full Text Available This study was undertaken to identify key stress factors among professionals in building construction industry in Nigeria. This is in view of the fact that to date, very little is known about work stress among professionals in building construction industry in this country. The study involved the administration of questionnaire to 107 professionals including architects, builders, civil/structural engineers and quantity surveyors randomly selected from 60 ongoing building projects in Anambra, Ogun and Kaduna States, Nigeria. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, and findings show that the principal sources of stress were high volume of work, uncomfortable site office environment, lack of feedback on previous and ongoing building projects, and variations in the scope of work in ongoing building projects. The paper suggests that taking responsibility for work which one has adequate capacity to handle, establishing realistic budgets and time frame for project delivery, provision of spatially adequate, visually and thermally comfortable site offices, adoption of appropriate job design practice and education of professionals on stress management strategies will reduce the incidence of stress among professionals in building industry in Nigeria.
Implementation of building information modeling in Malaysian construction industry
Memon, Aftab Hameed; Rahman, Ismail Abdul; Harman, Nur Melly Edora
This study has assessed the implementation level of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in the construction industry of Malaysia. It also investigated several computer software packages facilitating BIM and challenges affecting its implementation. Data collection for this study was carried out using questionnaire survey among the construction practitioners. 95 completed forms of questionnaire received against 150 distributed questionnaire sets from consultant, contractor and client organizations were analyzed statistically. Analysis findings indicated that the level of implementation of BIM in the construction industry of Malaysia is very low. Average index method employed to assess the effectiveness of various software packages of BIM highlighted that Bentley construction, AutoCAD and ArchiCAD are three most popular and effective software packages. Major challenges to BIM implementation are it requires enhanced collaboration, add work to a designer, interoperability and needs enhanced collaboration. For improving the level of implementing BIM in Malaysian industry, it is recommended that a flexible training program of BIM for all practitioners must be created.
Sustainable Industrialization in the Building Industry: On the Road to Energy Efficient Construction Management
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wandahl, Søren; Ussing, Lene Faber
in this discussion paper. The main method is a review to track past merits in the two domains and to detect knowledge gaps that have research potential. A strategic research agenda focusing on energy-efficient construction management is outlined showing the need for future focus on combining industrialization......Since the Brundtland report in 1987, sustainability has been an issue in all parts of the world, and the focus is increasing in these years. In the same period, the building industry has in the same period also been under heavy pressure to increase productivity in the same pace as other...... in construction management with sustainability and energy concerns in construction management....
Collaboration Initiative on Green Construction and Sustainability through Industrialized Buildings Systems (IBS in the Malaysian Construction Industry
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Kamarul Anuar Mohamad Kamar
Full Text Available Malaysian Construction Industry has been urged to use innovative construction technique and to shift from traditional practice of brick and mortar to Industrialized Building System (IBS construction. IBS is defined as a construction technique in which components are manufactured in a controlled environment (on or off site, transported, positioned and assembled into a structure with minimal additional site works. On the other hand, the issues of sustainability and green construction have been duly highlighted in the Construction Industry Master Plan (2005 – 2015 as being of significant importance for the Malaysian construction industry. The Malaysian government is also committed to addressing sustainability issues and meeting its target and obligations in this regard. This paper highlights several aspects of IBS that has the potential of contributing to green construction and sustainability. IBS promotes sustainability from controlled production environment, minimization of waste generation, extensive usage of energy efficient building material, effective logistics and long term economic stability which can contribute to better investment in environment technologies. The Construction Research Institute of Malaysia (CREAM, University of Salford and other research institutes in Malaysia will conduct a collaboration Research and Development (R&D initiative on green construction and sustainability trough IBS implementation. From this paper, the authors hope to receive feedbacks, comments and recommendations to improve research aims, objectives, expected deliverables and research methodology.
Cost estimate classification and accuracy for Major Industrial Plant Projects (MIPP) versus building construction in Germany
Erbe, Anita
Ongoing pressure on prices for construction projects adds to the significance of cost estimation accuracy in building construction. Due to competition from Asian entrants, main contractors in the plant engineering industry are starting to face a similar situation. In the present paper, the cost estimation standards for Major Industrial Plant Projects (MIPP) are analyzed and compared with the cost estimation standards for Building Construction (BC). The research method uses a literature and st...
Trends and Reliance on Foreign Labourers in Malaysia: Conventional Construction versus Industrialized Building System Construction
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Mydin M.A.O
Full Text Available There has been an influx of foreign labourers in Malaysia over the past decade due to sustained economic growth and a limited labour market. As a long term measure to ensure sustainable growth as well as to minimize socio-economic implications, a medium to longer-term policy on foreign workers will be devised with the goal of reducing overdependence on foreign workers while attracting more skilled and trained professionals. In order to reduce the number of foreign workers, the government has encouraged the implementation of an IBS. An Industrialized Building System (IBS is a construction system in which the components are manufactured in a factory, on or off site, positioned, and assembled into complete structures with minimal additional site work. This research has been carried out to discover trends, whether decreasing or increasing, in the employment of foreign labour in the Malaysian construction industry with reference to the Immigration Department of Malaysia. Additionally, interviews with construction labourers at IBS sites and conventional sites were carried out to identify the number of foreign labourers that are used in such projects.
A product modelling approach to competitive tendering in the building and construction industries
Tolman, F.P.; Oszariyildiz, S.
Competitive tendering is the activity of turnkey vendors and construction consortia in the Building and Construction industries that, to a large extend, determines the company's competitiveness. From the tender price it follows if a contract will be won or not, and, if the bid has been successful, t
Performance of Higher National Diploma of Building Technology Graduates in the Construction Industry: A Tracer Study in Kumasi Metropolis, Ghana
Awere, E.; Edu-Buandoh, K. B. M.; Dadzie, D. K.; Aboagye, J. A.
Building Technology graduates from Ghanaian Polytechnics seek employment in the construction industry, yet little information is known as to whether their tertiary education is really related to and meeting the actual needs of their prospective employers in the construction industry. The tracer study was conducted to ascertain the performance of…
Identifying critical success factors (CSFs) of implementing building information modeling (BIM) in Malaysian construction industry
Yaakob, Mazri; Ali, Wan Nur Athirah Wan; Radzuan, Kamaruddin
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is defined as existing from the earliest concept to demolition and it involves creating and using an intelligent 3D model to inform and communicate project decisions. This research aims to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) of BIM implementation in Malaysian construction industry. A literature review was done to explore previous BIM studies on definitions and history of BIM, construction issues, application of BIM in construction projects as well as benefits of BIM. A series of interviews with multidisciplinary Malaysian construction experts will be conducted purposely for data collection process guided by the research design and methodology approach of this study. The analysis of qualitative data from the process will be combined with criteria identified in the literature review in order to identify the CSFs. Finally, the CSFs of BIM implementation will be validated by further Malaysian industrialists during a workshop. The validated CSFs can be used as a term of reference for both Malaysian practitioners and academics towards measuring BIM effectiveness level in their organizations.
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
陈敖宜; 张肇毅; 王卉; 杨志艳; 张嘉骐
The paper explained industrialization of residential buildings and some problems , and also analysed the industrialized , assembled and the the seismic performance characteristics etc , of modularization buildings and it was pointed out that modular buildings could be used as one of important strategic measures to improve technical level of construction in China .%阐述当前住宅建设产业化现状和存在的若干问题,分析模块化建筑在工业化、装配化以及抗震性能等方面的特点,提出了模块化建筑可作为提高我国建筑技术水平的重要战略措施之一。
Handbook of energy use for building construction
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Stein, R.G.; Stein, C.; Buckley, M.; Green, M.
The construction industry accounts for over 11.14% of the total energy consumed in the US annually. This represents the equivalent energy value of 1 1/4 billion barrels of oil. Within the construction industry, new building construction accounts for 5.19% of national annual energy consumption. The remaining 5.95% is distributed among new nonbuilding construction (highways, ralroads, dams, bridges, etc.), building maintenance construction, and nonbuilding maintenance construction. The handbook focuses on new building construction; however, some information for the other parts of the construction industry is also included. The handbook provides building designers with information to determine the energy required for buildings construction and evaluates the energy required for alternative materials, assemblies, and methods. The handbook is also applicable to large-scale planning and policy determination in that it provides the means to estimate the energy required to carry out major building programs.
Process and building information modelling in the construction industry by using information delivery manuals and model view definitions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Karlshøj, Jan
The construction industry is gradually increasing its use of structured information and building information modelling.To date, the industry has suffered from the disadvantages of a project-based organizational structure and ad hoc solutions. Furthermore, it is not used to formalizing the flow...... of information and specifying exactly which objects and properties are needed for each process and which information is produced by the processes. The present study is based on reviewing the existing methodology of Information Delivery Manuals (IDM) from Buildingsmart, which also is also an ISO standard 29481...... Part 1; and the Model View Definition (MVD) methodology developed by Buildingsmart and BLIS. The research also includes a review of concrete IDM development projects that have been developed over the last five years. Although the study has identified interest in the IDM methodology in a number...
Process and system innovation in the building and construction industry: Developing a model for integrated value chain and life cycle management of built objects
Ridder, H.A.J. de; Vrijhoef, R.
The building and construction industry has a large contribution and impact on society, e.g. economical and environmental, involving a vast spectrum of stakeholders. However, the value delivering performance of the industry has often been criticized. The predictability of the value, price and costs o
Product modeling standards for the building and construction industry : Past, present and future
Tolman, F.P.
For the past ten years most sectors of industry have been developing standards for the electronic sharing and exchange of product model data. While several related industries, such as automotive and shipbuilding manufacturing have been relatively successful in integrating electronic product models i
Creation of Polyurethane Injection Materials, Their Pilot-industrial Production, Development and Industrial Introduction of the Technology of Strengthening and Restoring the Operability of Damaged Constructions and Buildings
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marukha, V.І.
Full Text Available Polyurethane and foam polyurethane fluid injection materials not conceding foreign analogues and technology technology of restoration and strengthening the operability of concrete and reinforced concrete structures and buildings damaged by cracks were developed. Normative and technical documentation on the injection materials and technological processes was created. The diagnosticrestoring complex for implementing the above technologies was designed, installed and utilized at the construction sites. The equipment is designed and manufactured; the technology of the research and industrial production of «A» and «B» components of injecting polyurethane materials is designed and developed. The pilot-scale batch is manufactured. Technological processes of preparation and application of the «A» and «B» componentsof the injecting materials in industrial conditions are worked out and implemented.
Partnerships in Nordic Building Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
, the functioning of specific partnering tools, knowledge management, training etc. Whereas the growth of partnering in all of the Nordic construction industries has developed from inspiration from the UK, and from other Nordic countries, it is the overall impression that partnering is interpreted, implemented......The project had two main objectives. The first was to establish a Nordic network of people and organisations interested in partnerships and partnering in the building industry in order to facilitate the exchange of experiences and new ideas. This objective was met through a series of workshops......, an identification of different approaches and types of partner-ships in the Nordic, and a description of their main characteristics. Moreover the national case studies in the five Nordic countries analysed different aspects of partnering and partnerships in Nordic building industry such as life cycle aspects...
Extend of Organisational Learning in Respect to Effective Implementation of Industrialised Building System (IBS) in the Construction Industry in Malaysia
Willibrord, Evangelyn
Since Malaysia's independence 50 years ago, the construction industry in this country was at its infancy stage. Today, it is one of the contributors to the country's Gross Domestic Product. In construction, project experts hardly share knowledge in a structured manner; rather word of mouth is a common medium of disseminating information. Therefore, when the good people leaves the organisation or move to another project they bring with them the knowledge, experience and expertise. How do we in...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mohan M. Kumaraswamy
Full Text Available The needs for construction industry development are initially viewed from the broader perspectives of imperatives for infrastructure development and national development. All these are clearly more critical in developing countries. A non-exhaustive set of potential drivers and common barriers to construction industry development is identified from previous research. These suggest the usefulness of consolidating a cluster of recent proposals and exercises aiming at (a construction organization development in terms of an over-arching management support system model, as well as improved information and knowledge management; and (b project team development in the context of relationally integrated teams and supply chains, joint risk management and 'technology and knowledge exchange' in joint ventures, as well as longer term public private partnerships. These apparently disparate research thrusts are threaded together into a pattern that may inspire, if not feed, specific research and development (R & D agendas for construction industry development in different countries according to their own priorities, constraints and stages of infrastructure and national development.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
O. Golubova
Full Text Available Specificity in development of construction industry of the Republic of Belarus determines character of competition on the construction market, forms a pricing, marketing and product policy of building companies. Construction represents itself as a highly developed complex where interaction of business entities is of rather complicated multilateral character.
Building Design & Construction - Sustainability
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Offers a brief history of green building; presents the results of a specially commissioned survey; and analyzes the chief trends, issues, and published research, based on interviews with dozens of experts and participants in green building.
The construction industry is known as one of the most hazardous activities. Therefore, safety on the job site is an important aspect with respect to the overall safety in construction. This paper assesses the safety level perception of the construction building workers towards safety, health and environment on a construction job site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The above study was carried out by choosing 5 selected large building construction projects and 5 small building construction projects...
Sustainable development and construction industry in Malaysia
Suliman L. Kh. M.; Abdelnaser Omran
Sustainable construction is a way for the building and infrastructure industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. Differing approaches and differing economic markets lead to different priorities. This paper presents the construction scenario of Malaysia and the developments in sustainable construction taking place in this country. Barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction are discussed. A li...
Building on Shaky Ground: Quality and Safety in China's Construction Industry in the Wake of the Wenchuan and Yushu Earthquakes
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Michael Ting
Full Text Available [In China, development of building regulations has largely been motivated by a desire to maintain the booming construction industry which has sustained strong economic growth. As a result, the government has fallen behind on ensuring quality and safety in residential housing projects. The devastation left by the Wenchuan and Yushu earthquakes was a grim reminder of this. This essay aims to draw out some of the regulatory mistakes that have been made and proposes solutions to the issues raised. Regulators must refocus their attention on protecting the public and lay the legislative groundwork for healthy development in the sector.
Management for Construction Materials and Control of Construction Waste in Construction Industry: A Review
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A. A. Gulghane
Full Text Available In recent treads a wide range of building materials is available for the construction of civil engineering structures. The total cost of materials may be up to 60% or more of the total cost incurred in construction project dependent upon the type of project. Effective construction materials management is a key to success for a construction project. Construction waste is another serious problem in construction industry. A large and various types of construction waste with different characteristics are created at all the stages of construction. Construction industries have a larger part in contributing environmental problems. The economic and environmental benefits must be gained from construction waste minimization. This paper presents a review on systematically investigation of the management of construction materials and construction waste, material management techniques, control of construction waste and existing situation of construction management and construction waste in the industry.
Management for Construction Materials and Control of Construction Waste in Construction Industry: A Review
A. A. Gulghane; Prof P. V. Khandve
In recent treads a wide range of building materials is available for the construction of civil engineering structures. The total cost of materials may be up to 60% or more of the total cost incurred in construction project dependent upon the type of project. Effective construction materials management is a key to success for a construction project. Construction waste is another serious problem in construction industry. A large and various types of construction waste with different...
Collapse simulation of building constructions
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Nekrest'yanov Viktor Nikolaevich
Full Text Available The physical reasons for building structures destruction are both the forces arising at stress-strain state of construction elements and external influences arising at emergency situations, as well as their moments, impulses and periodic impulses with the frequencies close to of fluctuations frequencies of construction elements. We shall call the mathematical calculation models for the parameters-reasons of destructions the basic models. The basic models of destruction of building structures elements allow not only providing necessary level of reliability and survivability of the elements and the construction as a whole already at the stage of their design, but also giving the chance, at their corresponding completion, to provide rational decisions on the general need of recovery works and their volume depending on destruction level. Especially important for rational design decisions development, which ensure the demanded constructional safety of building structures, is library creation of the basic mathematical models of standard processes of bearing elements destructions for standard construction designs for the purpose of the further forecast (assessment of the level and probabilities of standard destructions. Some basic mathematical models of destructions processes of the standard elements of building structures are presented in the present article. A model of accounting for construction defects and a model of obtaining requirements to probabilities of partial destructions of a construction are given. Both of these models are probabilistic.
Sustainable development and construction industry in Malaysia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Suliman L. Kh. M.
Full Text Available Sustainable construction is a way for the building and infrastructure industry to move towards achieving sustainable development, taking into account environmental, socioeconomic and cultural issues. Differing approaches and differing economic markets lead to different priorities. This paper presents the construction scenario of Malaysia and the developments in sustainable construction taking place in this country. Barriers to the implementation of sustainable construction are discussed. A list of recommendation was proposed to drive sustainable construction in this country. In conclusion, the status of sustainable construction in Malaysia is still in its infancy. The lack of awareness, training and education, ineffective procurement systems, existing public policies and regulatory frameworks are among the major barriers for sustainable construction in Malaysia. Besides the needs for capacities, technologies and tools, total and ardent commitment by all players in the construction sectors including the governments and the public atlarge are required in order to achieve sustainable construction in Malaysia.
Innovation, Procurement and Construction Industry Development
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Geard de Valence
Full Text Available The implications for analysis of innovation in construction of theoretical developments in industrial organisation are considered in this research, as an attempt to outline a new approach to construction innovation incorporating the ideas found in knowledge based, technology centred models. The paper firstly summarises characteristics of the construction industry, focusing on their effects on innovation, before surveying some of the ideas about the sources of innovation and the expansion and application of knowledge. Construction can be seen as an industry with limited scope for knowledge externalities, where the procurement methods used by the industry's clients do not pay for innovation. The following discussion uses recent developments in the research on the economics of innovation and industrial organization theory, such as research intensity and the endogenous sunk costs in competitive, fragmented, low research intensity industries. The effects on R&D of procurement methods and on industry structure are discussed, with a focus on the appropriability of innovations and the role of the client on the Heathrow Terminal 5 project. The paper concludes that the procurement methods used for building and construction projects appears to be a determining factor in the level of innovation in the construction industry
Utilizing platforms in industrialized construction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bonev, Martin; Wörösch, Michael; Hvam, Lars
construction companies. A promising approach adapted by operations management and design theory regards individual building projects as the adjustment and recombination of components and processes from a set of predefined platforms, while configuration systems assure feasible building solutions. Design...... methods map structural platform characteristics so as to balance commonality and distinctiveness. Originality/value – This paper proposes a general theory of platform-based development and execution in the industrialised construction sector, which goes beyond concurrent approaches of standardising...
Steel slag: a waste industrial by-product as an alternative sustainable green building material in construction applications--an attempt for solid waste management.
Pofale, Arun D; Nadeem, Mohammed
This investigation explores the possibility of utilizing granular slag as an alternative to fine aggregate (natural sand) in construction applications like masonry and plastering. Construction industry utilizes large volume of fine aggregate in all the applications which has resulted into shortage of good quality naturally available fine aggregate. Use of granular slag serves two fold purposes, i.e. waste utilisation as well as alternative eco-friendly green building material for construction. The investigation highlights comparative study of properties with partial and full replacement of fine aggregate (natural sand) by granular slag in cement mortar applications (masonry and plastering). For this purpose, cement mortar mix proportions from 1:3, 1:4, 1:5 & 1:6 by volume were selected for 0, 25, 50, 75 & 100% replacement levels with w/c ratios of 0.60, 0.65, 0.70 & 0.72 respectively. Based on the study results, it could be inferred that replacement of natural sand with granular slag from 25 to 75% increased the packing density of mortar which resulted into reduced w/c ratio, increased strength properties of all mortar mixes. Hence, it could be recommended that the granular slag could be effectively utilized as fine aggregate in masonry and plastering applications in place of conventional cement mortar mixes using natural sand.
Material Efficiency of Building Construction
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Antti Ruuska
Full Text Available Better construction and use of buildings in the European Union would influence 42% of final energy consumption, about 35% of our greenhouse gas emissions and more than 50% of all extracted materials. It could also help to save up to 30% of water consumption. This paper outlines and draws conclusions about different aspects of the material efficiency of buildings and assesses the significance of different building materials on the material efficiency. The research uses an extensive literature study and a case-study in order to assess: should the depletion of materials be ignored in the environmental or sustainability assessment of buildings, are the related effects on land use, energy use and/or harmful emissions significant, should related indicators (such as GHGs be used to indicate the material efficiency of buildings, and what is the significance of scarce materials, compared to the use of other building materials. This research suggests that the material efficiency should focus on the significant global impacts of material efficiency; not on the individual factors of it. At present global warming and greenhouse gas emissions are among the biggest global problems on which material efficiency has a direct impact on. Therefore, this paper suggests that greenhouse gas emissions could be used as an indicator for material efficiency in building.
Construction achievements at building in reprocessing plant
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
We have constructed simultaneously four buildings, AB building, DB building, DC building, and KA building in the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Rokkasho village in Aomori. We were able to complete the massive and complicated building in the highest quality by the method of prefabrication of site work in a short construction term. Moreover, also in the severe winter season, we practiced construction work intentionally. Consequently, we completed three buildings, AB building, DB building, and DC building without the trouble last year. (author)
Industrial Disputes in the Construction Sector
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
L.J Perry
Full Text Available The Cole Royal Commission enquiry into the building and construction (abbreviated to 'construction' sector recommended controversial workplace-relation reforms for that sector. The recommended changes are likely to be enshrined in legislation within the year. The Commission drew on analyses of industrial disputes that focused, in the main, on quite recent experience. This paper attempts to give a broader historical perspective on disputes in that sector by considering the pattern of disputes for the entire post-World War II period. Accordingly, data on disputes and employees during the entire period are gathered from Australian Bureau of Statistics current and archived sources. These data are classified according to sector (construction versus non-construction and analysed. It is found that the strike rate has, on average, been greater in the construction sector than in the non-construction sector. However, there have been periods during which disputes in the construction sector have been relatively low. The most recent period was during the period of the Accord (1983-96, during which the strike rate in the construction sector fell relatively strongly. The analysis of this relatively broad historical period draws attention, among other things, to the possibility that the sort of strategies employed during the Accord years – strategies of cooperation and consensus building – may provide a more effective means of bringing industrial peace to the workplace relations scene of the construction sector than policies that are relatively confrontational.
Building an industry; building an economy
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This presentation provided an outline of oil and gas activity in the province, with a focus on the social and economic benefits provided to the province by the major oil and gas plays of Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose. Between 1999 and 2004, oil and gas activity contributed to an 18.4 per cent rise in the gross domestic product (GDP) of Newfoundland. Personal incomes rose by 5.9 per cent, and retail sales achieved an increase of 5.1 per cent. The population of the province has increased by 9000, and the unemployment rate has dropped by 2.3 per cent. Infrastructure additions provided by the oil and gas sector include construction sites; shipyards; a sub-sea fabrication centre; a trans-shipment terminal; a pipeyard, warehouse and operations centre; and a supply base and heliport. The petroleum industry has also contributed significantly to a variety of training and research facilities in the province. Oil revenues continue to accrue to the Newfoundland government, and economic diversification has improved in the region. Despite these contributions, the petroleum industry is often seen as transient and tangential to the economy. The industry is viewed as a revenue source, and its activities are seen as being of short duration. It was suggested that a wider recognition of the range, scope and scale of benefits provided by the industry are needed to address public misperceptions. Efforts must be made by the province to help the industry grow, and a wider recognition of diversification and sustainability must be achieved. refs., tabs., figs
Industrial Disputes in the Construction Sector
Perry, L.J
The Cole Royal Commission enquiry into the building and construction (abbreviated to 'construction') sector recommended controversial workplace-relation reforms for that sector. The recommended changes are likely to be enshrined in legislation within the year. The Commission drew on analyses of industrial disputes that focused, in the main, on quite recent experience. This paper attempts to give a broader historical perspective on disputes in that sector by considering the pattern of disputes...
2nd International Conference on Construction and Building Research
Fernández-Plazaola, Igor; Hidalgo-Delgado, Francisco; Martínez-Valenzuela, María; Medina-Ramón, Francisco; Oliver-Faubel, Inmaculada; Rodríguez-Abad, Isabel; Salandin, Andrea; Sánchez-Grandia, Rafael; Tort-Ausina, Isabel; Construction and Building Research
Many areas of knowledge converge in the building industry and therefore research in this field necessarily involves an interdisciplinary approach. Effective research requires strong relations between a broad variety of scientific and technological domains and more conventional construction or craft processes, while also considering advanced management processes, where all the main actors permanently interact. This publication takes an interdisciplinary approach grouping various studies on the building industry chosen from among the works presented for the 2nd International Conference on Construction and Building Research. The papers examine aspects of materials and building systems; construction technology; energy and sustainability; construction management; heritage, refurbishment and conservation. The information contained within these pages may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in construction and building activities from the academic sphere, as well as public and private sectors.
Green Construction in Building Renovation
Ksit, Barbara; Majcherek, Michał
Modern materials and construction solutions draw more and more attention to ecology and building certification. Among the criteria appearing in revitalization, an important element is bringing plants back into heavily urbanized areas. In its natural form, this is not possible to carry out everywhere, often requiring large amounts of space. Nowadays, however, there are a number of green roofs and green wall systems, allowing "greener" construction without making significant changes in the urban environment. The article includes a presentation and analysis of selected solutions of biological surfaces known as green roofs and green walls, specifying various solutions and their most important features. The case study focuses primarily on material and design solutions, as well as the potential benefits, risks and limitations in their use. Plants structures on the surfaces of vertical and horizontal partitions continue to be a very interesting alternative to take into account when applying for grants, such as LEED or BREEAM certificates.
Precast RC Industrial Building design supported by Building Information Model (BIM)
Mirkac, Tadej
A Precast RC industrial building with typical skeletal structure is modelled, analyzed and documented. The focus of diploma was preparation of building information model which serves as a support in design. We paid special attention to structural analysis, earthquake design, detailing and project documentation. The industrial building is planned as an extension of a bigger facility, so we decided to use building information model for 3D visualization simulation of phases in construction detai...
Partnering in the Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Ditlev Bohnstedt, Kristian; Haugbølle, Kim; Bejder, Erik
Huge efforts have been made in order to stimulate thorough improvements in the construction industry in terms of value for money, feasibility and consistency when facilitating a partnering approach. Despite this attention there is limited documentation on the development of research trends, thus...
Reverse logistics in the construction industry.
Hosseini, M Reza; Rameezdeen, Raufdeen; Chileshe, Nicholas; Lehmann, Steffen
Reverse logistics in construction refers to the movement of products and materials from salvaged buildings to a new construction site. While there is a plethora of studies looking at various aspects of the reverse logistics chain, there is no systematic review of literature on this important subject as applied to the construction industry. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate the fragmented body of knowledge on reverse logistics in construction, with the aim of promoting the concept among industry stakeholders and the wider construction community. Through a qualitative meta-analysis, the study synthesises the findings of previous studies and presents some actions needed by industry stakeholders to promote this concept within the real-life context. First, the trend of research and terminology related with reverse logistics is introduced. Second, it unearths the main advantages and barriers of reverse logistics in construction while providing some suggestions to harness the advantages and mitigate these barriers. Finally, it provides a future research direction based on the review. PMID:26018543
Reverse logistics in the construction industry.
Hosseini, M Reza; Rameezdeen, Raufdeen; Chileshe, Nicholas; Lehmann, Steffen
Reverse logistics in construction refers to the movement of products and materials from salvaged buildings to a new construction site. While there is a plethora of studies looking at various aspects of the reverse logistics chain, there is no systematic review of literature on this important subject as applied to the construction industry. Therefore, the objective of this study is to integrate the fragmented body of knowledge on reverse logistics in construction, with the aim of promoting the concept among industry stakeholders and the wider construction community. Through a qualitative meta-analysis, the study synthesises the findings of previous studies and presents some actions needed by industry stakeholders to promote this concept within the real-life context. First, the trend of research and terminology related with reverse logistics is introduced. Second, it unearths the main advantages and barriers of reverse logistics in construction while providing some suggestions to harness the advantages and mitigate these barriers. Finally, it provides a future research direction based on the review.
Prefabricated Construction using Digitally Integrated Industrial Manufacturing
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Harry Giles
Full Text Available The paper describes research being carried out in relation to prefabricated high density affordablehousing under a grant from the Partnership for the Advancement of Technology in Housing(PATH and the National Science Foundation (NSF in the USA. The objective is to demonstratehow a new paradigm for the conceptualization and construction of buildings can be conceivedof as an entirely factory based process that creates advantages for construction through industrialsystems technology transfer. Our approach is intended to transform design methodologythrough demonstrating how alternative construction concepts, using entirely pre-manufacturedvolumetric units, can be adopted. This involves digital modeling that facilitates parametric variationsfor creating customized prefabricated products from design conceptualization through tofinal product delivery. The paper discusses key areas under investigation in relation to a manufacturingparadigm used in the automotive industry that integrates virtual prototyping and industrialmanufacturing systems. Our research explores a type of monocoque volumetric unit prefabricatedin steel, which will be pre-finished as part of a modular factory-built approach usingindustrialized methodologies that will facilitate customized manufacture of a high quality energyefficient product for affordable housing.The paper addresses the automotive industry methods of manufacture that have served increasedautomobile performance and economics through mass production for over a century. In starkcontrast, the building industry and in particular the housing industry is still a century behind. It issuggested that a move away from tradition will require an industry wide initiative, just like HenryFord led the way with mass production. By embracing the increasing sophistication and capabilitythat digital technology offers, it is shown how digital tools are implemented towards masscustomization in house design using virtual modeling in the
"Canteiro Escola"--Uma Resposta da Industria da Construcao no Contexto Produtivo Atual (The "Building Site" School--A Construction Industry Answer in the Actual Productive Context).
Barone, Rosa Elisa; Letelier, Maria Eugenia
Presents examples of the discourse of construction industry personnel involved in workplace basic education in Brazil. Reports on the perspective of the workers/students and on the experiences and the vision of those who implement the educational programs. Identifies the limits of the schooling process and the difficulties inherent in the present…
Construction of Buildings on Peat: Case Studies and Lessons Learned
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mahmod Ali Abdul-Wadoud
Full Text Available Building construction on soft soils including on peat has many challenges and difficulties. The failed and deteriorated buildings have a big impact on the community. The IConCEES International Workshop 2015 which was conducted on October 2015 convened as a joint venture between Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM and the University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS. The aim was to invite regional experts from academia and the industry to formally present and discuss the various construction problems encountered when working with peat. The discussions were divided into two divisions; infrastructure and building construction. This paper discusses the outcomes of the workshop and focuses on the factors and relevant challenges when constructing buildings on peat. The experts have discussed regulatory and construction issues including: drainage issues, site investigation practices, monitoring and construction guidelines. A few suggestions were outlined as a remedy to these problems and to better assist the peat practitioner at work.
Business Structure of Indigenous Firms in the Nigerian Construction Industry
Sunday Julius ODEDIRAN; Busayo Funmilola ADEYINKA; Oladele Ayinde OPATUNJI; Kolawole Opeyemi MORAKINYO
The roles of contracting firms in construction industry cannot be overemphasized and their structure is a function of performance and output in the industry. Sets of questionnaire were administered on construction professionals working within the contracting firms. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistic (mean ranking). The study found out that the firms are medium-size firms, engaged in building construction and cannot finance projects independently prior to client financial c...
Sustainable Entrepreneurship in the Dutch Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rosalinde J.A. Klein Woolthuis
Full Text Available This article discusses the strategies that sustainable entrepreneurs use to interact with their environment in the Dutch construction industry. The Dutch construction industry is under great pressure to move towards sustainability, and entrepreneurs are believed to be able to play a large role in this transition by introducing new products and new business practices. But how can entrepreneurs prosper in an environment that is not geared up towards such a change? And which strategies do they use to bend conditions in their favor? In this article we make use of the Market and System Failure Framework to analyze the pressures that entrepreneurs are confronted with when introducing sustainable innovations. We recognize that these pressures can be seen as bottlenecks, but that market and system failures can also create entrepreneurial opportunities. We interviewed 16 entrepreneurs in the Dutch construction industry to determine the influences they experienced from their environment and the strategies they use to deal with these. We conclude that we can distinguish between system building and following entrepreneurs, where the former aims to build a new system to challenge the old one, whereas the latter rather makes use of existing structures to build a business. We find that both strategies can be successful and that overall, the entrepreneurs confirm the belief that sustainability on people, planet and transparency aspects, can contribute very well to the long term profitability of the businesses the entrepreneurs are running. These in-depth insights into the influences from the context on the one hand, and the entrepreneurs' strategic reactions on the other hand, contribute to our understanding of the interactions between entrepreneurs and the system context. This can help us to more effectively stimulate and support innovating entrepreneurs to contribute to the transition towards sustainability.
Data Policy Construction Set - Building Blocks from Childhood Constructions
Fleischer, Dirk; Paul-Stueve, Thilo; Jobmann, Alexandra; Farrenkopf, Stefan
A complete construction set of building blocks usually comes with instructions and these instruction include building stages. The products of these building stages usually build from very general parts become highly specialized building parts for very unique features of the whole construction model. This sounds very much like the construction or organization of an interdisciplinary research project, institution or association, doesn't it! The creation process of an overarching data policy for a project group or institution is exactly the combination of individual interests with the common goal of a collaborative data policy and can be compared with the building stages of a construction set of building blocks and the building instructions. Keeping this in mind we created the data policy construction set of textual building blocks. This construction set is subdivided into several building stages or parts each containing multiple building blocks as text blocks. By combining building blocks of all subdivisions it is supposed to create a cascading data policy document. Cascading from the top level as a construction set provider for all further down existing levels such as project, themes, work packages or Universities, faculties, institutes down to the working level of working groups. The working groups are picking from the remaining building blocks in the provided construction set the suitable blocks for its working procedures to create a very specific policy from the available construction set provided by the top level community. Nevertheless, if a working group realized that there are missing building blocks or worse that there are missing building parts, then they have the chance to add the missing pieces to the construction set of direct an future use. This cascading approach enables project or institution wide application of the encoded rules from the textual level on access to data storage infrastructure. This structured approach is flexible enough to allow for
Towards more Manageable Coastal Building; Initial Coastal Building Construction Guidelines
Roslan Talib; Mohd Z. Sulieman
Problem statement: As we may not be aware that the coastal construction is different from inland construction. Building in a coastal environment is different from building in an inland area. In general, buildings in coastal areas must be designed and built to withstand higher loads due to its more extreme conditions. Nowadays, the issue of global warming, uncertainty of global weather and the climate change effect indirectly creating the coastal area with much more expose to extreme condition...
Strategy implementation in the construction industry
Karlsson, Gabriel; Nilsson, Pontus
Background: After immense criticism, the Swedish government requested an investigation concerning the construction industry. The report concludes that the inactive competition within the construction industry entail that the industry continuously delivers the same products, in the same way. Gabrielsson & Lutz (2002), states that the market condition and the long history of static competition within the construction industry has led to low productivity, high consumption of resources, large...
Adhesives in Building--Lamination of Structural Timber Beams, Bonding of Cementitious Materials, Bonding of Gypsum Drywall Construction. Proceedings of a Conference of the Building Research Institute, Division of Engineering and Industrial Research (Spring 1960).
National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.
The role of adhesives in building design is discussed. Three major areas are as follows--(1) lamination of structural timber beams, (2) bonding of cementitious materials, and (3) bonding of gypsum drywall construction. Topical coverage includes--(1) structural lamination today, (2) adhesives in use today, (3) new adhesives needed, (4) production…
Baise to Build Ecological Aluminum Industry Base
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
<正>The government of Baise announced the construction of an ecological aluminum industry base over the next few years,pledging to turn the city into a major aluminum industry base in China and the rest of Asia.
Towards more Manageable Coastal Building; Initial Coastal Building Construction Guidelines
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Roslan Talib
Full Text Available Problem statement: As we may not be aware that the coastal construction is different from inland construction. Building in a coastal environment is different from building in an inland area. In general, buildings in coastal areas must be designed and built to withstand higher loads due to its more extreme conditions. Nowadays, the issue of global warming, uncertainty of global weather and the climate change effect indirectly creating the coastal area with much more expose to extreme condition. Formulate initial guidelines with certain degree of details how coastal construction requirements are different from those for inland construction. Approach: Due to the exposure to higher loads and extreme conditions, these structures in coastal areas will cost more to design, construct, maintain, repair and insure. Proper and right usage of building materials including electrical and mechanical equipments, are crucial in order to minimize damage. Nowadays, the issue of global warming, uncertainty of global weather and the climate change effect indirectly creating the coastal area with much more expose to extreme condition. Feedback has been gathered from the government local engineers who are doing the management of the Governments local buildings located along the coastal area of Peninsular Malaysia. Data findings through research method, discussion with the suppliers and discussion with coastal buildings maintenance crews also has been done. Results: The research finding discus the specific characteristics that makes for successful coastal buildings focusing in tropical region. Conclusion: We must accept on the idea of building in coastal areas will require more maintenance and upkeep. By having proper coastal building guideline may create more positive awareness in constructing better management coastal buildings and can save time and money to maintain the said structures.
Hot Blade Cuttings for the Building Industries
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Brander, David; Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas; Evgrafov, Anton;
The constructions of advanced architectural designs are presently very labour intensive, time consuming, and expensive. They are therefore only applied to a few prestige projects, and it is a major challenge for the building industry to bring the costs down and thereby offer the architects more....... The project aims to reduce the amount of manual labour as well as production time by applying robots to cut expanded polystyrene (EPS) moulds for the concrete to form doubly curved surfaces. The scheme is based upon the so-called Hot Wire or Hot Blade technology where the surfaces are essentially swept out...... by driving an Euler elastica through a block of EPS. This paper will be centered around the mathematical challenges encountered in the implementation of this idea. Since the elastica themselves are well known and described in the works of Euler et al. already in eighteenth century, these new challenges...
Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
McIlvaine, Janet; Chandra, Subrato; Barkaszi, Stephen; Beal, David; Chasar, David; Colon, Carlos; Fonorow, Ken; Gordon, Andrew; Hoak, David; Hutchinson, Stephanie; Lubliner, Mike; Martin, Eric; McCluney, Ross; McGinley, Mark; McSorley, Mike; Moyer, Neil; Mullens, Mike; Parker, Danny; Sherwin, John; Vieira, Rob; Wichers, Susan
This final report summarizes the work conducted by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (www.baihp.org) for the period 9/1/99-6/30/06. BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center of the University of Central Florida and focuses on factory built housing. In partnership with over 50 factory and site builders, work was performed in two main areas--research and technical assistance. In the research area--through site visits in over 75 problem homes, we discovered the prime causes of moisture problems in some manufactured homes and our industry partners adopted our solutions to nearly eliminate this vexing problem. Through testing conducted in over two dozen housing factories of six factory builders we documented the value of leak free duct design and construction which was embraced by our industry partners and implemented in all the thousands of homes they built. Through laboratory test facilities and measurements in real homes we documented the merits of 'cool roof' technologies and developed an innovative night sky radiative cooling concept currently being tested. We patented an energy efficient condenser fan design, documented energy efficient home retrofit strategies after hurricane damage, developed improved specifications for federal procurement for future temporary housing, compared the Building America benchmark to HERS Index and IECC 2006, developed a toolkit for improving the accuracy and speed of benchmark calculations, monitored the field performance of over a dozen prototype homes and initiated research on the effectiveness of occupancy feedback in reducing household energy use. In the technical assistance area we provided systems engineering analysis, conducted training, testing and commissioning that have resulted in over 128,000 factory built and over 5,000 site built homes which are saving their owners over $17,000,000 annually in energy bills. These include homes built by Palm Harbor Homes, Fleetwood, Southern Energy
Construction delay analysis of EDA Center building
Tomažič, Denis
This theses deals with the analysis of building construction and timeline of the project using the delay calculation method. The first and the second part are devoted to building presentation and construction characteristic technology, diversification work phases, facility structure and technological work processes. The third and the fourth part presents in detail the method for calculating the delay based on various reasons, such as the delay that happened for not anchoring the tower cran...
Industry Research and Recommendations for New Commercial Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hendron, B.; Leach, M.; Gregory, N.; Pless, S.; Selkowitz, S.; Matthew, P.
Researchers evaluated industry needs and developed logic models to support possible future commercial new construction research and deployment efforts that could be led or supported by DOE's Commercial Building Integration program or other national initiatives. The authors believe that these recommendations support a proposed course of action from the current state of commercial building energy efficiency to a possible long-term goal of achieving significant market penetration of cost-effective NZE buildings in all building sectors and climates by 2030.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available The construction industry is known as one of the most hazardous activities. Therefore, safety on the job site is an important aspect with respect to the overall safety in construction. This paper assesses the safety level perception of the construction building workers towards safety, health and environment on a construction job site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The above study was carried out by choosing 5 selected large building construction projects and 5 small building construction projects respectively in and around Kuala Lumpur area. In the present study, an exhaustive survey was carried out in these 10 project site areas using a standard checklist and a detailed developed questionnaire. The checklist comprised 17 divisions of safety measurements which are considered and perceived to be important from the safety point of view and was assessed based on the score obtained. The questionnaire comprised the general information with 36 safety attitude statements on a 1-5 Likert scale which was distributed to 100 construction workers. The results of the checklist show the difference of safety levels between the large and small projects. The study revealed that the large projects shown a high and consistent level in safety while the small projects shown a low and varied safety levels. The relationship between the factors can be obtained from the questionnaire. They are organizational commitment, factor influencing communication among workmates, worker related factors, personal role and supervisors' role factors, obstacles to safety and safe behavior factors and management commitment at all levels in line with the management structure and risk taking behavioral factors. The findings of the present study revealed invaluable indications to the construction managers especially in improving the construction workers' attitude towards safety, health and environment and hence good safety culture in the building construction industries.
Business Structure of Indigenous Firms in the Nigerian Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sunday Julius ODEDIRAN
Full Text Available The roles of contracting firms in construction industry cannot be overemphasized and their structure is a function of performance and output in the industry. Sets of questionnaire were administered on construction professionals working within the contracting firms. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistic (mean ranking. The study found out that the firms are medium-size firms, engaged in building construction and cannot finance projects independently prior to client financial contribution (mobilization fee. Their activities are limited to their locality and rarely get bank loans. They do not have share capital and therefore could not fund project from company capital base.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Agung Budiwibowo
Full Text Available Indonesia's construction industry is important to the national economy. However, its competitiveness is considered low due to the lack of success of its development strategy and policy. A new approach known as the cluster approach is being used to make strategy and policy in order to develop a stronger more competitive industry . This paper discusses the layout of the Indonesian construction cluster and its competitiveness. The archival analysis research approach was used to identify the construction cluster. The analysis was based on the I/O tables of the years 1995 and 2000, which were published by the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics. The results suggest that the Indonesian construction cluster consists of the industries directly involved in construction as the core, with the other related and supporting industries as the balance. The anatomy of the Indonesian construction cluster permits structural changes to happen within it. These changes depend on policies that regulate the cluster's constituents.
神宁煤业集团构建基本建设管理体系的探索与实践%Exploration and Practice of Building Capital Construction Management System of Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
This article briefly discusses the exploration and practice of building capital construction manage⁃ment system of Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group from aspects of the project decision-making, plan man⁃agement, technology management, site management and contractor management, and to provide references to management of basic construction.%本文从项目决策、计划管理、技术管理、现场管理及承包商管理等方面,简要论述了神宁煤业集团构建基本建设管理体系的探索与实践,以资对基本建设的管理提供借鉴和参考。
Corporate social responsibility in the construction industry
Barvínková, Zuzana
Barvínková, Z. Corporate Social Responsibility in construction industry. Diploma thesis. Brno: Mendel University, 2014. This thesis deals with the issue of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is the responsibility of companies for their impacts on society and is based on voluntary commitment. The thesis analyzes current state of CSR in small and medium-sized companies in construction industry of Czech Republic as an industry which has great impacts on environment,...
Safety Management Analysis In Construction Industry
T. Subramani; R. Lordsonmillar
The Indian society and economy have suffered human and financial losses as a result of the poor safety record in the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to examine safety management in the construction industry. The study will collects data from general contractors, who are involved in major types of construction. Collected data include information regarding organizational safety policy, safety training, safety meetings, safety equipment, safety inspections, sa...
The construction industry has to focus on the Internet
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt; Balogh, Andre
The construction industries needs to follow the developments on the computing scene is discussed. A proposal to separate information relevant for the building sector into three areas are described. Further it is described how this information can be accessed during new technology, especially...... the Internet. An "extra-net" on the Internet combined with an user friendly GUI is described as a possibility....
The Implementation of Industry Foundation Classes in Simulation Tools for the Building Industry
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Bazjanac, Vladimir; Crawley, Drury B.
Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) provide an environment of interoperability among IFC-compliant software applications in the architecture, engineering, construction, and facilities management (AEC/FM) industry. They allow building simulation software to automatically acquire building geometry and other building data from project models created with IFC compliant CAD software. They also facilitate direct exchange of input and output data with other simulation software. This paper discusses how simulation software can be made compliant with version 1.5 of the IFC. It also describes the immediate plans for expansion of IFC and the process of definition and addition of new classes to the model.
Occupational Accidents: A Perspective of Pakistan Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Tauha Hussain Ali
Full Text Available It has been observed that the construction industry is one of the notorious industry having higher rate of fatalities and injuries. Resulting in higher financial losses and work hour losses, which are normally faced by this industry due to occuptional accidents. Construction industry has the highest occupational accidents rate recorded throughout the world after agriculture industry. The construction work site is often a busy place having an incredibly high account of activities taking place, where everyone is moving in frenzy having particular task assigned. In such an environment, occupational accidents do occur. This paper gives information about different types of occupational accidents & their causes in the construction industry of Pakistan. A survey has been carried out to identify the types of occupational accidents often occur at construction site. The impact of each occupational accident has also been identified. The input from the different stakeholders involved on the work site was analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight method. The findings of this research show that ?fall from elevation, electrocution from building power and snake bite? are the frequent occupational accidents occur within the work site where as ?fall from elevation, struck by, snake bite and electrocution from faulty tool? are the occupational accident with high impact within the construction industry of Pakistan. The results also shows the final ranking of the accidents based on higher frequency and higher impact. Poor Management, Human Element and Poor Site Condition are found as the root causes leading to such occupational accidents. Hence, this paper
Packaging and brand building in steel industry : Case Outokumpu Oyj
Pörhölä, Paulus
Pörhölä, Paulus Artturi 2011. Packaging and brand building in steel industry. Master's Thesis. Kemi-Tornio University of Applied Sciences. Business and Culture. Pages 56. This research examines the role of packaging in brand building and in customer satisfaction in business-to-business environment such as the market of Outokumpu. The aim of this research is to provide key insights from the brand building point of view to support the construction of the new package specification in Outokum...
Construction of Circular Economy Industrial System
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Cao Man; Ye Wenhu
It is difficult to realize the transformation from traditional economy industrial system to circular economy industrial system.Regarding primary raw materials as the indicators,the industrial system has been specified according to the divergence among the indicators and the circular utilization modes.In comparison with the association among industrial systems,the relationship among industrial sub-systems is named as industrial cross-linking in this paper.The industrial system which could completely utilize and recycle the indicators should be increased and strengthened,and the circular economy industrial system with complete industrial association and industrial cross-linking should also be constructed.Taking the development of circular agricultural system basing on the traditional agricultural system as an example,the traditional agricultural products are regarded as the indicators which have been divided into foodstuff and crop straws which are used to produce food and articlesfor use,like fertilizer,energy and papers etc.The way to construct the circular agricultural industrial system is to increase the industrial systems that could utilize the products generated from crop straws,feces and other castoffs and transform the wastewater and other trucks into environmental friendly products.It has also been pointed out that the construction of circular economy industrial system is conducive to the foundation of circular industrial economics and the establishment of the construction layout of circular economy and the application schemes.Suggestions to the theoretical and practical work of the next step have also been brought forward in this paper.
Psychosocial stress of the building construction workers
Tiwary, G; Gangopadhyay, P. K.; Biswas, S.; Nayak, K.; Chakraborty, D.; L.C. Halder
Construction industry plays a vital role in development of infrastructure of a country. About 50% of the subjects of unorganised sector belonged to construction industry in our country. The questionnaire based cross sectional prospective study was undertaken to know the socio-economic status and the psychosocial stress & strain faced by the workers due to occupational exposure. The average age of the workers was 30.6±10.9 years. Majority of them (79.2%) were literates and earned below Rs 500...
Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP II)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Abernethy, Bob; Chandra, Subrato; Baden, Steven; Cummings, Jim; Cummings, Jamie; Beal, David; Chasar, David; Colon, Carlos; Dutton, Wanda; Fairey, Philip; Fonorow, Ken; Gil, Camilo; Gordon, Andrew; Hoak, David; Kerr, Ryan; Peeks, Brady; Kosar, Douglas; Hewes, Tom; Kalaghchy, Safvat; Lubliner, Mike; Martin, Eric; McIlvaine, Janet; Moyer, Neil; Liguori, Sabrina; Parker, Danny; Sherwin, John; Stroer, Dennis; Thomas-Rees, Stephanie; Daniel, Danielle; McIlvaine, Janet
This report summarizes the work conducted by the Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership (BAIHP - www.baihp.org) during the final budget period (BP5) of our contract, January 1, 2010 to November 30, 2010. Highlights from the four previous budget periods are included for context. BAIHP is led by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) of the University of Central Florida. With over 50 Industry Partners including factory and site builders, work in BP5 was performed in six tasks areas: Building America System Research Management, Documentation and Technical Support; System Performance Evaluations; Prototype House Evaluations; Initial Community Scale Evaluations; Project Closeout, Final Review of BA Communities; and Other Research Activities.
Urban BIPV in the new residential construction industry
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Elzinga, D.
This report for the International Energy Agency (IEA) made by Task 10 of the Photovoltaic Power Systems (PVPS) programme takes a look at urban building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) in the new residential construction industry. The mission of the Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme is to enhance the international collaboration efforts which accelerate the development and deployment of photovoltaic solar energy. The aim of Task 10 is stated as being to enhance the opportunities for wide-scale, solution-oriented application of photovoltaics in the urban environment. The report states that different types of building require different approaches to BIPV due to their associated varying dimensions and geometry. Several solutions are proposed to encourage the adoption and diffusion of BIPV by the new home residential building industry. These are divided into PV industry-based approaches and policy-based solutions. The former include end-customer focused policies, the identification of early adopters, the creation of product solutions that meet the needs of the building industry and standards and that the construction industry must be engaged in the design and planning stage of residential developments. Policy questions discussed include the provision of incentives, a planned approach to the demonstration of BIPV and the development of BIPV-specific policy.
Risk management in Nigerian construction industry
Aminu, Aliyu Bashir
ABSTRACT: The major requirement of every construction project is meeting client's need of cost, quality and time. However, the construction industry is overwhelmed with risks more than any other industry due to the fact that they are present in every activity from design to completion. These risks need to be controlled early or face the possibility of cost overruns, time delays and poor quality work leading to displeasure of client and public. This study assesses the ways of managing the most...
Agung Budiwibowo; Bambang Trigunarsyah; Ismeth S Abidin; Hari G Soeparto
Indonesia's construction industry is important to the national economy. However, its competitiveness is considered low due to the lack of success of its development strategy and policy. A new approach known as the cluster approach is being used to make strategy and policy in order to develop a stronger more competitive industry . This paper discusses the layout of the Indonesian construction cluster and its competitiveness. The archival analysis research approach was used to identify the cons...
Construction of Chaihu Selenium Industrial Demonstration Area in Zhongxiang City of Hubei Province
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Guangzhong; DAI
In order to develop selenium industry in Jianghan Basin,Hubei Provincial Party Committee decided to build Chaihu selenium industrial demonstration area in Zhongxiang City.This paper introduced general situation of Chaihu Town,analyzed countermeasures for construction of selenium industrial demonstration area in depth,and finally came up with 12 constructive and pertinent recommendations.
Achieving Supply Chain Integration within Construction Industry
Peter McDermotti; Malik Khalfan
The main driver behind the adoption of supply chain management (SCM) philosophy into the construction industry was the successes within other industry sectors. SCM can be defined as network of different organisations, linked upstream and downstream in a chain, aiming to produce quality and value in the services and products for the end consumers through integrated processes and activities. In order to achieve the optimised level of integration of the whole supply chain, the industry has respo...
Disaster-friendly sundanese traditional building construction
Maknun, J.; Busono, T.; Nuryanto
Indonesia is one country that is highly prone to earthquakes because it is located at the juncture of four tectonic plates, namely the Asian continental shelf, the continental shelf of Australia, the Indian Ocean plate and the Pacific plate. In the southern and eastern parts of Indonesia there is a volcanic belt that extends from the island of Sumatra, Java and Nusa south eastern Sulawesi, the sides in the form of old volcanic mountains and the lowlands are mostly dominated by swamps. The condition of potential and proneness to disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and landslides. Indonesian society have a local knowledge for facing disasters. Local communities in particular areas have local knowledge for facing disasters. Such knowledge is commonly kept by members of the communities and applied to their environments, including houses. This research aims to describe disaster-friendly Sundanese traditional building construction. It employs the evaluation method, by comparing Sundanese traditional house construction to the standards of disaster-friendly construction. The results indicate that the Sundanese traditional building constructions have been qualified as disaster-friendly buildings.
Economic energy use in building construction
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Weidlich, B.; Courtney, R.G. (ed.)
The goal of this research is to deliver handbooks to owners of buildings, architects and engineers. These handbooks will provide the concerned groups with relevant findings on energy conservation in buildings in a clearly arranged form. The first part will describe all requirements to be fulfilled in buildings. Alternative construction possibilities will be given together with the corresponding physical data. Influencing factors resulting from the different building usages, the different shapes and orientations will be collected and classified by types of buildings. In addition, physiological, meteorological and environmental values will be considered. The second part covers a summary of the most favorable systems and components which will be able to fulfill energy conservation functions (i.e., the requirements out of part I). They will be sub-divided into heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, lighting, warm water supply, heat recovery, new energy resources (sun, geothermics). This section will also cover the interdependence between design, construction and energy systems. It will make clear that only the integrated consideration of all components influencing the energy consumption can lead to an optimum solution. Special attention will be given to the economic factors in the energy balance. In the third part, the users of the handbooks will obtain examples of appropriate plannings for one-family houses, flats and office buildings. These examples will also give details on the different costs involved. The fourth part investigates on typical organization and co-operation patterns in the building sector and describes their influence on reasonable plannings for energy sytems. On the basis of an analysis of weak points in the present planning procedures, alternative models will be developed which will enable the best decisions for energy saving problems.
Lean construction: Prospects for the German construction industry
Johansen, Eric; Walter, Lorenz
There is little, if any, information available about the range and dissemination of lean concepts among construction companies in Germany. Building on the methodologies and conceptual frameworks used in earlier work in the UK (Common et al., 2000) and the Netherlands (Johansen et al., 2002) this study carried out a similar survey among German construction companies to discover the current understanding of lean principles, perceptions of lean and trends in lean development. Qualitative and qua...
- Construction Workers' Satisfaction with Work Provision Requirement Dimensions in Ghana's Construction Industry
Humphrey Danso
This paper, sought to empirically assess and analyze workers' satisfaction with different dimensions of work provision requirement of the construction industry in Ghana. It involved a cross-sectional survey that used a self-administered structured questionnaire administered to five hundred respondents of building construction workers. The findings indicate that though workers are satisfied with some work provision requirement dimension items significantly, most of the workers are very dissati...
Occupational accidents: a perspective of pakistan construction industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
It has been observed that the construction industry is one of the notorious industry having higher rate of facilities and injuries. Resulting in higher financial losses and work hour losses, which are normally faced by this industry due to occupational accidents. Construction industry has the highest occupational accidents rate recorded throughout the world after agriculture industry. The construction work site is often a busy place having an incredibly high account of activities taking place, where everyone is moving in frenzy having particular task assigned. In such an environment, occupational accidents do occur. This paper gives information about different types of occupational accidents and their causes in the construction industry of Pakistan. A survey has been carried out to identify the types of occupational accidents often occur at construction site. The impact of each occupational accident has also been identified. The input from the different stakeholders involved on the work site was analyzed using RIW (Relative Importance Weight) method. The findings of this research show that fall from elevation, electrocution from building power and snake bite are the frequent occupational accidents occur within the work site where as fall from elevation, struck by, snake bite and electrocution from faulty tool are the occupational accident with high impact within the construction industry of Pakistan. The results also shows the final ranking of the accidents based on higher frequency and higher impact. Poor Management, Human Element and Poor Site Condition are found as the root causes leading to such occupational accidents. Hence, this paper identify that what type of occupational accidents occur at the work place in construction industry of pakistan, in order to develop the corrective actions which should be adequate enough to prevent the re-occurrence of such accidents at work site. (author)
Modeling injury rates as a function of industrialized versus on-site construction techniques.
Rubio-Romero, J C; Suárez-Cebador, M; Abad, Jesús
It is often predicted that the industrialization of building activities will lead to a reduction of accident rates in the construction sector, particularly as a result of switching activities from building sites to factories. However, to date no scientific research has provided objective quantitative results to back up this claim. The aim of this paper is to evaluate how industrialization affects the accident rate in different industrialized building systems in Spain. Our results revealed that the industrialized steel modular system presents the lowest accident rate, while the highest accident rate was recorded in the construction method with cast-in-place concrete. The lightweight construction system also presents a high accident rate. Accordingly, industrialized building systems cannot claim to be safer than traditional ones. The different types of "on-site work" seem to be the main variable which would explain the accident rates recorded in industrialized construction systems.
Daylight performance of adapted industrial buildings
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Stojkovic Milena
Full Text Available This paper assesses the potential of historical industrial buildings to be reused as office spaces. Belgrade's industrial heritage has been classified according to the criteria that influence visual comfort, including glazing area, floor depth, and orientation. Daylight performance of two representative buildings has been analyzed using daylight factor, point in time illuminance and spatial daylight autonomy. Potential improvement strategies that would not have a negative impact on the historical character of buildings have then been discussed. Further studies include increased internal surface reflectance and introduction of roof-lights. The impact of roof-lights on the annual cooling and heating load has been addressed in parallel. Since LEED is the dominant sustainability assessment tool in Serbia, preliminary compliance with LEED v4 Daylight credit has been assessed for all options. The methodology and findings can be applied to a wide range of industrial buildings in similar climatic conditions. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR 36035: Spatial, Environmental, Energy and Social Aspects of Developing Settlements and Climate Change
The development of public and private construction procurement systems in the Malaysian construction industry
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Mastura Jaafar
Full Text Available As demand on building construction projects rises, various procurement methods have been adapted to suit with unique project requirements. However, poor industry performance and rapid developments within it indicate the need for a research on the procurement systems in the industry. In order to explore the development of procurement systems in Malaysia, a discussion on different economic phases which influence the routes of procurement systems and its evolution in Malaysia's construction industry is initiated. Subsequently, based on a questionnaire survey collected from 73 public and 68 private parties, the significant and dominant role of traditional procurement system used by both the public and private sectors in Malaysia can be confirmed. Further, compared to the public sector, the private sector is observed to be more aggressive in adapting alternative systems such as design and build (D&B and Turnkey. Further elaboration on the research findings is covered in the discussion section.
建筑装饰行业室内绿色施工初探%Indoor Green Construction of Building Decoration Industry
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
近年来,越来越多的消费者已经认识到,室内建筑装饰可能会带来环境污染。一方面,施工过程和材料可能对环境造成负担;另一方面,装修后可能会散发甲醛等污染物,影响消费者居住健康。绿色施工就是基于消费者和环境要求而提出的。本文尝试分析了绿色施工的要求,提出了初步建议。%In recent years, more and more consumers have been recognized, indoor decoration may bring environmental polution. On the one hand, the construction process and mate- rial may be a burden on the environment; on the other hand, the decoration may emit formaldehyde and other polutants, influence living health of consumers. Green construction is put forward based on the consumer and environmental requirem- ents. This paper tries to analyze the green construction require- ments, puts forward some preliminary suggestions.
Stakeholder Analysis in Libyan Construction Industry
Hraisha, Ahmed A. Ali
Scholars in the construction management field have highlighted the importance of analyzing and managing the project stakeholders effectively, since the project success or failure is related to their perceptions of the value created by the project, and the nature of their relationship with the project team. This study intended to facilitate the analysis of the construction industry stakeholders by providing an original framework model. This framework displays a clear process for stakeholders' ...
Krishna Mochtar
Issues related to pricing strategy in the Indonesian construction industry are covered%2C including problems of current pricing strategy in construction%2C exploration of pricing strategies with a market-based approach%2C and survey findings of the top Indonesian contractors regarding their current pricing practices and the applicability of market-based pricing strategy models developed by Mochtar and Arditi. Comparisons with similar survey findings of the top U.S. contractors are conducted w...
The current state of computing in building design and construction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt; Andersen, Tom
An exhaustive IT-survey is made in the Danish construction industry in 1995. The outcome of this survey is outlined for a selected number of issues, such as number and types of CAD-systems, data base systems, networking etc. The survey shows, that the use of IT is massive. A detailed investigation...... in relation to AI-based systems is presented. This indicates that AI-based systems/approaches have not yet penetrated in the Danish construction industry. Determinants relevant to technology penetration are described, and the immediate potential for AI-penetration are discussed and compared with the actual...... status. Finally, we conclude that there is a severe lack of awareness about AI-systems in the building sector....
Innovation in the Danish Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bonke, Sten; Bang, Henrik; Clausen, Lennie
This report is concerned with public policy instruments, how they are used and to which degree they enhance innovativeness in the Danish construction sector.The report is written as a Danish response to the first of three thematic questions raised in CIB Task Group 35 on innovation systems...... in construction. The three themes are:A. Which current public policy instruments facilitate innovation in construction?B. What is the role of knowledge brokers in the innovation process?C. How does the client-industry interface influence innovation?...
Ship building Industry,Ready to Sail
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Yang Wei
@@ The shipbuilding industry is known as"the head of comprehensive industries"among all national sectors,due to its wide-linked production line,long production process,and huge investment for each order.A single order to build a 10,000-ton vessel can provide 3,000 jobs for shipbuilders and related upstream industries.At present,China has become the world's second largest shipbuilder.In 2008,China shipbuilding capacity amounted to 2,881 million tons,29.5% of the world total;China's ship orders accounted for 35.5%of the world total,and 37.7% of new orders.
Mapping Innovation: Facilitating Innovation in the Danish Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Thuesen, Christian Langhoff; Koch, Christian
regime, built in the existing ways of working and developing over generations. The regime is challenged from various niches and the socio-technical landscape through trends as globalization. Three niches (Lean Construction, Building Information Modelling (BIM) and System Deliveries) are subject......By adopting a theoretical framework from strategic niche management research (SNM) this paper presents an analysis of the innovation system of the Danish Construction industry. Theories within SNM look upon innovation in a sector as a socio-technical phenomenon and identifies three levels of socio...
Evaluation of Karst Hazards for Civil and Industrial Buildings
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
The European part of Russia exhibits highly developed sulphate and carbonate karst. It mostly occurs within fiver valleys with relatively thin coveting deposits. These conditions may induce karst collapses, which appear to be the main danger for civil and industrial buildings. Evolution of karst rocks includes several epochs of karst development,which causes complicated distribution of karst caves in karst rocks and, as the result, irregular distribution of karst caves on the surface. Karst hazards prediction is mostly reliable within the geotechnical system "Karst-Construction", using probability methods. This approach allows creating 3 types of antikarst protection (alternative design of construction arrangement on a plan, structural protection of a construction and plugging of karst caves beneath construction foundation) and selecting the optimum or the most effective version or their rational combination.``
Safety Management Analysis In Construction Industry
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T. Subramani
Full Text Available The Indian society and economy have suffered human and financial losses as a result of the poor safety record in the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to examine safety management in the construction industry. The study will collects data from general contractors, who are involved in major types of construction. Collected data include information regarding organizational safety policy, safety training, safety meetings, safety equipment, safety inspections, safety incentives and penalties, workers' attitude towards safety, labor turnover rates and compliance with safety legislation. The study will also reveal several factors of poor safety management. Thus the paper will conclude by providing a set of recommendations and strategies to contractors for improving their safety performance.
- Construction Workers' Satisfaction with Work Provision Requirement Dimensions in Ghana's Construction Industry
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Humphrey Danso
Full Text Available This paper, sought to empirically assess and analyze workers' satisfaction with different dimensions of work provision requirement of the construction industry in Ghana. It involved a cross-sectional survey that used a self-administered structured questionnaire administered to five hundred respondents of building construction workers. The findings indicate that though workers are satisfied with some work provision requirement dimension items significantly, most of the workers are very dissatisfied with working environment and work benefit of the work provision requirement in Ghana. The management of construction firms in Ghana and policy makers are called upon to focus and redirect attention and effort to ensuring that work provision requirement that workers are dissatisfied with are improved significantly to meet workers expectations. The paper contributes to the general body of knowledge in the area of workers' satisfaction in developing countries particularly in Ghana's construction industry. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.
(Industrial Research on Building Production: results and future developments
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Giuseppe Alaimo
Full Text Available In accordance with the most recent management mandate, ISTeA (Italian Society of Science, Technology and engineering of Architecture has devoted its efforts to outlining those topics which are of fundamental importance for the activity of its stakeholders, in line with the road maps of national and Community funding programmes and with the strategic objectives of (Industrial Research which range from the energy-environmental performance of buildings and districts to automation in construction within the context of Smart Cities and Social Innovation. These research programmes need to be planned and negotiated with industrial stakeholders and carried out in partnership with them. This explains why the 2011 ISTeA Conference produced a number of position papers, the 2012 Conference traced the state of the art in the topics identified and the 2013 Conferencedeals with the non-instrumental relationship between Building Production and ICT.
Preparing the Building Industry for the New Euratom BSS
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
In the proposed new Euratom Basic Safety Standards (EU-BSS), a reference level of 1 mSv/a is set for indoor external exposure to gamma rays emitted by building materials. An activity concentration index (ACI) is proposed as a conservative screening parameter for identifying building materials that may cause the reference level to be exceeded. An alternative in situ ACI determination method was developed and the validation of this method is discussed. This screening method was used to analyse numerous building materials available on the Belgian market. An attempt was made to identify building materials containing residues from naturally occurring radioactive material processing industries that pass through Belgium, by analysing results from a large scale radiological study of the container traffic in the port of Antwerp. In addition to the regulation provided on the gamma exposure from building materials, specific parts of the proposed new EU-BSS are dealing with radon issues separately. A reference level of 300 Bq/m3 for indoor radon concentration is proposed for the EU-BSS. Relationships between radon exposure and type of building material used, the airtightness of the building and the stage of construction work were determined. (author)
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Henry Mwanaki Alinaitwe
Full Text Available Engaging in lean construction efforts could prove to be highly rewarding for building firms in Uganda. However, lean construction is risky and can be disastrous if not properly managed. Lean production efforts in some other countries have not been successful due to the many barriers to its successful implementation. To enable sound lean construction efforts and to increase the chances of success in eliminating waste, a thorough investigation of the barriers is essential. This study presents 31 barriers and investigates their influence (strength on the success of lean construction initiatives. Structured interviews were carried out with technical managers of building firms to assess their perception of the barriers to lean production based on their experience at their firms. The strongest barrier is the provision of inputs exactly when required. Additionally, the barriers were ranked according to the ease of overcoming each. The easiest barrier to overcome is keeping the required items in the right place. Finally, a graphical aid is provided to enable decision makers to concentrate their efforts on the influential (strong, yet easy to overcome barriers. A lack of buildable designs and a participative management style for the workforce are the most important barriers to successful waste reduction in terms of strength and ease of overcoming. On the other hand, a lack of an organisational culture that supports teamwork, a lack of prefabrication and a lack of knowledgeable and skilled workers are regarded as low in strength, and at the same time difficult to overcome.
Geometry model construction in infrared image theory simulation of buildings
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
谢鸣; 李玉秀; 徐辉; 谈和平
Geometric model construction is the basis of infrared image theory simulation. Taking the construction of the geometric model of one building in Harbin as an example, this paper analyzes the theoretical groundings of simplification and principles of geometric model construction of buildings. It then discusses some particular treatment methods in calculating the radiation transfer coefficient in geometric model construction using the Monte Carlo Method.
The construction industry takes up the gauntlet
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pedersen, Elsebet Frydendal
of experiments in the last decade. Many of these results are now being implemented in daily production. Special focus has been on new management concepts and activities to inprove the general image, not least to signal the drive for better quality and value and to attract a new generation of workers. Increased......Public and political dissadisfaction with the Danish construction industry in terms of low productivity, high prices and poor qualiyt has lead the industry to a stage where new methods and new innovative measures are needed. The industry, supported by the government, has engaged in a range...... focus on health and safety, including attempts to reduce the high risks of accidents in the industry has also been adressed. This paper questions whether these activities are enough and presents an ongoing reseach project that illustrates the need for innovation from a more holistic, normative...
Psychosocial stress of the building construction workers
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G. Tiwary
Full Text Available Construction industry plays a vital role in development of infrastructure of a country. About 50% of the subjects of unorganised sector belonged to construction industry in our country. The questionnaire based cross sectional prospective study was undertaken to know the socio-economic status and the psychosocial stress & strain faced by the workers due to occupational exposure. The average age of the workers was 30.6±10.9 years. Majority of them (79.2% were literates and earned below Rs 5000/-. About 59% were smokers and 37% consumed alcohol. The mean duration of present occupational exposure was 8.6±8.0 years. The workers were victim of different health impairment like occupational health hazards, psychosocial stress & strain etc. The psychosocial stress & strain were due to long working hours (73.3%, lower wages (60.4%, job uncertainty (56.9%, poor communication among workers with supervisors (22.7%. Exploitation by labour contractor, gender discrimination, sexual harassment was observed. Low job satisfaction (42.4%, injuries & accidents (47% were also reported. About 94.6% of the workers were not aware of the different social security schemes. This occupationally exposed group of workers were victims of different psychosocial stresses & strains and other health impairments.
Ethics and responsibility within the construction industry
Amin, Hamad; Al-Haddad, Hussein
All people face moral choices, it can be in private life, work, school or daily life. There are often rules and laws that guide us and declare how we should act in a specific situation. But how should we act in the "gray zone", where there are no clear guidelines and rules, where the boundaries between right and wrong are not so clear. Like other industries, the construction industry is subjected to moral problems, and it is not always obvious what is right and wrong. Ethics and responsibili...
Energy use for building construction. Final report, March 1, 1976--December 31, 1976
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hannon, B M; Stein, R G; Segal, B; Serber, D; Stein, C
Total (direct and indirect) energy requirements of the construction industry for 1967 were determined in order to examine the potential for energy savings. The Energy Input/Output Model developed at the Center for Advanced Computation, University of Illinois, was expanded to include 49 building and non-building construction sectors (new and maintenance). Total energy intensities were determined for these sectors, as well as energy requirements to final demand. Overall, the construction industry required about 6000 trillion Btu, or about 9% of the total U. S. energy requirement in 1967. About 20% of this requirement was for direct energy. Energy requirements were further broken down according to goods and services purchased by individual construction sectors, and energy distribution patterns were determined within each construction sector. Energy cost per unit for various building materials were calculated, as well as 1967 energy cost per square foot for building sectors. Laboratories required the most energy per square foot (2,074,056 Btu/SF), while Farm Service required the least (149,071 Btu/SF). Comparative interchangeable building assemblies were evaluated for their energy costs, including initial construction and lifetime maintenance energy. Tradeoffs between construction and operational energy costs were determined for a selected wall frame assembly with different exterior finishes and varying degrees of insulation. A study was initiated to determine industries in which direct energy use led to a significant amount of the energy embodied in New Building Construction for 1967. The resulting Energy Flow Chart is included.
Supply Chain Management in the Construction Industry
Olsson, Fredrik
In this licentiate thesis the implications of a deliberate use of logistics knowledge have been investigated by describing and analyzing the use of a supply chain management approach in the construction industry.
A five-step approach is used in the thesis. First, theoretical models are developed from the supply chain management literature. Two models are elaborated; One model identifying supply chain criteria and the other comparing traditional to supply chain-based.
Demand and Supply Trends and Construction Industry Development: A Case Study in the Sri Lankan Construction Industry
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Citra Weddikkara
Full Text Available The construction sectors in the developing countries (DCs have recently demonstratednumerous trends towards globalisation, raising considerable concern in the field.However, the nature of the effect of demand on supply characteristics of the domesticindustry has not been sufficiently discussed with respect to what development measuresare needed in the context of constraints that originate locally to accommodate the globaltrends in DCs. This paper therefore analyses reasons for these trends and attempts toidentify the necessary industry developments to benefit from them locally. For thispurpose, the Sri Lankan construction industry has been taken as a case study and ademand and supply framework is being used to analyse the case. The analysis revealsthat while government policies contribute intrusively in stimulating demand side trends,the role of the contracting firms together with project delivery process and projectprocurement process are also subject to change as a result of these demanddeterminants. In this context, the main focus is concentrated on corporatedevelopments, while wider industry development is also necessary to support them. Asa consequence, both institutional reforms and capacity building are required to enhancefirms' technological and managerial capacity. The necessity for these developmentmeasures reflects in partly the underdeveloped framework of the construction industry inDCs. Nevertheless, they could still foster indigenous construction capacity within thecontext of global trends.91
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Krishna Mochtar
Full Text Available Issues related to pricing strategy in the Indonesian construction industry are covered%2C including problems of current pricing strategy in construction%2C exploration of pricing strategies with a market-based approach%2C and survey findings of the top Indonesian contractors regarding their current pricing practices and the applicability of market-based pricing strategy models developed by Mochtar and Arditi. Comparisons with similar survey findings of the top U.S. contractors are conducted whenever possible. In conclusion%2C the belief that current pricing strategy in construction is predominantly cost-based is confirmed by the survey findings%3B indeed%2C in setting the markup%2C most contractors rely on subjective assessment of the competition. Using simulated bidding scenarios%2C it is discovered that Indonesian contractors tend to be more market-based as they know more about the owner%5C%27s characteristics%2C competitors%5C%27 characteristics%2C and market demand. Consequently%2C the implementation of bidding procedure proposed by Mochtar and Arditi is supported. To maximize the benefits of market-based pricing strategies%2C the bidding procedure change should be explored by all parties involved in the Indonesian construction industry. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : Cost-based+pricing%2C+market-based+pricing%2C+pricing+variables%2C+bidding+procedure.
Social identity in the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andersen, L. P.; Karlsen, I. L.; Kines, P.;
The construction industry has one of the highest frequency levels and rates of work-related injuries, yet the evidence for successful attempts to reduce injuries is generally lacking. The motivational and (safety) behavioural implications of social identification and social categorization among...... construction labourer work crews were investigated to ascertain how their interactions are affected by the social structure and organization of work. Semi-structured group interviews and mini interviews during work were carried out with 13 concrete work crews (totalling 53 persons) at five large construction...... sites. The organization of work fosters social identification within a crew, resulting in distancing from and social categorization of site management. Social identification influences safety behaviour in the crews, where worksite safety rules may meet resistance. Future safety initiatives at large...
Green Building Construction Thermal Isolation Materials (Rockwool
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M. Itewi
Full Text Available Problem statement: Building insulation consisting roughly to anything in a structure that is utilizes as insulation for any reason. Thermal insulation in structures is a significant feature to attaining thermal comfort for its tenants. Approach: Insulation decreases unnecessary warmth loss or gain and can reduce the power burdens of heating and cooling structures. It does not automatically having anything to do with problems of sufficient exposure to air and might or might not influence the amount of sound insulation. Results: In a constricted way insulation can just mean the insulation substance used to reduce heat loss, such as: Glass wool, cellulose, polystyrene, rock wool, urethane foam, vermiculite and the earth, but it can also entail a variety of plans and methods used to deal with the chief forms of heat movement like transmission, emission and convection substances. The efficiency of insulation is normally assessed by its R-value. However, an R-value does not allow for the superiority of assembly or narrow green issues for each structure. Building superiority matters comprise insufficient vapor obstructions and troubles with draft-proofing. Additionally, the property and concentration of the insulation substance itself is vital. Fiberglass insulation materials, for example, made out of short fibers of glass covered on top of each other is not as long-lasting as insulation prepared from extended entwined fibers of glass. Conclusion/Recommendations: Rockwool insulation is a kind of insulation that is constructed out of real rocks and minerals. It furthermore is known by the names of mineral wool insulation, stone wool insulation or slag wool insulation. A broad collection of goods can be constructed from Rockwool, because of its outstanding capability to obstruct sound and heat. Rockwool insulation is normally utilized in building assembly, manufacturing plants and in automotive purposes. In this study i proposed to use
Delays in Building Construction Projects in Ghana
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Adwoa B Agyakwah-Baah
Full Text Available This study investigates the causes of delay of building construction projects in Ghana to determine the most important according to the key project participants; clients, consultants, and contractors. Thirty-two possible causes of delay were identified from the literature and semi-structured interviews of 15 key players in the implementation process. These delay factors were further categorised into nine major groups. The list of delay causes was subjected to a questionnaire survey for the identification of the most important causes of delay. The field survey included 130 respondents made up of 39 contractors, 37 clients and 54 consultants. The relative importance of the individual causes and the groups were calculated and ranked by their relative importance index. The overall results of the study indicate that the respondents generally agree that financial group factors ranked highest among the major factors causing delay in construction projects in Ghana. The financial group factors were delay in honouring payment certificates, difficulty in accessing credit and fluctuation in prices. Materials group factors are second followed by scheduling and controlling factors.
Renovation versus New Construction and Building Decision Tool for Educational Facilities
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Carrie Pope
Full Text Available Renovation of an existing building is an accomplished stem of the construction industry because it supplies financial diversification for construction stakeholders. Although several construction planning tools and stakeholder alignment exercises have been developed, no tool exists to assist project owners to decide between renovating an existing building and new construction with a comprehensive decision criteria. The objective of this research is to create and test a renovation versus new building support decision tool for construction project stakeholders. The renovation versus new building support decision tool was created based on an extensive review of existing support tools and construction industry needs. The created tool was implemented to evaluate decisions of educational facilities by university officials experienced in project management. Results show the tool was effective in identifying relevant topics for discussion and guiding a group of stakeholders through an exercise in decision-making. Specifically, the tool was implemented by construction management personnel for university facilities currently under construction to evaluate the decision to renovate an existing building or new construction. The main contribution of this research is a framework and support decision tool readily implementable for construction project stakeholders desiring to determine if renovation or new construction is the optimal path for their specific objectives.
Implementing efficient and effective learnerships in the construction industry
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Claudia Mummenthey
Full Text Available Orientation: Overcoming skills deficits has been a major concern in South Africa since the advent of democracy in 1994.Research purpose: This study investigated the current state of the learnership system in the construction sector and identified the major obstacles.Motivation for the study: The study was an attempt to illustrate why it is necessary to implement efficient and effective learnerships in the construction industry.Research design, approach and method: A learnership evaluation framework was developed and indicated the critical factors for efficient and effective learnership implementation as well as the roles of the various key stakeholders. The sample included respondents from building and civil companies (n = 90, learners (n = 135, accredited training providers (n = 14 and Construction Education and Training Authority and industry-related bodies (n = 10.Main findings: It was found that descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests and a content analysis of the Western Cape data indicated that, despite low satisfaction with the system in the workplace and among institutional providers, the learnership system was nevertheless regarded as an appropriate means to develop artisans.Practical/managerial implications: Companies were motivated to offer learnerships but felt inadequately prepared for actual implementation. Learnerships were felt to demonstrate effectiveness in terms of employability and skills enhancement.Contribution/value-add: This research provides a theoretical framework to understand, describe and assess the implementation of efficient and effective learnerships in the construction industry.
The role of effective communication in the construction Industry: a guide for education and health clients
Terry Aulich
The construction industry operates primarily as a system of sub-contracting and purpose built alliances. There is a wide spread of stakeholders involved in conceiving a building project through typical stages such as design, finance, build, manage, upgrade and, ultimately, replacement and a corresponding need for communication and cooperation. Specialists who can prevent bridges falling down or who build 20 storey buildings are seen as the hard-nosed, action people who have helped bring us i...
Advancing the Use of BIM Through a Government Funded Construction Industry Competency Centre in Ireland
Hore, Alan V.; Thomas, Ken
The main aim of this paper is to develop the early case for a new Competence Centre dedicated to industry led research in the Irish construction industry. It incorporates the results of a survey carried out by the Construction IT Aliance (CITA) and also identifies similiar centres carrying out industry led research around the world. Results from the survey show a clear support for the establishment of such a centre in Ireland and, in particular, a strong interest in Building Information Model...
Shortening of construction period of nuclear power plant. Activities of construction industry on construction period shortening
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Total construction period could be shorten by prefabricating structures efficiently in another yard and reducing working hours on site, which would reduce work at height or congestion work and also upgrade safety at work. Construction period shortening would surely reduce expenses during work and advance operation start of electric utilities. Construction of reactor building, turbine building, water intake and drainage canal was performed on a relatively large scale and a big share of whole schedule. This article summarized basic technologies to shorten construction period for reactor building/turbine building and water intake and drainage canal. Advanced methods of reactor building/turbine building; (1) modularization of equipment and skeleton, (2) utilization of concrete mold, reinforcing bar and steel frame, (3) precedent steel frame method and (4) steel plate reinforced concrete (SC) method, were outlined and their application examples were shown to reduce work on site and improve work efficiency. As for water intake and drainage canal construction, (1) precast concrete method, (2) SC method and (3) steel plate shell method were described with application examples. Construction procedures and problems using mega block method for water intake and drainage canal were also introduced. (T. Tanaka)
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Cristina PLOSCARU
Full Text Available The current financial and economic crisis has affected many sectors, and also the construction sector. The construction market has been and will be an important source of income for the entire Europe, totaling about 1.650 thousand billion euro, which is more than the GDP of Italy. Building no doubt brings significant percentage in the GDP of any European country, which of course is different from country to country. In Western European countries, the residential market is almost 50% from the construction market, while in Eastern European countries the majority is held by the civil and non-residential constructions. In addition, in the West the medium budget per capita spent on construction is 3-4 times higher than that spent in Eastern countries. But, according to previsions in the coming years the countries that will witness a growth, albeit small, will be the Eastern ones. The paper highlights the impact of the economic and financial crisis in the construction industry on a European and national level, as the sustainable constructions that may represent the sector's future.
Energy efficiency in buildings, industry and transportation
Milovanovic, Dobrica; Babic, Milun; Jovicic, Nebojsa; Gordic, Dusan
This paper reviews the literature concerning the energy saving and outlines the importance of energy efficiency, particularly in three the most important areas: buildings, industry and transportation. Improving energy efficiency plays a crucial role in minimizing the societal and environmental impacts of economic growth and offers a powerful tool for achieving sustainable development by reducing the need for investment in new infrastructure, by cutting fuel costs, and by increasing competitiveness for businesses and welfare for consumers. It creates environmental benefits through reduced emissions of greenhouse gases and local air pollutants. It can offer social benefits in the form of increased energy security (through reduced dependence on fossil fuels, particularly when imported) and better energy services.
Benefits of Building Information Modelling in the Project Lifecycle: Construction Projects in Asia
Jian Li; Ying Wang; Xiangyu Wang; Hanbin Luo; Shih-Chung Kang; Jun Wang; Jun Guo; Yi Jiao
Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a process involving the creation and management of objective data with property, unique identity and relationship. In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, BIM is adopted a lot in the lifecycle of buildings because of the high integration of information that it enables. Four-dimensional (4D) computer-aided design (CAD) has been adopted for many years to improve the construction planning process. BIM is adopted throughout buildin...
Conservation and adaptive-reuse of historical industrial building in China in the post-industrial era
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
WANG Jianguo; JIANG Nan
The conservation and adaptive-rense of historical industrial building is one of the most important issues to be solved in today's urban development and construction in China.In this paper,the necessity and academic meaning of the conservation and adaptive-reuse of historical industrial building were discussed by reviewing its development rend both at home and abroad,and the basic contents of the implementation of the conservation and adaptive-reuse of historical industrial building in China with specific cases provided were analyzed.It is the central task for China to put forward the restructuring and design methods,assessment principles and relevant core technical specifications based on the empirical researches on the historical industrial building and site.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Laureana Martínez Figueroa
Full Text Available In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Mexico City experienced changes, such as expansion of the urban area - with the construction of colonies like Santa María de la Ribera,and industrial development, besides need spaces, changed the social dynamics and urban landscape. This article analyzes these processes at the local level, to study the industrial building in the colony, between 1900 and 1930. Through the study of three representative cases, it is presented the characteristics of the factories that were established in this area in the period studied and the difficulties had to be included into a residential context.
Leadership styles of women managers in the UK construction industry
Thayaparan, M; Amaratunga, Dilanthi; Haigh, Richard
This paper is part of an ongoing doctoral study about exploring the contribution of women managers towards the construction industry. UK construction is typically portrayed as a male dominated industry. Women are highly under-represented particularly at the managerial and technical sectors of the construction industry. This research intends to explore the contribution women managers could bring to the construction industry. Exploring the benefits women could bring to constructi...
M. Asad, Abdurrahman
The construction industry has one of the highest injury ratios of all Australian industries. Individuals employed on the construction industries find themselves confronted with dangerous and life-threatening work conditions. However, it appears that the trend in Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) performance of construction industry has improved consistently compared with the other industries. The enforcement of OHS law and regulation, and the outcome of authority function to assist and pro...
Vacuum Insulation Panels Applied in Building Constructions
Tenpierik, M.J.
Due to sustainability and due to international treaties, it is desired and required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions drastically. One contributor to these emissions is the burning of fossil fuels for generating power and electricity to be used in and for buildings. Buildings and building-related p
Rethinking the contractual context for Building Information Modelling (BIM) in the Australian built environment industry
Ilsa Kuiper; Dominik Holzer
Building Information Modelling (BIM) can be defined as a process of generating and managing information of a building or infrastructure during its life cycle. Whilst the 3D visualisation or dimensional functions of BIM are not necessarily new, it is the usage and integration of this information related to project delivery, management and performance analysis that are challenging current construction industry practices. Industry has called for the development of more collaborative and integra...
Recyclage de déchets industriels, phosphogypse et cendres volantes, dans des matériaux de construction Recycling of industrial wastes, phosphogypsum and fly ash, in building materials
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Moussa R.
Full Text Available L'industrie des céramiques traditionnelles, en particulier celle des matériaux de construction, connaît actuellement un important essor au Maroc. Une demande croissante se traduit par la création ou l'expansion de plusieurs unités de production (cimenteries, briqueteries,…. Ces matériaux, produits en fort tonnage, sont susceptibles de confiner certains déchets industriels dans un souci de respect environnemental. Ce confinement ne doit avoir de retombées négatives ni sur la performance du matériau, ni sur la santé. Notre objectif est le recyclage de ces déchets (produits à plusieurs millions de tonnes annuellement qui sont actuellement soit rejetés en mer ou stockés par leur mise en terril. L'objet de ce travail est le recyclage de deux sous produits industriels : le phosphogypse (rejet de la production de l'acide phosphorique et les cendres volantes (résidus de centrales thermiques par leur intégration dans la formulation de produits de la terre cuite. L'avantage est que la microstructure de ces matériaux présente une phase vitreuse susceptible de confiner certains métaux lourds sources de radioactivité. Plusieurs formulations ont ainsi été préparées. Les produits sont caractérisés (DRX, porosimétrie, comportement mécanique,.. en fonction de leur teneur en additifs, de la température de cuisson,… . L'ensemble des résultats est encourageant et nous permet de proposer les paramètres optimaux pour une substitution avantageuse des argiles par le phosphogypse et les cendres volantes pour l'élaboration de briques de terre cuite. The ceramics industry in particular traditional building materials, is undergoing a major expansion in Morocco. An increasing demand results in the creation or expansion of several production units (cement, brick … throughout the country. These materials, produced in large tonnages, are likely to contain some industrial waste capable of causing environmental problems. This
Waste Generation and Recycling: Comparison of Conventional and Industrialized Building Systems
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rawshan A. Begum
Full Text Available Problem statement: In the Malaysian construction industry, there is a pressing issue of minimizing construction waste, which cause significant impacts on the environment. With the increasing demand for major infrastructure projects, commercial buildings and housing development programmers, a large amount of construction waste is being produced. Adoption of prefabrication and industrialized building systems is now a priority in the industry and also an important means of reducing waste. Approach: Discussion of the prefabrication adoption were based on a comprehensive review of literatures and studies that contained data, information, findings and evidences related to prefabrication and industrial building systems in Malaysia. This study also highlighted a comparative study of material wastage and recycling based on two project sites e.g., conventional and prefabrication construction. Results: In the Malaysia construction industry, adoption of prefabrication and IBS is strongly encouraged to reduce construction time as well as the industrys dependency on foreign workers. In addition, this study confirms that a huge amount of material wastage can be reduced by the adoption of prefabrication. This study also revealed that the rates of reused and recycled waste materials are relatively higher in projects that adopt prefabrication. Conclusion: Thus, the adoption of prefabrication and IBS has potential in the reduction of huge waste generation and management problems in the construction sector of Malaysia although there are some challenges in the adoption of prefabrication.
A Conceptual Framework for Managing Design Changes in Building Construction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yap Jeffrey Boon Hui
Full Text Available Design changes have always been an innate feature of the construction industry. Despite the various project management techniques, many building construction projects still fail to achieve their time and cost objectives. This paper aims to focus on design changes as a major cause of time delays and cost overruns. It seeks to discuss the causing factors of design changes in building construction projects and highlighting the resulting rework that is detrimental to project performance. Hence, this paper also aims to present a conceptual framework which was developed to better manage design changes through clued-up management decision to avoid future claims and disputes. Recent and current literature is examined and reviewed. The review approach was based on related literature to identified themes. The existing literature is summarised into five discrete themes of "design changes", "rework", "time and cost overruns", "communication" and "decision-making". The synthesised literature is subsequently utilised in the development of conceptual map which provided the direction for designing the conceptual framework. Extensive review of preceding studies on causes of time and cost overruns reveals that design changes is identified as one of the significant factors. However, there are limited studies in this domain. The discussion presents a knowledge gap of linking design changes and rework with decision-making in project management. This finding suggests the need for further empirical study. The framework stresses the importance of communication and management decision as the control mechanism. Researchers and practitioners in construction management field will find this study useful in understanding the causing factors of design changes and its detrimental impacts to project performance which risk the project to claims and disputes. The conceptual framework presents an imperative outcome to encourage further research in developing
Zero carbon homes: Perceptions from the UK construction industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The take-up of the many voluntary energy efficiency standards which exist in the UK and internationally has been limited. As a result, governments have recognised the need to introduce mandatory schemes through legislation, e.g. from 2016 all new build homes in the UK will be required to achieve zero carbon in regulated energy consumption. However, as 2016 approaches, very few zero carbon homes are being delivered. This paper explores the drivers and barriers for zero carbon homebuilding. The perceptions of the wider construction industry were gathered through a series of semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in commissioning, designing, constructing and regulating housing. The results show that, whilst drivers for zero carbon homebuilding exist, the barriers are currently perceived to be greater than the drivers. The barriers are categorised into five groups: economic, skills and knowledge, industry, legislative and cultural. Mechanisms for policy and industry support for the delivery of zero carbon homes are identified to address these barriers. The research findings highlight the need for a clear and robust policy framework for the forthcoming standard. The Government and industry must prioritise raising public awareness of the need for and benefits of zero carbon homes to help develop market demand. - Highlights: • The strongest drivers were perceived to be in the legislative and economic themes. • More barriers were identified than drivers or potential support mechanisms. • Economic and skills and knowledge barriers were perceived as the most significant. • Uncertainty in zero carbon homes policy is a barrier to zero carbon homebuilding. • Proposed support mechanisms include zero carbon champions and self-build homes
Integrating Building Information Modeling and Health and Safety for Onsite Construction
Ganah, Abdulkadir; John, Godfaurd A.
Background Health and safety (H&S) on a construction site can either make or break a contractor, if not properly managed. The usage of Building Information Modeling (BIM) for H&S on construction execution has the potential to augment practitioner understanding of their sites, and by so doing reduce the probability of accidents. This research explores BIM usage within the construction industry in relation to H&S communication. Methods In addition to an extensive literature review, a questionna...
The development of Henan ceramic cultural industry has problems in some ways. To change this situation, we should strengthen the building of Ceramic Industrial Park, the ceramic enterprise agglomeration, strengthen the brand construction, and increase inv%河南陶瓷文化产业的现状分析及对策研究
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
The development of Henan ceramic cultural industry has problems in some ways. To change this situation, we should strengthen the building of Ceramic Industrial Park, the ceramic enterprise agglomeration, strengthen the brand construction, and increase investment in science and technology; we should guide the industry with the systematic innovation theory, introduce high-tech personnel into the industry and improve the management of modern enterprises; we should implement new marketing strategies, adopt the concepts of the circular economy and sustainable development and establish modem ceramic industrial structure in accordance with the reality of this province.%河南陶瓷文化产业的发展在不同程度上存在产业布局规划不合理、品牌意识不强、人才缺乏、管理水平落后、营销观念及手段落后、环境污染严重等情况.要改变这一局面,应该加强陶瓷产业园区建设,实现陶瓷企业区域集聚;加强品牌建设;加大科技投入,用产业创新系统思想指导产业的发展;重视高技术型人才引进;提高现代企业管理水平;实现新营销策略,始终贯彻循环经济和可持续发展的思想,建立符合本省实际的现代陶瓷文化产业结构.
Subsequent improvement of the thermal insulation and weather tightness with simultaneous repair of damage of structure of residential buildings of industrialized construction in the former GDR. Nachtraegliche Verbesserung des Waerme- und Wetterschutzes bei gleichzeitiger Bauschaedenssanierung von industriell errichteten Wohngebaeuden auf dem Gebiet der ehemaligen DDR
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Arndt, H.; Merkel, H. (Inst. fuer Heizung, Lueftung und Grundlagen der Bautechnik, Berlin (Germany)); Weidlich, B.; Kerschberger, K. (Assmann Beraten und Planen GmbH, Dortmund (Germany))
With the subsequent thermal insulation of buildings of industrialized construction in the new German States considerable energy savings may be attained. Within the framework of the presented project the bases for the registration of the actual state shall be created. Here the following areas are concerned: Recording of the state of the thermal and humidity insulation systems; detailed description and evaluation of the physical effects of different types of buildings; planning support and carrying out of the pilot projects; documentation of the supporting research. (BWI).
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Krishna Mochtar
Full Text Available In the 1960s, a ânewâ marketing concept known as "four Ps marketing mix" appeared and shifted the focus from the product to the customer. The objective of the new concept was not only profit, and the means of achieving the objective expanded to include the entire âmarketing mixâ: product, price, promotion, and place (channels and distribution. Expenditures of marketing in a company should be explored from these mixes, because each mix would have an impact on the total marketing expenditures. These four mixes are the main aspects of marketing and thus, should represent almost all expenditures in marketing in a company. From this research it is discovered that the responding contractors have only average efforts to improve or innovate their service, mostly using the latest construction methods and management approach. Correlated to their policy in the fourth mix (Place, they are still national oriented and not international oriented in marketing their services, this may lead to the big question of their survival; their motivation to innovate is only average while their target market is only national market. Their attitude to use more intensive âfeesâ policy rather than both product innovation and promotion is also interesting. Big percentage of the responding contractors assumes these âfeesâ are regular marketing practices. This attitude may better be stopped to make the construction industry practices healthier. Attitude to use more product innovation and true promotion approach in marketing in construction must be encouraged systematically in the future, to improve competitiveness in the long term.
Germany's Construction Industry: Strong Growth Followed by Stagnation
Gornig, Martin; Hagedorn, Hendrik
2011 was one of the construction industry's strongest years of growth since German reunification. For the year as a whole, a nominal increase in construction volume of almost eight percent is expected. The price increase is forecast at over 2.5 percent. Real construction volume in 2011 will be over five percent higher than in 2010. However, according to current information, we can expect the construction industry to experience a break in growth in 2012. Real construction volumes will barely b...
Energy conservation and building construction. Rationelle Energieverwendung im Hochbau
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Epinatjeff, P.; Weidlich, B.
Volume VI of the manual in six volumes (energy management, energy economy, basic physico-technical principles, thermal engineering, electric energy technology) deals with energy conservation and building construction. It discusses the following subjects: basic physico-structural principles (physico-structural component characteristics and specifications, thermal insulation, heat storage, internal temperature distribution, insulation against humidity); planning and building construction meeting the requirements of the respective climates (outdoor and indoor climates, basic planning principles with regard to urban energy conservation, principles of energy conserving building construction, constructive elements, criteria, calculation methods); energy conservation with regard to existing buildings (energy consumption, constructive and physico-structural problems, technical measures, graphical optimization models, thermal insulation). The manual addresses the energy expert. (HWJ).
Carbon Emission Management in the Construction Industry – Case Studies Of Nigerian Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Edeoja, Joy Acheyini
Full Text Available Climate change is a global concern. The effect is seen all over the globe and man's anthropogenic activities is a major contributor. This study evaluates the management of carbon emissions in the Nigerian construction industry by measuring the amount of carbon being emitted from constructional activities within selected organizations. At present, there is no standard of measuring greenhouse gas emissions that is acceptable internationally for all countries so the UK Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA methodology of emission monitoring and measurement was used to evaluate the extent of carbon dioxide emissions in these organizations. This methodology was adopted for this study because there was no known national methodology for emission measurement and monitoring within Nigeria. Case studies were undertaken and questionnaires were applied in some construction organizations within Nigeria and the responses from these questionnaires were evaluated and it was found that though there was significant emissions from the Nigerian construction industry, the provision for emissions monitoring and management was lacking, the general awareness regarding carbon emissions and environmental issues across the various organizations evaluated was poor and the construction organizations had no singular person directly in charge of carbon or environmental issues.
Application of the Energy Saving Construction Technology in Architectural Engineering of Industrial and Civil Building%工民建建筑工程中节能施工技术的应用
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
The rapid development of the construction industry has brought the huge consumption of energy for our country, serious impact on the development of our economical society. China is stil in the exploration stage in the industrial and civil construction energy saving technology field, so in reinforcing the application of energy saving construction technology at the same time also should actively learn from foreign advanced energy-saving construction techniques, to promote the develo-pment of China's economy society.%建筑业的高速发展给我国的能源带来了巨大的消耗,严重影响了我国节约型社会的发展理念。我国在工民建筑节能施工技术领域还处于探索的阶段,所以在加强节能施工技术应用的同时还要积极的借鉴国外先进的节能施工技术,促进我国节约型社会的发展。
48 CFR 236.275 - Construction of industrial resources.
... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Construction of industrial resources. 236.275 Section 236.275 Federal Acquisition Regulations System DEFENSE ACQUISITION REGULATIONS... CONTRACTS Special Aspects of Contracting for Construction 236.275 Construction of industrial resources....
Reuse of harbour sediments in the Greenlandic construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Belmonte, Louise Josefine; Kirkelund, Gunvor Marie; Ottosen, Lisbeth M.;
The purpose of this study is to investigate possibilities of using harbour sediments from the Greenlandic harbours as substitutes in the Greenlandic construction industry, mainly for concrete production and road construction. Materials for use in the Greenlandic construction industry are shipped...
Transforming and Building the Future Energy Industry
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ellis, Vernon
The petroleum industry is experiencing unprecedented change: increasing competition within a global context, deregulation in the European gas market, technological innovation that will fundamentally alter the economics of the industry. Sustainable Development, the challenge of balancing the Financial, Social and Environmental demands: collectively these demands are fundamentally altering the future shape of the industry. In this presentation the author describes his perspectives on the impact of change on the future shape of the energy industry in the years to come
The Rural Information-based Construction under the Perspective of Expanding Agricultural Industrial Chain
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
On the basis of expounding connotation and significance of expansion of agricultural industrial chain, coupled with the connotation of rural informatization connotation, this article analyses the role of rural informatization in expanding agricultural industrial chain: it can enhance market competitiveness of industry chain, improve the operational efficiency of industry chain, and promote the income and quality of farmers in industry chain. Under the perspective of expanding agricultural industrial chain, this article puts forwards thinking about the construction of rural informatization as follows: first, give full play to the leading role of the government; second, strengthen the construction of information-based network facility; third, integrate information resources in rural areas, and improve the quality of information; fourth, build comprehensive information service platform in rural areas; fifth, improve organizational level of production and management of individual farmers; sixth, strengthen the construction of information-based personnel in rural areas; seventh, strengthen publicity and training, promote overall cultural quality and information awareness of farmers.
T & I--Building Construction, Safety. Kit No. 1. Instructor's Manual [and] Student Learning Activity Guide.
Howard, John
An instructor's manual and student activity guide on building construction safety are provided in this set of prevocational education materials which focuses on the vocational area of trade and industry. (This set of materials is one of ninety-two prevocational education sets arranged around a cluster of seven vocational offerings: agriculture,…
Workshop proceeding of the industrial building energy use
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Akbari, H.; Gadgil, A. (eds.)
California has a large number of small and medium sized industries which have a major impact on the demand growth of California utilities. Energy use in building services (lighting, HVAC, office equipment, computers, etc.). These industries constitute an important but largely neglected fraction of the total site energy use. The ratio of energy use in building service to the total site energy use is a function of the industrial activity, its size, and the climate at the site of the facility. Also, energy use in building services is more responsive to weather and occupant schedules than the traditional base-load'' industrial process energy. Industrial energy use is considered as a base-load'' by utility companies because it helps to increase the utilities' load factor. To increase this further, utilities often market energy at lower rates to industrial facilities. Presently, the energy use in the building services of the industrial sector is often clubbed together with industrial process load. Data on non-process industrial energy use are not readily available in the literature. In cases where the major portion of the energy is used in the building services (with daily and seasonal load profiles that in fact peak at the same time as systemwide load peaks), the utility may be selling below cost at peak power times. These cases frequently happen with electric utilities. 30 figs., 6 tabs.
Green Building Construction Thermal Isolation Materials (Rockwool)
M. Itewi
Problem statement: Building insulation consisting roughly to anything in a structure that is utilizes as insulation for any reason. Thermal insulation in structures is a significant feature to attaining thermal comfort for its tenants. Approach: Insulation decreases unnecessary warmth loss or gain and can reduce the power burdens of heating and cooling structures. It does not automatically having anything to do with problems of sufficient exposure to air and might or might...
Sustainability-Related Decision Making in Industrial Buildings: An AHP Analysis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jesús Cuadrado
Full Text Available Few other sectors have such a great impact on sustainability as the construction industry, in which concerns over the environmental dimension have been growing for some time. The sustainability assessment methodology presented in this paper is an AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process based on Multicriteria Decision Making (MCDM and includes the main sustainability factors for consideration in the construction of an industrial building (environmental, economic, and social, as well as other factors that greatly influence the conceptual design of the building (employee safety, corporate image. Its simplicity is well adapted to its main objective, to serve as a sustainability-related decision making tool in industrial building projects, during the design stage. Accompanied by an economic valuation of the actions to be undertaken, this tool means that the most cost-effective solution may be selected from among the various options.
Nanotechnology : advantages and drawbacks in the field of construction and building materials
Torgal, Fernando Pacheco; Jalali, Said
Nanotechnology seems to hold the key that allows construction and building materials to replicate the features of natural systems improved until perfection during millions of years. This paper reviews current knowledge about nanotechnology and nanomaterials used by the construction industry. It covers the nanoscale analysis of Portland cement hydration products, the use of nanoparticles to increase the strength and durability of cimentitious composites, the photocatalytic capacity of nanomate...
The building materials industry in China: An overview
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Liu, Feng [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); Wang, Shumao [State Planning Commission, People`s Republic of China, (China). Energy Research Institute
The present study of China`s building materials industry is a collaborative work between the Energy Research Institute (ERI) of the State Planning Commission of China and Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) of the US Department of Energy (USDOE).
Power plant construction. Plan, build, repair
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Modern thermal power plants can now convert up to 90 % of the energy input into electricity. This increase in efficiency has been made possible through technological progress, but also through improvements in power plant construction. Despite a distinct rise in the proportion of renewable energies in electricity supplies, traditional power stations are still responsible for guaranteeing a large share of our energy supplies. Air pollution control, noise control, protection of natural waters and soils plus careful use of resources are the key themes in the design, construction and maintenance of power plants. Publishing house Ernst and Sohn provides competent, up-to-date information for civil and structural engineers entrusted with such challenging engineering tasks. The special issue ''Power Plant Construction'' brings together the appropriate articles from the journals ''Bautechnik'', ''Stahlbau'', ''Beton- und Stahlbetonbau'' and ''Geomechanics and Tunnelling''. The themes in this compendium cover a wide range of topics, including analysis and design of power plant installations, power station refurbishment and maintenance, special structures such as cooling towers, chimneys and boiler house frames plus the engineering aspects of coal-fired, nuclear and hydroelectric power stations. Reports on current products and projects complement the technical papers. (orig.)
Product models for the Construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Sørensen, Lars Schiøtt
Different types of product models for the building sector was elaborated and grouped. Some discussion on the different models was given. The "definition" of Product models was given.......Different types of product models for the building sector was elaborated and grouped. Some discussion on the different models was given. The "definition" of Product models was given....
Legislation strategic enterprises of machine building industry
Kotovska, Iryna; Halushchak, Olha Yaropolkivna
The article explores the stages of strategic planning in Ukraine, determined its value for industry in general and engineering industry in particular. We consider the legislative framework that regulates the process of strategic planning at three levels: national, regional and sectoral.Found that the number of strategic documents of various levels increases and decreases the effectiveness of their implementation. The legal framework of strategic planning is not complete and is mostly declarat...
Legislation strategic enterprises of machine building industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kotovska, Iryna
Full Text Available The article explores the stages of strategic planning in Ukraine, determined its value for industry in general and engineering industry in particular. We consider the legislative framework that regulates the process of strategic planning at three levels: national, regional and sectoral.Found that the number of strategic documents of various levels increases and decreases the effectiveness of their implementation. The legal framework of strategic planning is not complete and is mostly declarative.
Enablers of innovation in the construction material industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wandahl, Søren; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann; Jacobsen, Alexia;
, which creates a strong interdependence between the different supply network partners and can be seen as a hindrance for innovation. Innovation models must embrace such a contemporary business structures, where competition often takes place between supply chains rather than between individual companies......The construction material industry is often acknowledged as slightly more innovative than the overall construction industry and could hence serve as a valuable learning place for how innovation could flourish in the construction industry. Construction is viewed as network or supply chain based...
New Construction for Commercial Building (Restaurant By Considering The Green Building Strategies
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
MF Baharom
Full Text Available The Green Building Index (GBI is one of green building strategies that are needed in order to decrease the human technologies and waste made by them. Moreover, GBI is the latest green building strategies that been implemented in the new building construction in Malaysia. It is proven as the building sector consumes 40% of the total energy consumption in the world, thus increasing the environmental problems. Mechanical, cooling, lighting and ventilating spaces consume by far the most energy in buildings. Besides the energy consumption, the cost needed to develop the new building also been increased. This project sought to provide an understanding on the new construction of commercial building (restaurant which is selected with the objectives which to design all the electrical installation including the lighting system, air-conditioner, switch socket outlet (SSO, protection system, and cable selection in the commercial building (restaurant based on the Malaysia's GBI, to analyze the lighting system by using DIALux software and all the connected electrical loads after implementing the GBI standards, and lastly to analyze the energy consumption as well as the cost in the new construction for commercial building (restaurant. The electrical installation and building design are done by using AutoCAD software whereas the lighting system is analyzed by using DIALux software. The load calculation, energy and cost consumption are been analyzed based on the GBI and electrical standards. Based on the results obtained, the overall energy and cost consumptions in the commercial building had been improved after implementing the green building strategies. The overall electrical installation in the building will be based on energy efficiency criteria of the GBI assessment criteria on the non-residential (commercial building which having the highest point. An electrical installation design, AutoCAD design, load calculation, energy and cost consumption are made
Expanded polystyrene as the bearing building material of low energy construction
Mesaros, P.; Spisakova, M.; Kyjakova, L.; Mandicak, T.
Sustainability of buildings is a really important issue for the construction industry. Sustainable buildings are characterized by the lower construction costs for energy consumption and operations, they are environmentally friendly, able to save natural resources and they are comfortable and healthy for their users. The European Union supports this trend through its Strategy 2020, respectively with document Energy Roadmap 2020. The strategy 2020 sets greenhouse gas emissions 20% lower than 1990, 20% of energy from renewable and 20% increase in energy efficiency. It manifests itself in introduction of modern technologies of house building. One potential for the energy saving is construction of low-energy buildings using modern materials. This paper focuses on the analysis of the low-energy buildings made by expanded polystyrene as the bearing building material. The paper analyzes their design and describes the benefits of this modern but unusual type of construction technology for houses. The examples from abroad clearly indicate that this technology has potential in modern architecture. The success and exploration of this technology potential in the conditions of Slovak construction sector is closely related to interest of investors and users of further sustainable houses which are design according the Strategy 2020 conditions.
Challenges of the expansive use of Building Information Modeling (BIM in construction projects
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hannele Kerosuo
Full Text Available Building information modeling (BIM is an emerging modeling technology which challenges existing work procedures and practices in the construction industry. In this article we study the challenges, problems and potential expansions of BIM as a tool in the design, construction and operation of buildings. For this purpose the interfaces between different parties are examined in Finnish construction projects. The methodological approach of the study is cultural-historical activity theory, according to which a new artifact becomes a mediating instrument when the participatory subjects reconfigure the entire activity. The implementation of BIM is now spreading from the design activity to other phases of the construction projects, but its use is still limited in the projects' other three interfaces. BIM is an evolving set of software developed for various purposes which is locally 'combined' to fit the circumstances and capabilities of the stakeholders of the construction process.
Life Cycle Assessment in construction industry: applications to structural materials and components.
Napolano, Loredana
Material, energy, water use and occupation land related to construction industry activities represent a major contribution to the total environmental impact caused by society. In fact, it is estimated that the building sector is responsible for the 30–40% of the society's total energy demand and approximately 44% of the total material use. Consequently, the building sector has to be prioritized to be able to reach a sustainable society within a reasonable period of time. The present wor...
Modularization in the construction industry using a top-down approach
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kudsk, Anders; Hvam, Lars; Thuesen, Christian;
Throughout the last centuries, the manufacturing industry has experienced great improvements in efficiency and cost reductions, but the same improvements have not taken place in the construction industry. Based on the principles of mass customization that are known from the manufacturing industry......, a case study of one of the largest construction companies in Northern Europe was carried out according to the principles of action research. This approach was used to clarify whether potential exists for using the principles of mass customization to improve efficiency and minimize costs connected...... with the construction of buildings; and if so, what they are. The main technical solutions used for residential and office buildings were analyzed using a top-down approach. These solutions were identified and their relations mapped using a Product Variant Master (PVM). When a satisfactory overview was achieved...
Analysis of machine-building industry in Russia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Makoveev Vitalii Nikolaevich
Full Text Available The article contains a description of the main functions of the machine-building industry and an analysis of its development in Russia for the period from 2000 to 2010. Basic production assets of the domestic industry were analyzed.
CASC To Build A New Aerospace Industrial System By 2015
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Zhang Huiting
@@ CASC held its fourth working conference in July 2008. At this conference, CASC proposed a new development target, "to build a new innovative, open and integrated aerospace industrial system by 2015", thus making CASC a large international leading aerospace group. The proposed new aerospace industrial system will mainly include the following aspects:
Healthy Building Design for the Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Marketplace.
Turner, William A.
Building design and construction that helps deliver both superior air quality and occupant thermal comfort, while minimizing energy consumption, are examined. The paper explores an integrated building systems approach that combines the principles of "directed air flow control" and "demand controlled ventilation" where ventilation is effectively…
Project Time Planning in Norwegian Construction Industry - An Empirical Study
Hoseini, Erfan
Literatures investigation reveal that poor project planning is cited by many authors as a delay factor in the construction projects. Project planning have many different aspects and this research only addresses time aspect of project planning in the Norwegian construction industry. To capture the real word experience of experts in Norwegian construction industry and to find out the factors influencing project time planning, a survey questionnaire was conducted. The survey was distribute...
Implementation of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in Construction: A Comparative Case Study
Rowlinson, Steve; Collins, Ronan; Tuuli, Martin M.; Jia, Yunyan
Building Information Modeling (BIM) approach is increasingly adopted in coordination of construction projects, with a number of parties providing BIM services and software solutions. However, the empirical impact of BIM on construction industry has yet to be investigated. This paper explores the interaction between BIM and the construction industry during its implementation, with a specific focus on the empirical impacts of BIM on the design and construction processes and professional roles during the process. Two cases were selected from recent construction projects coordinated with BIM systems: the Venetian Casino project in Macau and the Cathy Pacific Cargo Terminal project in Hong Kong. The former case illustrates how the conflicts emerged during the design process and procurement were addressed by adopting a BIM approach. The latter demonstrates how the adoption of BIM altered the roles of architect, contractor, and sub-contractors involved in the project. The impacts of BIM were critically reviewed and discussed.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sofronov Daniil Sergeevich
Full Text Available Human resources serve as the basis for development of the national economy, as a whole, and the construction industry, as its constituent part. The problem of inferior labor productivity within the framework of the national economy and its construction industry is considered in the paper. The author has identified the reasons why the productivity of the national economy and its construction industry is low. Low quality manpower is one of the reasons. Analysis of the statistical information has proven that the quality of the manpower in the construction industry is unsatisfactory. The author has also analyzed the relation between the construction industry development pattern and the quality of the manpower. Low manpower quality is a consequence of low personnel training and development expenditures assumed by local construction companies, if compared to the same assumed in the developed economies. Russian businesses do not invest any proceeds into their employees, as any employee may leave the company at any moment, and the employer will lose the investment. Therefore, the performance rate of the Russian construction industry cannot catch up with its western counterpart. The author also provides the analysis of the western personnel development concept. The author also makes his suggestions designated to reverse the unfavourable trend of the construction industry.
Industrial Training of Construction Students: Perceptions of Training Organizations in Ghana
Ayarkwa, Joshua; Adinyira, Emmanuel; Osei-Asibey, Dickson
Purpose: The industrial training component in a university's curricula adds tremendous value to a degree programme by enhancing the employable skills of graduates. The purpose of this paper is to assess the perception of organisations that have trained construction students from the Department of Building Technology of the Kwame Nkrumah University…
Safety Management Practices in the Bhutanese Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kin Dorji
Full Text Available The construction industry is considered as one of the most hazardous industrial sectors wherein the construction workers are more prone to accidents. In developed countries such as United Kingdom and United States of America, there is strict legal enforcement of safety in the construction industry and also in the implementation of safety management systems which are designed to minimize or eliminate accidents at work places. However, occupational safety in construction industry is very poor in developing countries such as Bhutan. This study investigates the prevalent safety management practices and perceptions in the construction industry in Bhutan. The study was conducted among 40 construction contractors and 14 government officials through method of questionnaire survey, interview and discussion. The result of the study revealed that there are many occupational safety problems in the construction industry in Bhutan, problems such as lack of safety regulations and standards, low priority of safety, lack of data on safety at construction sites, lack of competent manpower, lack of safety training, lack of safety promotion and lack of documented and organized safety management systems. Furthermore, the study also proposes some recommendations for safe construction in Bhutan.
Studying in a 'classy' school. Energy efficiency to save schools construction industry
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Paola Gallo
Full Text Available The paper aims to investigate the emergency of estate management the scholastic buildings. It examines the economic and legal resources problems, necessary to start an effective redevelopment of the public school buildings in Italy. In detail, the paper analyse the European researches field, which funded renovation and the new construction actions of energy efficient school buildings, and presents same results of research Teenergy School. The Teenergy research, has involved the University of Florence and a Tuscany Public Administration in a benchmarking activities and in a pilot projects development. The paper aims to demonstrate the effectiveness of instruments and financial resources in promoting technological innovation, in this specific construction industry, as a vehicle to transform obsolete schools buildings in Nzeb, as indicated from the latest European legislation on energy performance of the buildings.
Barriers and Benefits of Total Quality Management in the Nigerian Construction Industry: A review
Okuntade Tope Femi
The more bigger a building project becomes, the more complex it will be, coupled with the fact that clients are now demanding for higher quality at a reduced cost and budget, these and many other challenges are faced by construction companies on how to adopt a strategy for higher quality at a reduced cost without affecting their profit margin and the clients requirement. This study recommends TQM as the only ways of solving these challenges in the construction industry.
Constructing Global Production Activity Indices: The Chemical Industry
Saswati Mahapatra; Thomas K Swift
This article first presents the challenges involved in constructing consistent, timely, and reliable short-term measures of national, regional, and global industry activity. The chemical industry is used as a case study. Second, this article presents the comparison of the movement or fluctuations in industrial production indices and chemical production indices that aid in determining if production in the chemical industry can be used as a proxy for total production in an economy. The American...
Building Competitive Intelligence In Industrial Solutions Pricing
Salminen, Ilkka
Pricing is a crucial element of firm strategy and its impact on financial performance is indisputable. Pricing large industrial projects adds complexity to the topic, which is even further elevated by competitive factors. Without understanding the pricing strategy and tactics of the main competitors, a firm is at risk of losing deals by bidding too high and conversely not extracting full value by bidding too low. To achieve superior performance, a firm must utilize competitive intelligence an...
Sustainable construction building performance simulation and asset and maintenance management
This book presents a collection of recent research works that highlight best practice solutions, case studies and practical advice on the implementation of sustainable construction techniques. It includes a set of new developments in the field of building performance simulation, building sustainability assessment, sustainable management, asset and maintenance management and service-life prediction. Accordingly, the book will appeal to a broad readership of professionals, scientists, students, practitioners, lecturers and other interested parties.
Lifting Wing in Constructing Tall Buildings —Aerodynamic Testing
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Ian Skelton
Full Text Available This paper builds on previous research by the authors which determined the global state-of-the-art of constructing tall buildings by surveying the most active specialist tall building professionals around the globe. That research identified the effect of wind on tower cranes as a highly ranked, common critical issue in tall building construction. The research reported here presents a design for a "Lifting Wing," a uniquely designed shroud which potentially allows the lifting of building materials by a tower crane in higher and more unstable wind conditions, thereby reducing delay on the programmed critical path of a tall building. Wind tunnel tests were undertaken to compare the aerodynamic performance of a scale model of a typical "brick-shaped" construction load (replicating a load profile most commonly lifted via a tower crane against the aerodynamic performance of the scale model of the Lifting Wing in a range of wind conditions. The data indicate that the Lifting Wing improves the aerodynamic performance by a factor of up to 50%.
Thermal Bridges in Building Construction - Measurements and Calculations
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rose, Jørgen
The thesis investigates detailed calculation methods for evaluating heat loss through building envelope constructions, or more specific, thermal bridges. First a detailed description of the calculation methods, i.e. both calculation programs and guidelines, for calculating typical thermal bridges...... in building envelope constructions is given. After this a validation of both programs and guidelines is presented. The validation is performed by comparing calculated U-values with Guarded Hot Box measurements. The last part of the thesis discusses the possibilities of utilising the results of detailed...
On the Building Information Modeling of Capital Construction Projects Market Development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available Sustainable economic development of the construction industry in Russia is only possible with the application of modern BIM-technologies. The construction enterprises are facing a number of problems during the process of implementing new information technologies the main problems being: the lack of funding for business development under the conditions of protracted financial crisis within 2014-2016 time frame, as well as the lack of a national industry standard of working with BIM-technologies. The step-by-step introduction of BIM- technology in Russia is planned by the Government for the period up to 2018. We offer an economic mechanism of lower production and transaction costs of development as a result of the BIM-technology introduction, taking into account successful experience in the regional economy of the Republic of Tatarstan. In our opinion the practically well-proven mechanism of introduction of innovative technologies in regional economy in public construction companies, constructing infrastructure projects, and private construction firms and approbation in practice and summarizing the lessons learned will enable one to develop building information modeling services market and ensure the sustainable economic development of the construction industry in the region. The improvement of the efficiency and transparency of the building production will create conditions so that they attract domestic and foreign institutional investors which, in turn, will allow a business to implement strategic development program for the prosperity of the economy.
Rethinking the contractual context for Building Information Modelling (BIM in the Australian built environment industry
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Ilsa Kuiper
Full Text Available Building Information Modelling (BIM can be defined as a process of generating and managing information of a building or infrastructure during its life cycle. Whilst the 3D visualisation or dimensional functions of BIM are not necessarily new, it is the usage and integration of this information related to project delivery, management and performance analysis that are challenging current construction industry practices. Industry has called for the development of more collaborative and integrated contractual arrangements to facilitate the use of BIM. Such recommendations appeal to the ideal use of BIM, but also provide a potential opportunity to seek improvement within the construction industry. This paper proposes a procurement approach to BIM to establish the applicable contractual context to address the potential legal risks and commercial considerations, relative to current practices in Australia. It als ooutlines why BIM, with other enabling technologies, will drive the evolution of contract delivery methodologies.
Benefits of Building Information Modelling in the Project Lifecycle: Construction Projects in Asia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jian Li
Full Text Available Building Information Modelling (BIM is a process involving the creation and management of objective data with property, unique identity and relationship. In the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC industry, BIM is adopted a lot in the lifecycle of buildings because of the high integration of information that it enables. Four-dimensional (4D computer-aided design (CAD has been adopted for many years to improve the construction planning process. BIM is adopted throughout buildings' lifecycles, in design, construction and operation. This paper presents five large-scale public and financial projects that adopt BIM in the design, construction and operational phases. Different uses of BIM are compared and contrasted in the context of the separate backgrounds. It is concluded that productivity is improved where BIM is used to enable easy sharing and integration of information and convenient collaboration.
Impact of Fragmentation Issue in Construction Industry: An Overview
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Mohd Nawi Mohd Nasrun
Full Text Available In general, fragmentation within the construction industry arises from two areas within the traditional construction process; the construction work process where the most significant division is in the separation of the design and construction phase, and the construction structure itself. The fragmentation process in traditional contracting practice further hinders the integration of construction knowledge among contractors, diminishing the opportunity for them to influence design decisions. When design professionals fail to consider as to how a contractor would construct the designed project results in scheduling problems, delays, and disputes during the construction process. Moving towards team integration is considered a significant strategy for overcoming the issue. Accordingly, this paper discusses the fragmentation issue in more detail including its definition, and causes and effects to the construction projects. It also explores that the team integration strategy alleviates scheduling problems, and helps avoid delays and disputes during the construction process, preventing harm to overall project performance.
The Insight of Industrialised Building System (IBS By Bumiputera Construction Players
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Muhammad W. M. N. W.
Full Text Available The term Industrialised Building System (IBS is widely recognised by construction players in Malaysia since its first implementation since 1960s for IBS pilot projects of Pekeliling Flats and Rifle Range Flats. The aim for the implementation is to promote better system in delivering construction end-products which offers efficiency and effectiveness. At the same time, Bumiputera construction players are the majority of parties in construction industry especially in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify the perception and awareness of IBS implementation among Bumiputera players. It is found that, Bumiputera construction players have sound knowledge on the IBS and optimistic towards further implementation for future projects. Nonetheless, issues on payment methods and coordination of IBS project delivery are found to be the negative perceptions which are considered as hindrance for Bumiputera construction players' involvement in IBS project.
Aspects of Market Differentiation in the Building Industry
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Ai-Lin Teo
Full Text Available This paper deals with different aspects of differentiation as a strategy to maintain growth and profitability in a rapidly changing environment. The specific aim of the study was to establish constraints in the use of product differentiation as a survivor technique in the building industry. The study shows that firms in the building industry perceive the structure and operation of different markets in the building industry as substantially different. If firms are to improve their market positions by differentiating their output, they need therefore to adjust the way they operate, their resources and their skills base.The survey result also showed that a substantial proportion of all firms are not prepared to be involved in diversification but elect to operate in one market only, despite the obvious advantages of diversification. It would therefore seem likely that the changes in the way a firm operates and the resources it employs when it moves into new markets are substantial.
Project and Production Management in the Construction Industry
Chien-Ho Ko
In this issue, the Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production Management (EPPM-Journal) presents five original research papers related to project and production management in the construction industry from authors in Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Evaluation of IT in the Danish Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andresen, Jan Lambrecht
companies manage (and evaluate) their IT systems and what their requirements are. With the aim of identifying the sophistication of IT evaluation a questionnaire has been sent to 648 Danish companies in the construction industry. Primarily findings in the area of IT strategy and evaluation of IT systems...... are presented in this paper. The findings are compared with other related surveys and some comparisons will be made between these.The analysis of the survey indicates in general that the evaluation of IT is unsophisticated and insufficient in the construction industry. These indications are, however, found......How are companies in the Danish construction industry identifying the value achieved by investing in and using information technology (IT)? This question has become more important and is the subject of this paper.The construction industry has characteristics which may have some influence on how...
Radon exhalation rates from some building construction materials using SSNTDs
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Radon appears mainly by diffusion processes from the point of origin following α- decay of 226Ra in underground soil and building materials used. in the construction of floors, walls, and ceilings. In dwellings main source of radon are soil or rock underneath, building materials and portable water supplies. The major release of radon indoors is from building construction materials used. The radon measurements on the ground can give a clue about the hidden uranium. The exposure of population to high concentrations of radon and its daughters for a long period leads to pathological effects like the respiratory functional changes and the occurrence of lung cancer. In the present investigations radon exhalation rates from some soil and other building materials like fly ash, cement and sand collected from Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Karnal and Panipat districts of Haryana have been estimated. For the measurement of radon concentration in these samples we used α-sensitive LR-115 type II plastic track detectors. The mass and the surface exhalation rates of radon emanated from these samples have also been calculated. The aim of study is the possible health risk assessment due to emission of radiation from building construction materials. (author)
The repetition effect in building and construction works
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Gottlieb, Stefan Christoffer; Haugbølle, Kim
This report summarises the results from the work undertaken for the Public Transport Authority on the effect of learning and repetition in building and construction works. The results are applied by the Public Transport Authority in a new budgeting model, while the agency investigates...
Building a List of Journals with Constructed Impact Factors.
Stegmann, Johannes
Describes the building of a list of constructed-impact factors (CIF) for biomedical journals not included in the 1996 editions of the "Journal Citation Reports." The online retrieval from the host DIMDI of the data needed for impact-factor calculation is described. The top 100 (of 338 titles, ranked according to their CIFs) are presented. (AEF)
Evaluation of Passive Vents in New Construction Multifamily Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, David [Steven Winter Associates, Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, Marc [Steven Winter Associates, Norwalk, CT (United States)
Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high performance, new construction, multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards.
9 CFR 108.8 - Construction of buildings.
... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Construction of buildings. 108.8 Section 108.8 Animals and Animal Products ANIMAL AND PLANT HEALTH INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE VIRUSES, SERUMS, TOXINS, AND ANALOGOUS PRODUCTS; ORGANISMS AND VECTORS FACILITY REQUIREMENTS...
An effective release process in building and construction
Reefman, R.J.B.; Van Nederveen, G.A.
The level of failure costs in Building and Construction is still at a high level. A major cause of failure costs is the use non valid or wrong documents / models in the process. The release process is about controlling the quality of documents / models in a structured way. The major three attribut
Building work in nuclear power plant construction in France
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
A survey is given of the methods of forming and reinforcing concrete structures, concrete laying jobs, instrumentation and transport on the building sites, occupational safety, care of labour, and work quality testing used in the construction of nuclear power plants in France. (J.B.)
Introduction to Cost Control Strategies for Zero Energy Buildings: High-Performance Design and Construction on a Budget (Fact Sheet)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Momentum behind zero energy building design and construction is increasing, presenting a tremendous opportunity for advancing energy performance in the commercial building industry. At the same time, there is a lingering perception that zero energy buildings must be cost prohibitive or limited to showcase projects. Fortunately, an increasing number of projects are demonstrating that high performance can be achieved within typical budgets. This factsheet highlights replicable, recommended strategies for achieving high performance on a budget, based on experiences from past projects.
Risk management in the construction industry: a new literature review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Renault Berenger Y.
Full Text Available The construction industry is well known as a highly risk prone industry owing to the complexity of its activities and dynamic project environments generating an atmosphere of risks that must be taken into consideration in the decision process. For this reason, we have developed this treatise to elucidate the fundamentals of risk management through a concise new proposal of literature review for risk management in construction. Our explanation of this is venture is that over the years, this area has been acknowledged as a crucial process in the business institutions and the most discussed subject among experts and researchers in the construction sector. We have tried in this report to present the most recent studies considering the impossibility to present all definitions of the concept of risk. This study is mainly a literature review; it looks at the literature relating to the concept of risk, risk management in construction as well as methods used in construction industry.
Y-12 Sustainable Design Principles for Building Design and Construction
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Jackson, J. G.
B&W Y-12 is committed to modernizing the Y-12 complex to meet future needs with a sustainable and responsive infrastructure and to integrating sustainability principles and practices into Y-12 work (Y72-001, B&W Y-12 Environmental, Safety and Health Policy). This commitment to sustainability and specifically sustainable design of buildings is also incorporated into Presidential Executive Orders (EO), DOE Orders (DOE O), and goals. Sustainable building design is an approach to design, construct, and operate facilities in an efficient and environmentally sound manner that will produce a healthful, resource-efficient and productive working environment that is inherently protective of the environment. The DOE has established the following 5 Guiding Principles for High Performance Sustainable Building (HPSB), and has issued directives that require Y-12 to incorporate the principles and a number of supporting specific practices and techniques into building design, construction and renovation projects: (1) Employ Integrated Design Principles; (2) Optimize Energy Performance; (3) Protect and Conserve Water; (4) Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality; and (5) Reduce Environmental Impact of Materials. The purpose of this document is to present the required sustainable building principles, practices and techniques, summarize the key drivers for incorporating them into Y-12 projects, and present additional recommendations and resources that can be used to support sustainable buildings to enhance the environmental and economic performance of the Y-12 Complex.
Introduction to the environmental impact of construction and building materials
Torgal, Fernando Pacheco
"Woodhead Publishing series in civil and structural engineering, nr. 49" Earth's natural resources are finite and face increasing human pressure. Over the last few decades, concern has been growing about resource efficiency and the environmental impact of material consumption. The construction industry is responsible for the consumption of a relevant part of all produced materials, however, only recently has this industry started to worry about its environmental impacts. This chapter highl...
Industry Research and Recommendations for Small Buildings and Small Portfolios
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Langner, Rois [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Hendron, Bob [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Pless, Shanti [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Huppert, Mark [National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC (United States); Cochrane, Ric [National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, DC (United States)
Small buildings have been left behind in the energy efficiency marketplace because financial and technical resources have flowed to larger commercial buildings. DOE's Building Technologies Office works with the commercial building industry to accelerate the uptake of energy efficiency technologies and techniques in existing and new commercial buildings (DOE 2013). BTO recognizes the SBSP sector'spotential for significant energy savings and the need for investments in resources that are tailored to this sector's unique needs. The industry research and recommendations described in this report identify potential approaches and strategic priorities that BTO could explore over the next 3-5 years that will support the implementation of high-potential energy efficiency opportunities for thisimportant sector. DOE is uniquely positioned to provide national leadership, objective information, and innovative tools, technologies, and services to support cost-effective energy savings in the fragmented and complex SBSP sector. Properly deployed, the DOE effort could enhance and complement current energy efficiency approaches. Small portfolios are loosely and qualitatively defined asportfolios of buildings that include only a small number of small buildings. This distinction is important because the report targets portfolio owners and managers who generally do not have staff and other resources to track energy use and pursue energy efficiency solutions.
Research methods of the parameters of residential buildings construction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Grigor'ev Vladimir Aleksandrovich
Full Text Available The analysis of construction theory and practice shows that rational organizational and technological parameters of the construction of residential buildings should be based on the manifestation in time and space of the most important stages construction with their harmonization. Basing on the experience of normalizing the construction duration, it is advisable to express the complex of residential buildings' construction processes by their basic stages - preparatory period, underground part, aboveground part, external engineering networks and land improvement. The main indicators of the development and implementation of optimization solutions are: the total duration of the construction, the duration of the preparation period, the duration of the construction of the underground part, the duration of the construction of the aboveground part, the duration of external engineering networks laying, the duration of land improvement. The indicators of the total duration of the construction of residential buildings, the construction the underground and aboveground parts are determined on the basis of the operation of one assembly crane on an object of up to four sections. In case of more sections two (three cranes are considered and the total construction duration is set depending on these conditions. The duration of the construction of multisectional buildings is determined basing on the simultaneous construction of the stages or their combination with a certain time shift. However, this approach requires a significant amount of optimization solutions due to its multivariance. Therefore, in order to reduce the volume of calculations in some cases, for example, when planning the development of districts and neighborhoods, statistical methods can be used for determining the duration of the construction basing on the compilation of optimization solutions. The total duration of the construction and the duration of the main stages are multiple
Managing risks in the international growth business of Finnish construction contractors and building product suppliers
Palojärvi, Lauri
Major changes inside Finland catalyzed the internationalization of its construction industry to initial growth in the late 1960s/early 1970s. In the year 2008, the value of its international business was app. 16 Bn€ i.e. at the same level as that of new building production in Finland. It is forecast to grow. Practitioners understand that by effective risk management (RM), the occurrence and significance of failures (or successes) can be reduced (or, alternatively, increased). Two research que...
Textual complexity of standard conditions used in the construction industry
Raufdeen Rameezdeen; Anushi Rodrigo
Clearly written communication aids the understanding of construction contracts, resulting in less disputation. Past research, using opinion surveys rather than objective criteria, shows that construction contracts lack clarity and standard forms have become complex over time. The study outlined in this paper uses three objective measures of clarity developed by linguists to establish the readability of construction contracts. In addition, thirty industry professionals participated in a Cloze ...
Upflow Constructed Wetland for On-site Industrial Wastewater Treatment
Yamagiwa, Kazuaki; Ong, Soon-An
Constructed wetlands are cost-effective wastewater treatment technology highly applicable to Asia region. Combination of anaerobic and aerobic processes can upgrade constructed wetlands to treat industrial wastewater containing less-degradable organic pollutants. Controllability of anaerobic and aerobic activities in a vertical constructed wetland was investigated with and without supplementary aeration. The ORP profile along the wetland bed showed clear distinguishes between the anaerobic an...
Building Bridges: Linking universities with the manufacturing industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert Knutsen
Full Text Available This article explores ideas for linking university research entities with small- and medium-sized manufacturing industries. In an environment such as the Western Cape, South Africa, where well established teaching and research activities in science and engineering exist at several universities and research institutions, it is astonishing to realize that the local manufacturing industry struggles to obtain assistance with research and development in order to remain competitive locally and globally. Some of the reasons for this situation are outlined and solutions are proposed. In particular, the role of a gateway organization which aims to build networks between universities, research institutions and industry is described.
Photocatalytic construction and building materials: From fundamentals to applications
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Chen, Jun; Poon, Chi-sun [Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hum Hom (China)
Heterogeneous photocatalysis has been intensively studied in recent decades because it only requires photonic energy to activate the chemical conversion contrasting with conventional catalysis which needs heat for thermo-activation. Over the years, the theories for photochemical activity of photocatalyst including photo-induced redox reaction and super-hydrophilic conversion of TiO{sub 2} itself have been established. The progress in academic research significantly promotes its practical applications, including the field of photocatalytic construction and building materials. TiO{sub 2} modified building materials are most popular because TiO{sub 2} has been traditionally used as a white pigment. The major applications of TiO{sub 2} based photocatalytic building materials include environmental pollution remediation, self-cleaning and self-disinfecting. The advantage of using solar light and rainwater as driving force has opened a new domain for environmentally friendly building materials. In this paper, the basic reaction mechanisms on photocatalyst surface under the irradiation of ultraviolet and their corresponding applications in building and construction materials are reviewed. The problems faced in practical applications and the trends for future development are also discussed. (author)
Overcoming Barriers to Innovation in the Building Industry
Heintz, J.L.; Wamelink, J.W.F.
We live in an era of accelerated innovation. All around us we are immersed in a sea of new technologies and products that were very recently confined to comic books and science fiction tv-series. Yet in this storm of innovation the building industry seems to stand out for it's committed old fashione
Egypt to Build Industrial Park to Attract Chinese Investors
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Guo Yan
@@ Shanghai, March 20, 2007 - The General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) recently announced its initiation about building industrial parks in Egypt for Chinese enterprises. Through this agreement,GAFI intend to foster the further development of Chinese enterprises investing in manufacturing in Egypt.
Optimization and control methods in industrial engineering and construction
Wang, Xiangyu
This book presents recent advances in optimization and control methods with applications to industrial engineering and construction management. It consists of 15 chapters authored by recognized experts in a variety of fields including control and operation research, industrial engineering, and project management. Topics include numerical methods in unconstrained optimization, robust optimal control problems, set splitting problems, optimum confidence interval analysis, a monitoring networks optimization survey, distributed fault detection, nonferrous industrial optimization approaches, neural networks in traffic flows, economic scheduling of CCHP systems, a project scheduling optimization survey, lean and agile construction project management, practical construction projects in Hong Kong, dynamic project management, production control in PC4P, and target contracts optimization. The book offers a valuable reference work for scientists, engineers, researchers and practitioners in industrial engineering and c...
Corruption and internal fraud in the Turkish construction industry.
Gunduz, Murat; Önder, Oytun
The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding about the internal fraud and corruption problem in the Turkish construction industry. The reasons behind the internal fraud and corruption problem as well as the types of prevention methods were investigated; and as a result various recommendations were made. To this end, a risk awareness questionnaire was used to understand the behavioral patterns of the construction industry, and to clarify possible proactive and reactive measures against internal fraud and corruption. The type of fraud experienced by Turkish construction companies was also surveyed in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was sent to 89 firms; and depending on the collected data, certain recommendations for construction industry professionals were provided.
Assessing the service life of building envelope constructions
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rudbeck, Claus Christian
During the last 10 years, national standards have been developed in order to assess the expected service life of building materials and constructions and work is still progressing on the international level. Besides the current and upcoming standards, several methodologies have been developed...... or suggested at the national, international or individual level. The overview provided in this paper focuses on two two items: The first describes the current methods or standards established at a national level for either assessing and implementing service life requirements in the design stage of a building...
Building public confidence in the world's nuclear industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Public confidence in the nuclear industry requires two things, which are trust and understanding. Trust is an emotional response based upon an instinctive reaction. Understanding, on the other hand, is an intellectual response based upon facts. To gain public confidence, both of these levels must be communicated and proactive strategies must be implemented to do this. To achieve this objective will require confidence and courage in communication programs. Each company operating in the nuclear sector must be proactive in building its individual reputation and must not retreat from controversy. Similarly, each industry body must continue the Herculean task of building understanding. The nuclear industry has powerful arguments. ICI, BP or Ford did not achieve their licences to operate by keeping their heads down, they achieved their current market positions by building a positive corporate reputation within their respective industrial contexts over many decades. In order to achieve a similar position for the nuclear industry and the companies, their examples must be followed. If it is continued to 'keep the heads down' in the trenches, public opinion will surely bury within it. (G.K.)
Sunshine Group Builds High-End Aluminum Product Industrial Base
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
In order to propel development of the aluminum industry to move toward featured,specialized,and ecological directions,Sunlight Sanyuan Aluminum Company plans to expropriate 300 mu of land in Hanjiang District of Putian City,Fujian province,where it plans to construct high-end aluminum product industrial park,introduce the world's most advanced fully automatic production equipment and technologies for aluminum profile and
Design and Development of Sustainable Construction Strategy for Residential Buildings: A Case Study for Composite Climate
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chetan S Dhanjode
Full Text Available Developing cities in India like Nagpur are growing exponentially in population due to industrialization. The ever increasing demand of the natural resources leads to depletion of limited resources and also affects local environment in terms of increasing pollution emissions especially carbon emission. With recourse to composite climatic condition (Nagpur, India the sustainable construction strategy is developed in the present paper. The developed strategy includes conservation of soil, energy, resources, material and water. It provides a systematic approach towards sustainability of building through quantification of energy consumption. Analysis of conventional and non-conventional material and technology on cost, energy consumption and carbon emission parameters helps in highlighting suitable options for sustainable construction. Strategy is validated through a case study of new construction of the residential buildings for enhanced environmental performance. The amount of excavated soil and its reutilization on site is taken into consideration. Locally available sustainable construction materials are compared for material cost, and embodied energy for selection of appropriate construction material. In order to conserve the ground water various options for the low flow devices, roof top rainwater harvesting and gray water recycling and reuse are suggested. Application of sustainable construction strategy to case study building revealed that 97% of natural soil is conserved through backfilling. Estimated carbon emission reduction due to recommended construction materials (sustainable bricks, cement, and steel with respect to conventional options is of the order of 60%. Recommended water conservation options resulted in 57% reduction in ground water demand. However suggested sustainable construction strategy options estimated in increase in project cost by 13% whose effect can subsequently be reduced over the design life span computations. The
Relationship between Architectural Outer Shape and Function of Buildings: Behaviour Study on Building Constructed in China
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
ISSA. A.M. Al-Kahtani
Full Text Available The present study attempted to investigate the behaviour of some projects designed and constructed in China during the last decades from an architectural view point and their compatibility with respect to the relationship between the outer shape and function of the building. The study includes different groups of architectural works including; Culture architecture, Education architecture, Office architecture and Hotel architecture surveying about 60 projects divided into four groups. Four types of relationship were adopted depending on score given to each building. The statistical tools also used to classify and specify accurately the relationship between the buildings and the groups. The study concluded that most of the buildings give good relationship and express the function of the building in addition to aesthetics considerations but the educational architecture give the best representation.
Various Forms of Project Delay in the Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nurbasirah Mohamed Alias
Full Text Available Project delay can be defined as an incident that causes extended time in order to complete all or part of a particular project successfully. In other words, delay is the time overrun, either ahead of the date for project completion specified by the contract or further than the extensive contract period where an addition of time has been granted. It should be pointed out that the project delay in the construction industry is a universal or large-scale observable fact affecting not only the construction industry but the overall economy of countries too. As far as world construction industry is concerned, project delays are common problems in the construction industries; particularly most common is in the housing development industries. This paper will present different types of project delay that took place around the world. Project delay involves diverse complicated issues all of which are continuously of crucial importance to the parties to the construction contract. These issues concern right to convalesce costs of the project delay or the need to lengthen the project with the considerable right to recovery costs for adjustments to the contract schedules.
Cost Optimization of Industrial Enterprises of Building Materials
Belovodskaya Alena A.
The paper has proved that one of the directions of increasing profitability of construction materials industry enterprises' activity can be optimizing costs dealing with sales. Tools of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) or so called sensor marketing have been proposed for use to choose the most effective technology of market promoting construction materials. Use of method of solving optimization tasks in mathematical programming has allowed getting a ranked series of NLP measures for decreas...
Exploring the attributes of collaborative working in construction industry
Wu, Shuwei; Greenwood, David; Steel, Glenn
Due to the increased level of uncertainty of construction market and the variety of building functions, the practitioners in construction need work together more closely, which means a higher degree of collaborative working is often necessary. There is evidence that higher degree of collaborative working can produce more successful projects, but there has been only limited research to examine the definition of collaborative working. The lack of understanding of collaborative working resulted ...
Building Information Modeling for Managing Design and Construction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Berard, Ole Bengt
outcome of construction work. Even though contractors regularly encounter design information problems, these issues are accepted as a condition of doing business and better design information has yet to be defined. Building information modeling has the inherent promise of improving the quality of design...... information by suggesting technologies and methods that are supposed to improve design information. However, building information modeling provides no means to assess these improvements of design information. This research introduces design information quality as an equivalent to information quality...... outcomes, such as building defects, schedule delays, and budget overruns are related. Research in other fields indicates a relationship between information management and the performance and efficiency of organizations. This has led to the assumption that better information will eventually lead to a better...
Sustainable Construction: Water Use in Residential Buildings in Portugal
Miguel Pires Amado; Luis Marques Barroso
Water is the most important resource to all life on our planet. The impact that buildings have on the consumption of this resource throughout their life cycle (planning, construction, operation and deconstruction) but mainly during the operation phase, has resulted in very high and unsustainable consumption patterns. Sustainable development, while a long-term goal, requires that the preservation of natural resources becomes a central point of any project strategy. Water is of vital importance...
Anechoic chamber in industrial plants. [construction materials and structural design
Halpert, E.; Juncu, O.; Lorian, R.; Marfievici, D.; Mararu, I.
A light anechoic chamber for routine acoustical measurements in the machine building industry is reported. The outer housing of the chamber consists of modules cast in glass fiber reinforced polyester resin; the inner housing consists of pyramidal modules cut out of sound absorbing slates. The parameters of this anechoic chamber facilitate acoustical measurements according to ISO and CAEM recommendations.
Permeability of some building construction material for radon diffusion
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
In the present work, the radon diffusion coefficient and diffusion lengths for some building construction materials viz: soil, sand, cement, fly ash have been calculated. Radon diffusion and transport through different media is a complex process and is affected by several factors. The diffusion of the radon through the ground is a complex process and is related to the porosity, permeability, which is dependent on grain size distribution, degree of compaction and the water content of the soil. The apparatus designed for the study of radon diffusion through different building construction materials consists of a hollow plastic cylinder of inner diameter 25 cm and length 50 cm deployed vertically. The radon source covered with latex membrane is fixed at the bottom of the cylinder in the cavity. Open-ended cylindrical tubes of diameter 1.5 cm and of length 15 and 25 cm are installed in hollow plastic cylinder. The top end of each diffusion tube holds LR-115 type-II plastic detector such that its sensitive side always faces the source of radon. The building construction materials under study in the pulverized form are filled in diffusion tubes and the system is left undisturbed for a period of 30 days. The detectors are chemically etched in NaOH solution. The alpha tracks are counted using an optical Olympus microscope
Research on the Construction of Food Industrial Correlation Network Model
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Yu Zhenlei
Full Text Available As the objective existence of economy, the relational and spatial structure of Industrial correlation not only determines the quality and level of economic growth, but is regarded as the important source of gaining competitive advantages. Based on the input-output model and network model of food industry, this study focuses on the method and application of the construction of food industrial correlation network model. Analyzing the connotation of food industrial correlation, the article finds the way to describe it with graphs. What's more, these graphs and network theory are used to design the index coefficient of industrial correlation to show the food industrial correlation and its structure feature.
Towards the carbon fibers in the building industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Miravete, A.
Full Text Available There are two mainstreams in the building industry in the area of carbon fibers: rehabilitation and use as building material. The using of carbon fiber as a building material is taking place slower than as rehab system due to the very low cost of traditional building materials, the limitations of composite structure manufacturing processes and the conservative building regulations concerning materials in all the industrialized countries. However, these three issues are being solved in a very efficient way, as we will see along the coming paragraphs of this paper.
This paper is split in two parts, first the carbon fiber as a material system, its typologies, manufacturing processes and industrial presentations will be described. Second, rehab and building applications will be analyzed.
En el área de fibra de carbono en la construcción hay actualmente dos líneas de trabajo: reparaciones e implantación en obra: La implantación en la obra civil está avanzando más despacio que la utilización en reparaciones debido al bajo coste de los materiales tradicionales, a la limitación de procesos de fabricación de estructuras de materiales compuestos y al conservadurismo de las normativas de edificación y obra civil en todos los países industrializados. Sin embargo, los tres asuntos mencionados están siendo abordados con eficiencia, como se explicará más adelante. En el presente artículo, se va a describir, el primer lugar, la fibra de carbono, sus tipos, procesos de fabricación y presentaciones industriales. En segundo lugar se tratarán las aplicaciones en la construcción, haciendo énfasis en las reparaciones y en la implantación en obra civil.
Approaching safety in the Swedish and Danish construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Grill, Martin; Grytnes, Regine; Törner, Marianne
identifies seven factors perceived by the professionals as related to lower occupational accident rates in the construction industry. Engaging in participatory management, promoting long-term planning and long-term tenures, encouraging cooperation, cautiousness and compliance to rules as well as challenging...... authorities, were described as connected to successful safety management. These factors may guide further research in the field, as well as safety managers and officials engaged in decreasing accident rates in the construction industry in Scandinavia and elsewhere.......Background: Persistent high accident rates in the construction industry motivate research to improve the understanding of underlying factors affecting safety behaviour and safety outcomes. The Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Denmark are culturally similar but with a considerable difference...
FacilitatingIndustrial Placement in the Construction Engineering Curriculum
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wandahl, Søren; Ussing, Lene Faber
outset in the hypothesis that external effectiveness (industry readiness) is better in those modes of education that, at least in part, are based on the world of work itself, and several sources highlight the necessity of strong links between engineering education and industry. Hence, it becomes central......There is often a claim that there is a disconnection between theory and practice, which raises questions on student's readiness for employment and the extent that higher education responds effectively to the evolving needs of the construction industry. Industrial placements schemes can facilitate...... student learning from construction practice whereby students can reflect on their learning experience at the university. The interplay between traditional engineering curriculum and the context-based learning is important for securing the right skills and competencies among the graduates. This paper takes...
Facilitating Industrial Placement in the Construction Engineering Curriculum
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wandahl, Søren; Faber, Lene
outset in the hypothesis that external effectiveness (industry readiness) is better in those modes of education that, at least in part, are based on the world of work itself, and several sources highlight the necessity of strong links between engineering education and industry. Hence, it becomes central......There is often a claim that there is a disconnection between theory and practice, which raises questions on student's readiness for employment and the extent that higher education responds effectively to the evolving needs of the construction industry. Industrial placements schemes can facilitate...... student learning from construction practice whereby students can reflect on their learning experience at the university. The interplay between traditional engineering curriculum and the context based learning is important for securing the right skills and competencies among the graduates. This paper takes...
Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Maxwell, S.; Berger, D.; Zuluaga, M.
In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the 'fresh' air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent, and the 'normal leakage paths through the building envelope' disappear. CARB researchers have found that the majority of high performance, new construction, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four general strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, and the assumption is that products will perform similarly in the field. Proper application involves matching expected performance at expected building pressures, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. This research effort, which included several weeks of building pressure monitoring, sought to provide field validation of system performance. The performance of four substantially different strategies for providing make-up air to apartments was evaluated.
Experience modeling with graphs encoded knowledge for construction industry
Kamsu-Foguem, Bernard; Abanda, Fonbeyin Henry
International audience; The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry is becoming increasingly knowledge intensive. Knowledge management has been hailed as an enabler for tapping this knowledge to improve efficiency in the AEC industry. In this study, the main concepts and benefits of knowledge management, relationships between knowledge management and continuous improvement have been examined. Furthermore, emphasis has been laid on knowledge management through experience feed...
BIM in Malaysian Construction Industry: Status, Advantages, Barriers and Strategies to Enhance the Implementation Level
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Aftab Hameed Memon
Full Text Available Building Information Modeling (BIM is a new approach of construction design. It does not only facilitate the digital representation for designs but also provides all the necessary information for any project before it is constructed. Despite this advantage, the adoption of BIM in Malaysian construction is very low. Motivated by this, current study has focused on assessing current status of BIM implementation in Malaysian construction industry. It has also investigated advantages and disadvantages together with barriers to implementations of BIM and proposing effective strategies for enhancing the BIM implementation in construction industry. Investigation was done through survey where 150 questionnaire forms were distributed and 95 completed forms received back were analyzed with Average Index (AI and Relative Importance Index (RII method. Findings of the study revealed that the rate of BIM implementation in construction industry is very low. Major advantages of BIM are improved scheduling, improved drawing coordinated, controlling time and cost and singe detailed model. Enhanced collaboration, requires coordinated drawing, interoperability are the major disadvantages and limitations of BIM. Major barriers to low level of BIM implementation are lack of competent staff to operate the software, unawareness of the technology and non availability of parametric library. Provision of trial software, training of construction staff and introducing of BIM in university curriculum are very effective strategies in enhancing the implementation of BIM.
Sustainable Construction: Water Use in Residential Buildings in Portugal
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Miguel Pires Amado
Full Text Available Water is the most important resource to all life on our planet. The impact that buildings have on the consumption of this resource throughout their life cycle (planning, construction, operation and deconstruction but mainly during the operation phase, has resulted in very high and unsustainable consumption patterns. Sustainable development, while a long-term goal, requires that the preservation of natural resources becomes a central point of any project strategy. Water is of vital importance to human life, it should be preserved to ensure its availability for a long period of time. However, little concern has been given to the importance of introducing a selection of more efficient solutions to save water in buildings and consequently increase sustainability in the construction sector. In this context it is on the design phase that the main resource saving water measures should be considered. Research on saving water involves an analysis of quantitative and qualitative measures and their adaptation to different contexts. Nowadays there are systems of voluntary certification of sustainable construction, which can help the design phase to achieve sustainability. This paper discusses a set of measures to reduce water consumption and enable a more efficient use of this resource in residential buildings. The measures presented are focused on user awareness campaigns, systems of rainwater and grey water recycling, the use of more efficient devices and reduction of leaks. The measures are analyzed and compared taking into account the consumption patterns for each device both inside and outside a domestic building and its effective reduction in water consumption
Implementation of Risk Management in Malaysian Construction Industry: Case Studies
Hamzah Abdul-Rahman; Chen Wang,; Farhanim Sheik Mohamad
Construction industries are exposed to wide array of risks, such as financial, design, and contractual ones, which might have a direct impact on their performance toward achieving the desired objectives. Risk Management is a proactive decision-making process used to minimize and manage the risks in the most efficient and appropriate manner. However, most construction firms in Malaysia do not apply formal risk management in their projects. Thus, this study aims to identify the actual process o...
Jones, Peter; Daphne COMFORT; Hillier, David
This paper offers a preliminary exploration of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issues being addressed and reported by some of the UK's leading construction companies. The paper begins with a short discussion of the characteristics and origins of CSR and this is followed by brief outline of the construction industry and some of the challenges it is currently facing. The empirical information for the paper is drawn from the CSR reports and information posted on the World Wide Web by s...
Quality Status and Quality Aspects in the Icelandic Construction Industry
Sandra Dagbjartsdóttir 1986
A common discussion is that the construction industry lacks efficiency, quality is poor, budgets are unreliable and prices are excessive. Better management would result in increased efficiency with reduced quality failures while saving tremendous amount of money. This research aims at identifying and documenting the current status of the construction quality in Iceland. This involves identifying the main problems and point out where the scope lies for improving and by what means it is poss...
Adnan Enshassi; Rafiq M. Choudhry; Peter E. Mayer; Younis Shoman
Subcontractors perform most of the construction works and their effect on industry are apparent in different activities of construction. Therefore, subcontractors need more attention from government and contractors union. The aim of this paper is to identify, evaluate, and rank factors that influence safety performance of subcontractors in the Gaza Strip (Palestine) according to their relative importance. The study concluded that reported accident rates will decrease among subcontractors and ...
Reviewing building construction statistics in Turkey: Stakeholders' perspective
Yitman, İbrahim; Akiner, Ilknur; Marar, Khaled
Construction is one of the industries of strategic economic importance. Governments using their national institutions are involved in the collection of economic statistics, which indicate the state of their economy in the form of an annual time series. However, the completeness and accuracy of these statistics is frequently questioned by the stakeholders within the sector. Therefore there is an increasing need for accurate, manageable and reliable statistics to enable sound analysis of the co...
Potential uses of Waste Sludge in Construction Industry: A Review
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O.A. Johnson
Full Text Available Waste generation and management is becoming a global challenge resulting into increased environmental concern. Waste management and recycle into a sustainable construction materials as proved to be an alternative for waste disposal helping out in the area of environmental pollution and economic. In recent years various type of waste has been used/reused in the development of sustainable construction materials. This study reviews various attempts that have been made to use sludge from different plants in construction industry. The mechanical and physical properties of the products, the environmental effect of the products and possible recommendations for future research was presented in the review.
Utilizing Repurposed Materials to Construct Utility Buildings and Small Animal Shelters
Chapman, C. Kim
This fact sheet describes how to use repurposed materials such as shipping pallets, scraps from construction sites or other building projects, to construct utility buildings and small animal shelters.
BIM-Based Cost Estimation/ Monitoring For Building Construction
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Emad Elbeltagi
Full Text Available Proper Cost Estimate, Monitor and Control (CEM&C are vital for the success of construction projects. Starting from preliminary design to project closing, CEM&C progressively becomes more complex and challenging. Visualization can add another dimension to monitor and control where major deviations can be visually detected and analyzed. However, literature related to visualization in construction and integrating it with cost control is still in its early stages. Building Information Modeling (BIM can have promising impact in that domain. In this paper, a comprehensive cost estimating and monitoring model is presented. The model is integrated with BIM to provide the user with the capability of visualizing actual cost expended in different building elements and compare it with that budgeted at different time intervals. It provides construction practitioners with vital data that help them in taking appropriate corrective actions in case of any deviation from the budget. An example application is presented to demonstrate the capability and applicability of the model.
Model code for energy conservation in new building construction
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
In response to the recognized lack of existing consensus standards directed to the conservation of energy in building design and operation, the preparation and publication of such a standard was accomplished with the issuance of ASHRAE Standard 90-75 ''Energy Conservation in New Building Design,'' by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., in 1975. This standard addressed itself to recommended practices for energy conservation, using both depletable and non-depletable sources. A model code for energy conservation in building construction has been developed, setting forth the minimum regulations found necessary to mandate such conservation. The code addresses itself to the administration, design criteria, systems elements, controls, service water heating and electrical distribution and use, both for depletable and non-depletable energy sources. The technical provisions of the document are based on ASHRAE 90-75 and it is intended for use by state and local building officials in the implementation of a statewide energy conservation program.
The Unidentified Value of IT in the Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andresen, Jan Lambrecht
of their IT strategy is generally low. Most IT evaluation is done before the investment is made using primarily oral guidelines and subjective arguments. CAD systems are the most evaluated. In general it is found that the IT evaluations completed by companies in the construction industry are unsophisticated compared...
The impact of internationalization and diversification on construction industry performance
Horta, Isabel M.; Kapelko, Magdalena; Oude Lansink, Alfons; Camanho, Ana S.
This paper investigates the impact of internationalization and diversification strategies on the financial performance of construction industry companies. The results obtained can guide the design of strategies to pursue company growth and achieve competitive advantage. The evaluation of companie
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Любовь Борисовна Ситдикова
Full Text Available The article analyzes the legal means of self-control in the construction industry. It was revealed that the mandatory requirements for the self-regulatory organization controlling quality of its work and its technical regulations applied are not considered by current legislation. The author suggests possible solutions to this problem.
Approaching safety in the Swedish and Danish construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Grill, Martin; Grytnes, Regine; Törner, Marianne
-compliance; cooperation or conflict; caution or cockiness; planning management; and employment security. Interconnections between the thematic areas revealed patterns of interaction between managers and employees, interpreted as process models of participatory and directive safety cultures. Conclusion: This study......Background: Persistent high accident rates in the construction industry motivate research to improve the understanding of underlying factors affecting safety behaviour and safety outcomes. The Scandinavian countries of Sweden and Denmark are culturally similar but with a considerable difference...... in accidents rates, especially in construction, and as such offer an opportunity to explore organizational and managerial issues related to safety outcomes. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were carried out with five construction managers and four construction workers in Danish and Swedish construction...
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Belokur K. A.
Full Text Available Original screw designs of buildings and columns are offered. Frameworks of these buildings and columns are the bearing elements and means of external and internal decoration of buildings and constructions. Originality of such buildings and columns frameworks is ensured by the fact that their design is decorated on the outer surface with broken or smooth screw edges and screw surfaces. Versatility of the offered screw columns trunks designs, as well as the possibility of performance of their left or right screwing allows reaching certain symmetry or their repeatability in the form of harmonious alternation of the bearing trunks of screw columns and spaces between them. Giving to numerous sides of trunks of screw columns of a certain invoice, or their coloring in different colors, will contribute even more to their expressiveness and beauty. Durability and vibration resistance (including seismic of such trunks of screw columns at the same volumes of construction materials, in comparison with round and rectangular trunks is higher
Working operations of simple technological processes in construction industry ordering (rus
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kalyuzhnyuk A.V.
Full Text Available Ordering process has been described by the example of the simple technological processes of reinforced concrete building structures joints welding working operations set.Methods of ordering are adopted from graph theory, expert assessment, network planning and management. The proposed method is designed for application in technical regulation for organizational effectiveness indicators of simple technological processes of construction and special types of work determining.The proposed methods improve the technical normalization quality. They are recommended for application in systems of the construction industry automated preparation.
Structural modeling of safety performance in construction industry.
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Yahya Khosravi
Full Text Available With rapid economic development and industrialization, the construction industry continues to rank among the most hazardous industries in the world. Therefore, construction safety is always a significant concern for both practitioners and researchers. The objective of this study was to create a structural modeling of components that influence the safety performance in construction projects.We followed a two-stage Structural Equation Model based on a questionnaire study (n=230. In the first stage, we applied the Structural Equation Model to the proposed model to test the validity of the observed variables of each latent variable. In the next stage, we modified the proposed model. The LISREL 8.8 software was used to conduct the analysis of the structural model.A good-fit structural model (Goodness of Fit Index=0.92; Root Mean Square Residual=0.04; Root Mean Square Error of Approximation=0.04; Comparative Fit Index=0.98; Normalized Fit Index=0.96 indicated that social and organizational constructs influence safety performance via the general component of the safety climate.The new structural model can be used to provide better understanding of the links between safety performance indicators and contributing components, and make stronger recommendations for effective intervention in construction projects.
Accelerating nano-technological innovation in the Danish construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Koch, Christian; Stissing Jensen, Jens
By viewing the construction industry as a technological innovation system (TIS) this paper discusses possible initiatives to accelerate nanotechnological innovations. The point of departure is a recent report on the application of nano-technology in the Danish construction industry, which....... The institutional features of the system are furthermore poorly equipped at identifying potentials within high-tech areas. In order to exploit the potentials of nano-technology it is thus argued that an alternative TIS needs to be established. Initiatives should identify and support "incubation rooms" or marked...... niches in order for the different elements of the TIS to evolve. This could involve nano-visioning including scenarios of future technological applications and industrial dynamics....
Chifeng Strives to Build China's Nonferrous Metals Industrial Processing Base
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
<正>As the largest pillar industry of Chifeng industrial economy, metallurgical industry offers half of industrial added value and approximately 60% of fiscal revenue of the city. In recent years, Chifeng continues to extend industrial chain and enhance industrial level by relying on nonferrous metals resources, striving to build the nonferrous metals industrial processing base of China.
Industrial buildings with transparent insulation facades in Switzerland; Gewerbliche Bauten mit Transparenten Daemmfassaden in der Schweiz
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Worschech, T. [Schweizer (E.) AG, Hedingen (Switzerland)
The company Ernst Schweizer AG began to construct buildings with transparent thermal insulation in 1993. Approximately 45 buildings with a TTI surface of 2,500 square meters have been completed since then. The majority are one and multiple family houses. The share of industrial buildings is rather low. Only three industrial buildings have been equipped with TTI by the company so far, but with an overall surface of 800 square meters. At present a storage hall is being constructed in Basel that will be equipped with 230 TTI-elements (700 square meters). (orig.) [German] Die Ernst Schweizer AG begann im Jahre 1993 mit der Erstellung von Bauten mit Transparenter Waermedaemmung. Seitdem sind ca. 45 Bauvorhaben mit ca. 2.500 m{sup 2} TWD-Flaeche realisiert worden. Meistens handelt es sich hierbei um Ein- und Mehrfamilienhaeuser. Der Anteil der Industriegebaeude ist relativ gering. So wurden bislang nur 3 gewerbliche Bauten erstellt, die von Schweizer mit TWD ausgeruestet wurden; immerhin aber mit einer Gesamtflaeche von 800 m{sup 2} TWD. Zur Zeit ist eine Lagerhalle in Basel in der Ausfuehrung, die mit 230 TWD-Elemente (700 m{sup 2}) ausgeruestet wird. (orig.)
The role of effective communication in the construction Industry: a guide for education and health clients
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Terry Aulich
Full Text Available The construction industry operates primarily as a system of sub-contracting and purpose built alliances. There is a wide spread of stakeholders involved in conceiving a building project through typical stages such as design, finance, build, manage, upgrade and, ultimately, replacement and a corresponding need for communication and cooperation. Specialists who can prevent bridges falling down or who build 20 storey buildings are seen as the hard-nosed, action people who have helped bring us into the modern era. However, there are intuitive activities and disciplines which help us to achieve the type of construction achievements that have been the hallmarks of the 19th, 20th and now the 21st centuries. Most of these so called soft disciplines are about how one helps people, often highly skilled, achieve those construction and engineering goals. The key components are consultation and communication. Communication strategies should be based on a thorough understanding of the ways that humans co-operate in joint undertakings, the key principles of social dynamics and learning theory plus the ways in which people deliver, accept and understand words and pictures. The disciplines of organisational and environmental psychology have become a basic fundamental of modern business activities from management and organisational strategy to marketing and customer relations and to the improvement of working, recreational and living environments. However it is rare for a mature industry such as construction to adopt or examine those disciplines for guidance about either strategies or operations. This is despite the fact that the construction industry is almost entirely based on the principle of sub-contracting, business and professional alliances, all of which require understanding of environmental psychology and social dynamics in order to build trust, reputation, teamwork and client satisfaction. There is therefore a major need for communications to be
Wireless Sensor Networks for Resources Tracking at Building Construction Sites
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
SHEN Xuesong; CHEN Wu; LU Ming
We evaluate the technical feasibility of applying emerging wireless network technologies for re-sources tracking at building construction sites.We first identify practical constraints in solving resource-tracking problems in an enclosed or partially covered environment.We then compare pros and cons of available localization principles and examine the latest wireless communication technologies,including Wi-Fi,Bluetooth,Ultra-Wideband(UWB)and ZigBee.We find that the ZigBee-based wireless sensor network and the received signal strength indicator(RSSI)localization method are most promising to tackle on-site tracking of construction resources.Finally,we anticipate some application challenges associated with deploying wireless sensor networks for resources tracking in the practical context.
Build to Order Supply Chain in Automotive Industry : A case study of Volvo
Nadeem, Muhammad; Ul Haq, Faheem
The build-to-order supply chain strategy is Relatively new, and hock got attention of Researchers and Industry, with Successful Implementation in Many Industries and companies, like Dell Computers, Compaq, and BMW. Automotive Industry Is One Of The Industries Where build-to-order hock Shown good results. Automobile Manufacturers always Wants to build cars online orders Since the birth of mass production, and build-to-order strategy Let Them do that. Information Technology Is the Enabler That ...
MATES in Construction: Impact of a Multimodal, Community-Based Program for Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry
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Graham Martin
Full Text Available A large-scale workplace-based suicide prevention and early intervention program was delivered to over 9,000 construction workers on building sites across Queensland. Intervention components included universal General Awareness Training (GAT; general mental health with a focus on suicide prevention; gatekeeper training provided to construction worker volunteer 'Connectors'; Suicide First Aid (ASIST training offered to key workers; outreach support provided by trained and supervised MIC staff; state-wide suicide prevention hotline; case management service; and postvention support provided in the event of a suicide. Findings from over 7,000 workers (April 2008 to November 2010 are reported, indicating strong construction industry support, with 67% building sites and employers approached agreeing to participate in MIC. GAT participants demonstrated significantly increased suicide prevention awareness compared with a comparison group. Connector training participants rated MIC as helpful and effective, felt prepared to intervene with a suicidal person, and knew where to seek help for a suicidal individual following the training. Workers engaged positively with the after-hours crisis support phone line and case management. MIC provided postvention support to 10 non-MIC sites and sites engaged with MIC, but not yet MIC-compliant. Current findings support the potential effectiveness and social validity of MIC for preventing suicide in construction workers.
An industrial strategy to master the construction of an EPR fleet from Flamanville 3
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Full text of publication follows. EDF's industrial strategy to master the construction of an EPR fleet from Flamanville 3 (FA3) rests on 3 base ideas. First, an organisation based on Architect engineer approach: As for the construction of the french NPP under operation, EDF approach for the construction of Flamanville 3 is to act as architect engineer that means EDF manages the project of construction in terms of quality, schedule and cost from the detailed design to manufacturing and site activities. EDF is also in interface with the french safety authority for the licensing and in charge to coordinate all the suppliers involved in the project. Secondly, a strong feed back organisation from FA3 experience: the construction of FA3 NPP is in line with the objective given by EDF for a connection to the grid in 2014: the civil phase is now in good progress and several buildings are already achieved. The electro-mechanical erected has started in all the buildings and the first commissioning tests occurred for the electrical distribution. From all these activities, EDF get the lessons learnt and has organised the feedback experience for the future EPR plants to be built. And thirdly, an EPR family organisation involving all EPR utilities partners of EDF: in order to share the experience gained on EPR under construction, EDF has created the EPR Family which gathers all the utilities involved in construction of EPR NPP in partnership with EDF. (author)
Performance based building design to ensure building quality: from standardization to LEAN construction
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Carlo Zanchetta
Full Text Available The discipline of architectural design is influenced by the standardization activities concerning the construction and the development of tools for the coordination in the design process such as Building Information Modeling. The two disciplines contribute reciprocally to the achievement of the overall quality of the building process. To do so, it is strategic to develop researches on the following aspects: - definition of frameworks for the connection of the building system requirements to space and technology unit that defines it; - development of an inventory of interoperable and compliant technical solutions; - implementation of the discipline of model checking for project validation; and methodologies of comparison between intervention models; - implementation of collaborative environments for verification of compatibility between programs and regulations in order to identify the optimal design solution.
Strategic analysis of the construction industry in Spain .
Rodrigo Martín García; Julio González Arias
The construction sector has, in Spain, a remarkable importance, due to the contribution to GDP, around 10%, and employment (10%) and the wide business network it includes. The present economic situation and the residential market saturation have led to a sharp contraction in building activity, after a long period of growth. This is, therefore, a good time to perform a structural analysis to identify the determinants of profitability and assess the projection of the companies operating therein...
Quality Cost in the Construction Industry ' Preliminary Findings in Malaysia
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Mukhtar Che Ali
Full Text Available One of the key areas being emphasis in ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS is performance measurement towards continual improvement. Among the primary measuring tools is quality cost approach. Quality cost has been well practice in manufacturing sector but slowly gain its importance in construction industry. In fact Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK has reckoned quality cost as one of the tool and technique in few of its management processes. In view of such circumstances that has prompted an effort to undertake a study to ascertain the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost in Malaysian construction landscape. The targeted group of respondents was the personnel in the project management team. Capitalizing Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB National Electronic Tendering Initiatives (NETI road shows which were held in year 2007 throughout the country, the author was able to garner 263 respondents representing the project management team. Subsequently the data gathered from the completed forms were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS software. General findings indicated that the level of knowledge and practice on quality cost among the project management team were relatively low. One of the main contributing factors was poor knowledge in the area related to quality cost. Despite of such scenario most of the respondents showed their interest in acquiring knowledge in the field of quality cost. Hence quality cost approach is at the infancy stage in Malaysian construction industry.
Accidents in Malaysian construction industry: statistical data and court cases.
Chong, Heap Yih; Low, Thuan Siang
Safety and health issues remain critical to the construction industry due to its working environment and the complexity of working practises. This research attempts to adopt 2 research approaches using statistical data and court cases to address and identify the causes and behavior underlying construction safety and health issues in Malaysia. Factual data on the period of 2000-2009 were retrieved to identify the causes and agents that contributed to health issues. Moreover, court cases were tabulated and analyzed to identify legal patterns of parties involved in construction site accidents. Approaches of this research produced consistent results and highlighted a significant reduction in the rate of accidents per construction project in Malaysia. PMID:25189753
Evaluation of Passive Vents in New Construction Multifamily Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Maxwell, Sean [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, David [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, Marc [Steven Winter Associates, Inc., Norwalk, CT (United States)
Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.
Construction of Residental Buildings on Columns as an Alternative to Construction in Areas Exposed to Floods
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Kušar Domen
Full Text Available Floods that have in recent years become a constant in developed areas are raising the issue of how to adapt to nature when constructing housing. The construction of retarding basins and high dikes are the most frequently used alternatives of protecting the urban environment. Such a practice is most commonly found in Europe where it however, has unfortunately shown itself on several times, not to be the most effective. People from North America who live in areas often affected by floods, build their housing on columns. In Slovenia, not much thought is given to this, which is probably the result of the traditional mentality that promotes the building of massive residential houses and the issue of structural engineering that involves the so-called soft ground floor. New materials and new structural principles make construction on columns possible, which has been proven by the example of the residential building on low bearing soil in the seismic and flood risk area of the Ljubljana Marshes.
Structuring Requirements in a Multi-Project Environment in the Construction Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wörösch, Michael
in this industry, yet, success is here defined as an accomplished and accepted implementation of requirements management processes that are used by the relevant project members in their daily work and where the benefits of implementing requirements management outweighs the cost of invested resources. Furthermore......Being in control of requirements in building projects is vital, since it helps securing the often small profit margins and the reputation of the responsible company. Hence this research aims to introduce requirements management to the construction industry. By means of case study and action...... it is argued that when running technology development, product development, product platform development, and a portfolio of building projects at the same time the use of requirements management is advantageous and an intelligent way of structuring requirements is needed. This article also demonstrates...
Disputes and Conflicts within Construction Contracts in the Icelandic Construction Industry
Birkir Kúld Pétursson
The construction industry suffers from frequent disputes and conflicts between all parties of construction contracts. No public data is in place to estimate the general cost of disputes within the sector. A new regulation has recently taken effect and among the updated amendments is the requirement for contractors to obtain a quality management system. Disputes and conflicts are to be recorded in these quality management systems. In this thesis, structured interviews were conducted with parti...
Are Innovations Being Created or Adopted in the Construction Industry? Exploring Innovation in the Construction Industry
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Nor'Aini Yusof
Full Text Available The recent debate on innovation within an organizational setting has shifted focus toward discussing whether innovation is being adopted or being created. This shift is due to the failure of many innovation efforts and the fact that for each innovation creation or innovation adoption, different skills, resources, and cultures are needed to encourage each innovation. The objective of this article is to explore the type of innovation implemented by the construction participants. A conceptual model of innovation creation and innovation adoption was developed using four criteria: by justification of new ideas, by purposes, by activities involved, and by nature. Face-to-face questionnaires were conducted with developers, consulting firms, and contractors in Penang, Malaysia. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis. Factor analysis was used to classify the innovation creation and innovation adoption. The results show that the construction participants in Malaysia are categorized as an innovation adopter. This result provides better understanding about the type of innovation implemented by the construction participants, in particular the contractors and the consulting firms. The results could also be used as a foundation for conducting future research to identify appropriate skills, knowledge, culture, and resources for such innovations.
Cost Control Strategies for Zero Energy Buildings: High-Performance Design and Construction on a Budget (Brochure)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
There is mounting evidence that zero energy can, in many cases, be achieved within typical construction budgets. To ensure that the momentum behind zero energy buildings and other low-energy buildings will continue to grow, this guide assembles recommendations for replicating specific successes of early adopters who have met their energy goals while controlling costs. Contents include: discussion of recommended cost control strategies, which are grouped by project phase (acquisition and delivery, design, and construction) and accompanied by industry examples; recommendations for balancing key decision-making factors; and quick reference tables that can help teams apply strategies to specific projects.
Identifying program critical success factors in construction industry
Sarmad Kiani; Vahidreza Yousefi; Siamak Haji Yakhchali; Aghil Mellatdust
In project management literature, the concept of program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits not available from managing them individually. This paper attempts to identify program critical success factors focusing on Iran's construction industry so that the level of relative importance of various factors could be determined for key stakeholders. Furthermore, since a program includes a set of projects, another objective of this study is to find out wh...
Ismail SYUHAIDA; Md. Yusof AMINAH
Malaysia's construction industry particularly the provision of public infrastructure projects faces various debatable issues of the government's belt-tightening budget, abandoned public projects, shoddy workmanship, over-budgeted project procurement and unresolved debts in public project provision. The current global economic downturns as well as the fluctuation in the oil prices worldwide have exacerbated the situation. Thus, in materialising the efficiency, accountability for performance, p...
Thuesen, Christian Langhoff; Koch, Christian
By adopting a theoretical framework from strategic niche management research (SNM) this paper presents an analysis of the innovation system of the Danish Construction industry. Theories within SNM look upon innovation in a sector as a socio-technical phenomenon and identifies three levels of socio-technical interaction within which sectorial innovation can be explained. The analysis shows a multifaceted landscape of innovation around an existing regime, built in the existing ways of working a...
Project Culture in the Chinese Construction Industry: Perceptions of Contractors
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Jian Zou
Full Text Available In recent years culture has become one of the most studied topicsin project management research. Some studies have investigatedthe infl uence of culture at different levels – such as nationalculture, industry culture, organisational culture and professionalculture. As a project-based industry, the construction industryneeds to have more insight concerning cultural issues at theproject level and their infl uence on the performance of constructionprojects. Few studies, however, have focused on culture at theproject level. This paper uses a questionnaire survey to determinethe perceptions of Chinese contractors about the impact of projectculture on the performance of local construction projects. This isaugmented by a series of in-depth interviews with senior executivemanagers in the industry. The fi ndings indicate that specifi c projectculture does contribute signifi cantly towards project outcomes.In particular, goal orientation and fl exibility, as two dimensionsof project culture, have a negative statistical correlation withperceived satisfaction of the process, commercial success, futurebusiness opportunities, lessons learnt from the project, satisfactionwith the relationships, and overall performance. This paper alsoindicates that the affordability of developing an appropriate projectculture is a major concern for industry practitioners.
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Jill Wells
Full Text Available The practice of employing labour through subcontractors (often referred to as the 'outsourcing' of labour is both long established and widespread in the construction industries of developing countries. Recent studies show that it is also increasing in both developing and developed countries. An assessment of the advantages of the practice from the viewpoint of the contractors and of the labour force, suggests it is unlikely to disappear. The paper goes on to explore the implications for the development of the construction industry, as well as for the welfare of the workers and the achievement of broader development objectives. It is concluded that interventions may be needed to deal with some of the negative repercussions, but they have to accept and build on current labour practices.
Climate responsive and safe earthquake construction: a community building a school
Hari Darshan; Jishnu Subedi; Ryuichi Yatabe; Netra Prakash Bhandary
This article outlines environment friendly features, climate responsive features and construction features of a prototype school building constructed using green building technology. The school building has other additional features such as earthquake resistant construction, use of local materials and local technology. The construction process not only establishes community ownership, but also facilitates dissemination of the technology to the communities. Schools are effective media for rais...
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Astrid Baker
Full Text Available This paper shows how a New Zealand company, Fletcher Construction, created wealth in partnership with the state. The first Labour government was elected in 1935 with a firm commitment to full employment and a broad social security system. Because Labour's determination to get things done through local industry coincided with James Fletcher's, and then his son's, drive for company expansion and profits. Fletchers' design or construction of roads, wharves, saw-mills, flour mills, pulp mills, paper mills, factories, railway stations, university buildings, hospitals, department stores, office blocks, houses, and ownership and management of stone quarries, brickworks and forests, left a mark in almost every town and city in the country. Many projects required building methods and materials new to New Zealand, the innovative use of traditional materials, large-scale plant, specialist, skilled staff and technical know-how from United States and British construction and engineering firms. In this way Fletcher projects drew together many different suppliers, equipment makers, skilled tradesmen and financiers. As a provider of employment in construction and manufacturing, with easy access to established business and political leaders and a powerful influence on policy making, the company became a potent force in New Zealand's full employment welfare state.
Driving Innovative Thinking in the New Zealand Construction Industry
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Mohammadali Noktehdan
Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between innovation and productivity improvement in the construction industry. It is argued that this relationship is not well understood due to lack of in-depth understanding of innovation in construction. To overcome this obstacle, the authors present a multi-dimensional innovation classification system which aims at better defining and classifying what is meant by innovation in construction. The use of this classification system is demonstrated by applying it to a database of 500 innovations reported by the construction alliance, the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team. The results clearly demonstrate the diversity of types, degree of novelty and performance improvement benefits among construction innovations. Such diversity means that the impact of the reported innovations on productivity and performance are of different levels of significance. The classification system developed in this study can be used by construction organisations and alliances in the future to develop more detailed methods of calculating innovation performance indicators, based on the innovation type, novelty and benefits factors. By using this system, they can also put in place mechanisms to influence the types of innovation developed in their projects with the aim of maximising their productivity performance.
Strategies for Minimizing Corruption in the Construction Industry in China
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Patrick X.W. Zou
Full Text Available Corruption is a social phenomenon deep rooted in the history of mankind. It is similar to other kinds of crime which are likely to occur in procurement of works by governments and local authorities, due to the large amount of money involved in a single transaction and the difficulty in monitoring project expenditure. Therefore, it is necessary to develop strategies to minimize any corruption risks and corrupt behaviour in procurement of construction projects. The aim of this paper is to review the current corruption prevention practices in China's construction industry and suggest ways for improvement. To collect useful and insightful information, desktop studies, focus-group workshops and face-to-face interviews were conducted with supervisory and construction officers at different levels – state, province and municipal in China, who have direct responsibilities and experience in cracking down construction corruption. It was found that corruption happens in different forms during any stage of construction project procurement, and the current anti-corrupt practices are reactive rather than proactive. It was also found that improvements on the legal system, inspection strategies and processes, and promotion of ethical culture are all required. Based on the research findings, corruption prevention strategies were developed. The paper concludes that institution of random and regular checks, severe punishment and prosecution to corrupt personnel, and promotion of a healthy and clean construction culture are all necessary to mitigate the scourge.
ITER buildings cost estimate and construction plan (D231-B). Final report
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
As members of the ITER U.S. Home Team Industrial Consortium, Raytheon Engineers ampersand Constructors (RE ampersand C) and Stone ampersand Webster Engineering Corporation (SWEC) were requested in January, 1996 under ITER Task No. 34 (D23 1 -B) to prepare a Cost Estimate and Construction Plan for fourteen (14) ITER Support Buildings. The Estimate and Plan for each building is based on the conceptual structural steel design and crane report which RE ampersand C/SWEC completed in January 1996 under ITER Task No. 28 (13230, Subtask B) entitled, open-quotes Steel Buildings on Concrete Slab Designclose quotes. Task No. 34 was prepared in accordance with the criteria specified by the ITER- JCT Engineering Design Division. The results of this Task are contained in this Report in the following two sections: Section I Presents the ITER Buildings Cost Estimate, a single workbook in an Excel format, submitted by RE ampersand C. Section II Presents the ITER Buildings Construction Plan (Schedule) in a Primavera format, submitted by SWEC. The Cost Estimate shows a decrease in the cost of the twelve (12) buildings (fourteen (14) structures) by $76 million from $322 million (Cost Estimate prior to Task No. 34) to $246 million. Section I describes the changes implemented in the cost estimate and comments on the results. Appendix CE-1 provides a comprehensive printout of the ten (10) Excel files, linked in a single workbook. In addition to comments on commodities and unit rates, a recommendation is provided as to the future steps that should be taken in order to further upgrade the Cost Estimate and possibly decrease the cost
Dengue, related to rubble and building construction in Brazil.
Sampaio, Angela Maria Marques; Kligerman, Débora Cynamon; Júnior, Sílvio Ferreira
The fast-growing formation of solid waste, resulting from demographic density, presents itself as one of the most pressing problems to be addressed by governments of large cities all over the world. In Rio de Janeiro, 60% of solid waste stems from the construction industry. Although envisaged by under current municipal legislation, no application of policy regarding systematic recycling of this kind of waste exists in fact. Both sanitation experts and epidemiologists highlight that the deficient sanitary system contributes to the growth of endemic breeding sites, which may reach epidemic proportions. In Brazil, over the recent years, there has been an increase of Dengue Fever cases followed by deaths. In the first half of 2008, the State of Rio de Janeiro was plagued by an intense Dengue epidemic. The city of Rio de Janeiro alone accounted for 48.7% of the cases, in absolute values. By drawing upon an analytical method based on the interrelation between health and sanitation, the outcomes herein indicate that the city of Rio de Janeiro bears a direct relation between Dengue incidence rates and rubble formation from construction - measured by the total area built. Thus, there is a strong urge to implement recycling systems out of construction rubble as a sanitation measure in order to promote Dengue incidence reduction. PMID:19608399
Textual complexity of standard conditions used in the construction industry
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Raufdeen Rameezdeen
Full Text Available Clearly written communication aids the understanding of construction contracts, resulting in less disputation. Past research, using opinion surveys rather than objective criteria, shows that construction contracts lack clarity and standard forms have become complex over time. The study outlined in this paper uses three objective measures of clarity developed by linguists to establish the readability of construction contracts. In addition, thirty industry professionals participated in a Cloze Test which measured the level of comprehension of clauses concerning disputes. The study verifies that contract conditions are very difficult to read, with college level reading skills needed to comprehend half of the clauses. However, the hypothesis that standard forms have become complex over time was not supported by the study. The study establishes a linear relationship between readability and comprehension, proving the hypothesis that improved readability increases the comprehension of a contract clause.
Constructing Learning: Adversarial and Collaborative Working in the British Construction Industry
Bishop, Dan; Felstead, Alan; Fuller, Alison; Jewson, Nick; Unwin, Lorna; Kakavelakis, Konstantinos
This paper examines two competing systems of work organisation in the British construction industry and their consequences for learning. Under the traditional "adversarial" system, conflict, hostility and litigation between contractors are commonplace. Such a climate actively militates against collective learning and knowledge sharing between…
Embedded Sensor System for Early Pathology Detection in Building Construction
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Carlos J. Escudero Cascon
Full Text Available Structure pathology detection is an important security task in building construction, which is performed by an operator by looking manually for damages on the materials. This activity could be dangerous if the structure is hidden or difficult to reach. On the other hand, embedded devices and wireless sensor networks (WSN are becoming popular and cheap, enabling the design of an alternative pathology detection system to monitor structures based on these technologies. This article introduces a ZigBee WSN system, intending to be autonomous, easy to use and with low power consumption. Its functional parts are fully discussed with diagrams, as well as the protocol used to collect samples from sensor nodes. Finally, several tests focused on range and power consumption of our prototype are shown, analysing whether the results obtained were as expected or not.
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Dusan Schreiber
Full Text Available The complexity that has characterized the market relations, especially in the last two decades, with an ever increasing demand for innovative products and processes, has reflected even more in the traditional activities, such as the building sector. Although traditional, that segment has undergone many changes in the business model as a result of major technological advances, requiring companies to adapt to the new conditions, incorporating new technologies, materials and developing new processes, considered innovative. With the purpose of studying in depth this process a research with a qualitative single case study was conducted in an industrial building company, located in the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre, through in-depth interviews, analysis of the narratives and of documents. The results showed characteristics that required a specific design of the strategy, management practices and coordination of organizational resources, which allowed the company to become a reference in the sector.
浅谈绿色建筑施工%Construction of green building
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
in recent years,with the spreading of the global energy issues are serious and"sustainable de-velopment"concept in the domestic,building energy saving and environmental protection and at-tracted the attention of the countries and the maj ority of the construction industry,strive to com-bine excellent design and high science and technology,construction energy conservation and envi-ronmental protection of the new building.Green construction has become an important part of energy saving and environmental protection.On the basis of the study of"green construction guide"and"green building evaluation criteria",some concrete methods for the construction of green.%近年来,随着全球能源问题的日益严峻和"可持续发展"理念在国内的推广,建筑节能环保越来越引起国家及广大建筑业的重视,力求优秀设计和高新科技相结合,建造节能环保的新型建筑。绿色施工就成为了目前节能环保的一个重要环节。在学习《绿色施工导则》和《绿色建筑评价标准》的基础上对绿色施工谈一些具体做法。
Application of Nanotechnology-Based Thermal Insulation Materials in Building Construction
Bozsaky, David
Nanotechnology-based materials have previously been used by space research, pharmaceuticals and electronics, but in the last decade several nanotechnology-based thermal insulation materials have appeared in building industry. Nowadays they only feature in a narrow range of practice, but they offer many potential applications. These options are unknown to most architects, who may simply be afraid of these materials owing to the incomplete and often contradictory special literature. Therefore, they are distrustful and prefer to apply the usual and conventional technologies. This article is intended to provide basic information about nanotechnology-based thermal insulation materials for designers. It describes their most important material properties, functional principles, applications, and potential usage options in building construction.
Innovation Performance and Its Impact on Profitability Among Different Sectors in the Australian Construction Industry
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Mary Hardie
Full Text Available The BRITE (Building Research Information Technology and Environment project was established by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation to encourage innovation in the construction industry. While innovation is generally perceived to be broadly beneficial, there has been little formal study of its occurrence or impact in Australian construction or of the factors which foster an innovative atmosphere within an enterprise. In order to benchmark innovation performance, the BRITE project conducted a survey in 2004 into the nature, incidence and variety of technological and organisational innovations in various sectors of the industry. With some exceptions, the survey found that clients and consultants engaged in significantly higher levels of innovation than did suppliers, main contractors or trade contractors. Within the industry sectors those organisations classified as high innovators favoured the adoption of advanced management practices and had formal evaluation systems in place to judge their progress. They reported significant positive impacts on their profitability from innovation and can therefore provide instructive examples for the rest of the industry to follow.
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Adnan Enshassi
Full Text Available Subcontractors perform most of the construction works and their effect on industry are apparent in different activities of construction. Therefore, subcontractors need more attention from government and contractors union. The aim of this paper is to identify, evaluate, and rank factors that influence safety performance of subcontractors in the Gaza Strip (Palestine according to their relative importance. The study concluded that reported accident rates will decrease among subcontractors and their workers if new workers are trained well in the work site and they are informed about dangerous places, and if a workable safety plan is well preplanned. The results also showed that reported accident rates increased among subcontractors when using old, unsafe equipment and due to the complexity or difficulty in the construction sites features. Owners and general contractors need to stipulate strict clauses for safety in the contract for improving safety record of subcontractors. Construction workers must receive proper job related safety and health training with a safety logbook. It is recommended that the subcontractors and workers should attend continuing safety programs on regular basis as part of their perquisite to work in construction sites.
The American nuclear construction craftsmen: Will we be ready to build again?
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The present state of nuclear plant maintenance and operations support reflects sexual, ethnic, and radical integration; continued educational advances; some computer literacy; mixed trades in maintenance; detailed training for maintenance and operations work in the operating plant; plant safety awareness and respect; need for top-quality, take the time to do it right mentality; and planning. With no new nuclear construction, what will be the specific talents, focus, and contributions that the craftsmen can be expected to bring to the project? To be prepared to successfully manage the next generation of nuclear plant construction, the industry must be acutely aware of the needs of the labor pool. To be aware of the needs requires an intimate knowledge of the present state of the craft talent, the changed expectations of their contributions, and the effects of new technologies, materials, methods, and individuals that will be used to design and build
Relations between constructive peculiarities and structural behavior in Venice buildings
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Doglioni, F.
Full Text Available Here we are synthetically describing some constructive peculiarities of Venice civil buildings, analyzing the relation with the features of their structural decay and behavior in the long run. We suppose Venetian buildings, especially those parts which are conceived to suit the lagoon environment, to have undergone an evolution made of some adjustments, which were based on the observation of damages in previous buildings. That is we suppose ancient builders to rely on their awareness of the behavior of structures yet to come, and to be able to forecast it in part. This process brought some building contrivances to perfection, as exclusive and enduring features of Venice, overcoming changes in style and architectural layout, till they grew into essential elements of a whole and adaptable "device". This writing is meant for a concise interpretation of this device, which is the result of some research works carried out at Venice IUAV University.
En este texto, se describen sintéticamente algunas peculiaridades de la edificación residencial de Venecia, analizando su relación con el abanico de problemas estructurales que caracterizan el comportamiento estructural del edificio a lo largo del tiempo. Se aventura la hipótesis que las construcciones venecianas y, en particular, algunos de sus detalles, concebidos específicamente para la laguna donde se enclava, han sido objeto de una adaptación evolutiva a través de la observación de los problemas estructurales de los edificios precedentes. Los alarifes venecianos aprendieron a tener en cuenta el comportamiento estructural posterior del edificio, que previeron en cierta medida. Este proceso ha llevado a perfeccionar algunos detalles constructivos exclusivos de Venecia que han perdurado en el tiempo, que han resistido impertérritos a mutaciones de estilo y de configuración arquitectónica, hasta constituir elementos esenciales de un aparato indivisible y adaptable cuya interpretaci
Convergence Among the Submarkets in Australian Regional Building and Construction Sector
Junxiao Liu; Kerry London
Studies on market convergence are well considered in the literature. However, the majority of the previous research focused on housing markets and few studies have concentrated on construction markets. Owing to a simultaneously dramatic increase in the construction prices of the sub-markets in the building construction sector in Australia, this paper aims to identify the convergence among these markets, involving house construction market, other-residential building construction market, and n...
Analysis of Project Success Criteria in the Nigerian Construction Industry
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Oluwaseun Sunday Dosumu
Full Text Available This paper examined the relative importance of the project success criteria in the Nigerian construction industry. It also determined the correlation among the project success criteria. Based on the literatures reviewed, the study proposed a framework for measuring project success in the construction industry. The respondents for the study were the government, private clients, consultants and contractors. Three hundred copies of questionnaires were distributed to capture data on the subject, but only 86 were returned and used for the study. The paper captured respondents that are resident in Lagos state, Nigeria and chosen by convenience from selected organizations used for the study. The data were analysed with SPSS 16 through the use of frequencies, mean scores, factor analysis and correlation. Factor analysis was employed because the mean scores showed that all the project success criteria were at least important. Nine principal components were finally merged into 4 through the factor analysis using the Varimax rotation with Keiser normalization. The study found out that all the project success criteria were important but their level of importance differs according to the factor analysis carried out. Therefore, it was concluded that there are four major components of construction project success in Nigeria- user-related factors, professionals' factors, organisational factors and other minor factors. The minor factors were found to be related to both organizations and projects but were not highly rated by respondents for determining construction project success. The study also concludes that project success criteria goes beyond meeting cost, time and quality target, it includes users' satisfaction, professionals' fulfilment and achievement of organizational goals. The recommendation of the study was that for construction projects to be successful, attention must be paid to users' related factors, professionals' factors and
Space heating in buildings: thermal diagnosis of an industrial building; Chauffage des batiments: bilan thermique d`un batiment industriel
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Brunet, R.
The various heat transfer equations used for calculations in thermal diagnosis of an industrial building are reviewed: calculation of the heat losses through walls as a function of building materials, calculation of the energy consumption for heating fresh air (as a function of the air pollution rate in the building), calculation of the total heat losses, the heating energy demand and the annual energy consumption. Data concerning building materials characteristics, insulation and heating loads in the various regions of France, are also presented
Analysis of Building Envelope Construction in 2003 CBECS
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Winiarski, David W.; Halverson, Mark A.; Jiang, Wei
The purpose of this analysis is to determine "typical" building envelope characteristics for buildings built after 1980. We address three envelope components in this paper - roofs, walls, and window area. These typical building envelope characteristics were used in the development of DOE's Reference Buildings .
A Value Function for Assessing Sustainability: Application to Industrial Buildings
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Alejandro Josa
Full Text Available Decision support tools based on multi-attribute analysis involve the use of different types of variables. These variables are aimed at providing a framework that allows preferences to be quantified. This is particularly useful in the field of sustainability, where variables with different units are involved. One widely accepted framework for standardizing different units is the value function. Studies of value function are complex and frequently have limited physical meaning. In this context, this paper emphasizes the need to define a general equation that reflects the preferences of the decision maker in a clear and easily applied way. The paper proposes a new general equation that fulfils these requirements. By modifying certain parameters, this general equation represents the most commonly used relationships (linear, convex, concave and S-shaped. The proposed equation is finally applied to four variables used in the field of industrial buildings and sustainability.
The institutionalization of benchmarking in the Danish construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Grane Mikael Gregaard; Gottlieb, Stefan Christoffer
on how to institutionalize new structures in the Danish construction industry? In the methodology chapter, I outline how institutional theory facilitates new and important inquiries into understanding institutionalization of benchmarking. I account for how the choice of theory is influencing my......, the chapter accounts for the data collection methods used to conduct the empirical data collection and the appertaining choices that are made, based on the account for analyzing institutionalization processes. The analysis unfolds over seven chapters, starting with an exposition of the political foundation...... legitimacy. The political pressures ended up radically transforming the institutionalization of benchmarking. This transformation is accounted for in chapter six. As a result of the transformation, private construction companies were provided an opportunity to influence the future institutionalization...
Revaluering benchmarking - A topical theme for the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Grane Mikael Gregaard
Over the past decade, benchmarking has increasingly gained foothold in the construction industry. The predominant research, perceptions and uses of benchmarking are valued so strongly and uniformly, that what may seem valuable, is actually abstaining researchers and practitioners from studying...... the perception of benchmarking systems as secondary and derivative and instead studying benchmarking as constitutive of social relations and as irredeemably social phenomena. I have attempted to do so in this paper by treating benchmarking using a calculative practice perspective, and describing how...... organizational relations, behaviors and actions. In closing it is briefly considered how to study the calculative practices of benchmarking....
Constructional physics administrative building company Krka d.d.
Kastelec, Dejan
Nowadays investors are realizing how valuable energy really is, which consequently means that a lot of attention is given on the energy efficiency of buildings. In order to meet the European and national requirements of building energy consumption, the health, comfort of building users and ergonomic design is often neglected. In the master thesis the new administrative building of Krka d.d. Novo mesto is analysed. An analysis of the building physics and ergonomic design is carried out. The an...
Work-Related Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Building Construction Workers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Ayoub Meo, Sultan; Alsaaran, Zaid Fahad; Alshehri, Moayad Khalid; Azam Khashougji, Mohammed; Almeterk, Abdul Aziz Zayed; Almutairi, Saif Fraj; Alsaeed, Saad Fahad
Objectives: To investigate the work-related musculoskeletal symptoms among building construction workers. Methods: Total 389 apparently healthy, male volunteers were selected with mean age 34.56±8.33 years and a mean working duration in building construction as 5.76±2.68 years. Musculoskeletal complaints were recorded through a detailed clinical interview and comprehensive questionnaire. Results: Substantial number of building construction workers developed musculoskeletal symptoms including ...
Round table: The New Constructions; New Build; IAEA Services Nuclear Power Reactor Technologies Construction and Operation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The first round-table of Atoms for the Future 2014 focused on the topic of 'The new construction'. Attendees had the opportunity to see Tarik Choho, Chief Commercial Executive Officer at AREVA, Tony Ward, Partner and Head of Power and Utilities at EY, as well as Thomas Koshy, Head of Nuclear Power technology Development Section at the IAEA, share their respective point of view and discuss together. They first started with their own presentation before sitting together at the discussion panel. Tarik Choho explained that there are many opportunities for new builds around the world, and especially in new comer countries. Thomas Koshy brought his expert point of view as an international regulator. He showed that the technology landscape also includes new designs as well as non-electricity generation uses. Those two aspects could bring both opportunities and challenges for licensing. Tony Ward showed how difficult it was to finance such a capitalistically intensive project as a new build, and how one could try to find an electricity retail price which is acceptable for both the general private consumer and the plant operator. All speakers agreed that preparation was core to a nuclear new build project. They also pointed out that every project involves more and more actors, and that it could be challenging to let everyone have the appropriate say
TPV Tube Generators for Apartment Building and Industrial Furnace Applications
Fraas, Lewis M.; Avery, James E.; Daniels, Wilbert E.; Huang, Huang X.; Malfa, Enrico; Venturino, Matteo; Testi, Giandomenico; Mascalzi, Gianni; Wuenning, Joachim G.
Major changes in the regulation of electric and natural gas industries during recent years have forced energy companies to explore opportunities in small-size Combined Heat and Power systems. These differ fundamentally from the traditional model of central generation and delivery since small, modular electric generators can be located very close to end-users inside a building or a single house within an industrial area, combined with the production of heat and cold. In particular, interest is growing in the new technologies for sub-100kWe units, including systems based on thermophotovoltaic (TPV) technology. TPV generator tubes can be inserted into hot furnaces to generate electricity and low-grade heat. In this generator tube, a water-cooled GaSb photovoltaic converter array inside the tube faces outward toward an infrared emitter liner mounted on the inside surface of the closed-end tube. Each tube can be sized to generate several kW and a given furnace can heat several tubes. We have conducted pilot experiments on key components in order to develop the concept just described. This includes a pilot scale array tested in an electrical furnace that heat a 3″ diameter alumina tube with an infrared emitting liner. Also, a silicon carbide tube with a water-cooling system was tested in a ceramic fiber lined furnace equipped with a commercial 200 kW flameless regenerative burner, simulating a TPV generator tube in such a system.
Energy choice criteria and approaches in the building industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
With the recent evolutions in the global and local energy context, any actor of the building sector must contribute to reduce the environmental impact of new or existing buildings by integrating environmental and energy optimization elements during their construction or rehabilitation. This article presents, first, the global energy problem that nations, groups of nations and economic agents have to cope with (demographic growth, environmental impacts, market tensions and resources depletion, markets liberalization, sustainable development and sustainable decay). The second chapter presents the main elements of the evolution of the economic, legal and environmental context and their impact on energy markets (environmental constraints, security of energy supplies, opening of energy markets, European directives under preparation, decentralized energy production technologies). The last chapter describes the energy choice criteria according to the new environmental constraints (general problem, prices, environmental impacts, decision making). An overview of energy resources and markets, of electricity prices formation, and of the international dispositions against greenhouse effect are gathered in appendixes. (J.S.)
The Role of E-Commerce Systems for the Construction Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Stewart
Full Text Available The use of e-commerce systems has increased substantially in the past five years, and now a number of companies in the construction industry have joined consortiums to develop e-commerce portals. These new systems encourage companies to review the way in which existing processes are undertaken, and often re-engineered process are introduced. It is important to understand the difference between the terms e-commerce and e-business, e-commerce refers to buying and seeling transactions which use some24The Australian Journal of Construction Economics & Building Page (iiiform of electronic media, while e-business suggests a review and redefinition of business models linked to the greater use of IT. It is argued that the greater use of the internet and e-commerce, and the move towards the integration of applications will compel construction companies to re-engineer processes and introduce e-commerce systems. A series of business drivers and business designs are discussed in later sections of this paper.There are many benefits associated with the introduction of e-commerce systems, and these include increases in GDP, real wages and employment together with reduced transaction costs. It has been forecast that there will be more than 400,000 companies in Australia using e-commerce systems by 2005 (NOIE 2000. For the construction industry, the benefits will include increased project efficiencies, communications, control, and reduced design and construction times as well as reduced costs (BuildOnline 2000. In the past year, two local consortiums have been formed to develop and offer e-commerce applications, and this heightens the need for all companies to reflect on how they might engage with these new technologies.
Motivational Factors on Adopting Modular Coordination Concept in Industrialized Building System (IBS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yunus Riduan
Full Text Available Modular coordination (MC is recognized as a tool towards rationalization and industrialization. The implementation of MC concept in the design stage may improve the constructability and construction time. However, the implementation of MC in Industrialized Building System (IBS implementation is still low compare to other developed countries such as the United Kingdom, Sweden and Japan. This paper examined the interrelationship between motivational factors of stakeholders in adopting MC concept using Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM. Questionnaire survey was engaged in this study to identify significant motivational factors. Then, semi-structure interviews were used to collect qualitative data. ISM was adopted to build relationship between factors and develop an initial model to promote the adoption of MC in IBS construction. Seven (7 significant motivational factors were identified in this research namely 1 'stakeholder's commitment', 2 'reduce site disruption', 3 'increase productivity', 4 'high skilled workers', 5 'site sustainability (environment, economy and social benefits' 6 'standardization' and 7 'enabling 'open building' concept'. The result using Matrice d'Impacts Croises Multiplication Applique an Clasment (MICMAC shows that there are three factors can be categorized as Independent / Driving Factors namely 'stakeholder's commitment', 'standardization' and 'enabling "open building" concept'. These factors should be explored in details to enhance the adoption of IBS in Malaysia. The findings provide a very good platform for a further research in formulating an efficient solution to promote MC concept adoption among the stakeholders. This scenario will improve the deliverables of IBS construction and eliminate negative perception in its implementation.
Construction Management: Building Schools Faster in the International Marketplace
Scarano, Joseph J.
Construction management accelerates school construction, increases quality and labor productivity, lowers costs, and offers developing nations an opportunity to improve their own management capabilities. (MLF)
Energy-Performance-Based Design-Build Process: Strategies for Procuring High-Performance Buildings on Typical Construction Budgets: Preprint
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Scheib, J.; Pless, S.; Torcellini, P.
NREL experienced a significant increase in employees and facilities on our 327-acre main campus in Golden, Colorado over the past five years. To support this growth, researchers developed and demonstrated a new building acquisition method that successfully integrates energy efficiency requirements into the design-build requests for proposals and contracts. We piloted this energy performance based design-build process with our first new construction project in 2008. We have since replicated and evolved the process for large office buildings, a smart grid research laboratory, a supercomputer, a parking structure, and a cafeteria. Each project incorporated aggressive efficiency strategies using contractual energy use requirements in the design-build contracts, all on typical construction budgets. We have found that when energy efficiency is a core project requirement as defined at the beginning of a project, innovative design-build teams can integrate the most cost effective and high performance efficiency strategies on typical construction budgets. When the design-build contract includes measurable energy requirements and is set up to incentivize design-build teams to focus on achieving high performance in actual operations, owners can now expect their facilities to perform. As NREL completed the new construction in 2013, we have documented our best practices in training materials and a how-to guide so that other owners and owner's representatives can replicate our successes and learn from our experiences in attaining market viable, world-class energy performance in the built environment.
Yanggu County(in Shandong Province) to Build the Largest Copper Industry Base in North China
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
<正>Yanggu County is planning to build Xiang-guang Eco-industrial Park led by Xiangguang Copper. Upon completion, annual revenue from main business will exceed RMB 100 billion, and become the largest copper industry base in
Training program for energy conservation in new-building construction. Volume II. Energy conservation technology: for the building inspector
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
A Model Code for Energy Conservation in New Building Construction has been developed by those national organizations primarily concerned with the development and promulgation of model codes. The technical provisions are based on ASHRAE Standard 90-75 and are intended for use by state and local officials. This training manual contains the basic information necessary to acquaint the field building inspector with the concepts of energy conservation in buildings and instructs him in the basic techniques of field inspection of energy compliance.
A review on the occupational health and social security of unorganized workers in the construction industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Guddi Tiwary
Full Text Available Construction is one of the important industries employing a large number of people on its workforce. A wide range of activities are involved in it. Due to the advent of industrialization and recent developments, this industry is taking a pivotal role for construction of buildings, roads, bridges, and so forth. The workers engaged in this industry are victims of different occupational disorders and psychosocial stresses. In India, they belong to the organized and unorganized sectors. However, data in respect to occupational health and psychosocial stress are scanty in our country. It is true that a sizable number of the workforce is from the unorganized sectors − the working hours are more than the stipulated hours of work - the work place is not proper − the working conditions are non-congenial in most of the cases and involve risk factors. Their wages are also not adequate, making it difficult for them to run their families. The hazards include handling of different materials required for construction, and exposure to harsh environmental conditions like sun, rain, and so on. On account of this, in adverse conditions, it results in accidents and adverse health conditions cause psychosocial strain and the like. They are victims of headache, backache, joint pains, skin diseases, lung disorders like silicosis, other muscular skeletal disorders, and so on. The repetitive nature of the work causes boredom and the disproportionate earning compared to the requirements puts them under psychological stress and strain and other abnormal behavioral disorders. The Government of India has realized the importance of this industry and has promulgated an Act in 1996. The state government are being asked to adhere to this, although only a few states have partially enforced it. In this article, attempts have been made to review some of the important available articles for giving a broad idea of the problem and for furtherance of research in this field.
A review on the occupational health and social security of unorganized workers in the construction industry.
Tiwary, Guddi; Gangopadhyay, P K
Construction is one of the important industries employing a large number of people on its workforce. A wide range of activities are involved in it. Due to the advent of industrialization and recent developments, this industry is taking a pivotal role for construction of buildings, roads, bridges, and so forth. The workers engaged in this industry are victims of different occupational disorders and psychosocial stresses. In India, they belong to the organized and unorganized sectors. However, data in respect to occupational health and psychosocial stress are scanty in our country. It is true that a sizable number of the workforce is from the unorganized sectors - the working hours are more than the stipulated hours of work - the work place is not proper - the working conditions are non-congenial in most of the cases and involve risk factors. Their wages are also not adequate, making it difficult for them to run their families. The hazards include handling of different materials required for construction, and exposure to harsh environmental conditions like sun, rain, and so on. On account of this, in adverse conditions, it results in accidents and adverse health conditions cause psychosocial strain and the like. They are victims of headache, backache, joint pains, skin diseases, lung disorders like silicosis, other muscular skeletal disorders, and so on. The repetitive nature of the work causes boredom and the disproportionate earning compared to the requirements puts them under psychological stress and strain and other abnormal behavioral disorders. The Government of India has realized the importance of this industry and has promulgated an Act in 1996. The state government are being asked to adhere to this, although only a few states have partially enforced it. In this article, attempts have been made to review some of the important available articles for giving a broad idea of the problem and for furtherance of research in this field.
Review on Application of Building Information Modelling in Interior Design Industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Abd Hamid Abu Bakar
Full Text Available Building Information Modeling (BIM is a flourishing device and approach for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC which assist; the planning, design, constructions and operation with particular to commence the designing in several components of the building, a comprehensive understanding of the activities and needed in all aspects. An aspect of activities and needs is the first step to be analysed in the design and it is the responsibility of professionals' interior designers. To solve the problems, is required to attach with the certain factors such as space planning, specifications fixture, equipment and material, furniture and finishing, lighting fixing and service management. BIM application can provide interior designers such as simulation, analysis, design process and solution with team members. Furthermore, some of the interior designer also using BIM as to organize, documenting data and optimise detail information in solving the problem in the develop process. BIM technology and practices not only to improve the construction and design process development that only the project faster, cost effectively, and prolong but it also helps to increase the capacity of BIM professional by improvise the careers and fields. In the Malaysian context, BIM is still fresh in interior desogn industry.
Strategic analysis of the construction industry in Spain
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rodrigo Martín García
Full Text Available The construction sector has, in Spain, a remarkable importance, due to the contribution to GDP, around 10%, and employment (10% and the wide business network it includes. The present economic situation and the residential market saturation have led to a sharp contraction in building activity, after a long period of growth.This is, therefore, a good time to perform a structural analysis to identify the determinants of profitability and assess the projection of the companies operating therein.This paper identifies the rules of competition and reasonable business expectations for coming years, using the Model of Five Competitive Forces. This analysis will show opportunities and difficulties for constructors as a tool in making decisions. The success of the strategy will depend on the management of strengths and capabilities, especially in times of change in the competitive environment.
13 CFR 120.131 - Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business.
... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business. 120.131 Section 120.131 Business Credit and Assistance... § 120.131 Leasing part of new construction or existing building to another business. (a) If the...
The multi-functional cleanroom of TNO Building and Construction Research at Delft (NL)
Ham, P.J.
For studies in rooms in which dust-free air is important, the department of Indoor Environment, Building Physics and Systems of TNO Building and Construction Research has access to a multifunctional cleanroom annex operating theatre (OP). On the ICCCS-symposium in Zürich 1990 TNO Building and Constr
It is typically easier and much less expensive to design and construct a new building with radon-resistant and/or easy-to-mitigate features, than to add these features after the building is completed and occupied. Therefore, when building in an area with the potential for elevate...
Determining Position Inside Non-industrial Buildings Using Ultrasound Transducers
Escudero, Francesc; Margalef, Jordi; Luengo, Sonia; Alsina, Maria; Ribes, Josep M.; Pérez, Juan
The position determination inside a building where no GPS signal is being received can be ascertained using laser transmitters in industrial situations where there are no people or using triangulation of the signal strength, normally electro-magnetic signals, if the required accuracy is more than a metre. Our solution is aimed at situations where people are present and where the required accuracy is less than 30 cm, such as in shopping precincts or supermarkets. To achieve this, a network of ultrasonic transmitters is fitted into the ceiling which receives a synchronised time signal. Each transmitter has a unique identifier code and emits its code with a delay with respect to the common time signal which is proportional to its code number with an ASK modulation over the ultrasonic band centred on 40 KHz. The receivers circulating beneath the transmitters receive the codes of those within their detection range, translate the time delays into distances and then obtain their position by triangulation since the receivers know the position of every transmitter. Since the receivers are not synchronised with the common time signal or the actual speed of the sound, whose value varies appreciably with temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure, a consecutive approximation algorithm has been introduced. This is based on the fact that the Z coordinator of the receiver is known and constant and thus it is possible, with only three different identifiers received, to deduce the phase of the common time signal and estimate the speed of the sound with a fourth identifier.
Study and constructive analysis of an office building
[EN] The development is based on the study and analysis of an office building located in Drongsesteenweg, Gent 9000. The building has 4 levels and basement. The structure is with prefabricated concrete, a very typical way to build in Belgium, only the basement was built in situ. Typology floor is hollow core slab, it is a prefabricated unidirectional floor. Stairs are prefabricated too, executed by a company specialized in this type works. To the facade they use two types of bricks, ceramic a...
Climate responsive and safe earthquake construction: a community building a school
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hari Darshan
Full Text Available This article outlines environment friendly features, climate responsive features and construction features of a prototype school building constructed using green building technology. The school building has other additional features such as earthquake resistant construction, use of local materials and local technology. The construction process not only establishes community ownership, but also facilitates dissemination of the technology to the communities. Schools are effective media for raising awareness, disseminating technology and up-scaling the innovative approach. The approach is cost effective and sustainable for long-term application of green building technology. Furthermore, this paper emphasizes that such construction technology will be instrumental to build culture of safety in communities and reduce disaster risk.
Technology Solutions Case Study: Design Guidance for Passive Vents in New Construction, Multifamily Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
In an effort to improve indoor air quality in high-performance, new construction, multifamily buildings, dedicated sources of outdoor air are being implemented. Passive vents are being selected by some design teams over other strategies because of their lower first costs and operating costs. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America research team Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings constructed eight steps, which outline the design and commissioning required for these passive vents to perform as intended.
Quickening development of nuclear industry and promoting nuclear power construction in China
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The development of China's nuclear industry is presented. For the sake of meeting energy needs, adjusting energy mix and protecting environment, the Chinese government has adjusted the principle for nuclear power development from the previous moderate development to the present activity pushed forward. The nuclear power scale in China is targeted to reach 40 GW by 2020, accounting for about 4% of the total installed capacity of electric power nationwide. The China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) shoulders the glorious mission and important task of nuclear power development and nuclear fuel supply in China. The CNNC is in possession of a comprehensive nuclear scientific and industrial fleet. It is the main body for R and D of nuclear power technologies and the exclusive nuclear power design supplier in China. Furthermore, the CNNC is the only nuclear fuel supplier in China with a complete nuclear fuel industrial system ranging from uranium geologic survey, mining and milling, conversion, enrichment, fuel element manufacturing through spent fuel reprocessing. In addition, the CNNC is also a major investor of nuclear power in China, holding most of the exiting nuclear power plants in the mainland of China or as a major shareholder. Through years of efforts, the CNNC had made great achievement in nuclear power construction. The 65 MWe China Experimental Fast Reactor under construction now enters the installation phase. China's prototype fast reactor is expected to build up by around 2020. The FBR will become China's leading reactor type for nuclear power development in the mild of this century
Traditional Building Materials and Fibre Reinforced Polymer Composites. A Sustainability Approach in Construction Sector
Maxineasa, Sebastian-George; Ţăranu, Nicolae
It is well-known that the construction industry is among the largest consumers of material, energy and a significant polluter. From the extraction of raw materials to disposal and recycling, the entire life cycle of a construction has a significant environmental impact. The manufacturing/ processing of materials represents an important phase in the life cycle of constructions which has a negative effect on the environment. Accordingly, the construction materials industry has made tremendous p...
Construction of Industrial Electron Beam Plant for Wastewater Treatment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Han, B.; Kim, J.; Kim, Y.; Kim, S.; Lee, M.; Choi, J.; Ahn, S.; Makarov, I.E.; Ponomarev, A.V.
A pilot plant for treating 1,000 m3/day of dyeing wastewater with e-beam has been constructed and operated since 1998 in Daegu, Korea together with the biological treatment facility. The wastewater from various stages of the existing purification process has been treated with electron beam in this plant, and it gave rise to elaborate the optimal technology of the electron beam treatment of wastewater with increased reliability at instant changes in the composition of wastewater. Installation of the e-beam pilot plant resulted in decolorizing and destructive oxidation of organic impurities in wastewater, appreciable to reduction of chemical reagent consumption, in reduction of the treatment time, and in increase in flow rate limit of existing facilities by 30-40%. Industrial plant for treating 10,000 m3/day, based upon the pilot experimental result, is under construction and will be finished by 2005. This project is supported by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Korean Government.
Career advancement of the professional women in the UK construction industry: Career success factors
Fernando, G.; Amaratunga, Dilanthi; Haigh, Richard
The issue regarding the lack of women in the UK construction industry has become more prominent for some time, attracting government and industry wide attention due to this potential skill shortage facing the industry. In order to meet these future demands the industry cannot rely on recruiting only from the male workforce. Therefore women?s participation for the construction industry especially for professional level is important. This paper explores the importance of career success factors ...
Overview of Researches on Rural Industrial Development in China's New Socialist Countryside Construction
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
PENG Jie-wu
From the perspective of rural industrial development, this paper summed up representative research results of China's new countryside construction, including approval of criteria for classification of rural industrial structure, definition and scope of rural industrial development, introduction and application of industrial development theory, existing problems, causes and countermeasures of three times of industrial development in rural areas, and experience of foreign rural industrial development model. Among these researches, most researches are general and narrow about achievements in rural industrial development, while the causes are little touched upon. In future, it is expected that the research on rural industrial development in new socialist countryside construction will be deepened and specified.
School Building Projects: Managing Insurance and Contracts during Construction
Shands, Richard
Managing the risks inherent in a building project presents a challenge and opportunities not often encountered in the ordinary affairs of a school district. A building project brings the district, its staff, and students, as well as the community, in close contact with architects and engineers and a number of contractors for a period of time often…
Workload assessment in building construction related activities in India.
Maiti, Rina
A field study was conducted to highlight the occupational risk factors related to building construction activities in India among female workers. These workers were engaged in eight different types of activities and related work parameters were studied in detail. From field environmental parameters, the calculated WBGT was obtained as 30.26+/-1.52 degrees C, indicated that these workers worked under a positive heat load condition. Whole day work study was conducted on 11 adult female workers performing concreting operation. They were having age of 28-32 years with 5-7 years of work experience. These workers were mainly performing two types of operations in the field: (A) asymmetric lifting during concreting a boundary wall formwork of a lift unit and (B) carrying the concrete mixture. During asymmetric lifting, the average field working heart rate (HR) was calculated as 124.1+/-12.5 beats min(-1), equivalent to 45.03+/-6.93% of VO(2) max level. These working heart rates (HRs) were significantly (p
Takahashi, Kazuo
The construction industry makes effective social contributions during disaster recovery efforts. The present study investigated the possibility of the construction industry also contributing to disaster prevention efforts and the formulation of emergency policy. The administrative divisions of the construction industry society were surveyed regarding the possibility of the industry contributing to disaster prevention measures, emergency response efforts, and emergency policy. A questionnaire given to municipal disaster prevention sections in Kyushu and the Yamaguchi Prefecture showed that the construction industry could contribute to these efforts.
Solar architecture and solar building construction. Conference proceedings; Solararchitektur and Solares Bauen. Tagungsband
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
This is the proceedings volume of the Energy Forum held in Brixen, South Tyrol, on 9/10 December 2008. The following subjects were discussed: 1. Photovoltaic systems integrated in buildings, an introduction; 2. Projecting and implementation of PV projects integrated in buildings; 3. Flexible PV thin film modules for roofs and walls; 4. Intelligent building shells: Integrated building construction with renewable energy sources; 5. Shading, sunshades, daylighting.
On the state of the building industry after the GFC and the Euro crisis
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gerard de Valence
Full Text Available There has been an intense debate in the media and among academics on how the great financial crisis has affected the global economy, and how the effects have differed in different regions of the world. This survey was designed to establish to what extent the building industry has been affected by the GFC and the Euro crisis. Over the last months we have asked senior academics and executives in construction businesses what has happened up to now in their region, what will most likely happen in the near future and in the long term. The answer is that in developed economies the effect has been a substantial downturn as finances have dried up while in developing economies in most regions, demand has been sustained due to population growth with ever increasing needs for residential building and infrastructure. While there is some apprehension about the potential effects of the Euro crisis deepening, no-one seems really worried. In the long term there is an agreement, in developed and developing countries alike, that current business models do not work and that the industry has to reinvent itself to be sustainable.
Multimodal inspection in power engineering and building industries: new challenges and solutions
Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Malesa, Marcin; Malowany, Krzysztof
Recently the demand and number of applications of full-field, optical measurement methods based on noncoherent light sources increased significantly. They include traditional image processing, thermovision, digital image correlation (DIC) and structured light methods. However, there are still numerous challenges connected with implementation of these methods to in-situ, long-term monitoring in industrial, civil engineering and cultural heritage applications, multimodal measurements of a variety of object features or simply adopting instruments to work in hard environmental conditions. In this paper we focus on 3D DIC method and present its enhancements concerning software modifications (new visualization methods and a method for automatic merging of data distributed in time) and hardware improvements. The modified 3D DIC system combined with infrared camera system is applied in many interesting cases: measurements of boiler drum during annealing and of pipelines in heat power stations and monitoring of different building steel struts at construction site and validation of numerical models of large building structures constructed of graded metal plate arches.
BIM技术推动建筑行业变革%BIM technology promote the construction of industry transformation
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
BIM未来建筑行业的发展方向,透过BIM看建筑的全生命周期,BIM将在建筑的全生命周期管理中不断体现其价值。%BIM that the future direction of development of the construction industry,leaving the building through the whole life cycle of the watch in architecture,leaving the whole life cycle of management continuously reflects its value.
A Study of the potency of construction service industries to support the first nuclear power plant construction in Indonesia
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The study was conducted to identify the potency of construction service industries to participate in nuclear power plant program in Indonesia. The potency is identified by evaluation results of national industries potency in some multinational construction service industries. The research methodology chosen was the survey method by sending questionnaires, visits to National industries, interview, and literature study. The data collection technique was sampling purposive. Data can be obtained from both primary and secondary data. The study results showed that the performance of construction service industries to support the NPP program must be increased through the selection of competent human resources, reliable equipment and an effective and efficient project management system, so that they can be expected to play necessary role in the nuclear power plant construction in Indonesia. (author)
Some specific features of building work organization during the Khmelnitskij NPP first unit construction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Specific feature of the excavation process during the Khmelnitskij NPP first unit construction, as well as the scheme of mechanization of the main building construction, production of special constructions and their assmbly into mounting units, features of ventilation organizing, preparation, transportation and placement of monolithic concrete are considered. Basic technical-and-economic indices are presented
Towards a Sustainable aesthetics. Architects constructing energy efficient buildings
Ryghaug, Marianne
The project is a study of the role architects play in the design of buildings in relation to the buildings' energy standard. Prior research indicates that architects have a key function, as they will often act as co-ordinators in the designing process of a building project. At the same time the profession is traditionally strongly oriented towards form and aesthetics. The project tries to examine the following set of questions: -What view do architects have on energy and environmental issues ...
Building and Application of a Circular Economy Index System Frame for Manufacturing Industrial Chain
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zheng Jiliang
Full Text Available In this study, we build a unified Circular Economy Index System (CEIS under the condition and trend of green supply chain management based on the analysis and comparison about the features of circular economy development among each link industry of manufacturing industrial chain. The idea and way of transmitting the unified environmental management requirement along industrial chain through setting up the weight variable is put forward at the same time. Through the building and application of the above circular economy index system model on iron and steel industry and automobile industry, it shows the model is reasonable and operational.
The survey of cement dermatitis among construction industry workers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Faride Sadeghian
Full Text Available Introduction: Cement has long been known as a cause of both irritant and allergic contact dermatitis. However, there are little data relating to occupational skin diseases (OSD in the Iranian construction industry. The aim of this study is to evaluate the epidemiology of cement dermatitis among terrazzo and cement manufactory workers. Methods: This is cross-sectional descriptive study. In this study 50 cement manufact-ory workers in Shahroud and 150 terrazzo workers in Lordegan were interviewed through questionnaire. Questionnaire includes demographic characteristics and questions about present dermatitis, background eczema, daily work hours, exposed chemical agents, using of gloves. Patients examined and patch tested by dermatologist. Data analyzed with SPSS software and c2, Mann Whitney and logistic regression statistical test. Results: The findings of the study showed that 8 workers (16% in cement factories and 52 workers (34.7% in Lordegan terrazzo enterprises had reported dermatitis at the time of review. Of which 15.5% in terrazzo workers had allergic contact dermatitis. In this study the prevalence of cement dermatitis increased with increasing age and there was significantly differences between dermatitis and background of dermatitis in terrazzo workers (P<0.05. Conclusion: Cement should be treated as hazardous materials, wearing of suitable gloves, early diagnosis and treatment of contact dermatitis and health education to workers is suggested.
HiLumi prepares its construction phase with industry
Agnes Szeberenyi
The High-Luminosity LHC project is now seeking industrial suppliers and collaborations to start the construction phase and make the high-luminosity upgrade happen. The "HiLumi LHC goes to Industry" event held on 26 June aimed to foster R&D collaborations and knowledge exchange between CERN and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - the perfect opportunity for them to match their capacity with the requirements of HiLumi. Isabel Bejar-Alonso (High-Luminosity LHC Technical Coordinator) addresses the participants of the "HiLumi LHC goes to Industry" event held at IdeaSquare on 26 June. To reach the 14 TeV and 3000 fb-1 goal of the High-Luminosity LHC, more than 1.2 km of the current LHC machine will need to be replaced with high-technology components that require cutting-edge technologies. HiLumi experts have already identified more than 65 technology areas and even more challenging components that need to be manufactured, assembled and tested bef...
Industrial relations, migration, and neoliberal politics : The case of the European construction sector
Lillie, Nathan; Greer, Ian
Transnational politics and labor markets are undermining national industrial relations systems in Europe. This article examines the construction industry, where the internationalization of the labor market has gone especially far. To test hypotheses about differences between '' national systems,'' t
浅谈建筑施工钢筋技术%Reinforcement Construction Technology in Building Construction
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
在建筑工程的施工质量如何直接关系到其建筑物的质量。钢筋混凝土结构施工之中有个不能忽视的环节就是钢筋工程。钢筋工程是决定建筑物的结构质量的重要因素之一。笔者在文章当中将根据自己在建筑行业的相关实践经验和理论知识对建筑施工过程中的钢筋施工技术进行探讨,为钢筋工程提供一些行之有效的施工方案。%The construction quality is directly related to the quality of buildings. In construction, reinforcement construction is one of important parts;it is an important factor of building quality. Combined with the author's working experience and theory in construction, the paper discusses the reinforcement construction technology in building construction, providing some effective construction methods for reinforcement engineering.
Prediction of final settlements of buildings constructed on expansive soils
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
María-de-la-Luz Pérez-Rea
Full Text Available Because the action of the swelling pressure, the settlements caused by the transmitted load from the structure on expansive soils, and the settlements calculated by classic theories of soils mechanics are different. This swelling pressure acts in opposite direction to the weight of the building. In this paper, the authors propose the use of a volumetric strain coefficient by settlements exp, in a soil-structure interaction algorithm taking into account the expansive soil behavior in the reduction of the settlement magnitude when a building is placed above soil. It's necessary to know the initial properties of the expansive unsaturated soil and the load building conditions. A laboratory process is described for determining the aexpcoefficient.
Construction Safety And Health Factors At The Industry Level: The Case Of Singapore
Charles Y.J. Cheah
The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries due to the unique nature of its products and the processes involved. Recent occurrences of highly publicized construction site accidents in Singapore have highlighted the immediate needs for the local industry to address safety and attention at the industry level. The objective of this paper is to examine issues and critical factors affecting S&H standards in Singapore. Clearly, collective efforts should be pursued at the indus...
Discussion on the construction and industrialization of space-breeding land
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This paper discusses the current situation and problems that exist in the construction of Space-Breeding Land, and gives some suggestions on the construction and industrialization of Space-Breeding Land
On-site Labour Productivity of New Zealand Construction Industry: Key Constraints and Improvement Measures
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Serdar Durdyev
Full Text Available Productivity is key to the survival and growth of any organisation, industry or nation. Some factors constrain the achievement of the set project objectives in the New Zealand building and construction industry and are responsible for the reported steady decline of productivity and performance. This study aims to identify the key constraints to on-site labour productivity and improvement measures. Using the descriptive survey method, views of some project managers, contractors and subcontractors in New Zealand were canvassed via pilot interviews and questionnaire surveys at the qualitative and quantity data gathering stages, respectively. Multi-attribute technique was used to analyse the quantitative data. Results showed that the key external constraints to on-site labour productivity comprise, in order of decreasing impact, statutory compliance, unforeseen events and wider external dynamics. The internal constraints, which contribute 67 percent of the onsite productivity issues, comprise reworks, level of skill and experience of the workforce, adequacy of method of construction, buildability issues, and inadequate supervision and coordination. . The factors underlying each broad category of external and internal constraints are reported. The relative levels of impact of the identified constraints are expected to guide the project team in addressing the constraints in a cost-effective manner.
Selection of procurement systems in the South African construction industry: An exploratory study
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
W. D. Thwala
Full Text Available Purpose of this paper: Procurement systems are vital in ensuring the successful implementation of construction projects precisely in all the phases of any particular project. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate in a systematic manner the factors that influence the selection of a procurement system in the South African construction industry. Research methodology: An extensive theory and literature review of procurement systems was conducted. The literature reviewed included a sample of case studies of procurement systems successfully implemented in completed building and civil engineering projects in South Africa. A questionnaire using a four-round Delphi survey method was used to conduct the empirical study in order to obtain participants' opinions about factors influencing the selection of procurement systems as well as the utility value of various procurement systems on each factor as identified. Finally, data analysis of both qualitative and quantitative techniques was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS. Findings: After qualitative analysis, findings of the literature reviewed suggest that factors that influence the selection of procurement systems cut across all the phases of the project as identified in this paper. Therefore, these factors are categorically classified into internal and external factors. Factors from the internal environment were further classified into client characteristics and project characteristics, with client characteristics comprising of variables such as clients' level of knowledge and control, political and social consideration, familiarity of procurement systems, competition, funding arrangement, government public/private sector projects and risk allocation whereas project characteristics comprise of factors (variables such as size and technical complexity of the project, influence of the project life cycle, expedited project delivery, time, quality and price certainty. Factors
Concerns for Skills Shortages in the 21st Century: A Review into the Construction Industry, Australia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Michelle Watson
Full Text Available The Australian Construction Industry is now facing skills shortages in all trades. As an industry focused on the skill of its workforce, there is now concern the Australian standard in quality, workmanship, and productivity will inhibit both at national and international level.This research paper addresses the underlying, influential factors concerning skills shortages in the Australian construction industry. The influential factors addressed include funding, training statistics, employer expectations, financial limitations, Industrial Relations and immigration. Given the reference to skills shortages within the industry, and documented in related literature, if skills shortages are to continue to exist, their effect will impact upon the overall performance of construction companies throughout Australia.
Supply chain for new construction: buy where we build
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
A global supply strategy has been placed by Westinghouse in order to face the current and future constructions. And in this way, Westinghouse will be able to take advantage of benefit of Local Supply. this article shows the Westinghouse Global Supply Strategy, Local Supply considerations, the current state of supplier calcifications, and finally Memorandums of Understanding and Alliances agreed with local suppliers around the world to provide a suitable solution for the new construction needs. (Author)
Mihaela Diana Oancea-Negescu; Adrian Anica-Popa
In the last years, the real estate developers, the firms that offer construction materials and the construction firms have experienced a spectacular development with considerable profits. The present study aims to identify the correlations between the economic conjecture identified at national and international level and the performances of the companies in construction industry. The unfavorable effects of the economic crisis on the construction industry, on the main indicators that reflect t...
Aligning building information model tools and construction management methods
Hartmann, T.; Meerveld, van H.J.; Vossebeld, N.; Adriaanse, A.M.
Few empirical studies exist that can explain how different Building Information Model (BIM) based tool implementation strategies work in practical contexts. To help overcoming this gap, this paper describes the implementation of two BIM based tools, the first, to support the activities at an estimat
Air Tight: Building Inflatables/Inflatable Construction: Planning and Details
Kennedy, Kriss J.
A design-build seminar consisting of students from Physics, Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Robotic, Material Science, Art, and Architecture who will work together on a deployable "closed-loop" inflatable greenhouse for Mars in theory, and an Earth analogue physical mockup on campus.
78 FR 34347 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; the Building Construction Technology Extension...
... collection. Sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Manufacturing...-tuning. Re-tuning is a systematic semi-automated process of identifying operational problems in commercial and industrial buildings. It leverages data collected from the building automation system...
Ontology-Based Representation and Reasoning in Building Construction Cost Estimation in China
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xin Liu
Full Text Available Cost estimation is one of the most critical tasks for building construction project management. The existing building construction cost estimation methods of many countries, including China, require information from several sources, including material, labor, and equipment, and tend to be manual, time-consuming, and error-prone. To solve these problems, a building construction cost estimation model based on ontology representation and reasoning is established, which includes three major components, i.e., concept model ontology, work item ontology, and construction condition ontology. Using this model, the cost estimation information is modeled into OWL axioms and SWRL rules that leverage the semantically rich ontology representation to reason about cost estimation. Based on OWL axioms and SWRL rules, the cost estimation information can be translated into a set of concept models, work items, and construction conditions associated with the specific construction conditions. The proposed method is demonstrated in Protégé 3.4.8 through case studies based on the Measurement Specifications of Building Construction and Decoration Engineering taken from GB 50500-2013 (the Chinese national mandatory specifications. Finally, this research discusses the limitations of the proposed method and future research directions. The proposed method can help a building construction cost estimator extract information more easily and quickly.
Building Information Modelling and Standardised Construction Contracts: a Content Analysis of the GC21 Contract
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Aaron Manderson
Full Text Available Building Information Modelling (BIM is seen as a panacea to many of the ills confronting the Architectural, Engineering and Construction (AEC sector. In spite of its well documented benefits the widespread integration of BIM into the project lifecycle is yet to occur. One commonly identified barrier to BIM adoption is the perceived legal risks associated with its integration, coupled with the need for implementation in a collaborative environment. Many existing standardised contracts used in the Australian AEC industry were drafted before the emergence of BIM. As BIM continues to become ingrained in the delivery process the shortcomings of these existing contracts have become apparent. This paper reports on a study that reviewed and consolidated the contractual and legal concerns associated with BIM implementation. The findings of the review were used to conduct a qualitative content analysis of the GC21 2nd edition, an Australian standardised construction contract, to identify possible changes to facilitate the implementation of BIM in a collaborative environment. The findings identified a number of changes including the need to adopt a collaborative contract structure with equitable risk and reward mechanisms, recognition of the model as a contract document and the need for standardisation of communication/information exchange.
Canister storage building (CSB) safety analysis report phase 3:safety analysis documentation supporting CSB construction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The purpose of this report is to provide an evaluation of the Canister Storage Building (CSB) design criteria, the design's compliance with the applicable criteria, and the basis for authorization to proceed with construction of the CSB
施工建筑安全管理问题及对策%Discuss the Safety Management Problems and Countermeasures in the Building Construction
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Building industry has become one of the pil ar industries of the national economy. It is very important to economic development and social stability with the enhan-cement of security management level in construction enterprise. Although building industry has become a pil ar industry with rapid development, there are stil a lot of construction pro-blems, safety firstly.%建筑业已然成为我国国民经济的支柱产业之一,建筑企业安全管理水平的不断提高,对于经济发展和社会稳定至关重要。在建筑业快速发展并发挥支柱产业地位的同时,依旧存在着诸多的建筑问题,安全问题首当其冲。
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Florence Yean Yng Ling
Full Text Available As extensive resources are expanded in transferring knowledge from universities to undergraduates, it is important for them to enter the workforce upon graduation to enable the knowledge to flow to the industry. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which knowledge flow is disrupted because graduate women are not entering the Singapore construction industry to ensure its sustainable growth. This study used a structured questionnaire, with data collected from 116 construction-trained graduate women via postal survey. Results show that 58% of them chose not to enter or are considering leaving the construction industry. The disruption in knowledge flow is due to better prospects in other industries (pull factor and poor job conditions within the construction industry (push factor. To retain graduate women in the construction industry, it is recommended that employers: introduce flexible work schedule; allow graduate women to work from home; and give them the same opportunities as their male counterparts.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Low Sui Pheng
Full Text Available The Just-in-Time (JIT philosophy originated from the Toyota Production System (TPS and has been used in the manufacturing industry for many decades. It has helped to increase the productivity of the industry and has also increased the quality of its products. In recent years, numerous studies in developed countries have endeavoured to introduce JIT in the construction industry to reap similar benefits. This study focused on applying JIT to the Chinese construction industry with the goal of improving its performance and thus its competitiveness. This paper discusses the current state of the Chinese construction industry; presents the potential impediments to implementing JIT; and proposes a framework for JIT implementation in the areas of design, procurement, construction and inspection. The results of this study suggest that government and educational institutions should play a key role in spearheading the application of JIT in the construction industry in China.
Criteria of the effectiveness of a liaison center for the machine building industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The study aimed at working out a catalogue of criteria for the effective work of a liaison center for the machine building industry within the planned system of information and documentation of the German Government. By selecting this objective, the investigation methodically demanded a continuous change between theoretical analysis (study of literature, analytical deduction of the framework for a user-oriented information system) and empirical observation of information behaviour in the machine building industry (personal interviews with enterprises and important information sources for the machine building industries). An information system keyed to the information needs of the machine building industry must cover three main phases: Collection and documentation of information, selecting and procuring the needed information as well as encouraging and consulting the clients on the use of information. These different tasks complement one another, they correspond to different functions within enterprises: management, staff, and information function. Central point of a liaison center must be the task of selecting the required information (making information available, selling good information, analysing the information needs of clients), completed by fields of activity in documenting information (specifically for the machine building industry) and consulting clients on the use of information (agency for contacts, drawing the clients' attention to the complexity of machine building problems). A concrete catalogue of criteria for an effective conception of a liaison center for the machine building industry has been worked out. (orig.)
Shanxi Will Build Aluminum Deep Processing Industrial Park
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
As a province with high coal output,Shanx boasts rich electrolytic aluminum resources.On January 7,the reporter learned from the Provincial Commission of Economy and Information Technology that in order to continually expand the size of aluminum industry,extend aluminum industrial chain,so
Guangdong to Build a Rare Earth Industry Chain
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
<正>On February 27,Guangdong Rare Earth Industry Group(GREIG),which is China's first large group spanning the whole rare earth industry chain,was set up in Guangzhou.Since the State Council put forward the largeenterprise(group) strategy for the rare earth
Towards a sustainable aesthetics. Architects constructing energy efficient buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ryghaug, Marianne
This interdisciplinary study discusses challenges in energy economising in Norway as they involve the architect profession and their role in affecting the energy standard in buildings. The main research question is separated into two component research questions. The first is to analyse how the reality orientation of the architect profession is constituted and maintained, and how this in turn influences their values in connection to energy related decisions. How is the architects' professional role conception reflected in the educational system and architect journals, and how is it expressed among the 'green outsiders' of the profession? The second component research question is related to decision-making processes regarding design processes, particularly concerning energy in buildings and the role played by the architects in these processes as they interact with other actors and within institutional frames.
Exploration of Team Integration in Spanish Multifamily Residential Building Construction
Pellicer, Eugenio; Sanz Benlloch, María Amalia; Esmaeili, B.; MOLENAAR, KEITH ROBERT
Project delivery team integration generally involves early involvement of general contractors and key specialty contractors in the design process. Team integration has been found to improve an owner's probability of success. However, during difficult economic times, owners can forego early team involvement and move toward low bid procurement to take advantage of competitive markets. This study explores the performance of integrated teams in the Spanish multifamily building constructi...
Prediction of final settlements of buildings constructed on expansive soils
María-de-la-Luz Pérez-Rea; Tania Ayala; Victor Castano
Because the action of the swelling pressure, the settlements caused by the transmitted load from the structure on expansive soils, and the settlements calculated by classic theories of soils mechanics are different. This swelling pressure acts in opposite direction to the weight of the building. In this paper, the authors propose the use of a volumetric strain coefficient by settlements exp, in a soil-structure interaction algorithm taking into account the expansive soil behavior in the reduc...
Achievements of Capital Construction of Onshore Petroleum Industry
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Jia Jinhui
@@ In 40 years since the founding of new China,the capital construction of onshore petroleum was greatly developed, a capital construction system with rational structure and complete specialities was formed, and a capital construction battalion for petroleum with high technical quality was established.
日化行业偶像品牌塑造流程分析与模型构建--借鉴佰草集品牌的经验%A Process Analysis and Model Construction of Icon Brand Building in Daily Chemical Industry-Learning from the Experience of the Herborist Brand
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
娄韬; 方元
International brands of daily chemicals flood into the domestic market,resulting in an unprec-edented fierce competition in daily chemical industry.The brand building process of the Herborist brand by Shanghai Jahwa Company was analyzed as a case of the icon brand building in domestic daily chemical in-dustry.Through establishing an icon brand building model,reasons for the Herborist brand becoming an icon brand were analyzed from identity interpretation,concept orientation,social networks operation,identity strat-egies,etc,which had enriched the existing brand building theories and provided reference for the brand build-ing and disseminating in domestic daily chemical enterprises.%国际日化品牌相继进入国内市场导致国内日化行业市场竞争空前激烈。通过对国内日化偶像品牌塑造的成功案例———上海家化联合股份有限公司旗下品牌佰草集的品牌塑造流程的研究分析,建立偶像品牌塑造模型,从身份演绎、概念定位、社会网络运作、认同策略等方面解释佰草集成为偶像品牌的原因,以丰富现有品牌塑造理论,为国内日化企业偶像品牌的塑造与传播提供借鉴。
Risk Factors of Building Apartments for University Talent through the Agent Construction Mode in China: Interrelationship and Prioritization
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zhengrong Liu
Full Text Available Apartments for university talent (AUT, are apartments provided to staff at non-market price, in order to attract outstanding scholars from around the world to work in universities and improve educational quality. This has been a critical issue in achieving social sustainability in China during rapid urbanization and industrialization. The agent construction mode has been adopted to build AUT because universities usually lack relevant management experience. The agent construction mode is a type of turnkey engineer construction based on the principal-agent model, project bidding mode, engineering contracting projects, and project supervision system. Risk factors are important considerations for both universities and agent construction companies. Although some studies have investigated the risk factors, only a few studies have identified the hierarchical structure of relevant risk factors. Therefore, the interrelationship and prioritization of the risk factors remain unknown, and this situation presents a barrier to better risk management. This paper investigates the interrelationship of risk factors with interpretative structural modeling (ISM. In addition, fuzzy MICMAC (matric d'impacts croises-multiplication appliqué a un classemen analysis was conducted to prioritize the risk factors. The findings provide useful references for better risk management of building AUT through the agent construction mode. Although this study focuses on China, the analytical process can also be generalized to other research topics and other countries.
Fostering of Innovative Talents Based on Disciplinary Construction: HRD Strategy of Chinese Nuclear Power Industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Workforce challenge to nuclear power industry: • We are facing the aging workforce and talent loss since the tough time of nuclear power industry. • Professional workforce fostering in nuclear power industry always needs a long period of time. • Professional workforce fostering in nuclear power industry is a systematic and interdisciplinary work. Talents fostering in nuclear power industry: Major measures → national overall planning; engineering practice; knowledge management; disciplinary construction; cooperation and communication
Methods for Setting up a Three-Dimensional Industrial Surveying System of "Building Blocks Type"
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
FENG Wenhao
This paper is to advance some relevant techniques to set up a three-dimensional industrial surveying system of "building blocks type", making use of the electronic theodolite, standard ruler and portable computer.
Financial and industrial potential of building enterprise in light of its SWOT-analysis and synthesis
Serikov Anatoliy V.; Granko Yekaterina B.
In the article on the basis of the systematic approach proposed a procedure of using the SWOT-analysis and synthesis for design the development strategy financial and industrial potential of building company.
The Architectural and Engineering Research of the Building Construction
Slavětínský, Šimon
The subject of this bachelor thesis is the diagnostic survey of the industry prefabricated hall. The thesis contains options of reinforced concrete diagnostic. Consequential conclusion judges material characteristics of the beam and roof girder.This thesis is focused on localizing the position and average of reinforcement in every single element. Next step is focused on quality of the concrete, particularly compressive strength and modulus of elasticity. The modern machines, like Hilti PS 100...
Co-operation and competition in the construction industry of the Netherlands
Dorée, André; Holmen, Elsebeth; Caerteling, Jasper
In 2002, a Parliamentary Enquiry Committee exposed widespread collusion practices in the Dutch construction industry. The construction industry in the Netherlands is in turmoil and is seen as not living up to the standards that society requires. There seems to be a culture and an environment that in
The role of surveying engineering in the construction of residential buildings
Goršič, Janez
The role of surveying in the construction of buildings was defined in more detail with the adoption of the new legislation. Surveyor is present in all stages, i.e. before, during and after the construction of a building, which is actually from the time the land is purchased and until the safety permit is obtained and the building is entered into official records. The paper presents in detail all the surveying procedures, starting from parcelling, setting-out, to the elaboration of the surveyi...
Convergence Among the Submarkets in Australian Regional Building and Construction Sector
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Junxiao Liu
Full Text Available Studies on market convergence are well considered in the literature. However, the majority of the previous research focused on housing markets and few studies have concentrated on construction markets. Owing to a simultaneously dramatic increase in the construction prices of the sub-markets in the building construction sector in Australia, this paper aims to identify the convergence among these markets, involving house construction market, other-residential building construction market, and non-residential building construction market. To achieve it the Granger causality test and generalized response function depending on the vector error correction model with the quarterly data of Australia's eight states from 1998 to 2010 will be applied. Based upon the econometric tests, the price diffusion patterns among these construction markets have been identified. Research on the convergences of construction markets not only helps construction firms perform well in business operations and arbitrage activities, but also provides policy makers with useful information for enacting effective construction policies for national perspectives and approaches to infrastructure planning.
Guide for a building energy label. Promoting bio-climatic and solar construction and renovation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Technically speaking, building experts have the knowledge to deal with thermal inertia of buildings, solar gains, insulation, efficient ventilation, and daylighting... to get low energy buildings that provide comfort for the users. Buildings should always be designed according to the specificities of the local climate, according to a ''solar and bio-climatic construction'' approach. It is not always possible to fully apply these principles, particularly in urban areas with high density. However, this is unacceptable to keep building with such errors as insufficient insulation and direct electrical heating, single glazing, thermal bridges, low efficiency heating systems. This guide aims at encouraging the building experts to take into account the energy efficiency. Implementing a building energy label will allow general public to be aware of this issue and then, and will then lead to develop better practices. (author)
Building healthy communities: establishing health and wellness metrics for use within the real estate industry.
Trowbridge, Matthew J; Pickell, Sarah Gauche; Pyke, Christopher R; Jutte, Douglas P
It is increasingly well recognized that the design and operation of the communities in which people live, work, learn, and play significantly influence their health. However, within the real estate industry, the health impacts of transportation, community development, and other construction projects, both positive and negative, continue to operate largely as economic externalities: unmeasured, unregulated, and for the most part unconsidered. This lack of transparency limits communities' ability to efficiently advocate for real estate investment that best promotes their health and well-being. It also limits market incentives for innovation within the real estate industry by making it more difficult for developers that successfully target health behaviors and outcomes in their projects to differentiate themselves competitively. In this article we outline the need for actionable, community-relevant, practical, and valuable metrics jointly developed by the health care and real estate sectors to better evaluate and optimize the "performance" of real estate development projects from a population health perspective. Potential templates for implementation, including the successful introduction of sustainability metrics by the green building movement, and preliminary data from selected case-study projects are also discussed.
Building healthy communities: establishing health and wellness metrics for use within the real estate industry.
Trowbridge, Matthew J; Pickell, Sarah Gauche; Pyke, Christopher R; Jutte, Douglas P
It is increasingly well recognized that the design and operation of the communities in which people live, work, learn, and play significantly influence their health. However, within the real estate industry, the health impacts of transportation, community development, and other construction projects, both positive and negative, continue to operate largely as economic externalities: unmeasured, unregulated, and for the most part unconsidered. This lack of transparency limits communities' ability to efficiently advocate for real estate investment that best promotes their health and well-being. It also limits market incentives for innovation within the real estate industry by making it more difficult for developers that successfully target health behaviors and outcomes in their projects to differentiate themselves competitively. In this article we outline the need for actionable, community-relevant, practical, and valuable metrics jointly developed by the health care and real estate sectors to better evaluate and optimize the "performance" of real estate development projects from a population health perspective. Potential templates for implementation, including the successful introduction of sustainability metrics by the green building movement, and preliminary data from selected case-study projects are also discussed. PMID:25367986
Feasibility Study of Construction of Building Using Reusable Material
Darade M.M,; Waghmare A.P
Civil structures made of steel reinforced concrete normally suffer from corrosion of the steel by the salt, which results in the failure of those structures. Constant maintenance and repairing is needed to enhance the life cycle of those civil structures. There are many ways to minimize the failure of the concrete structures made of steel reinforce concrete. The Project aims to optimize the construction resources with applications to reduce, reuse and recycle to achieve the motive...
Carbon footprint of building products and assembled constructional complexes
Petrović, Klemen
Greenhouse gases are becoming bigger and bigger polluter of our planet. Carbon dioxide represents the largest part of greenhouse gases (70 %), because of that we represent carbon footprint with CO2 equivalent (CO2-e). We will compare assembled construction complexes and their carbon footprint in this graduation thesis. At first we will explain what greenhouse gases are and how they are formed. Then we will present some of the studies that research field of materials in constructio...
The Arkansas Building Industry's Perceptions of Entry-Level Employee Work Competencies.
Gregson, James A.
A study surveyed 100 (66 responses) employers in the Arkansas home building industry to determine the emphasis they place on affective, cognitive, and psychomotor skills. Although employers value affective work behaviors, the Arkansas building trades competency profiles used for curriculum development emphasize the psychomotor domain. (JOW)
Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Maxwell, S. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Berger, D. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States); Zuluaga, M. [Consortium for Advanced Residential Buildings (CARB), Norwalk, CT (United States)
In multifamily buildings, particularly in the Northeast, exhaust ventilation strategies are the norm as a means of meeting both local exhaust and whole-unit mechanical ventilation rates. The issue of where the "fresh" air is coming from is gaining significance as air-tightness standards for enclosures become more stringent. CARB researchers have found that most new high performance, multifamily housing in the Northeast use one of four strategies for ventilation: continuous exhaust only with no designated supply or make-up air source, continuous exhaust with ducted make-up air to apartments, continuous exhaust with supply through a make-up air device integral to the unit HVAC, and continuous exhaust with supply through a passive inlet device, such as a trickle vent. Insufficient information is available to designers on how these various systems are best applied. Product performance data are based on laboratory tests, but there is no guarantee that those conditions will exist consistently in the finished building. In this research project, CARB evaluated the four ventilation strategies in the field to validate system performance.
Organisation, anchoring of knowledge, and innovation in the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Drejer, Ina; Vinding, Anker Lund
at the firm level. The data refer to the overall Danish construction industry, as well as a specific region, North Jutland, which is relatively specialised in construction. By using latent class and regression analysis the results show that firms, which to a high extent make use of partnering and other......explanation for the relatively poor innovation performance of the industry. Using survey data from the Danish construction industry the paper investigates the importance of learning and ?anchoring? of project specific knowledge within the firms for facilitating engagement in innovative activities...... that temporary interorganisational projects may cause in relation to continuous learning at the firm level. These results may also have implications for project organising firms outside the construction industry. A characteristic feature of the construction industry is the widespread use of project organisation...
Thermal Performance of Typical Residential Building in Karachi with Different Materials for Construction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nafeesa Shaheen
Full Text Available This research work deals with a study of a residential building located in climatic context of Karachi with the objective of being the study of thermal performance based upon passive design techniques. The study helps in reducing the electricity consumption by improving indoor temperatures. The existing residential buildings in Karachi were studied with reference to their planning and design, analyzed and evaluated. Different construction?s compositions of buildings were identified, surveyed and analyzed in making of the effective building envelops. Autodesk® Ecotect, 2011 was used to determine indoor comfort conditions and HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Cooling loads. The result of the research depicted significant energy savings of 38.5% in HVAC loads with proposed building envelop of locally available materials and glazing.
Dynamic Innovation strategies and stable networks in the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andersen, Poul Houman; Cook, Nicole; Marceau, Jane
This paper investigate the role of interorganisational networking for technology diffusion in an industry characterized by very limited R&D activity. Udgivelsesdato: APR......This paper investigate the role of interorganisational networking for technology diffusion in an industry characterized by very limited R&D activity. Udgivelsesdato: APR...
Perspectives on artificial intelligence in the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Andersen, Tom; Gaarslev, Axel
This paper outlines 14 research projects conducted since 1988. The value for industry for each project is listed, and its concluded that despite a high industrial rating, no projects have been implemented in the real world. Reason to the lack of AI-penetration is discussed, and guidelines to over...
Barriers to the Uptake of Concurrent Engineering in the Nigerian Construction Industry
Nathaniel Anny Aniekwu; Igboanugo, Anthony C.
It is the consensus of scholars that the productivity of the construction industry is very low when compared with other industries. Concurrent Engineering (CE), which has a primary goal of reducing the total time from designing a product to releasing it into the market, while creating better designs as well, has been identified as one of the concepts that has yielded effective adaptation in the construction industry. An exploratory survey was used to identify 63 variables with the capacity to...
Laboratory studies of Miocene limestone for the use of construction industry in Sri Lanka
de Silva Jayawardena, Upali
Geologically ten percent of Sri Lanka is made up of Miocene limestone which covers northern and north-western coastal belt of the Island. It is used as a raw material for various industries but only cement and lime are being used for the construction industry. Except its chemical composition there is no available literature to study about other properties. Therefore the author carried out a series of laboratory tests to find out the mechanical properties of limestone in Sri Lanka. The objective of this paper is to make a note on the various properties of Miocene limestone and describe its suitability to use as an aggregate for the construction industry in Sri Lanka. Borehole samples (NX size) of limestone were obtained from various drilling sites in Northern Province of Sri Lanka and selected samples were prepared for different laboratory tests after visual observations. The tests were carried out according to ASTM Standards at the geotechnical and materials testing laboratories. The number of samples per each test was different. The range (and average result) for each property can be mentioned here as bulk density 2213-2643 (2452) kg/m3, water absorption 2.2-4.5 (1.91)%, porosity 1-15 (6.5)%, specific gravity 2.58-2.68(2.62), ultrasonic pulse velocity P wave 4480-6338 (5668) m/s and S wave 2688-3802 (3400) m/s, uniaxial compressive strength 11-92 (35)MPa, point load strength 1.2-7.1 (3.7)MPa, aggregate impact value, AIV 25-30 (28)%, LAAV 35-38 (36)%, and Brazilian tensile strength 2.1-4.4 (3.2)MPa. Poisson's ratio 0.12-0.68 (0.22) and modulus of elasticity 42-85 (62) GPa were obtained by using P and S ultrasonic wave velocity values. According to LAAV and AIV this limestone may be suitable as the base course material for road construction but may not be suitable for surface material of highways and rail road ballasts. Ultrasonic velocity waves indicate that limestone is highly compacted and solid. According to the compressive strength of solid limestone rock a few
Converted Industrial Buildings: Where Past and Present Live in Formal Unity
Rogic, T.
This thesis deals with design guidelines, as defined in the field of architectural conservation, by focusing on the problem of the conversion of industrial buildings. It is generally agreed that the best way to secure the future life of industrial heritage is through their adaptive reuse. The former
Factors Promoting Innovation and Efficiency in the Construction Industry: A Comparative Study of New Zealand and Australia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Will Chancellor
Full Text Available There have been numerous concerns about the lack of productivity improvement in the New Zealand construction industry. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to determine the main drivers of productivity in the industry. The research used is a two-staged data envelopment analysis approach to achieve the aim. In terms of improvements to the productivity of construction in New Zealand, the study found that although there is a potential for gains through the greater use of research and development, apprentice training and degree education, as well as the consolidation of some building companies, there will be some limits to the gains that might be made. One main implication of the findings of the study, therefore, is that a renewed focus on education and skills training should be a priority of companies and policy makers in New Zealand.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available A large quantity of sludge rich in nutrients and microorganisms is generated every year from water and wastewater treatment plants, the final destination of which affects the environment. Generally, dewatered sludge is disposed of by spreading on the land or by land filling. However, space limitations on existing landfill sites and problems of waste stabilization have prompted investigation into alternative reuse techniques and disposal routes for sludge. A more reasonable approach is to view the sludge as a resource that can be recycled or reused. Many researchers have exploited the reuse of lime sludge from water treatment plant and sewage sludge ash as an inexpensive source of soil stabilizer in sub grade stabilization and soft cohesive soil respectively. Sewage sludge pellets (SSP has replaced sand in concrete manufacturing for pavements. The use of SSP as substituting material in raw mix formulation in Portland cement manufacturing has been studied by many researchers. Experimental results showed the feasibility of the partial replacement (15 and 30% of cement by sewage sludge ash (SSA in mortars. This paper highlights the potential of dried sludge, sludge pellets and sludge ash in various building materials for construction.
29 CFR 776.23 - Employment in the construction industry.
... Engineering Co., 224 F. (2d) 359 (C.A. 8), certiorari denied 350 U.S. 875; Chambers Construction Co. and L. H... are engaged in work at the site of the construction such as mechanics, laborers, handymen..., but also office, clerical, bookkeeping, auditing, promotional, drafting, engineering, custodial...
Wine-growing establishment. A building complex serving an industrial model for a century (1870 – 1970
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lorena Manzini
Full Text Available The wine industry in the province of Mendoza, Argentina as modern industrial was developed from the late nineteenth century. The decline starting in the 1970s, and triggered the second modernization wine since the 1980s. The functional requirements of the first modernization wine required both housing construction and production, giving rise to so-called wine-growing establishment. The wineries of these establishment, are the buildings used to make wine. The rest of the constructions are used as support for such activity. The functional units required in establishments, have varied over time, were adapted according to the different production needs of the moment. The wine-growing establishment that were built in this period can be found now adapted to the new requirements in production and operation, as well as in a complete abandonment. The group of buildings with various implements that are integrated testimonies, traces of other realities and knowledge that occurred in them before. Therefore, the aim to the present work is to perform a historical analysis of the evolution from architectural materiality 1870-1970; focused on understanding its growth and the distribution and location of the buildings, that they are closely integrated into the contextual framework belonging
Continuing Professional Development Build on Industry-Academia Partnerships
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fink, Flemming K.
A challenge for university - industry partnerships is to combine productive engineering and academic learning, to combine industrial engineering tasks with their tasks in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The rather new methodology Facilitated Work Based Learning (FWBL) can be defined...... as a CPD method based on a partnership between the university and the enterprise with the purpose of transferring research based knowledge thus making it an integral part of the daily business. Scientific staff from the university is facilitating a research based learning process and competence development...
Laizhou to Build the World's Largest Gold Industrial Base
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
<正>Shandong Gold Group will invest RMB 35 billion to build a gold industrial base in Laizhou and gear up its 9 major gold industrial chain projects. The group's gold output value is expected to top RMB 50 billion and reach RMB 100 billion by 2015.Laizhou boasts abundant gold reserves,and is China's gold mining & dressing and refining base with the highest industrial concentration and the greatest scale. In June 2012,Shandong Gold Group and Laizhou
Strategic Outsourcing in the German Engine Building Industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Gretzinger, Susanne
, which describes the Development of this industry, the framework is examined in cross-sectional studies. It can be shown that the RDA contributes to an explanation of organizational changes, both outsourcing and insourcing. In addition, the longitudinal studies show the significance of the strategic...
Building Sustainable Regions of Urban Innovation and Industry Development
Hsiu-ling Li
Cities are the center of population aggregation and human economic activities. They are important drivers of economic and social development, and are also a basic element in creating a country's competitiveness. Building sustainable cities and promoting the region's economic prosperity is a fundamental goal of local governments. As economic development gradually becomes driven by knowledge and innovation, the economic functions of key cities also transform to become a gathering place for reso...
Seismic analysis of precast reinforced concrete industrial building
Bajc, Klemen
A seismic analysis of precast reinforced concrete building is presented in this graduation thesis. The main objective was to estimate the impact of concrete infills on seismic response of structure. In the first part of thesis the principles and analytical procedures for modelling of such structures are described. The effect of concrete infills was taken into account with a single-strut model. The modelling of structure and all the analysis were according to Eurocode 8 performed by software E...
Feasibility Study of Construction of Building Using Reusable Material
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Darade M.M,
Full Text Available Civil structures made of steel reinforced concrete normally suffer from corrosion of the steel by the salt, which results in the failure of those structures. Constant maintenance and repairing is needed to enhance the life cycle of those civil structures. There are many ways to minimize the failure of the concrete structures made of steel reinforce concrete. The Project aims to optimize the construction resources with applications to reduce, reuse and recycle to achieve the motive of saving planet, public and then profit. There is an unavoidable growth in the population for this, there is demand of urbanization. This consumes high amount of non-renewable resources and hence resources are getting exhausted creating a scarcity, which a major issue for present generation.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available This IBS Survey report continues a practice that began in 2003. The first report was published in 2003 followed by in 2005 and in 2008. It records recent trends in selected areas that reflect Malaysia's achievement on the IBS usage in building construction industry. Due to the dynamic economic and technological changes, IBS usage reports have been increasingly important. The design of the quantitative survey in IBS acceptance questionnaire is based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM. The comparison was done between the class of contractors G7 and the combined groups of G6, G5, G4. The t-test analysis shows that all the class of contractors (G7, G6, G5 and G4 have a common agreement on the awareness of IBS and IBS actual use (the benefits of using IBS in construction but have a significant difference in opinion on IBS actual use (the problems faced in using IBS and promotion of IBS by the government through CIDB, perceived ease of IBS use and perceived IBS usefulness. However, there are items in the variable that show significant difference between the comparison groups.
People Centered Innovation: Enabling Lean Integrated Project Delivery and Disrupting the Construction Industry for a More Sustainable Future
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
William Paolillo
Full Text Available People-centered innovation is a paradigm shift in the construction industry. It is derived from the supposition that people not methods, schedules, or budgets deliver projects. Our data suggest that a multilevel, multidisciplinary project team through shared vision, values, and a common vernacular defines, designs, and delivers more successful projects than traditional methods. These projects meet the needs of shareholders, the community, stakeholders, and the planet. We employ the concepts of emotional intelligence and agency theory to explain an integrated project delivery (IPD construction project using lean tactics that not only delivered, but also exceeded expectations resulting in a six-month schedule acceleration and $60M savings over the original estimated cost of the project calculated assuming traditional project delivery methods. The safety rating for this project was 50% better than the national average and the expected improvement in operating margin for the new building is 33% greater. This paper introduces the notion of people-centered innovation to an industry that has struggled to adapt and show positive results over recent decades. Our case study describes the significance of people-centered innovation in construction project delivery. We discuss the implications for the construction industry going forward.
Ecological and Economic Use of Energy by Optimization of Building Construction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
A major part of energy used in daily life is consumed by heating buildings during cold weather periods and for cooling buildings at warmer times. Another major use of energy takes place during production of building materials, construction of the building itself and the depletion and disposal of this building at the end of its lifecycle. Therefore it seems apparent, that effective conservation and saving of energy is a very comprehensive and total approach. The topic is not solely energy saving, it rather is the most effective use of economical and ecological resources. To be energy conscious we have to give closer look to all phases in the existence of a building, and not only of the building. The human being as well must be thoroughly considered in his surrounding, all aspects of his housing suspected for the waste and potential of energy use. So human itself, with his well being in the house, is a major source of energy use. Even the humans health and sickness with its need for cure will cause significant energy input. In the first phase of energy saving programs two aspects should be focused: 1. Primary energy need of construction materials: Primary energy need is the amount of energy used to produce a construction material; from its base origin up to assembling in the housing. Complete ecological balances already exist for a number of materials. Significant difference between materials is observed. The potential for energy saving is impressive. At least 10-30% total energy conservation during the lifecycle of a building appears likely. In many cases a strong positive impact on local economy is expected too. 2. Energy saving by improvement of the thermal quality of buildings: Energy conscious construction of buildings shows an enormous potential for saving. Thermal insulation and effective heating and ventilation systems promise energy savings in the amount of 30-70%. Infrared thermal building analysis and software simulations used prior revitalization of
The basic construction materials industry and today's vast housing shortage
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Oteiza, I.
Full Text Available This paper documents some of the aspects of the major challenge facing world-wide building: humanity's daunting shortage of basic housing, monographically focusing on what this means for the basic building materials industry. These needs have created the greatest demand ever for ex-novo solutions and an exponential increase in slum rehabilitation and improvement, translated here into the need for construction materials and more specifically, cement, as the emblematic component of buildings.El trabajo aborda en forma documentada, algunos aspectos del mayor de los retos que tiene planteado a nivel cosmopolita el sector de la edificación: las ingentes necesidades de habitabilidad básica que padece la humanidad, centrándose en forma monográfica en lo que ello supone para la industria de materiales básicos de edificación. Necesidades que se traducen en la mayor demanda histórica de soluciones ex-novo y en el aumento exponencial de rehabilitación y mejora de tugurios, que los autores traducen en necesidades de materiales de construcción, y de forma más concreta, de cemento, como material emblemático de la edificación.El trabajo, mediante el análisis de casos, muestra la muy diferente repercusión que tienen los materiales sobre los presupuestos finales de lo ejecutado, según se trate del mundo desarrollado (MD o de países en vías de desarrollo (PVD. Por otra parte, estudia la incidencia general del sector 'informal' de la construcción, concluyendo que éste, en muchos países, es el consumidor mayoritario de materiales -specialmente cemento-y que a nivel mundial los PVD lo son tanto en producción como en consumo.
Surface Engineering Construction of Sichuan Natural Gas Industry
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
You Kaicheng
@@ The Present Status of Surface Engineering Construction A comparatively integrate and systematic surface engineering system, including gas gathering, purification transportation and distribution facilities, which approaches the international technical level, has been established. (Fig. 1)
Evaluating financial health of real estate & construction industry in India
C. Batra
Real Estate & Construction sector plays an important role in the development of a country's base. Understanding its performance would be crucial as, in India, it is one of the largest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and one of the largest generators of economic activity. Real estate & construction sector in general, is perceived to be financially more risky compared to other sectors of the economy. The current research extends and adds to the extant literature by investigatin...
Field Monitoring of Column Shortenings in a High-Rise Building during Construction
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hyo Seon Park
Full Text Available The automatic monitoring of shortenings of vertical members in high-rise buildings under construction is a challenging issue in the high-rise building construction field. In this study, a practical system for monitoring column shortening in a high-rise building under construction is presented. The proposed monitoring system comprises the following components: (1 a wireless sensing system and (2 the corresponding monitoring software. The wireless sensing system comprises the sensors and energy-efficient wireless sensing units (sensor nodes, master nodes, and repeater nodes, which automate the processes for measuring the strains of vertical members and transmitting the measured data to the remote server. The monitoring software enables construction administrators to monitor real-time data collected by the server via an Internet connection. The proposed monitoring system is applied to actual 66-floor and 72-floor high-rise buildings under construction. The system enables automatic and real-time measurements of the shortening of vertical members, which can result in more precise construction.
Application of solar thermal energy to buildings and industry
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kutscher, C. F.
Flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors are described, as are parabolic troughs, Fresnel lenses, and compound parabolic concentrators. Use of solar energy for domestic hot water and for space heating and cooling are discussed. Some useful references and methods of system design and sizing are given. This includes mention of the importance of economic analysis. The suitability of solar energy for industrial use is discussed, and solar ponds, point-focus receivers and central receivers are briefly described. The use of solar energy for process hot water, drying and dehydration, and process steam are examined, industrial process heat field tests by the Department of Energy are discussed, and a solar total energy system in Shenandoah, GA is briefly described. (LEW)
Exploration of an agenda for transparency in the construction industry
Nijhof, A.H.J.; Graafland, J.; Kuijer, de O.
In enhancing the market operation of the building sector, transparency is of great importance. The purpose of this paper is to propose an inventory of aspects of the relationships between public clients and executing parties that have the most urgent need for greater transparency.
Investigation of innovative steel runway beam in industrial building
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
Mahyar Maali; Abdulkadir Cüneyt Aydin; Merve Sağiroğlu
The design of a runway beam for overhead cranes is of great importance when constructing steel structures, as is the lateral-torsional buckling (LTB) value obtained for I-beam sections. Therefore, engineers must always consider the optimal design of these beams under overhead cranes loads. In this study, runway beams of three overhead crane groups were analyzed for LTB, and a sinusoidal runway beam body was developed. These runway beams with different sinusoidal angles were analyzed by using the finite element method (ABAQUS) and compared to each other and other runway IPE-IPN beam sections; furthermore, all models were compared with the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction standard. As a result, a new method was proposed for developing sinusoidal runway beams for overhead cranes. The sinusoidal runway beam has lower weight than runway IPE-IPN beam sections. Ultimately, a sinusoidal beam body was developed practically with a scale of 1:1.
A Novel Evaluation Method for Building Construction Project Based on Integrated Information Entropy with Reliability Theory
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Xiao-ping Bai
Full Text Available Selecting construction schemes of the building engineering project is a complex multiobjective optimization decision process, in which many indexes need to be selected to find the optimum scheme. Aiming at this problem, this paper selects cost, progress, quality, and safety as the four first-order evaluation indexes, uses the quantitative method for the cost index, uses integrated qualitative and quantitative methodologies for progress, quality, and safety indexes, and integrates engineering economics, reliability theories, and information entropy theory to present a new evaluation method for building construction project. Combined with a practical case, this paper also presents detailed computing processes and steps, including selecting all order indexes, establishing the index matrix, computing score values of all order indexes, computing the synthesis score, sorting all selected schemes, and making analysis and decision. Presented method can offer valuable references for risk computing of building construction projects.
The Contractor Perception Towers Industrialised Building System Risk in Construction Projects in Malaysia
Salihudin Hassim; Mohd S. Jaafar; Saiful A.A.H. Sazalli
The use of IBS (Industrialised Building System) has attracted a lot of countries like Singapore, Sweden, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom. This system can replace the conventional building system which is labour oriented. However, since the first project of IBS in year 1964 till today, IBS in Malaysia is not well accepted by the construction parties because of failure to adequately deal with risks in the IBS projects. To address this matter, this study had identified the risks faced by c...
Major Strategies on Building Production Innovation Influencing Competitive and Growth Strategies in Construction Companies
ERCAN, Tugce
This study aims to identify the impact of two factors –growth and competitive strategies- on a set of strategies for building production innovation. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from construction professionals, who were asked to rate the importance level of predicted innovation strategies on some corporate strategy combinations. Multiple analysis of variance (MANOVA) was employed to see the main and interaction effects of corporate strategies on building innovati...
Building construction materials effect in tropical wet and cold climates: A case study of office buildings in Cameroon
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Modeste Kameni Nematchoua
Full Text Available This paper presents the results of an experimental study that was conducted in 15 office buildings in the humid and cold tropics during the working hours of the dry and rainy seasons in Cameroon. This was with the aim to study the effects that local and imported materials had on indoor air quality. To achieve this objective, the adaptive model approach has been selected. In accordance with the conditions of this model, all workers were kept in natural ventilation and, in accordance with the general procedure, a questionnaire was distributed to them, while variables, like air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity were sampled. The results showed a clear agreement between expected behaviour, in accordance with the characteristics of building construction, and its real indoor ambience once they were statistically analysed. On the other hand, old buildings showed a higher percentage of relative humidity and a lower degree of indoor air temperature. Despite this, local thermal comfort indices and questionnaires showed adequate indoor ambience in each group of buildings, except when marble was used for external tiling. The effect of marble as an external coating helps to improve indoor ambience during the dry season. This is due to more indoor air and relative humidity being accumulated. At the same time, these ambiences are degraded when relative humidity is higher. Finally, these results should be taken cognisance of by architects and building designers in order to improve indoor environment, and overcome thermal discomfort in the Saharan area.
Construction Industry Products Diversification by Implementation of BIM
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Sergey Kalinichuk
Full Text Available One way to increase the effectiveness and economic stability of a construction company is product diversification. Intention to diversify construction products can be initiated for such reasons as necessity of capital injection, reducing of risks and costs of production, desire for optimization of delivery system, increasing economic competitiveness, etc. BIM can help to solve assigned tasks by diversification and optimize system operation as a whole. It becomes an actuality especially under conditions of severe competition when the possibility of attaining a work contract is reduced by increased focus.
R and D levers for an abatement of industrial CO{sub 2} emissions by 2030 in the building industry sector; Leviers R and D pour une reduction des emissions industrielles de CO{sub 2} a l'echeance de 2030 dans le secteur du batiment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Capmas, A.
This document presents in a series of transparencies: the regulatory framework of CO{sub 2} emissions (Kyoto protocol, CO{sub 2} trading market), the CO{sub 2} emissions in the cement industry and the actions implemented to limit them (energy conservation, fuel substitution, recycling of by-products from other industries), the life cycle analysis in the building industry (construction stage and entire life of the building), the energy saving potentialities in existing buildings (double-glazing, mineral wools, space heating system, thermal inertia, insulation etc..), the use of the thermal inertia of concrete and cement to save energy, and some examples of implementation in municipal buildings. (J.S.)
Building Sustainable Regions of Urban Innovation and Industry Development
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hsiu-ling Li
Full Text Available Cities are the center of population aggregation and human economic activities. They are important drivers of economic and social development, and are also a basic element in creating a country's competitiveness. Building sustainable cities and promoting the region's economic prosperity is a fundamental goal of local governments. As economic development gradually becomes driven by knowledge and innovation, the economic functions of key cities also transform to become a gathering place for resources—such as knowledge and technology—and playing the role of knowledge proliferation. This then leads to the concurrent development of the surrounding areas. Therefore, connecting innovation and urban development and creating sustainable and innovation-orientated cities has become a major development focus for international cities.
Conceptualizing the use of system products and system deliveries in the building industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hvam, Lars; Mortensen, Niels Henrik; Thuesen, Christian;
This article describes the concepts system products and system deliveries based on the use of product modularization and product configuration. The concepts are outlined and discussed based on examples from both the construction industry and related industry. The description focuses partly...
Comparision of photogrammetric point clouds with BIM building elements for construction progress monitoring
Tuttas, S.; Braun, A.; Borrmann, A.; Stilla, U.
For construction progress monitoring a planned state of the construction at a certain time (as-planed) has to be compared to the actual state (as-built). The as-planed state is derived from a building information model (BIM), which contains the geometry of the building and the construction schedule. In this paper we introduce an approach for the generation of an as-built point cloud by photogrammetry. It is regarded that that images on a construction cannot be taken from everywhere it seems to be necessary. Because of this we use a combination of structure from motion process together with control points to create a scaled point cloud in a consistent coordinate system. Subsequently this point cloud is used for an as-built - as-planed comparison. For that voxels of an octree are marked as occupied, free or unknown by raycasting based on the triangulated points and the camera positions. This allows to identify not existing building parts. For the verification of the existence of building parts a second test based on the points in front and behind the as-planed model planes is performed. The proposed procedure is tested based on an inner city construction site under real conditions.
Decision-making on reverse logistics in the construction industry
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Thanwadee Chinda
Full Text Available With the growing competition, many construction organizations attempt to improve their productivity, quality, and efficiency. Construction waste management, by means of reverse logistics, becomes a key issue to improve the productivity, and raise the company's green image. In this study, four reverse logistics methods-direct reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and landfill-are considered to manage construction and demolition (C&D waste. Two factors (economic and site-specific with their 15 sub-factors affecting the decisions to implement the reverse logistics are examined. The hierarchy model of reverse logistics decisions, developed through the analytic hierarchy process, reveal the importance of the economic factor over the site-specific factor. It is suggested that the transportation cost, the processing cost, the specific sorting technology, and the limited project time must be first considered before making decisions on reverse logistics plans. The construction company can utilize the developed hierarchy model to decide on the most appropriate reverse logistics plan to achieve the best benefits.
Requirements for building information modeling based lean production management systems for construction
Sacks, Rafael; Radosavljevic, Milan; Barak, Ronen
Smooth flow of production in construction is hampered by disparity between individual trade teams' goals and the goals of stable production flow for the project as a whole. This is exacerbated by the difficulty of visualizing the flow of work in a construction project. While the addresses some of the issues in Building information modeling provides a powerful platform for visualizing work flow in control systems that also enable pull flow and deeper collaboration between teams on and off site...
Radioactive air emissions notice of construction 340-A building tank sludge clean out
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This document serves as a notice of construction pursuant to the requirements of Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 246-247-060 and as a request for approval to construct pursuant to 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 61.96 for the removal of sludge from six storage tanks located inside the 340-A Building, which is located in the 300 Area of the Hanford Site
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shafie Sidek
Full Text Available The research investigates Miles and Snow (1978 strategic typology as the strategic choice and business performance among Class F entrepreneurs in civil construction industry in Malaysia. The result concluded thatProspector strategy is the most effective strategic typology in the small construction industry in Malaysia whereas reactors are the lowest achievers. Analyzer and defender are the moderate class F performers. The most competitive and the destructive strategic typology have been revealed from this study. This is important to serve as a guide to those who involved or intend to be involved in the small construction industry in Malaysia. It is useful for strategist and businessman, especially in the small construction industry in Malaysia to take it as a normative theory which they might practice throughout the daily activities especially during the formation of the business strategy.
Building capacity through leadership development programmes in nuclear industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
«Tournament of Emerging Professionals» (TEMP) – an effective tool for selecting and developing talented students. Aim: to select high-potential graduates from key Rosatom universities through a multi-stage competition and employ them at Rosatom enterprises (NPPs, fuel plants, research institutes etc). Key objectives: 1. To provide opportunities for graduates and students to apply theoretical; technical knowledge while working on real case-studies and projects provided by Rosatom enterprises; 2. To popularize nuclear industry and to motivate high-potential young people with technical education to work in Rosatom and its enterprises; 3. To involve subject matter experts and TOP-managers of Rosatom into interactions with high-potential students and graduates
Biotechnologies and bioinspired materials for the construction industry : an overview
Torgal, Fernando Pacheco; J. A. Labrincha
Published online: 16 Oct 2013 Looking back to less than three centuries of industrialization, responsible for alarming levels of pollution and consumption of non-renewable resources that has led to the exhaustion of the earth's capacity, the humankind only now begins to grasp the overwhelming potential of natural systems. During almost 40 million centuries, Nature has developed materials and processes with optimal performance which are totally biodegradable. Analysis of bioinspire...
The impact of training and development on career advancement of professional women in the UK construction industry
Fernando, G.; Amaratunga, Dilanthi
The redressing the gender imbalance in the UK construction industry has been emphasised on numerous occasions and many researchers have identified that women can contribute in an immense way towards the construction industry development. However, construction industry has failed to attract and retain women who are interested in a construction career. Participation of women is still very low in some parts of the industry, in particular, at a time when skilled people at all levels of the indust...
The effects of the global financial crisis on the Australian building construction supply chain
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ram Karthikeyan Thangaraj
Full Text Available This study involves a financial analysis of 43 publicly listed and large private companies in the building and construction supply chain from 2005 to 2010; straddling the period of the global financial crisis (GFC; and examines the impact of the GFC on the performance of these companies. The construction supply chain was divided into four sectors – material suppliers, construction companies, property developers and real estate investment trusts (REITs. The findings indicate that the impact was minimal for both material suppliers and construction companies, but especially severe for the more leveraged property developers and REITs. Building material suppliers and construction companies have benefitted substantially from the building economic stimulus package provided by the Australian government to mitigate the effects of the GFC. Decreases in the valuation of assets have, to a large extent, reduced the profitability of property developers and REITs during the GFC but these companies have recovered quickly from these adverse conditions to return to a sound financial position by the end of the 2010 financial year. The results will inform investors, managers and construction professionals in devising strategies for prudent financial management and for weathering future financial crises.
GPR velocity and frequency analysis in industrial archaeology. Study of the EUETIB buildings (Barcelona, Sapin)
Pérez Gracia, V.; González Drigo, R.; Vendrell, D.
The Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) analysis of some modernist buildings of the Technical Industrial School of Barcelona allow us to obtain valuable information of the underground constructions, corresponding to ancient structures of the preceding factory. The actual school is building on the modernist industrial complex. Many changes in the structure were carried out to adapt the structure to its actual use. The obtained GPR data was compared with the information, documents and photographies from the historical archives of the Diputación of Barcelona (Spain). To obtain accurate results and right interpretations, velocity analysis is performed in the different studied areas. The velocity values are used to convert accurately the two-way travel time into depth. The aim of those velocity estimations is obtain the minimum error in the final interpretations of the profiles. The velocity analysis is carried out using two different methods: calculating velocity using the reflection in anomalous bodies into the medium at a known depth, and calculating velocity from the hyperbolic events of the radargrams, caused by finite anomalies of the medium. The present tubes and conductions which are in use nowadays, have known depths. Then, velocity is obtained from the two-way travel time obtained for the reflected wave in that anomalous body. This method allow us to known velocities in areas where those elements are presented, which are mainly in the ground under the streets of the school. The reflection produced in unknown bodies which have finite dimensions, is obtained as an hyperbolic event. The averaged velocity of the medium over these bodies is calculated from the equation of the hyperbola. This method was used mainly where known elements were not presents in the ground. These areas are mainly the buildings of the school. Experimental velocities are understand as the averaged velocity of ray-path. The obtained values are applied to each area, to calculate depths of the
Prof. Tudor Nistorescu Ph. D; Assist. Ludmila Paunescu(Railean) Ph. D Student
Faced with rapid changes of conditions in management, economic, social and even political, the construction activity, like all other industries is in a time, when, by taking a proper strategic directions depends its future development. Only a realistic strategic approach, coherent and implicit for SMEs in the construction industry will lead to minimize the risk of making mistakes and to generate a coherent response to situations and problems wich this sector of national economy are confrontin...
Constructed wetlands in the treatment of agro-industrial wastewater: A review
Sultana Mar-Yam; Akratos Christos S.; Vayenas Dimitrios V.; Pavlou Stavros
Due to their simplicity and low operation cost, constructed wetlands are becoming more prevalent in wastewater treatment all over the world. Their range of applications is no longer limited to municipal wastewater but has expanded to the treatment of heavily polluted wastewaters such as agro-industrial effluents. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the application of constructed wetlands in treating a variety of agro-industrial wastewat...
Florence Yean Yng Ling; Lena Leow
As extensive resources are expanded in transferring knowledge from universities to undergraduates, it is important for them to enter the workforce upon graduation to enable the knowledge to flow to the industry. The aim of this study is to investigate the extent to which knowledge flow is disrupted because graduate women are not entering the Singapore construction industry to ensure its sustainable growth. This study used a structured questionnaire, with data collected from 116 construction-t...
Green Buildings in Green Cities: Integrating Energy Efficiency into the Real Estate Industry
Bardhan, Ashok; Kroll, Cynthia A.
The commercial real estate sector accounts for over a quarter of the energy consumption in the United States. This paper examines how characteristics of the commercial real estate industry and structural attributes of US cities affect the goals of improving energy efficiency and sustainability of buildings, and improving pollution and emission levels in US cities. We build a detailed picture of the factors involved in integrating energy efficiency into commercial real estate planning, design...
INDUSTRIAL BUILDING IN THE SYSTEM OF GULAG IN THE EUROPEAN NORTH OF RUSSIA IN THE 1930 – EARLY 1940s: SCOPE, TRENDS AND CHALLENGES
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andrei N. KUSTYSHEV
Full Text Available The article discusses the activities of the GULAG in the field of industrial building in the European North of the country. The study is based on the source database, which includes materials from both Central and regional archives, such as engineering documentation of corrective labor camps and colonies, and the materials from the Chief administration of camps for industrial building. The chronological framework of the issue encompasses 1930s – the beginning of the 1940s. Particular attention is paid to the pre-war development stage of the mobilization economy, during which comes the final formation of the contours of construction production in this region. The article reveals multi-sectoral direction of the activities of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs in the field of industrial building, covering the objects of mining-metallurgical, fuel, timber industries. The article gives an analysis of the complex problems of the industry based on the analysis of reporting documentation and accounting and control materials of Central directorate of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs. Almost all of the problems were permanent, despite of the reorganization processes in the GULAG system of forced labor. This approach to the topic gives a deeper and comprehensive assessment of Stalin's special colonization of the periphery of the USSR. The analysis of the processes taking place in the industrial building sector of People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, illustrates the serious difficulties faced by the GULAG, departing from solving problems of extensive development and intensifying their production activities.
Life-Cycle Evaluation of Concrete Building Construction as a Strategy for Sustainable Cities
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Stadel, Alexander [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Gursel, Petek [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Masanet, Eric [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Structural materials in commercial buildings in the United States account for a significant fraction of national energy use, resource consumption, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Robust decisions for balancing and minimizing these various environmental effects require that structural materials selections follow a life-cycle, systems modeling approach. This report provides a concise overview of the development and use of a new life-cycle assessment (LCA) model for structural materials in U.S. commercial buildings-the Berkeley Lab Building Materials Pathways (B-PATH) model. B-PATH aims to enhance environmental decision-making in the commercial building LCA, design, and planning communities through the following key features: (1) Modeling of discrete technology options in the production, transportation, construction, and end of life processes associated U.S. structural building materials; (2) Modeling of energy supply options for electricity provision and directly combusted fuels across the building life cycle; (3) Comprehensiveness of relevant building mass and energy flows and environmental indicators; (4) Ability to estimate modeling uncertainties through easy creation of different life-cycle technology and energy supply pathways for structural materials; and (5) Encapsulation of the above features in a transparent public use model. The report summarizes literature review findings, methods development, model use, and recommendations for future work in the area of LCA for commercial buildings.
College Students Constructing Collective Knowledge of Natural Science History in a Collaborative Knowledge Building Community
Hong, Huang-Yao; Chai, Ching Sing; Tsai, Chin-Chung
This study investigates whether engaging college students (n = 42) in a knowledge building environment would help them work as a community to construct their collective knowledge of history of science and, accordingly, develop a more informed scientific view. The study adopted mixed-method analyses and data mainly came from surveys and student…
Building America Case Study: Field Testing of Compartmentalization Methods for Multifamily Construction (Fact Sheet)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
The 2012 IECC has an airtightness requirement of 3 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals test pressure for both single family and multifamily construction in Climate Zones 3-8. Other programs (LEED, ASHRAE 189, ASHRAE 62.2) have similar or tighter compartmentalization requirements, thus driving the need for easier and more effective methods of compartmentalization in multifamily buildings.
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O. M. Pshinko
Full Text Available In the article the analysis of polymer-cement mortars for their application in construction and repair of buildings and structures is presented. The main properties of known polymer-cement mortars used for this purpose are described. The advantages of application of polymer-cement mortars as repair materials are shown.
Expanded Organic Building Units for the Construction of Highly Porous Metal-Organic Frameworks
G.Q. Kong; Z.D. Han; Y. He; S. Qu; W. Zhou; T. Yildirim; R. Krishna; C. Zou; B. Chen; C.D. Wu
wo new organic building units that contain dicarboxylate sites for their self-assembly with paddlewheel [Cu2(CO2)4] units have been successfully developed to construct two isoreticular porous metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), ZJU-35 and ZJU-36, which have the same tbo topologies (Reticular Chemistry
The paper discusses radon prevention in the design and construction of schools and other large buildings. ased on studies in progress for the past 3 years, the U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has started incorporating radon control measures into the design and...
End-to-end requirements management for multiprojects in the construction industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wörösch, Michael
that are present in the industry by contributing to rework being avoided, shortened lead-times, less spending of resources, better quality, and a higher degree of satisfaction of stakeholders. The results of the conducted research show that formal requirements management can successfully be applied...... the long term effect of introducing requirements management to the construction industry and its customers. An investigation would be beneficial for the industry and academia...
Combined Industrial Wastewater Treatment in Anaerobic Bioreactor Posttreated in Constructed Wetland
Bibi Saima Zeb; Qaisar Mahmood; Saima Jadoon; Arshid Pervez; Muhammad Irshad; Muhammad Bilal; Zulfiqar Ahmad Bhatti
Constructed wetland (CW) with monoculture of Arundo donax L. was investigated for the posttreatment of anaerobic bioreactor (ABR) treating combined industrial wastewater. Different dilutions of combined industrial wastewater (20, 40, 60, and 80) and original wastewater were fed into the ABR and then posttreated by the laboratory scale CW. The respective removal efficiencies of COD, BOD, TSS, nitrates, and ammonia were 80%, 78–82%, 91.7%, 88–92%, and 100% for original industrial wastewater tre...
The Sectorial Code - an inquiry into the contemporary sector development activities in the Danish construction industry
Jensen, Jens Stissing; Bonke, Sten
Since the early 1990'ties the Danish construction industry has been exposed to organised activities aiming to develop the industry from a sectorial point of view. It has however been difficult for these activities to establish a coherent and attractive sectorial development agenda which has been able to generate detectable and widespread effects in the industry as a whole. The objective of this thesis is to develop a vocabulary which is able to penetrate and explain the experiences of these c...
Chongqing Hechuan District Plans to Build 10 Billion Yuan Size Aluminum Industry Park
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Recently,the reporter learned from Chongqing Hechuan District Aluminum Industry Integration Enterprise Discussion Meeting that Hechuan District would build aluminum industrial park at Caojie Development Park,and strive to fulfill 10 billion yuan output value within 3 to 5 years.It has been learned that Hechuan District currently has 29 aluminum product enterprises(including enterprises with aluminum and aluminum products as raw material),in which 9
Designing out waste in high-rise residential buildings. Analysis of precasting methods and traditional construction
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Baldwin, Andrew; Austin, Simon [Loughborough University, Loughborough (United Kingdom); Poon, Chi-Sun; Shen, Li-Yin; Wong, Irene [The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (China)
The construction industry is a major generator of waste material. Construction waste should be minimized at source and if we are to significantly reduce the level of construction waste designers should consider reducing construction waste during the design process. The majority of construction waste is generated from the concreting process. In general, any reduction in on-site concreting leads to waste reduction. Precasting and prefabrication therefore offers significant opportunities for the reduction of waste. If precasting is adopted there are significant implications for the design phase of the project. Additional information is needed by design staff and construction expertise is required as part of the design process. This paper shows how information modelling and Design Structure Matrix (DSM) techniques enable designers to model and understand the implications of such decisions within the detailed design process. (author)
Termite Damage to Buildings: Nature of Attacks and Preventive Construction Methods
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Abdel E. Ghaly
Full Text Available Problem statement: Termites are an essential member of the soil ecosystem and are found throughout the world. In their natural environment, they improve soil pH, organic carbon content, water content and porosity by cycling dead organics. They can negatively impact human welfare by causing damage to unprotected timber structures, underground cables, earthen dams, irrigation ditches and farming equipment. Globally, the annual economic cost of termite damage and termite prevention is estimated in billions. In underdeveloped countries data on damage is unavailable and it is difficult to estimate the cost of repair as funds are also not available. This study aimed at addressing termite damage in Zambia as a model underdeveloped country by: (a identifying the injurious species of termites found in the country, (b reviewing the factors affecting the natural durability of wood, (c determining the nature of termite damage to timber, (d determining the most common faulty construction practices which lead to termite entry and infestation in buildings, (e reviewing chemical and biological techniques for prevention of damage to wood and (f developing construction methods that will prevent termite entry to buildings. Approach: Several houses in selected villages, towns and cities in different locations in Zambia were chosen for study (ten houses in each location. The injurious species of termites and natural durability of construction wood were assessed. The damage to timber was evaluated and faulty construction practices that allowed termite entry to buildings were identified. Results: The interior of each house and surrounding area were examined for the presence of termites and termite related damage. Termites were found to gain entry to buildings by a number of paths. These included creating bore holes through walls, crawling through cracks in the foundation and climbing through the roof. Conclusion: To prevent termite entry into the
A Study of Potential Load Bearing Masonry (LBM System in Malaysia Construction Industry
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Ramli N.A.
Full Text Available To overcome the problems in increasing of material prices, land prices, shortage of skilled workers, equipping low cost housing demands and maintained the cost of the constructing at an affordable price, there is a need to find the alternative solution for constructing method. The use of the load bearing masonry system (LBM has been identified as a sustainable and an effective alternative method for the construction industry. The system offers several advantages in term of cost and speed of the construction, durability, strength, environmentally friendly practices and aesthetic qualities. Despite these advantages, unfortunately, this system has not been widely used in Malaysia compared to reinforced concrete (RC frame construction. Therefore, this paper aims to discuss the advantages and potential of the system implementation to Malaysia construction industry in the future.
Pellicer, Eugenio; Teixeira, José C; Moura, Helder P; Catalá, Joaquín
The management of construction projects is a wide ranging and challenging discipline in an increasingly international industry, facing continual challenges and demands for improvements in safety, in quality and cost control, and in the avoidance of contractual disputes. Construction Management grew out of a Leonardo da Vinci project to develop a series of Common Learning Outcomes for European Managers in Construction. Financed by the European Union, the project aimed to develop a library of basic materials for developing construction management skills for use in a pan-European context. Focused exclusively on the management of the construction phase of a building project from the contractor's point of view, Construction Management covers the complete range of topics of which mastery is required by the construction management professional for the effective delivery of new construction projects. With the continued internationalisation of the construction industry, Construction Management will be required rea...
Automatic construction system for high RC buildings; Koso RC zukuri takemono no jidoka kensetsu system
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hishikawa, K.; Inoue, Y. [Obayashi Corp., Tokyo (Japan). Technical Research Inst.
In the Obayashi-gumi, a new construction product system for a purpose to enhance total productivity was made, and the development and the practical use of a fully automatic building construction system made by steel frames in the framework and training of the multi-skilled workers have been advanced. In this paper, as one of the steps in this development, development detail, system characteristics and application results of the developed high RC building automatic construction system (the RC automatic construction system) were described. The main constituent elements of the RC automatic construction system were a synchronous climbing and fully weather type temporary roof, a parallel transport system and the general material management system. The temporary roof frame structure was folded plate thatched roofing with a steel framed truss structure, and the changing hoist type overhead traveling cranes were installed under the roof frame structure, while the traveling jib cranes above the roof frame structure. The parallel transport system was constructed by one goods lift for the vertical transport and three overhead traveling cranes which consiste of a horizontal conveying crane and two constructing cranes. 2 refs., 10 figs., 3 tabs.
Nelson, T.I.; Bolen, W.P.
Construction aggregates, primarily stone, sand and gravel, are recovered from widespread naturally occurring mineral deposits and processed for use primarily in the construction industry. They are mined, crushed, sorted by size and sold loose or combined with portland cement or asphaltic cement to make concrete products to build roads, houses, buildings, and other structures. Much smaller quantities are used in agriculture, cement manufacture, chemical and metallurgical processes, glass production and many other products.
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Full Text Available The industrialised building system (IBS survey has become an essential tool for ensuring the IBS Roadmap (2003 to 2010 meets its goals and target. As part of the process review survey, it also records the trend achievement of Malaysia in the usage of IBS in the building construction industry. The first and second IBS surveys were published in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Afterward, the IBS Roadmap's midterm review was conducted. The third and the most recent IBS surveys were conducted in 2008 and 2010, respectively. This paper aims to highlight a part of the IBS survey report in 2010, which has been conducted to measure the drivers, barriers and the critical success factors of G7 contractors in adopting IBS construction. G7 is a Construction Industry Development Board contractor grade that can apply tender without limit. The importance of this paper is that it guides the policy and implementation strategy of IBS by G7 contractors. The survey shows that the acceptance, adoption, and deployment of IBS in the Malaysian construction industry are still low and do not address the persisting problems, such as productivity, dependency on foreign workers and high level of construction wastage.
Labour Productivity in the New Zealand Construction Industry: A Thorough Investigation
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John E Tookey
Full Text Available Productivity growth is strongly correlated to economic growth and increases in welfare. This fact also holds true at the industry level and is particularly true in the NZ construction industry, since productivity growth in this sector may have significant effects on the affordability of housing in the country. In recent years construction in NZ has been subjected to a series of reports that have either highlighted 'failure' to grow productivity or have exhorted the industry to improve its 'poor performance'. However thus far little by way of analysis has gone into the productivity figures that have been quoted, nor has much been done to explain and justify if or why these figures are correct or incorrect.This research seeks to deconstruct construction productivity figures in NZ and explain the patterns over recent years of 'poor performance' in comparison with other industries. As such it will examine the nature of the NZ construction industry and analyse the historic statistics related to its labour productivity. This will provide an overall understanding of the sector as well as those extraneous factors that may have significant influences on the NZ construction sector.The research found that while factors influencing inputs of labour productivity measure such as labour and material costs remained stable, factors impacting the corresponding outputs such as house and land prices, value of work in Non-residential and Infrastructure construction grew significantly between 1997 and 2007. Given the positive skewing effect of standard economic indicators (inflation etc on construction labour productivity figures, the relatively poor performance of construction is worrying for the industry. The paper concludes by demonstrating labour productivity in construction is significantly worse performing than previously suspected.
Nano in the Construction Industry (NanoTrust Dossier No. 032en – August 2012)
Gazsó, André; Greßler, Sabine
In the construction industry and in architecture, nanotechnology and nanomaterials provide new opportunities. "Nano-products" for construction purposes are currently found in four main sectors: cement-bound construction materials, noise reduction and thermal insulation or temperature regulation, surface coatings to improve the functionalities of various materials, and fire protection. At the present time, nanomaterials – and therefore "nano-products" – remain considerably more expensive than ...
M. Haseeb; Xinhai-Lu; Aneesa Bibi; Maloof-ud-Dyian; Wahab Rabbani
The problem of project delays is a fact that occurs mostly in construction industry of Pakistan. Delays are always measured as expensive to all parties concerned in the projects and very often it will result in clash, claims, total desertion and much difficult for the feasibility and it slows the growth of construction sector. For analyzing the causes of delay, an appraisal on construction project's time performance was conducted. The main objective of this study is the identification of fact...
Exploring the Barriers and the Level of TQM Implementation in Malaysian Construction Industry
Tey, Lian Seng; Ooi, Teck Loon
More and More construction firms are engaging in Total Quality Management (TQM) to improve the quality of their products which, in hope of, ultimately lead to higher level of customer satisfaction. However, there are still a number of players in Malaysian construction industry refused to implement TQM. This study aimed at identifying the barriers for construction firms to engage in TQM and tested its relationship with the level of implementation of TQM. Based on data collected from 138 engine...
A review of productivity analysis of the New Zealand construction industry
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Chris Carson
Full Text Available Abstract In recent years there has been a rising interest in the level of productivity and efficiency of the New Zealand construction industry. This interest has meant that there has been an increased use of statistical techniques to determine the productivity and efficiency of the overall industry. The purpose of this paper is to review the various measures that have been used to gauge the levels of productivity and efficiency in the New Zealand construction industry; as well as analyse some of the results to date. Finally, it considers potential areas for future research.
Solar building construction - new technologies; Solares Bauen - Neue Technologien fuer Gebaeude
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Luther, J.; Voss, K.; Wittwer, V. [Fraunhofer-Inst. fuer Solare Energiesysteme, Freiburg (Germany). Abt. ``Thermische und Optische Systeme``
There is an increasing demand for integrated building concepts in order to reduce energy consumption. Building design, construction and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) technology are decisive in this respect. Thus, an essentially higher energy efficiency is achieved and solar energy becomes the main energy source. An `active building envelope` assumes the task of controlling the energy flows between inside and outside. This paper reports on new components, system concepts and planning tools for solar building. (orig.) [Deutsch] Fuer zukuenftige Bauten werden in hohem Masse Forderungen nach integrierten Konzepten zur Begrenzung des Energieverbrauchs gestellt. Gestalt, Konstruktion und Klimatechnik sind dabei massgebliche Einflussfaktoren. Hierdurch wird eine wesentlich hoehere Energieeffizienz erzielt und Solarenergie kann die uebrigen Energiequellen zurueckdraengen. Eine `aktive Gebaeudehuelle` uebernimmt die Aufgabe, den Energiefluss zwischen Innen und Aussen zu steuern. Der Beitrag berichtet ueber neue Komponenten, Systemkonzepte und Planungswerkzeuge fuer das Solare Bauen. (orig.)
Post-Insulation of Existing Buildings Constructed Between 1850 and 1920
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Torben Valdbjørn
Tightened requirements for thermal insulation of new buildings and the demand for a reduction of energy consumption for heating and comfort in order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions mean that existing and especially older buildings have a very low thermal standard compared with today......'s requirements. Therefore, there is an increased interest in improving the insulation standard of many existing and older buildings. However, special attention should be paid to prevent degradation of the existing construction when the energy demand for heating and thermal comfort of a building decreases...... as a result of post-insulation measures. Besides lower heating costs and reduced CO2 emissions, improvement of the insulation standard could contribute to the elimination of other aspects of discomfort, such as draught originating from cold surfaces inside. This paper considers post-insulation of a simulated...
Post-insulation of Existing Buildings Constructed Between 1850 and 1920
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rasmussen, Torben Valdbjørn
Tightened requirements for thermal insulation of new buildings and the demand for a reduction of energy consumption for heating and comfort in order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions mean that existing and especially older buildings have a very low thermal standard compared with today......'s requirements. Therefore, there is an increased interest in improving the insulation standard of many existing and older buildings. However, special attention should be paid to prevent degradation of the existing construction when the energy demand for heating and thermal comfort of a building decreases...... as a result of post-insulation measures. Besides lower heating costs and reduced CO2 emissions, improvement of the insulation standard could contribute to the elimination of other aspects of discomfort, such as draught originating from cold surfaces inside. This paper considers post-insulation of a simulated...
Construction technology and major building structure%建筑主体结构的施工技术
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
引入了建筑主体结构的概念,对建筑主体结构的施工情况进行了分析,主要从混凝土施工、钢筋施工、模板施工三个环节阐述了建筑主体结构施工的注意事项,以提高建筑的施工质量,满足用户对建筑的使用需求。%The paper introduces the concept of major building structure, analyzes construction conditions of major building structure, and mainly describe major building structure construction matters from three aspects of concrete construction, steel construction and template construction, with a view to improve the building construction quality and meet users' utilization demands for building.
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Nidziy Elena Nikolaevna
Full Text Available The construction industry is one of the key fund-creating industries, the formation of the Russian economy greatly depends on it. The construction sector is cyclic, that's why it has always been sensitive to the tendencies of the national economy. In the contemporary conditions of weak economical climate the construction industry is in a state of sluggish recession. The key indicators exercising restraining influence on the construction complex are analyzed. The author carried out calculations of the prices for residential real estate in the past years. The author's view on the near-term prospects on the exit from recession state is formulated. From the view of the today's state and the nearest development prospects, it can be stated that the construction industry is one of the most problematic among the basic economic sectors. Retrieval of the expansion rate of the construction industry is possible in case of the positive changes of general economic state.
Decision support model for selecting and evaluating suppliers in the construction industry
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Fernando Schramm
Full Text Available A structured evaluation of the construction industry's suppliers, considering aspects which make their quality and credibility evident, can be a strategic tool to manage this specific supply chain. This study proposes a multi-criteria decision model for suppliers' selection from the construction industry, as well as an efficient evaluation procedure for the selected suppliers. The model is based on SMARTER (Simple Multi-Attribute Rating Technique Exploiting Ranking method and its main contribution is a new approach to structure the process of suppliers' selection, establishing explicit strategic policies on which the company management system relied to make the suppliers selection. This model was applied to a Civil Construction Company in Brazil and the main results demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed model. This study allowed the development of an approach to Construction Industry which was able to provide a better relationship among its managers, suppliers and partners.
Health profile of workers in a ship building and repair industry
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Vaishali R Lokhande
Full Text Available Background: The modern ship building industry, which encompasses the ship yards and marine equipment manufacturing, is an important and strategic industry. The various activities in modern ship building, maintenance, and repair have to be carried out at heights, or in closed confined spaces along with the added risk of exposure to chemicals and metal fumes. These activities expose the workers to various health hazards. Aims: This study was carried out with an aim to assess the health profile of workers in the ship building industry and to assess the occupational health issues related to ship building. Settings and Design: It was a cross-sectional study carried out on 100 randomly selected workers in a ship building yard in Mumbai, and their health profile was studied. Materials and Methods: The workers were enquired for history of co-morbidities, addictions and personal protective equipment use, health-related complaints, and were examined systemically as well as for bedside tests for hearing and detailed systemic examination as per the history or co-morbidity. Results: The important observations were those of prevalence of addictions (69%, irregular use of personal protective equipments (PPEs among 50% of paint workers, presence of hypertension (20%, overweight (53%, osteoarthritis (10%, hearing loss (25%, and poor self-care. Conclusions: Health education to the workers regarding occupational hazards and lifestyle diseases along with more emphasis on the use of PPEs with regular health examination needs reinforcement.
Maintenance of Vinyl Asbestos and Asphalt Tile Floors in Institutional, Industrial and Commercial Buildings.
Asphalt and Vinyl Asbestos Tile Inst., New York, NY.
The claim is made that proper planning and modest outlays of time, labor, and material costs can provide and maintain a high appearance level for floors in institutional, commercial, and industrial buildings. Instructions for four basic steps in maintaining the good looks of vinyl asbestos and asphalt tile floors are treated in the booklet--(1)…
Success Skills for the Textile Industry: Team Building (SS2). Workforce 2000 Partnership.
Enterprise State Junior Coll., AL.
This curriculum package on team building is a product of the Workforce 2000 Partnership, which combined the resources of four educational partners and four industrial partners in Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina to provide education and training in communication, computation, and critical thinking to employees in the apparel, carpet, and…
The Construction and Competitiveness of Operation Model of Agricultural Industrial Cluster
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
Through reviewing the viewpoints of former scholars, the connotation and features of supply chain of agricultural industrial cluster are introduced. The agricultural industrial cluster model constituted by core network and supporting network is constructed. Three operation models of this kind of supply chain is described: the model takes wholesale market of agricultural products as the core; the model take pillar industries of agricultural industrialization as core; model takes the chains of retail enterprises as core. The competitiveness of agricultural industrial cluster is researched. The research assumes that the competiveness of supply chain of agricultural industrial cluster is mainly represented to make the agricultural industrial cluster to acquire more capabilities in terms of innovation and knowledge sharing capability, resource allocation capability, agile market adaptability and distinct value creation capability.
Supply chain integration in the building industry: The emergence of integrated and repetitive strategies in a fragmented and project-driven industry
Vrijhoef, R.
The building industry is a fragmented and project-driven industry with specific characteristics, which can sometimes result in negative effects. Reference has often been made to other industries, particularly manufacturing, that would function more effectively and efficiently. Major differences between both include the organisation and coordination of the supply chain. Supply chain integration has been suggested as a solution for the building supply chain. This thesis has aimed to contribute ...
Treatment of industrial and agro-industrial wastewater using constructed wetlands
Sultana, Mar-Yam
Environmental pollution from untreated wastewater disposal is one of the most serious environmental issues. Hexavalent chromium, Cr(VI), is known to be a very toxic compound, frequently found in polluted industrial wastewaters, and causes major environmental problems. On the other hand, among the agro-industrial wastewaters, dairy wastewaters can also cause serious environmental pollution due to their high organic loads. Specifically, when untreated dairy wastewater is deposited into surface ...
A supermolecular building approach for the design and construction of metal–organic frameworks
Guillerm, Vincent
In this review, we describe two recently implemented conceptual approaches facilitating the design and deliberate construction of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), namely supermolecular building block (SBB) and supermolecular building layer (SBL) approaches. Our main objective is to offer an appropriate means to assist/aid chemists and material designers alike to rationally construct desired functional MOF materials, made-to-order MOFs. We introduce the concept of net-coded building units (net-cBUs), where precise embedded geometrical information codes uniquely and matchlessly a selected net, as a compelling route for the rational design of MOFs. This concept is based on employing pre-selected 0-periodic metal–organic polyhedra or 2-periodic metal–organic layers, SBBs or SBLs respectively, as a pathway to access the requisite net-cBUs. In this review, inspired by our success with the original rht-MOF, we extrapolated our strategy to other known MOFs via their deconstruction into more elaborate building units (namely polyhedra or layers) to (i) elucidate the unique relationship between edge-transitive polyhedra or layers and minimal edge-transitive 3-periodic nets, and (ii) illustrate the potential of the SBB and SBL approaches as a rational pathway for the design and construction of 3-periodic MOFs. Using this design strategy, we have also identified several new hypothetical MOFs which are synthetically targetable.
Application of Microbial Biopolymers as an Alternative Construction Binder for Earth Buildings in Underdeveloped Countries
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ilhan Chang
Full Text Available Earth buildings are still a common type of residence for one-third of the world's population. However, these buildings are not durable or resistant against earthquakes and floods, and this amplifies their potential harm to humans. Earthen construction without soil binders (e.g., cement is known to result in poor strength and durability performance of earth buildings. Failure to use construction binders is related to the imbalance in binder prices in different countries. In particular, the price of cement in Africa, Middle East, and Southwest Asia countries is extremely high relative to the global trend of consumer goods and accounts for the limited usage of cement in those regions. Moreover, environmental concerns regarding cement usage have recently risen due to high CO2 emissions. Meanwhile, biopolymers have been introduced as an alternative binder for soil strengthening. Previous studies and feasibility attempts in this area show that the mechanical properties (i.e., compressive strength of biopolymer mixed soil blocks (i.e, both 1% xanthan gum and 1% gellan gum satisfied the international criteria for binders used in earthen structures. Economic and market analyses have demonstrated that the biopolymer binder has high potential as a self-sufficient local construction binder for earth buildings where the usage of ordinary cement is restricted.
Thermal activation of building construction: possibility also in building reconstructions; Thermische Bauteilaktivierung auch bei Bauwerksanierungen
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Glueck, B. [TGA Joessnitz (Plauen) (Germany)
The thermal activation of concrete ceilings, also concrete called core activation, is getting a large spread in the last years. Since the water tubing registers must be brought in during the concreting process, this technology is not applicable in the case of reconstructions. To be able to use the energetic advantages - which occur with the use of water temperatures near room temperature, also within the construction area, there is a set of suggestions. A version, which includes even the storage in the available concrete ceilings, is examined in consideration of is efficiency. (orig.) [German] Die thermische Bauteilaktivierung von Massivdecken - auch Betonkernaktivierung genannt - hat in den letzten Jahren eine grosse Verbreitung erfahren. Da die wasserdurchflossenen Rohrregister waehrend des Betoniervorgangs eingebracht werden muessen, ist diese Technologie im Sanierungsfall nicht anwendbar. Um die energetischen Vorteile - die beim Einsatz von raumnahen Wassertemperaturen auftreten - auch im Sanierungsbereich nutzbar zu machen, gibt es eine Reihe von Vorschlaegen. Eine Variante, die sogar die Speicherung von vorhandenen Massivdecken einbezieht, wird auf ihre Leistungsfaehigkeit untersucht. (orig.)
Research on Building a Practice Platform for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Mechanical Industrial Design
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiaowei Jiang
Full Text Available In order to solve the problems existing in the innovation and entrepreneurship in mechanical industrial design, a series of approaches are proposed, so as to build a practice platform for innovation and entrepreneurship which adapts to market demand and could promote the development of comprehensive quality. In this research, the problems existing in the innovation and entrepreneurship in mechanical industrial design are analyzed in detail. Then a series of approaches are proposed including establishing the scientific curriculum system for innovation and entrepreneurship in mechanical industrial design, establishing practice base for innovation and entrepreneurship in mechanical industrial design, improving the professional level of instructors troops for innovation and entrepreneurship, creating a cultural atmosphere and strengthening the innovative consciousness and entrepreneurial spirit, establishing a sound reward mechanism of innovation and entrepreneurship and building a network platform for innovation and entrepreneurship, which will certainly have a profound theoretical and practical guiding significance. On this foundation, the research conclusion on building a practice platform for innovation and entrepreneurship in mechanical industrial design is done.
Building America Case Study: Design Guidance for Passive Vents in New Construction Multifamily Buildings, New York, New York
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
This document addresses the use of passive vents as a source of outdoor air in multifamily buildings. The challenges associated with implementing passive vents and the factors affecting performance are outlined. A comprehensive design methodology and quantified performance metrics are provided. Two hypothetical design examples are provided to illustrate the process. This document is intended to be useful to designers, decision-makers, and contractors implementing passive ventilation strategies. It is also intended to be a resource for those responsible for setting high-performance building program requirements, especially pertaining to ventilation and outdoor air. To ensure good indoor air quality, a dedicated source of outdoor air is an integral part of high-performance buildings. Presently, there is a lack of guidance pertaining to the design and installation of passive vents, resulting in poor system performance. This report details the criteria necessary for designing, constructing, and testing passive vent systems to enable them to provide consistent and reliable levels of ventilation air from outdoors.
Exploring the Barriers and the Level of TQM Implementation in Malaysian Construction Industry
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Tey, Lian Seng
Full Text Available More and More construction firms are engaging in Total Quality Management (TQM to improve the quality of their products which, in hope of, ultimately lead to higher level of customer satisfaction. However, there are still a number of players in Malaysian construction industry refused to implement TQM. This study aimed at identifying the barriers for construction firms to engage in TQM and tested its relationship with the level of implementation of TQM. Based on data collected from 138 engineers from Malaysian construction firms, the results showed that there were six barriers of implementation of TQM in Malaysian construction industry, which were lack of knowledgeable personnel, low bid mindset, lack of effective communication, extra cost and time consuming, lack of top management support and difficulties in measurement. The results also showed that only lack of effective communication and lack of top management support were not significantly associated with the level of implementation of TQM.
Rationalization of design and construction of buildings for nuclear power plants
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This article presents various rationalization methods introduced in the past few years for design and construction of BWR nuclear power plant buildings. When the site for a nuclear power plant has been decided, investigation is made on various aspects of possible earthquakes, based on which anti-earthquake design for the plant site is established. The next step is to examine the displacements and stresses that may occur to various parts of the bulding from a postulated earthquake. This is normally called the earthquake response analysis and consists of calculating the behaviors of the buildings using large computers. A seismic controlled structure system has recently proposed, aiming to reduce the displacements and stresses of the building itself by controlling the flexibility of the installed seismic apparatus against the input of external loads. Lately, high strength concrete and high strength reinforcing steel bars (rebars) are being considered for practical application. If advanced computers and related accessories are utilized to the maximum, it will lead not only to efficiency in the design work but to the possibility of optimized design. For rational construction, a combined scaffolding and temporary support has been devised to reduce the time and volume of required temporary work. What have been developed for rationalization of construction work also include robots for heavy weight rebar fabrication, horizontal reed blind type rebars, portable concrete distributor, all weather environment facilities, and construction materials conveyance system. (Nogami, K.)
Building America Case Study: Evaluation of Passive Vents in New-Construction Multifamily Buildings, New York, New York
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Exhaust ventilation and corresponding outdoor air strategies are being implemented in high-performance new construction multifamily buildings to meet program or code requirements for improved indoor air quality, but a lack of clear design guidance is resulting in poor performance of these systems despite the best intentions of the programs or standards. CARB's 2014 'Evaluation of Ventilation Strategies in New Construction Multifamily Buildings' consistently demonstrated that commonly used outdoor air strategies are not performing as expected. Of the four strategies evaluated in 2014, the exhaust ventilation system that relied on outdoor air from a pressurized corridor was ruled out as a potential best practice due to its conflict with meeting requirements within most fire codes. Outdoor air that is ducted directly to the apartments was a strategy determined to have the highest likelihood of success, but with higher first costs and operating costs. Outdoor air through space conditioning systems was also determined to have good performance potential, with proper design and execution. The fourth strategy, passive systems, was identified as the least expensive option for providing outdoor air directly to apartments, with respect to both first costs and operating costs. However, little is known about how they actually perform in real-world conditions or how to implement them effectively. Based on the lack of data available on the performance of these low-cost systems and their frequent use in the high-performance building programs that require a provision for outdoor air, this research project sought to further evaluate the performance of passive vents.
Supply chain integration in the building industry: The emergence of integrated and repetitive strategies in a fragmented and project-driven industry
Vrijhoef, R.
The building industry is a fragmented and project-driven industry with specific characteristics, which can sometimes result in negative effects. Reference has often been made to other industries, particularly manufacturing, that would function more effectively and efficiently. Major differences betw
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Full Text Available A Green Building Index (GBI is a pioneer in a building grading system to promote sustainability and increase awareness upon environmental issue in Malaysia. The GBI was first established by Malaysia Architect Association (PAM and Association of Consulting Engineers Malaysia (ACEM in February 2009. As a green building contribution on sustainable development and energy efficiency, government has introduced incentives to parties who involve in obtaining Green Building Index Certificate to inculcate vgreen technology. The present paper articulates various categories of incentives introduced by government for construction key players in Malaysia and compare those incentives implies worldwide including countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. The incentives are categories into three; financial incentives, fiscal incentives and structure incentives. In a case of financial incentives the financial grants, loans, fund, vouchers, rebates and etc. attract building developers to adopt green elements and apply for certification in their new building project. Obviously, most developers more engrossed to the incentives which has a direct impact on the project financial cash flow. Fiscal incentive however is a privilege by the government, in term of tax exemption granted to respective green building project. Structural incentives are much common incentives offered by government because it would not require expenditure of fund and not reduce the income of city and county. By comparing few successful model of incentives by several countries, the present research reveals that the structure of incentives for green building in Malaysia should have more focused on structural incentive especially those involves technical support, expedited building permit and Gross Floor Area (GFA equivalent incentive scheme.
Technology development of concrete and sustainable development of building industry in China
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zhang, Y.; Wang, X.; Li, Z. [Tongji Univ., Shanghai, SH (China)
The importance of the concrete industry at present and in the future for China to realize its economic objectives is discussed. The efforts to develop concrete technology, primarily in the areas of modifying material properties and improving strength, are reviewed against the background of industrialization and the attendant construction activity. Efforts to manufacture and utilize cement and concrete in environmentally sustainable ways are also addressed. 11 refs., 2 tabs.
Labour Productivity in the New Zealand Construction Industry: A Thorough Investigation
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Van Dai Tran
The research found that while factors influencing inputs of labour productivity measure such as labour and material costs remained stable, factors impacting the corresponding outputs such as house and land prices, value of work in Non-residential and Infrastructure construction grew significantly between 1997 and 2007. Given the positive skewing effect of standard economic indicators (inflation etc on construction labour productivity figures, the relatively poor performance of construction is worrying for the industry. The paper concludes by demonstrating labour productivity in construction is significantly worse performing than previously suspected.
Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technologies in infrastructure construction project management and delay and disruption analysis
Vacanas, Yiannis; Themistocleous, Kyriacos; Agapiou, Athos; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos
Time in infrastructure construction projects has always been a fundamental issue as early as from the inception of a project, during the construction process and often after the completion and delivery. In a typical construction contract time related matters such as the completion date and possible delays are among the most important issues that are dealt with by the contract provisions. In the event of delay there are usually provisions for extension of time award to the contractor with possible reimbursement for the extra cost and expenses caused by this extension of time to the contract duration. In the case the contractor is not entitled to extension of time, the owner will be possibly entitled to amounts as compensation for the time prohibited from using his development. Even in the event of completion within the time agreed, under certain circumstances a contractor may have claims for reimbursement for extra costs incurred due to induced acceleration measures he had to take in order to mitigate disruption effects caused to the progress of the works by the owner or his representatives. Depending on the size of the project and the agreement amount, these reimbursement sums may be extremely high. Therefore innovative methods with the exploitation of new technologies for effective project management for the avoidance of delays, delay analysis and mitigation measures are essential; moreover, methods for collecting efficiently information during the construction process so that disputes regarding time are avoided or resolved in a quick and fair manner are required. This paper explores the state of art for existing use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) technologies in the construction industry in general. Moreover the paper considers the prospect of using BIM technology in conjunction with the use of UAV technology for efficient and accurate as-built data collection and illustration of the works progress during an
Application of Nanotechnology-Based Thermal Insulation Materials in Building Construction
Bozsaky David
Nanotechnology-based materials have previously been used by space research, pharmaceuticals and electronics, but in the last decade several nanotechnology-based thermal insulation materials have appeared in building industry. Nowadays they only feature in a narrow range of practice, but they offer many potential applications. These options are unknown to most architects, who may simply be afraid of these materials owing to the incomplete and often contradictory special literature. Therefore, ...
Building green supply chains in eco-industrial parks towards a green economy: Barriers and strategies.
Li, Jacqueline; Pan, Shu-Yuan; Kim, Hyunook; Linn, Jean H; Chiang, Pen-Chi
As suggested by UNEP, the key to sustainable development is to create a "green economy" which should encapsulate all three sectors: the industry, the people, and the government. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and implement the green technologies into the existing facilities, especially in the developing countries. In this study, the role of green supply chains in eco-industrial parks (EIPs) towards a green economy was investigated. The strategies and effective evaluation procedures of the green economy were proposed by assessing the barriers from the perspective of institution, regulation, technology, and finance. In addition, three case studies from iron and steel-making, paper mill and pulping, and petrochemical industries were presented and illustrated for building the green supply chains. For example, in the case of Lin-Hai Industrial Park, a total of 15 efficient green supply chains using waste-to-resources technologies were established by 2012, resulting in an economic benefit of USD 100 million per year. It suggests that the green supply chains should be established to achieve both economic growth and environmental protection. With these successful experiences, building a green supply chain within industrial park should be extensively promoted to make traditional industries around the world being environmentally bearable, economic viable, and social equitable.
Building green supply chains in eco-industrial parks towards a green economy: Barriers and strategies.
Li, Jacqueline; Pan, Shu-Yuan; Kim, Hyunook; Linn, Jean H; Chiang, Pen-Chi
As suggested by UNEP, the key to sustainable development is to create a "green economy" which should encapsulate all three sectors: the industry, the people, and the government. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop and implement the green technologies into the existing facilities, especially in the developing countries. In this study, the role of green supply chains in eco-industrial parks (EIPs) towards a green economy was investigated. The strategies and effective evaluation procedures of the green economy were proposed by assessing the barriers from the perspective of institution, regulation, technology, and finance. In addition, three case studies from iron and steel-making, paper mill and pulping, and petrochemical industries were presented and illustrated for building the green supply chains. For example, in the case of Lin-Hai Industrial Park, a total of 15 efficient green supply chains using waste-to-resources technologies were established by 2012, resulting in an economic benefit of USD 100 million per year. It suggests that the green supply chains should be established to achieve both economic growth and environmental protection. With these successful experiences, building a green supply chain within industrial park should be extensively promoted to make traditional industries around the world being environmentally bearable, economic viable, and social equitable. PMID:26241931
Application of Boosting Regression Trees to Preliminary Cost Estimation in Building Construction Projects
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yoonseok Shin
Full Text Available Among the recent data mining techniques available, the boosting approach has attracted a great deal of attention because of its effective learning algorithm and strong boundaries in terms of its generalization performance. However, the boosting approach has yet to be used in regression problems within the construction domain, including cost estimations, but has been actively utilized in other domains. Therefore, a boosting regression tree (BRT is applied to cost estimations at the early stage of a construction project to examine the applicability of the boosting approach to a regression problem within the construction domain. To evaluate the performance of the BRT model, its performance was compared with that of a neural network (NN model, which has been proven to have a high performance in cost estimation domains. The BRT model has shown results similar to those of NN model using 234 actual cost datasets of a building construction project. In addition, the BRT model can provide additional information such as the importance plot and structure model, which can support estimators in comprehending the decision making process. Consequently, the boosting approach has potential applicability in preliminary cost estimations in a building construction project.
Performance measurement in the UK construction industry and its role in supporting the application of lean construction concepts
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Saad Sarhan
Full Text Available Performance measurement has received substantial attention from researchers and the construction industry over the past two decades. This study sought to assess UK practitioners' awareness of the importance of the use of appropriate performance measures and its role in supporting the application of Lean Construction (LC concepts. To enable the study to achieve its objectives, a review of a range of measurements developed to evaluate project performance including those devoted to support LC efforts was conducted. Consequently a questionnaire survey was developed and sent to 198 professionals in the UK construction industry as well as a small sample of academics with an interest in LC. Results indicated that although practitioners recognise the importance of the selection of non-financial performance measures, it has not been properly and widely implemented. The study identified the most common techniques used by UK construction organisations for performance measurement, and ranked a number of non-financial key performance indicators as significant. Some professed to have embraced the Last Planner System methodology as a means for performance measurement and organisational learning, while further questioning suggested otherwise. It was also suggested that substance thinking amongst professionals could be a significant hidden barrier that militates against the successful implementation of LC.
Canister storage building (CSB) safety analysis report phase 3: Safety analysis documentation supporting CSB construction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The Canister Storage Building (CSB) will be constructed in the 200 East Area of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The CSB will be used to stage and store spent nuclear fuel (SNF) removed from the Hanford Site K Basins. The objective of this chapter is to describe the characteristics of the site on which the CSB will be located. This description will support the hazard analysis and accident analyses in Chapter 3.0. The purpose of this report is to provide an evaluation of the CSB design criteria, the design's compliance with the applicable criteria, and the basis for authorization to proceed with construction of the CSB
Recycling and reuse of chosen kinds of waste materials in a building industry
Ferek, B.; Harasymiuk, J.; Tyburski, J.
The article describes the current state of knowledge and practice in Poland concerning recycling as a method of reuse of chosen groups of waste materials in building industry. The recycling of building scraps is imposed by environmental, economic and technological premises. The issue of usage of sewage residues is becoming a problem of ever -growing gravity as the presence of the increasing number of pernicious contaminants makes their utilization for agricultural purposes more and more limited. The strategies of using waste materials on Polish building sites were analyzed. The analysis of predispositions to salvage for a group of traditional materials, such as: timber, steel, building debris, insulation materials, plastics, and on the example of new materials, such as: artificial light aggregates made by appropriate mixing of siliceous aggregates, glass refuses and sewage residues in order to obtain a commodity which is apt for economic usage also was made in the article. The issue of recycling of waste materials originating from building operations will be presented in the context of the binding home and EU legal regulations. It was proved that the level of recycling of building wastes in Poland is considerably different from one which is achieved in the solid market economies, both in quantity and in assortment. The method of neutralization of building refuses in connection with special waste materials, which are sewage sludge that is presented in the article may be one of the alternative solutions to the problem of recycling of these wastes not only on the Polish scale.
Measuring Instrument Constructs of Return Factors for Green Office Building Investments Variables Using Rasch Measurement Model
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Isa Mona
Full Text Available This paper is a preliminary study on rationalising green office building investments in Malaysia. The aim of this paper is attempt to introduce the application of Rasch measurement model analysis to determine the validity and reliability of each construct in the questionnaire. In achieving this objective, a questionnaire survey was developed consists of 6 sections and a total of 106 responses were received from various investors who own and lease office buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The Rasch Measurement analysis is used to measure the quality control of item constructs in the instrument by measuring the specific objectivity within the same dimension, to reduce ambiguous measures, and a realistic estimation of precision and implicit quality. The Rasch analysis consists of the summary statistics, item unidimensionality and item measures. A result shows the items and respondent (person reliability is at 0.91 and 0.95 respectively.
A bilateral and multi-issue negotiation framework to support a supply chain of construction industry
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Fernando Schramm
Full Text Available Any interaction involving individuals, whose objectives are conflicting with each other, may establish a negotiation process. In a negotiation, each party should develop his/her own strategy and, normally, a win-lose vision is frequently adopted. The main consequence of this behavior is a result, in which both parties lose, especially when the negotiation involves more than one aspect, such as negotiations resulting from purchases of material for construction industry, where aspects like price, quality and lead-time should be considered. Most of the negotiation involving construction industry adopts a win-lose vision; and, commonly, only the issue price is considered. The goal of this paper is to propose a framework to support negotiations between two parties (buyer and seller in the supply chain of construction industry. The combination of a win-win strategy with a multicriteria analysis produces a best compromise solution for both parties. A simulation of negotiation using realistic data is presented.
Manhattan Project buildings and facilities at the Hanford Site: A construction history
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gerber, M.S.
This document thoroughly examines the role that the Hanford Engineer Works played in the Manhattan project. The historical aspects of the buildings and facilities are characterized. An in depth look at the facilities, including their functions, methods of fabrication and appearance is given for the 100 AREAS, 200 AREAS, 300 AREAS, 500, 800 and 900 AREAS, 600 AREA, 700 AREA, 1100 AREA and temporary construction structures.
Risks Leading to Cost Overrun in Building Construction from Consultants' Perspective
Mahamid, Ibrahim; Dmaidi, Nabil
This study aims at identifying the risk map for factors affecting cost overrun in building construction projects in the West Bank in Palestine from the consultants' perspective. The field survey included 26 consultants. 41 factors are identified through literature review. The factors are divided into 5 groups. The analysis of the identified 41 factors indicates that 1 factor is located in the green zone, 14 factors are located in the yellow zone, and 26 factors are locate...
Usability evaluation of mobile ICT support used at the building construction site
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Christiansson, Per; Svidt, Kjeld
The paper summarizes findings from field evaluations and controlled laboratory usability evaluations of new mobile Information and Communication Technology, ICT, support used by craftsmen at construction sites as well as a discussion of methodologies for user centred ICT tools design. The findings......, organizations and institutions within the building domain as well ICT tools providers. The Danish Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation financed the project....
Manhattan Project buildings and facilities at the Hanford Site: A construction history
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This document thoroughly examines the role that the Hanford Engineer Works played in the Manhattan project. The historical aspects of the buildings and facilities are characterized. An in depth look at the facilities, including their functions, methods of fabrication and appearance is given for the 100 AREAS, 200 AREAS, 300 AREAS, 500, 800 and 900 AREAS, 600 AREA, 700 AREA, 1100 AREA and temporary construction structures
Protection of construction pit for car-park building in Ljubljana
Hafner, Matej
The subject of this thesis is the execution construction pit for multi-storey car-park building in Ljubljana. The supporting structure was made with high pressure grouting (e.q jet grouting), and anchored with temporary ground anchors in one or two levels. An overview of jet grouting and temporary ground anchors procedures accoding to current standards is shown. A special attention is put on the currently valid execution of works in our country. We primarily examined the proble...
Internationalization of Finnish construction companies: An interview-based study in the Swedish construction industry
Saloranta, Juuso
The purpose of this thesis is to discover what aspects affect the internationalization success of Finnish construction companies and how that success could be improved. According to the exist- ing business network literature, internationalization can be seen as a company's entry to a new international business network rather than a new country. Therefore the internationalization pro- cess can be described through the process of network development. In network development the elements of trust...
Stepwise modularization in the construction industry using a bottom-up approach
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kudsk, Anders; Grønvold, Martin O'Brien; Olsen, Magnus Holo;
implemented stepwise. The case shows that substantial benefits can be gained through implementing modularized construction. It is especially interesting to note that these benefits are achieved through the development of a module with focus on the internal interfaces. © Kudsk et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.......The manufacturing industry has experienced a great deal of improvement in efficiency and cost reductions throughout the last centuries. But although there have been improvements in the manufacturing industry, the principles and work methods in the construction industry have stood still for more...... than a hundred years. Based on principles of mass customization applied in the manufacturing industry, two cases of successful implementation of mass customization and modularization have been investigated as a means of showcasing the possibility to incorporate standardization in parts...
Comparisons of VET Systems and Collective Agreements for the Labour Rights in the Construction Industry:The Netherlands and Turkey/
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Sedef Özçelik
Full Text Available 'Working' is regarded as a humanitarian effort; requiring respect due to 'labour is not a commodity' principle. Organizations such as ILO have been established to set standards for labour. Despite there are different applications, the system consists of employee unions and employer associations and social partners in Europe. The EU monitors member states where applications differ due to economic, politic and industrial backgrounds. In the industrial relations, VET Systems are crucial. Learning is stil either craft or training-based linked to employment policies, cultures and economic profiles. The construction industry urges for collective agreements due to its labour nature; since the industry demands for variety of professions within organizational chains. The mobility requiring security, temporary building process coping with deadlines, climate, dangerous labour in addition to specific demands for particular skills and unique production chains require special regulations. Therefore, bargaining leads to labour rights and workers' training to achieve more qualified products or safety reasons; as well as a tool to increase economical activity and revise industry's image. The Netherlands and Turkey are compared to analyse industry's prosperity in EU.
The industrial problems raised by the building of the new nuclear power plant system
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The decision made by France to build within 10 years a number of nuclear power plants of an importance unequalled in Europe and in the world has created for the industry involved in this gigantic enterprise problems of growth and adaptation of considerable magnitude. In a first part, the general analysis of needs reveals the breadth of the phenomenon the industry is facing with respect to its capacity of production. This original study, the first synthesis of this kind, could be the starting point of overall industrial planning at the national level. The second part, dealing more particularly with turbogenerator units, shows in its true perspective the magnitude of the material and how the equipment has developed. It recalls how the industrial problem has been approached in order to meet the need for expansion of one of the most important French electromechanical manufacturing plants
Development of renewable energies in the building industry and in the industry in general
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
This third issue of the international DERBI conference has permitted to decipher the international actuality of renewable energies, to position the French national projects in this thriving context, and to discover the recent technological innovations. Californian companies were invited to this conference for a comparison of the policies in favor of renewable energy sources on both sides of the Atlantic ocean. This document gathers the transparencies presented at this conference and dealing with technologies, products, projects and realization in the following domains: solar cooling, biomass power plants, photovoltaic power plants and advances in photovoltaic engineering, solar thermal energy, thermodynamic solar power plants, architecture, renewable energies and the Eco-Building European project, biofuels, wood fuels, wind power and small wind power, geothermal energy. Presentations deal also with the financing of renewable energy projects, the competencies, employment and training, the numerical dimension, and the automation in the renewable energies domain. (J.S.)
Characterization of hybrid lighting systems of the Electrical Engineering Building in the Industrial University of Santander
Galvis, D.; Exposito, C.; Osma, G.; Amado, L.; Ordóñez, G.
This paper presents an analysis of hybrid lighting systems of Electrical Engineering Building in the Industrial University of Santander, which is a pilot of green building for warm- tropical conditions. Analysis of lighting performance of inner spaces is based on lighting curves obtained from characterization of daylighting systems of these spaces. A computation tool was made in Excel-Visual Basic to simulate the behaviour of artificial lighting system considering artificial control system, user behaviour and solar condition. Also, this tool allows to estimate the electrical energy consumption of the lighting system for a day, a month and a year.
Creating a Software Marketplace for the SME Community in the Irish Construction Industry
Hore, Alan V; West, Roger; Redmond, Alan
The Construction Industry is a sector where Information Communication Technology (ICT) and e-Business are used to a lesser extent than in most other sectors. The high concentration of Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the industry and the typical nature of the service provided, being an on-site and often highly customised service are generally identified as the reason for the low ICT uptake. The majority of Irish companies in the construction sector are SMEs. E-Business has provided...
Construction Safety And Health Factors At The Industry Level: The Case Of Singapore
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Charles Y.J. Cheah
Full Text Available The construction industry is one of the most hazardous industries due to the unique nature of its products and the processes involved. Recent occurrences of highly publicized construction site accidents in Singapore have highlighted the immediate needs for the local industry to address safety and attention at the industry level. The objective of this paper is to examine issues and critical factors affecting S&H standards in Singapore. Clearly, collective efforts should be pursued at the industry level as the country moves towards the ultimate safety management strategy of self-regulation. The findings also indicate that the challenge of making worksites safe should not be placed solely on the contractors but should be shared by all parties affecting the value chain of construction, including the developers, the consultants and the government. The factors identified through factor analysis may inform legislators and industry practitioners in terms of the sources of problems and help develop effective strategies for improvement. Some of the experiences mentioned in the paper could also be relevant to other countries facing similar circumstances.
The implementation of clean development mechanism (CDM) in the construction and built environment industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Greenhouse gas emissions due to human activities are the main contributors to global climate change, a problem that should not be ignored. Through the clean development mechanism (CDM) introduced under the Kyoto Protocol, developing countries are able to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits through a myriad of emission reduction projects. This study aims to explore the potential of implementing CDM projects in the construction and built environment (C and BE) industry, which has been criticized for not only consuming an enormous amount of resources, but also for contributing to adverse environmental health. In this research, we limit the boundary of the C and BE industry to include the planning, procurement, construction, occupation and refurbishment/demolition phases of a project's life cycle. Surveys and in-depth follow-up interviews with experts have generated useful insights pertaining to CDM potential and its adaptation into the C and BE industry. From this foundation, this paper evaluates the current obstacles to CDM and presents feasible suggestions to increase CDM projects related to the C and BE industry. - Highlights: • We review the development and limitation of CDM relates to the construction and built environment (C and BE) industry. • We obtain experts' opinions on the feasibility of CDM in the C and BE industry. • Validation, monitoring, verification and additionality of CDM projects are crucial. • Experts agreed that most of our suggestions are feasible in principle
Emiliya V. Suprun
Nowadays, conscious management of innovation in construction firms is becoming increasingly necessary. The research investigates the role of innovation management as an element of firm-level strategies of innovation diffusion. As a part of larger study of Russia's construction industry, a survey was conducted and data was collected via mailed questionnaires. The questionnaire requested respondents to provide specific data about the type of innovations adopted, the barriers to innovation diffu...
A study of forms of project organisation and matrix management: case studies from the construction industry
Bresnen, Michael J.
This study investigates the forms and processes of interaction that occur in the organisation and management of projects. It takes as its empirical focus of enquiry the situation in the UK construction industry; and uses, as its database, five case studies of medium to large-scale, 'one-off' construction projects. The literature on project organisation and management is reviewed, with attention directed towards the phenomenon of matrix forms of organisation and related processes of manage...
The Future Scenario of Creating a Digital SME Community in the Irish Construction Industry
Hore, Alan V; West, Roger; Redmond, Alan
The problems associated with the Construction Industry not being able to manage and com-municate electronically product and project data between collaborating firms and within individual companies is compounded by the large number of small companies that have not adopted advanced Information Com-munication Technology (ICT). The typical nature of the service provided in construction, being an on-site and often highly customised service are generally identified as the reason for the low ICT upt...
Mapping the e-business profile and trends in cost management in the UK construction industry
Perera, Srinath; Park, Rachael; Udeaja, Chika; Zhou, Lei; Rodrigo, Anushi
The advancement of e-business applications and IT infrastructure has had massive impact on construction business processes over the last decade. The added effects of globalisation coupled with global economic recession have forced businesses to implement e-business applications within their organisations. It is clear in all industries, that e-business technologies have become a key strategic vehicle in improving performance. In Construction, e-business applications complement most of the busi...
Development of a fuzzy qualitative risk assessment model applied to construction industry
Pinto, Abel Fernando do Nascimento
The construction industry is plagued by occupational risky situations and poor working conditions. Risk Assessment for Occupational Safety (RAOS) is the first and key step to achieve adequate safety levels, particularly to support decision-making in safety programs. Most construction safety efforts are applied informally under the premise that simply allocating more resources to safety management will improve safety on site. Moreover, there are many traditional methods to address RAOS, but...
Potential exposure to natural radiation inside dwellings, due to phosphogypsum use in the building industry
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
The interest of building industry to improve the standardization of building processes result in a increasing tendency of using the gypsum as boards, and as a projected gypsum mortars. On the other hand, the need of reuse industrial wastes to avoid environmental impact resulting of their deposition and to reduce the management costs, indicates the building industry as an important user of large quantities of industrial wastes, mainly that generated in the ore milling The industry of phosphate fertilizers is a typical example of this interaction. The phosphate rock milling through the wet process, reacting phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, produces substantial quantities of calcium sulfate as a by-product known as phosphogypsum, that are stored in stockpiles. The phosphate rock contains radionuclides of the U and Th decay series. During the chemical attack these radionuclides are distributed in different proportions between the phosphoric acid and the phosphogypsum. This work presents the radiological characterization phosphogypsum, produced by two national fertilizers industries. A methodology to quantify the radiation exposure, in a reference dwelling , due the use of phosphogypsum considering different scenarios, was established. The external irradiation and the inhalation of radon and thoron and their decay products in indoor air were considered. The values of individual effective dose equivalent ranged from 0.12 to 1.95 mSv.a1, depending on the phosphogypsum origin and the scenario considered. About 80% of the dose rises from the inhalation of thoron and its decay products. The results show the importance of Th series radioactive disequilibrium in the assessment. Depending on the phosphogypsum origin and scenario of use, the dose values justify the control of this practice. The general conclusion is that this practice have to be considered case by case and the proposed methodology is suitable to assess the dose and the radioactive disequilibrium consequences
Criteria for projecting floor heating systems for industrial buildings; Planungskriterien fuer Fussbodenheizungssysteme in Industriebauten
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Wenting, M. [Wirsbo-VELTA GmbH und Co. KG, Norderstedt (Germany)
Floor heating systems have become a standard heating option for industrial buildings, factory halls, etc. Most systems are low-temperature heating systems utilizing waste heat of industrial production processes. This means a further reduction of energy cost. [German] Die Bodenheizung ist ein wirtschaftlich fest etabliertes Waermeverteilungssystem in Industriebauten und gilt als solide Grundlage fuer Investitionen. Durch die absolute Raumfreiheit hat sie sich in allen klassischen Einsatzgebieten wie z.B. Hochregallager, Wartungshallen, Fabriken, Logistikzentren und Produktionshallen durchgesetzt. Ausserdem arbeitet die Industrieflaechenheizung im Niedertemperaturbetrieb, wodurch die Verwendung von Waerme aus Produktionsprozessen nutzbar ist und sich somit die Energiekosten zusaetzlich senken. (orig.)
Properties of Agro-Industrial Aerated Concrete as Potential Thermal Insulation for Building
Aminudin Eeydzah; Md Din Mohd Fadhil; Hussin Mohd Warid; Abdullah Abd Halid; Iwao Kenzo; Ichikawa Yo
The present paper is aiming to provide an actual state of the development of non autoclaved Agro-Industrial aerated concrete by using multiple ashes as improvement of thermal behavior for building. The feasibility of Agro-Industrial wastes as lightweight concrete by utilizing the Palm Oil Fuel Ash (POFA) as binder replacement and bottom ash as fine aggregate was investigated in this paper. Portland cement, bottom ash, aluminum powder and lime (Ca(OH)2) were used in this study. The POFA was us...
Constructed wetlands in the treatment of agro-industrial wastewater: A review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sultana Mar-Yam
Full Text Available Due to their simplicity and low operation cost, constructed wetlands are becoming more prevalent in wastewater treatment all over the world. Their range of applications is no longer limited to municipal wastewater but has expanded to the treatment of heavily polluted wastewaters such as agro-industrial effluents. This paper provides a comprehensive literature review of the application of constructed wetlands in treating a variety of agro-industrial wastewaters, and discusses pollutant surface loads and the role of constructed wetland type, prior-treatment stages and plant species in pollutant removal efficiency. Results indicate that constructed wetlands can tolerate high pollutant loads and toxic substances without losing their removal ability, thus these systems are very effective bio-reactors even in hostile environments. Additionally, the review outlines issues that could improve pollutant treatment efficiency and proposes design and operation suggestions such as suitable vegetation, porous media and constructed wetland plain view. Finally, a decision tree for designing constructed wetlands treating agro-industrial wastewaters provides an initial design tool for scientists and engineers.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adrian Page
Full Text Available Masonry is a construction material which is widely used in Australia in a number of forms (fired clay, concrete, calcium silicate, natural stone, autoclaved aerated concrete and in a wide range of both loadbearing and non-loadbearing applications. As such, it serves as the primary structural element in structures such as 3-4 story "walk up" apartment buildings or low rise commercial structures, or as a veneer or infill in housing or high rise framed construction. Despite its current widespread use, for masonry to remain a viable construction material in the future, design and construction practices need to be flexible, able to adapt to change and be receptive to innovation. This applies not only to advances in materials technology and the development of new products and building systems, but also an effective response to changes in the regulatory framework which have an increasing emphasis on thermal and acoustic performance, seismic resistance and sustainable practices. In this context, an overview of the Australian past, present and possible future masonry scene is given.
Construction Process Simulation and Safety Analysis Based on Building Information Model and 4D Technology
Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)
HU Zhenzhong; ZHANG Jianping; DENG Ziyin
Time-dependent structure analysis theory has been proved to be more accurate and reliable com-pared to commonly used methods during construction. However, so far applications are limited to partial pe-riod and part of the structure because of immeasurable artificial intervention. Based on the building informa-tion model (BIM) and four-dimensional (4D) technology, this paper proposes an improves structure analysis method, which can generate structural geometry, resistance model, and loading conditions automatically by a close interlink of the schedule information, architectural model, and material properties. The method was applied to a safety analysis during a continuous and dynamic simulation of the entire construction process.The results show that the organic combination of the BIM, 4D technology, construction simulation, and safety analysis of time-dependent structures is feasible and practical. This research also lays a foundation for further researches on building lifecycle management by combining architectural design, structure analy-sis, and construction management.
Sustainability assessment, rating systems and historical buildings Case study: Rehabilitated construction in a university site
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sadrykia Somayeh
Full Text Available This paper explores the relationship between the indicators and different factors that "rating systems for green projects" concentrates on, and principles and factors considered in the rehabilitation of historical buildings. In recent years, different methods and systems concerned and improved for assessing environmental sustainability. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment (BRE Environmental Assessment Method are two most commonly used rating systems, established in U.S and UK. These systems comprise some categories and different factors to achieve environmentally responsible design. Firstly, this study focuses on the list of rating systems indicators and criteria. Secondly this paper investigates a historical rehabilitated building in the site of Tabriz Art University, as a case study and has tried to compile its green design elements. Finally, this work intends to compare mentioned elements with indicators and factors of building rating systems. Findings of the study revealed that "Materials and Resources", "indoor environmental quality" and also "Sustainable Sites" ,the most significant indicator of rating systems, had major and important role in the rehabilitation of the building. Beyond this materials' life cycle was considerable in construction.
A revisit on the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR in the Malaysian construction industry
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mohd Suhaimi Mohd Danuri
Full Text Available The current dispute resolution procedures available in the Malaysian construction industry are mainly litigation and arbitration. In addition, the alternative dispute resolutions (ADR, namely mediation and adjudication, have also been introduced as the other methods for resolving disputes. The objective of this study is to examine the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR available in the Malaysian construction industry. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to report the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR, and identify the attributes of successful implementation of both mechanisms based on the perceptions of the Malaysian construction industry players. From the jurisprudence point of view, this study looks into the law as it is, in relation to the current practice of dispute resolution and ADR, by showing how those findings can be used to explain why improvement is needed to promote a successful and well received dispute resolution and ADR, and what lessons can be learnt, towards the formulation of a more viable methods for the Malaysian construction industry. NVivo software has been used to manage and organise the complete interview transcripts and facilitate the data analysis process for this study. Literature review reveals a continuous development of dispute resolution and ADR in the Malaysian construction industry, while, globally the industry has not only embraced ADR but also spearheaded the development of innovative forms of dispute avoidance mechanism. The findings of interviews show that locally, apart from litigation, the common types of ADR are arbitration, mediation and ad hoc mechanism. The findings also lead to the discovery of the following attributes: faster, less procedural, cost effective and enforceable; regulation and government's support; professionalism and ethic; training; and facility, that may promote a successful implementation of dispute resolution and ADR in Malaysia.
Occupational Health Hazards of Women Working in Brick Kiln and Construction Industry
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V. G Vaidya
Full Text Available Background: In brick kiln and construction industry the exposure to carbon monoxide and silica dust is the most common occupational hazard to the workers in these industries. A study on occupational health hazards of working women in these two unorganized sectors was undertaken by Lokmanya Medical Research Centre. Objectives: To study the effect of work site environment on the health of the women working in brick kiln and construction industry. An attempt was also made to study the seasonal changes in the concentration of carbon monoxide and dust at the worksite. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the working women (age 18-40 years at brick kilns and construction sites during summer and winter season. They were examined primarily to assess the effect of working environment on health. Gasteck Detector Pump of model 800 and air sampling instrument (SKC Air Check–52 were used to measure concentration of carbon monoxide and dust in the air respectively. Results: There were 66% of women who were in the age group of 18-40 years and most of them (94% were married. At brick kiln sites, average CO exposure was 62.8 ppm and 55.5 ppm and average dust exposure was 3 3 146.1 mg/m and 91.4 mg/m in summer and winter season respectively.At construction sites, average dust exposure was 41.5 ppm and 90.8 ppm in summer and winter. Conclusion: Both exposure to CO and dust were more in summer than in winter in brick kiln industry whereas in construction industry the exposure to dust was more in winter season. A high level of morbidity in the form of headache, bodyache, problems with vision, cough and breathlessness were observed in both industries. It is strongly recommended to take pollution control measures.